Arsha Vidya Gurukulam

File:Ganga Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Coimbatore.jpg, India]]

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is a set of Vedic teaching institutions founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1930 – 2015). A gurukulam is a center for residential learning that evolved from the Vedic tradition. Arsha Vidya translates to knowledge of rishis (sages).{{cite book|editor1=Jones, Constance |editor2=Ryan, James D. |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&pg=PA44|year=2006|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5|pages=44|chapter=Arsha Vidya Gurukulam}}

Its current president is Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati (born 1940).{{cite web|title=Arsha Vidya Gurukulam|url=https://arshavidya.org/}}{{cite web|title=Swami Viditatmananda - Arsha Vidya Center|url=https://arshavidyacenter.org/swami-talks/swami-viditatmananda/}} Its three main centers in India are the Swami Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh, the Adhyatma Vidya Mandir in Ahmedabad, and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore.{{cite web|url=https://arshavidya.org/rishikesh-ashram/|title=Rishikesh Ashram - Arsha Vidya Gurukulam}}{{cite web|url=https://arshavidya.org/ahmedabad-ashram/|title=Ahmedabad Ashram – Arsha Vidya Gurukulam}}{{cite web|url=https://arshavidya.org/coimbatore-ashram/|title=Coimbatore Ashram – Arsha Vidya Gurukulam}} In the United States, its main center is the Arsha Vidya Pitham in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, about ninety miles west of New York City. As of 2008, it had approximately sixty other centers worldwide.{{cite book|author=Arvind Sharma|title=Part of the Problem, Part of the Solution: Religion Today and Tomorrow|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MMv4xEAUnGgC&pg=PA211|year=2008|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-35899-9|pages=211–|chapter=About the editor and contributors}}

Study

Since its establishment in 1986, the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam has provided an academic-like environment to focus on study of Advaita Vedanta, Sanskrit, the Vedas and ancient Sanskrit texts. Over time, the institutes have broadened the scope of their libraries and curriculum to include a number of traditional Indian disciplines such as hatha yoga, meditation, ayurveda, and astrology.{{cite book|last=Melton|first=J. Gordon |authorlink=J. Gordon Melton|editor=Melton, J Gordon |editor2=Baumann, Martin|title=Religions of the World, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2yiyLLOj88C&pg=PA196|date=21 September 2010|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-204-3|pages=196–197|chapter=Arsha Vidya Gurukulam}}{{cite journal|last=More|first=Blake|title=Vedanta in the Poconos|journal=Yoga Journal|date=March–April 1996|pages=30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jOkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30}}

Institutions

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam has two main teaching centers: The Saylorsburg campus was established in 1986, and the Coimbatore center was founded in 1990{{cite web|url=http://www.arshavidya.org |title=arshavidya.org |publisher=arshavidya.org |access-date=17 February 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.arshavidya.in |title=arshavidya.in |publisher=arshavidya.in |access-date=17 February 2013}} Another gurukulam is in Nagpur, India.{{cite web|url=http://www.arshavidya-nagpur.org |title=arshavidya-nagpur.org |publisher=arshavidya-nagpur.org |access-date=17 February 2013}}

The word Arsha has also been used by many of Swami Dayananda's students in naming their facilities to mark their lineage. A 2012 estimate found there were at least sixty centers{{cite web|title=Disciples Website|url=http://www.arshavidya.in/relatedLinks.html|access-date=4 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016233805/http://www.arshavidya.in/relatedLinks.html|archive-date=16 October 2012|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Swamini Vilasananda, Argentina|url=http://www.arshavidya.es}}{{cite web |title=Br. Chetana, Tokyo, Japan |url=http://vedanta.exblog.jp}} in India and abroad that carry on the tradition of Vedantic teaching under the banner of Arsha Vidya.

In 2017, the lineage of teachers convened at their annual Rishikesh meetup and discussed the need to create a hub to organize the sampradaya (i.e., tradition). To that end, they have created the Arsha Vidya Sampradaya, which provides access to information maintains a directory of Arsha Vidya teachers.{{cite web|url=https://www.arshasampradaya.org/about/avsampradaya|title=About Arsha Sampradaya|access-date=2021-04-14|website=arshasampradaya.org}}

Ashram

Arsha Vidya Pitham, also known as the Swami Dayananda Ashram is situated in Rishikesh across multiple acres of land. The ashram facilities include a bookstore, modern facilities for dining, as well as a 250 person lecture hall. It also maintains a library with over 5,000 titles on grammar and philosophy and the personal collections of Swami Dayananda Saraswati himself.{{cite web|url=http://www.dayananda.org |title=dayananda.org |publisher=dayananda.org|access-date=17 February 2013}}

The ashram exists on the grounds that have been around since as early as 1967. It was in 1982 that the ashram was expanded and officially named the Arsha Vidya Pitham.{{cite web|title=Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati - A brief biography|author=Avinashilingam, N.|publisher=Arsha Avinash Foundation|url=https://arshaavinash.in/index.php/download/swami-dayananda-saraswati-a-biography-print-edition-by-n-avinashilingam/|date=Jan 2020|access-date=2021-04-15}}

It also runs a publication house, Sri Gangadhareswar Trust that produces books on Vedanta, Hinduism, Hindu philosophy and literature, Paninian grammar, Indian history and related subjects.

It houses the temple of Gangadhareswar, a shrine situated close to the Ganges dedicated to Lord Shiva.{{cite web|url=https://www.arshavidya.in/Newsletter/Apr14/rishikesh-kumbhabhishekam.pdf|date=April 2014|website=arshavidya.in|access-date=2021-04-14|publisher=Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Tamil Nadu|title=Kumbhabhishekam of Sri Gangadhareshwara Temple at Rishikesh}}

After the Swami's mahāsamādhi (i.e., death) in 2015, a shrine was built at the ashram, containing Dayanandesvara, a consecrated lingam for devotees, as well as the form of the Swami rendered into a statue.

Several students and sanyassis (renunciates) who have studied at the centres, have gone on to spread Dayananda's teachings elsewhere and some have established ashrams of their own.{{cite book|last1=Fuller|first1=C. J.|last2=Harriss|first2=John|editor=Assayag, Jackie |editor2=Fuller, Christopher John |title=Globalizing India: Perspectives from Below|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3juHflkUCF4C&pg=PA213|year=2005|publisher=Anthem Press|isbn=978-1-84331-195-9|pages=213–|chapter=Globalizing Hinduism: A 'Traditional' Guru and Modern Businessmen in Chennai}}

Reception

In 2016, the Los Angeles Times published a critical review of Gurukulam: One Without a Second, a documentary featuring residents and teachers of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Tamil Nadu, India.{{Cite web |last=Goldstein |first=Gary |date=2016-06-09 |title=Review: 'Gurukulam' documentary fails to find oneness with itself |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-gurukulam-review-20160606-snap-story.html |access-date=2023-03-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

References

External links

[https://arshavidya.in/ Arsha Vidya Gurukulam] {{Coord|11.104822|76.768256|display=inline}} Tamil Nadu
[https://arshavidya.org/ Arsha Vidya Gurukulam] {{coord|40.887524|-75.313591|display=inline}} Pennsylvania
[https://www.dayananda.org Arsha Vidya Pitham, Rishikesh] {{coord|30.1102073|78.3083426|display=inline}} Uttarakhand
[https://www.arshasampradaya.org/ Arsha Vidya Sampradaya], index of Arsha Vidya teachers and alumni. Run by Swami Dayananda Ashram.
[http://www.arshavijnanagurukulamnagpur.org/ Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam] Maharashtra
[https://www.avg-sanskrit.org AVG Sanskrit]

Category:Arsha Vidya Gurukulam schools

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