The Indian Wisdom Podcast

Sanskritist and seasoned teacher Dr. Antonia Ruppel shares her views on the merits and pitfalls of academic enterprise, the brave new world of self-employed scholarship and the teaching of ancient la…

Wendy Doniger’s An American Girl in India: Letters and Recollections, 1963–64 (2022) is a memoir-style collection of letters and reflections from her first trip to India as a young scholar. It offers…

Meet Anya Golovkova who is soon teaching an online 9-week Sanskrit Devī Māhātmya reading course at Yogic Studies – starts May 5!

SKT 206 | Reading the Devīmāhātmya: https://www.yogicstudies.com/skt…

Have a listen to this longform podcast episode where Dr. Raj is interviewed on connections across mythology, yoga postures, tantra, powers, consciousness – and more! The interviewer is Raghav Sharma …

What time is it when it is neither night not day? What space is neither indoors nor outdoors? Why would we even want to entertain such considerations? Hear the story of how Viṣṇu outsmarted a demon l…

Why does Viṣṇu slumber at the end of the age? Is ‘being asleep’ not the opposite of being awakened, i.e., consciousness? Or does this sleep represent a different state of consciousness altogether? Li…

Today marks the one-year anniversary of The Indian Wisdom Podcast! As such we’re sharing a fascinating recent interview Dr. Raj gave on the Living in Alignment podcast with Amy Landry. The interview …

Why does Sarasvatī represent eloquence, artistry and sound itself? And what does she have to do with Vedic revelation? Learn about the interplay between Creator and Creativity (Brahmā and Sarasvatī) …

Gādhī wants to become a Daddy and requests that his son-in-law Sage Ṛcīka to prepare a porridge for his wife to conceive a royal son. The sage prepares two brews: a royal brew for his mother-in-law a…

The great sage Uddālaka sends his son Śvetaketu away for a proper education spanning 12 years from the ages of 12 to 24. Yet upon return, though learned, Śvetaketu still hasn’t learned the most impor…

Manu agrees to protect a tiny fish – why? This fish grows to mammoth proportions and reveals himself to be Viṣṇu himself. What does this tale teach about the function of protection?

The Indian Wisdom…

Why does Viṣṇu recline upon a serpent couch between cycles of creation? What does this represent? Learn the symbology of the serpent couch and its connection to ‘serpent power’.

The Indian Wisdom Pod…

Hear of how both Śiva and Viṣṇu incarnate as beasts and forget their divinity in this tale about the interplay between preservation and destruction. The answer of which of the two is more powerful mi…

Why is Durvāsas always throwing curses? Hear of three mythic moments where he issues curses and blessings alike as instruments if destiny. Learn to find the comfort within discomfort.

The Indian Wisd…

Why do people discriminate against the disabled, or in general? Hear the tale of the sage who through physically debilitated ran laps around the luminaries of his day in terms of his spiritual attain…

What is the difference between healthy pride and toxic pride? How do we navigate the two? Hear the tale of how Viṣṇu’s dwarf incarnation humbles the demon Bali.

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is hosted by…

Dr. Raj interviews Jen Goetchius about her rich yoga teacher training manual and programme in the Cleveland, Ohio area. They discuss and the need and applicability of Indian wisdom in the modern West…

Profound and practical wisdom from ancient India, China, and the Modern West alike, on meeting tumultuous times.

The Indian Wisdom Podcast is hosted by Dr. Raj Balkaran, a Sanskrit scholar, seasoned …

What is the spiritual significance of Diwali, the Indic festival of lights?  Learn about the inner light through Dr. Raj’s decoding of Lakṣmī, and the various blessings she bestows.

Learn all about D…

Join Dr. Raj in conversation with Dr. Lauren Tober, Clinical Psychologist, Life Coach and Yoga Teacher, about her new book, "Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers." In her book and our …