Classics of Advaita Vedānta: Laghu Yogavāsiṣṭha – An Ongoing Series with Deven Patel *
Fridays, 5:00 - 6:00 PM Eastern Time - Online Only via Zoom
Open Donation to the Ashram. Suggested for entire series $100, or $20 for one session.
Register for either the Entire Series or Individual Classes:
Jun 6
Jun 13
Jun 20
Jun 27
Jul 11
Join any time!
This is an ongoing weekly workshop series (via Zoom), currently exploring the Laghu Yogavāsiṣṭha, a version of 6,000 verses abridged by the poet Abhinanda from the larger Yogavāsiṣṭha (of 36,000 verses). A popular classic of Advaita Vedānta philosophy, the Laghu Yogavāsiṣṭha is a beautiful poem in the form of a dialogue between Sage Vasiṣṭha and Śrī Rāma, tackling the problems of human suffering, of life and death, including the way forward in turbulent times.
The reading is from Chapter 1 (Vairāgya Prakaraṇam), and this new session will resume with Verse 71. The sage Viśvāmitra is about to get very angry. King Daśaratha's advisor (the sage Vasiṣṭha) intercedes and explains why it is correct that Prince Rāma, though of such a tender young age, should go off to fight the demons.
Join Professor Deven Patel for one or more delightful sessions. Teacher and students will collectively work on translating the verses and discuss their meaning. These classes can be taken as a series of 5 sessions at a time (recommended) or as single sessions.
-- The ISEWU (Intl. Schools of East-West Unity) admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin. --
Deven M. Patel is a professor of Sanskrit and South Asian Culture in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches courses in literature, philosophy, mythology, literary theory, and translation studies. Deven writes on the history and interpretation of literature and translates from Sanskrit to English. His published works include Text to Tradition: The Naiṣadhīyacarita and Literary Community in South Asia and Kavirājamārgam: The Way of the King of Poets (co-authored with R.V.S. Sundaram).
