Long long before Mother’s Day and Father’s day, we have had Guru’s day!  That is Guru Purnima, the birthday of Veda Vyasa.  Our traditions trace our teachers back to our Acharyas, and Vyasa prior to them, all the way up to Narayana and Shiva.

Everybody has teachers but traditionally each Indian has had a Guru also. A teacher is one who enables the students to understand a specific subject matter. On the other hand, a Guru is one who guides a person to lead a proper and fulfilling life. 

Dr.Jayakumar(Chief Guest) gave examples of famous gurus from history.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was inspired by his mother Jijabai, teacher Dadaji Kondadev and his Guru Samarth Ramadas.   It is this inspiration that made him establish the powerful Maratha empire that protected India from Islamic Rule for 200 years from the 1600s.

Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire, ruled around 321 to 297 BCE, unifying much of India.  His Guru was none other than the famous Kautilya Chanakya, whose magnum opus on Arthashastra, written 2,300 years ago, is still a guide on Governance to many world leaders.

The Vijayanagaram Empire which spanned approximately what would be Karnataka, Kerala Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa of today, protected the southern part of India from Islamic rulers.  This empire was established by Harihara & Bukka in the 1600s.  Their guru? Vidyaranya Muni of Sringeri Matha.

The famous Arjuna of Mahabharata himself had a Guru in Bhagwan Shri Krishna.

In Tamilnadu, Subramanya Bharathi, (1882-1921), a pioneering Tamil poet, writer, and independence leader, popularly known as Bharathiyar, had his Guru in the Acharya of Sringeri.

Once, a man went to a Swami to seek Sannyasa.  He was advised that a Sanyasi’s life was not appropriate for him and that he had the right qualifications to serve and lead the country.  That man is none other than our own Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi, and his guru was Swami Atmasthananda of Ramakrishna Math.

Our most revered Sri Rama of Ramayana had Vashishtha Muni as his guru!

Therefore, in Sanatana Dharma, it is well known that each person must have a guru.  Anybody living in India will be exposed to this tradition and the time will come when each of us will look for a Guru. This tradition is unique to South Asian cultures.

The speech was followed by presentations of several programs by students of Advaith Academy.  One group presented a skit depicting the life of Drona and Ekalavya.   Several students sang shlokas from the Bhagavad Gita and Guru Stotram.   All teachers were recognised and given gifts on this auspicious occasion.

The post Guru Day Talk at Advaith Though Academy appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Venue : Indica Talk(Advaita Academy)

Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi

Date: 29th Dec 2024

The post Uniqueness of Atmabodha appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Description : Sadgamaya was a two day workshop specifically aimed at motivating the 400 faculty of the campus. The University leaders feel that the faculty of recent years seemed to be out of touch with the civilisational ethos of the country.The session, titled “Civilizational Awareness and Spirituality for Nation Building”, was part of the University’s Sadgamaya series and took place before the start of the new academic year. Dr. Jayakumar Ji discussed how ancient India was a global knowledge hub, with Takshashila and Nalanda Universities providing top-tier education in various fields. He emphasized the pride students should feel for these institutions as they pursue higher studies abroad. Additionally, he highlighted how many Indian educational institutions feature profound Sanskrit captions on their logos, drawn from ancient scriptures like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, and how these are deeply related to the subjects taught within. He also explored the journey of an individual on the spiritual path, intertwined with their educational pursuits, illustrated by the introspective dialogue between Nachiketa and Lord Yama.

Venue : Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi
Date: 5^th July 2024

The post Civilizational Awareness and Spirituality for Nation Building appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Venue : Online (IIT Kharagpur)
Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi
Date: 26th June 2023

The post How Yoga can transform the Leadership within and Move us Towards Global Harmony. appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Description : Dr.Jayakumar Srinivasan was invited to be a part of the IHAR (Indian History Awareness & Research) Bharatvarsh 2022 which was organised and supported by the Government of India (Ministry of Culture). The event was held in Delhi. He suggested the use of story telling, local connections-narratives, personal anecdotes, and inviting questions as important tools to engage with the youth.

Venue : IHAR BharatVarsh 2022,Delhi
Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi
Date: 9th Jan 2023.

The post Engaging the youth in civilization narrative appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Description : As part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, Dr. Jayakumar S. Ammangudi rendered a talk on ‘Who Invented Pythagoras theorem’ to the high school students of Adwaith Academy, Coimbatore.In this engaging presentation, through various stories of unknown Indian accomplishments, Dr. Jayakumar, inspired the children to learn more about India’s past.  In the end, the students agreed that our Independence Day celebration is not complete until Indians fully rediscover India’s past glory

Venue : Adwaith Thought Academy,Coimbatore
Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi
Date: 28^th Aug 2022

The post Who Invented Pythagoras theorem ? appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Venue :  KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology

Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi

Date: 4th Sep 2021

The post Essence of Indian Traditional Knowledge appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.

Venue :  Advaita Academy

Speaker : Dr.Jayakumar Ammangudi

Date: 5th Apr 2021

The post Conversation On Consciousness appeared first on Arsha Seva Kendram.