Meru Media
61 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsYour home for all things related to Indic Culture, Tradition, History, Philosophy & Religion
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Episodes
Namaste Yoga, Fijians Hindus and the Diaspora: A Conversation with Ravi Chand
February 15, 2024 18:31 - 2 hours - 216 MBJoin Mukunda as we speak with Ravi Chand, an actor, writer, producer and director at Warrior Tribe Films. Ravi has mostly recently produced, written, directed […]
Hindoo History and Hindu Diaspora in the USA: A Conversation with Vishal Ganesan
February 15, 2024 18:23 - 2 hours - 216 MBJoin Mukunda as we speak with Vishal Ganesan, who is a lawyer and posts on the Twitter handle @hindoohistory. In this episode, we discuss a […]
Advaita, Consciousness and Ramakrishna: A Conversation with Swami Sarvapriyananda
January 12, 2024 19:38 - 2 hours - 185 MBJoin Mukunda as we speak with Swami Sarvapriyananda, the Head Monk at the Vedanta Society of New York. Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on […]
Hinduism, Coloniality and Philosophical Musings: A Conversation with Dr. Deepak Sarma
January 12, 2024 19:31 - 2 hours - 221 MBJoin Mukunda as we speak with Dr Deepak Sarma, a tenured professor of Religious Studies at Case Western University. Dr Sarma has written numerous academic […]
Islam, Tradition and Modernity: A Conversation with Dr. Javad Hashmi
January 12, 2024 19:22 - 1 hour - 239 MBJoin Mukunda as we speak with Dr. Javad Hashmi, a Phd. candidate at Harvard University in Islamic studies and is also a medical doctor. He […]
Dvaita Vedanta: A Conversation with Dr. Anusha Rao
January 12, 2024 19:14 - 2 hours - 171 MBJoin Mukunda as we speak with Dr. Anusha Rao, a Phd. candidate at the University of Toronto. Dr. Rao is currently finishing her Phd. on […]
Hindu Media Matters: A Conversation with Prof. Vamsee Juluri
January 12, 2024 18:46 - 1 hour - 197 MBJoin Mukunda and Dr. Omari as we speak with Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco, on a joint […]
Saiva Siddhanta: History, Philosophy and Concepts
January 12, 2024 17:55 - 1 hour - 214 MBA Conversation with Ghorangirasa and PinakasenaJoin Mukunda as he speaks with the men behind the Twitter handles of @Ghorangirasa and @Pinakasena. Both Ghorangirasa and Pinakasena […]
The State of Hindu Americans: Race/Culture, Academia & Identity A Conversation with Dr. Jeffery Long
November 13, 2023 03:48 - 1 hour - 249 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Jeffery Long. Dr. Long is the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy & Asian Studies at Elizabethtown […]
A Convergence of Indian and Western Philosophy: A Conversation with Dr. Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad
November 13, 2023 03:38 - 1 hour - 232 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad. Dr. Ram-Prasad is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University. He is the […]
Samkhya, Vedanta and Mahabharata: A Conversation with Dr. T.S. Rukmani
June 16, 2023 07:19 - 1 hour - 107 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. T.S. Rukmani. Dr. T.S. Rukmani was a Professor and Chair of Hindu Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. […]
Sanskrit, Shastras, and Society: A Conversation with Dr. Satyan Sharma
June 16, 2023 07:17 - 2 hours - 184 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Satyan Sharma. Dr. Sharma is a Professor of Sanskrit at the Panjab University in Chandigarh. He specializes in […]
Ismailism and Islamic History: A Conversation with Dr. Khalil Andani
June 16, 2023 07:14 - 1 hour - 86.1 MBIsmailism and Islamic History: A Conversation with Dr. Khalil Andani Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Khalil Andani, an Islamic scholar and expert on […]
Ancient and Modern Aesthetics: A Dialogue with Dr. Bharat Gupt
June 16, 2023 07:09 - 1 hour - 136 MBJoin Mukunda and Krishna as they speak with Dr. Bharat Gupt, a former Associate Professor in English at the University of Delhi, is an Indian […]
Hinduism, Perennial Wisdom and Engaging with Islam: A Conversation with Farhan Qureshi
February 03, 2023 18:22 - 2 hours - 203 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Farhan Qureshi. Farhan is an ex-Muslim who now identifies as Hindu. He is a perennialist, who believes in that […]
Indo-Aryan Origins, Genetics and Pre-History: A Conversation with Ashish Kulkarni
February 03, 2023 18:12 - 1 hour - 155 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Ashish Kulkarni, better known on Twitter as @agenetics1, he is an engineer and part of a new wave of […]
Living Traditions and Puranas A Dialogue with Prof. McComas Taylor
February 03, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 91.1 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. McComas Taylor, Associate Professor of Sanskrit at Australian National University. In this episode, we discuss a host of […]
Christianity, Theology and Theodicy: A Conversation with Seth P. Hart
February 03, 2023 17:48 - 1 hour - 155 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Seth P. Hart, a Ph.D. Candidate and scholar of Christian Theology at the University of Durham. In this episode, […]
Theology Unleashed: A Conversation and Discussion with Arjuna Gallagher
July 20, 2022 10:01 - 2 hours - 225 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Arjuna Gallagher of Theology Unleashed Youtube Show. Arjuna belongs to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition specifically the Hare Krsna and […]
Understanding the Dharma Shastras: A Conversation with Dr. Patrick Olivelle and Dr. Donald Davis
July 20, 2022 09:34 - 1 hour - 155 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with pre-eminent scholars of the Dharma Shastras: Dr. Patrick Olivelle and Dr. Donald Davis. Dr. Olivelle is a world renowned […]
Introduction to Pancaratra: Vaishnava Agama and Tantra
July 20, 2022 09:15 - 51 minutes - 71.1 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan, of www.srimatham.com. Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari is an Acharya of […]
Mahabharata Unravelled:A Conversation with Ami Ganatra
July 20, 2022 09:07 - 1 hour - 139 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Ami Ganatra, author of Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History. Ami Ganatra is a management professional who […]
Narratives, Life and Timeless Wisdom: A Conversation with Dr. Raj Balkaran
December 21, 2021 22:39 - 1 hour - 79.5 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He is a scholar of the Puranas and Narratives and the […]
Hindu Dalits, Caste and Conversion: A Conversation with Prerna Thiruvaipati
December 10, 2021 18:57 - 2 hours - 110 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Prerna Thiruvaipati a Dalits and Hindu activist who has been spending the past few years working on addressing the concerns of Dalit communities in India focusing on the Andhra and Telangana region. She has been working on providing economic, emotional, and legal support to these communities in addition to dealing with the issues of Christian and Islamic conversions along with returning to Hinduism. We discuss these and other topics.
Around the Polytheistic Campfire: A Conversation with Modern Polytheists
July 07, 2021 07:59 - 2 hours - 114 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Edward Butler, Caitlin Storm Breaker, Jim Two Snakes, and Sarenth Odinsson on Polytheism in the modern world. Caitlin, […]
Meru Media and Brown Pundits From Ancient Kama to Modern Seduction: A Conversation with Dr. Seema Anand
April 18, 2021 20:12 - 1 hour - 96.3 MBJoin Mukunda and Shahada Hasan of the Brown Pundits, as they speak to Dr. Seema Anand on Kama, the Kama Sutra, Arts of Seduction, Femininity, […]
An Acharya from the West: A Conversation with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari
March 12, 2021 22:10 - 1 hour - 183 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan, of www.srimatham.com. Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari is an Acharya of […]
The Journey of Translations: A Conversation with Prof. Bibek Debroy
February 04, 2021 20:32 - 1 hour - 146 MBJoin Mukunda and Krishna as they speaks to Professor Bibek Debroy. Prof. Debroy is a polymath, polyglot and a man for all seasons. He is currently the Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on the Economic Advisory Council. He is additionally a translator of the Vedas, Puranas, Bhagavad Gita and now the Mahabharata. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 00:01:10 Introduction to Professor Bibek Debroy and his background and how he went from economics to translating ...
Narrative and the Puranas: A Conversation with Prof. Raj Balkaran
January 27, 2021 21:45 - 2 hours - 201 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He is a scholar of the Puranas and Narratives and the author of The Goddess and the King in Indian Myth. He is also the host of an amazing podcast called New Books in Indian Religions. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 00:01:10 Introduction to Professor Balkaran and his background, unique journey into Hinduism and academia 00:20:00 The experience of being Hindu and Brown in the West...
Tamil Poetry and the Azhwars: A Conversation with Prof. Archana Venkatesan
January 20, 2021 02:42 - 2 hours - 225 MBJoin Mukunda and Krishna as we speak to Professor Archana Venkatesan, Professor of Religious Studies at University of California, Davis. She is an expert and translator of Tamil Bhakti poetry specifically the poetry or pasurams of the Azhwars, a group of saints, poets and mystics from what is now Tamil Nadu from the 6th to 9th centuries of the common era.
Tantra and Abhinavagupta: A Conversation with Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina (audio podcast version)
September 17, 2020 20:50 - 2 hours - 173 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina, Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. He is also a qualified Acharya and has been trained in Sanskrit and Shastras since he was a child. He is an expert on Tantra and Abhinavagupta, a 10th century polymath genius who worked on philosophy, drama, math, music, aesthetics, and other areas. Acharya Sthaneshwar is also Founder of the Vimarsha Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit that engages in expounding and ma...
Sri Vaishnava Dharma, Modernity and an Upanyasaka: A Conversation with Dushyanth Sridhar
August 30, 2020 17:17 - 1 hour - 156 MBJoin Mukunda Raghavan and Krishna Parthasarathy as they speak with Dushyanth Sridhar, a Pauranika scholar, public lecturer on Sanatana Dharma and Upanyasakar. He has spoken […]
Hinduism, Jainism and Academia: Conversation with Prof. Lavanya Vemsani
August 24, 2020 20:31 - 1 hour - 139 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Lavanya Vemsani, Professor of Religious Studies and History at Shawnee State University in Ohio. She holds 2 Phd.s, one in History and the other in Religious Studies. She is also the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Indic Studies. She has written extensively on comparative iconology, history, legends, and ideas between Hindu and Jaina thought, especially related to Krishna and Balarama in Jaina and Hindu thought. In this episode, we discuss a h...
Hinduism, Feminism and Society: Conversation with Neha Srivastava, Founder/President of Shaktitva
August 16, 2020 17:22 - 2 hours - 174 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Neha Srivastava, Founder and President of Shaktitva Foundation. Neha and Shaktitva are focused on feminism, feminity, women's issues, advocacy, and Hindu issues. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 0:01:20 Introduction to Neha and her background 0:04:20 Overview of the Sabarimalai Issue 0:12:40 Women and Sabarimalai 0:18:00 Formation of Shaktitva 0:24:45 Discussion on the Nature of Hindu Temples and Government Control 0:32:20 Discussion on Shak...
Caste, Dalits and Hindu Society: Conversation with Prof. Guru Prakash
July 17, 2020 09:16 - 1 hour - 123 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Prof. Guru Prakash, Professor of Law at Patna University in Bihar. Prof. Prakash is a Dalit scholar and activist, who writes, studies and speaks on Dalit Issues in India and Hindu society. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics (listed broadly with approximate timestamps): 1 min 20 seconds: Introduction and Background of Professor Guru Prakash 6 min 55 seconds: Civil Rights of African Americans and the comparison with Dalit movement in India 10 min: Diversit...
Hinduism and Society: Conversation with Indu Viswanathan and Parth Parihar
July 14, 2020 18:41 - 2 hours - 194 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Indu Viswanathan and Parth Parihar. Both Parth and Indu are Phd. candidates, Indu in Education at Teachers College and Parth in Economics at Princeton. Indu and Parth are involved deeply in engaging with Hindu traditions/ideas with the modern world. In this episode, we discuss far-reaching and diverse topics including what it means to be a Hindu in the West, the colonialism of the mind vs indigenous knowledge, Racism versus Caste, Abrahamic world view vs. Dharma w...
Conversation with Brahmachari Vrajavihari Sharan, Director for Hindu Life at Georgetown University
July 09, 2020 18:51 - 1 hour - 163 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Brahmachari Vrajavihari Sharan, Director for Hindu Life at Georgetown University and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Linguistics. In this episode, we talk about the West Indian Hindu experience, Nimbarkacharya (a philosopher, Vedantin and Guru of the Kumara Sampradaya) and his philosophy, the nature of Radha and Krishna, Varna, Jati and Caste in the ascetic life, Dharma, the experience of Hinduism in the diaspora and other topics. Join us for another dive into...
Polytheism: A discussion with Dr. Edward Butler
June 17, 2020 18:07 - 2 hours - 208 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Dr. Edward Butler, Phd. Dr. Butler specializes in ancient Greco-Roman philosophy particularly Platonism and Neo-Platonism along with expertise in Polytheistic thought and philosophy. We speak at length about polytheism and monotheism, the theory of Henadology, Proclus, Hindu Thought, and other forms of polytheism and a host of other topics. You can find Dr. Edward Butler at: https://henadology.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @epbutler Purchase his books at: https://w...
Meru Manthan Episode 2: Conversation and Discussion with Father Francis X. Clooney
May 26, 2020 20:34 - 1 hour - 125 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Father Francis X. Clooney, Professor of Comparative Theology at the Harvard Divinity School. Father Clooney is a scholar of Hinduism specifically Visisthadvaita Vedanta and SriVaishnavism, he is equally a practicing Catholic in the Jesuit Order. In this dialogue, Father Clooney and I discuss Catholicism, Ramanujacharya, Visistadvaita Vedanta, the nature of comparative theology, Bhakti tradition, and other topics.
Conversation with Prof. Stephen Phillips
May 19, 2020 18:00 - 2 hours - 181 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Stephen Phillips of the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Phillips is an academic in Philosophy with a wide area of expertise in the Indian/Hindu Philosophical systems particularly Nyaya, Vedanta, and Yoga. In this dialogue, we discuss Prof. Phillips journey into Hindu thought, his experiences living in India, learning Sanskrit, studying Indian Philosophy directly from indigenous experts, the concept of Pramanas, the idea of soul-making, Yoga an...
Sikhism: Conversation with Jodh Singh on the History, Ideas, and Practices of Sikhi Dharm
April 17, 2020 18:36 - 2 hours - 185 MBJoin Mukunda as he talks to Jodh Singh (Twitter@jungnihang) about Sikhism. We go through a detailed history of 10 Gurus, the socio-political environment in that period, the practices of the Sikhi Dharm and other topics. If you want to learn and understand Sikhism, this is the podcast episode for you.
Conversation and Interview with Gopi Shankar Madurai, Founder of Srishti Madurai and LGBTQIA Hindu Activist
April 01, 2020 06:47 - 1 hour - 155 MBJoin Mukunda as he talks to Gopi Shankar Madurai, Founder of Srishti Madurai and an LGBTQIA Hindu Activist. They discuss biological sex, gender identity, sexual […]
A Conversation with Prof. Nicholas Sutton
January 06, 2020 20:27 - 1 hour - 137 MBJoin Mukunda as he talks to Prof. Nicholas Sutton, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. They discuss Prof. Sutton's journey into Hindu thought and his life of studying Dharma, Philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata and other texts/traditions. They delve into morality and ethics, the idea of Dharma, deontological morality, virtue ethics, diversity in Hindu thought, the conundrum of God in the world vis-a-vis Krishna and numerous other ideas. You can check out Prof. Sutton's lectures and talks...
Meru Manthan Series: Judaism and Hinduism A Discussion with Rabbi Alan Brill
December 04, 2019 01:58 - 1 hour - 252 MBWe are launching a new series called Meru Manthan: The Churning of Ideas, where we engage with thinkers, ideas and viewpoints from all traditions and […]
Discussion with Sham Sharma, host and creator of the Sham Sharma Show
October 24, 2019 07:46 - 1 hour - 166 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Shambhav Sharma, the host and creator of the Sham Sharma show. In this atypical Meru podcast, (we focus more on social and political issues), we discuss a myriad of topics including Sham's life in India, my time in India, free speech, feminism and misogyny in cultures, ideas about the Truth, Muslimphobia, Tulsi Gabbard and Hinduphobia (starts around 58 min 45 second mark), discussion about Pieter Friedman (author of the hit piece on Tulsi), Kashmir, social and me...
Interview and Discussion with Suhag Shukla, Esq. Executive Director of Hindu American Foundation
September 21, 2019 21:13 - 2 hours - 237 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Suhag Shukla, Esq., the Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a non-profit and non-partisan Hindu advocacy group in the United States. In this podcast, we discuss a myriad of topics including growing up as part of the Indian and Hindu diaspora in the US, the issues that Hindus in the US have to deal with, diversity in thought in Hinduism and its traditions, the role that HAF plays in the US, education controversies that arose regarding teachi...
Western Foundations of the Caste System: Discussion with Dr. Prakash Shah
September 10, 2019 22:58 - 160 MBJoin Mukunda and Racchit, as we speak to Prof. Prakash Shah, Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London, about the Caste System and its conceptual foundations in the Western world. We discuss the idea of Caste and how much of it was developed through the lens of the West's engagement with India by imposing their ideas and concepts of what they thought was the social fabric of India was like into their own world views. Even today there is not an intelligible definition of what cast...
Media and Hinduism: Discussion and Conversation with Prof. Vamsee Juluri
August 30, 2019 07:12 - 1 hour - 148 MBJoin Racchit and I as we trialogue with Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco. We discuss the media on the whole. depiction of Hindus in the media, Hinduphobia, Prof. Juluri's books and many other topics. Meru Media www.meru.media [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?fe...
Simulcast with the Brown Pundits: Identity, Race, History, Pakistan, Bangladesh and much more
August 20, 2019 00:51 - 2 hours - 180 MBJoin Mukunda as he speaks to Razib Khan and Omar Ali of the Brown Pundits.
Discussion with Kushal Mehra, Host of The Carvaka Podcast
July 13, 2019 19:06 - 2 hours - 285 MBIn this episode, Mukunda speaks to Kushal Mehra, the host of The Carvaka Podcast. We discuss Hindutva, Social Media, Hinduism, Secularism, Indian Politics, Philosophy, Morality, and other topics.