Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti (Coimbatore)
आर्ष विद्या गुरुकुलम्, आनैकट्टी (कोयंबटूर)
- Established
- 1990
- Type
- Gurukul
- Location
- Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
About
A residential gurukulam for the traditional study of Advaita Vedanta and Sanskrit, founded in 1990 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati about 25 km from Coimbatore at the foot of the Nilgiris. Students live with the teacher and study the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahmasutras in the sampradaya way of teaching.
Courses & areas of study
- Residential course on Vedanta (Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahmasutras and allied texts)
- Sanskrit classes (language basics, noun and verb forms) within the course
- Prayers, chanting, guided meditation and satsang
- Veda Pathashala on campus
- Shorter programmes and camps (see the Gurukulam's events)
History
Founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1990)
Arsha Vidya Gurukulam was established in 1990 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, a renowned teacher of Vedanta and Sanskrit scholar, and is patterned on the gurukulams of ancient India. Arsha means "from the rishis", vidya is knowledge, and a gurukulam is a residential centre where one learns while living with the teacher.
How it teaches
Vedanta is taught true to the sampradaya, the traditional method of teaching, in a setting the Gurukulam describes as "as modern as it is traditional". Students from India and abroad, selected for their interest and commitment, study the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahmasutras and related classical texts, and learn as much from living in the Gurukulam as from the classes. The campus also houses a Veda pathashala.
The residential Vedanta course
Its long residential courses cover the vision of Vedanta and allied topics: the Vedic vision of Ishvara, karma-yoga, values and the practices that help assimilate the teaching, drawn from the Gita, the Upanishads and the Mahabharata. A typical day has two Vedanta classes and sessions of guided meditation, Sanskrit, prayers and chanting, and satsang, six days a week. Applicants should be graduates comfortable in English.