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Journal Papers & Conference Presentations by Nithin Sridhar
Indica Today, 2022
Manusmṛti and other Dharmaśāstra texts occupy a prominent place in Indian textual tradition as au... more Manusmṛti and other Dharmaśāstra texts occupy a prominent place in Indian textual tradition as authentic sources of dharma. Despite this, the contemporary engagement with the text has been prejudicial and problematic and most importantly, one of discomfort. This discomfort is largely due to unfamiliarity with the purpose, textual landscape, and the underlying worldview of Dharmaśāstras. This paper seeks to fill the gap in contemporary approach and facilitate a better understanding of Dharmaśāstras by highlighting certain important aspects of their textual landscape and the worldview that informs them.
Indic Today, 2020
Starting from George Bühler in the 19 th century to Patrick Olivelle and Wendy Doniger of our own... more Starting from George Bühler in the 19 th century to Patrick Olivelle and Wendy Doniger of our own times, Western scholarship has had a long engagement with the text of Manusmṛti. Though their engagement has been long and at many different levels, one thing with which they are yet to come to terms with is the sheer size of the text as well as the wide range of the subject matter covered in them. Wendy Doniger, for example calls it a patchwork 1 woven using scraps from multiple sources. It is often held that the text was composed in layers over a period of time, using multiple sources, and hence, is filled with excurses and later day interpolations.
In this paper, I contend that the predominant position of modern scholarship on the composition and integrity of the text of Manusmṛti is problematic as it sidelines the evidence presented by the native tradition regarding how the text has been received within the tradition. It will be shown that a careful understanding of the native accounts of the origination of the text as well as the general process of transmission of knowledge prevalent in the Hindu tradition clearly points to Manusmṛti as a carefully created text with unitary authorship. It will be further shown how the very narrative structure of the text as well as its deeper architecture support the position of unitary authorship.
Indic Today, 2020
Sarvajña was a Kannada poet and philosopher of the 16th century. He is famous for his three-lined... more Sarvajña was a Kannada poet and philosopher of the 16th century. He is famous for his three-lined vacanas or poems called ‘tripadi’. His poems deal with a variety of subjects ranging from philosophy and devotion to ethical guidelines and useful nuggets for daily living. He is often counted among important saints of Vīraśaiva tradition. In this paper we will explore the philosophical teachings of Sarvajña, especially his views on īśvara, māyā, jñāna and mokṣa and try to discern the ideas of Advaita Vedānta present in some of his vacanas.
Indic Today, 2019
Mindfulness is a very popular practice today in the West. While its origins in the Buddhist medit... more Mindfulness is a very popular practice today in the West. While its origins in the Buddhist meditation practices of Zen and Vipassanā are grudgingly acknowledged, the rich traditions of meditation and mindfulness in the Vedic tradition, which forms the basis of even the Buddhist practices are rarely written about. This paper examines one such practice of Mindfulness—the asparśa-yoga—that has been conceptualized and practiced in the tradition of Advaita Vedānta.
Asparśa-yoga is the yoga of non-contact which has its roots in the Upaniṣad¬-s but finds an explicit mention and a crystal clear enunciation in the Māndukya Kārikā of Ācārya Gauḍapāda. The term Asparśa primarily refers to the state of contact-less existence, and secondarily to the means of attaining such a state, both of which will be explored in the paper. It will further be shown how Asparśa-yoga can be understood as a unique Vedantic practice of mindfulness.
Social order and harmony have been issues of consistent concern for the ṛṣi-s and authors of dhar... more Social order and harmony have been issues of consistent concern for the ṛṣi-s and authors of dharmaśāstra. Unlike the modern society, the dharma traditions did not conceive of a society in terms of utopian concepts like equality and egalitarianism, which when taken to its logical conclusion promote sameness and destroy diversity. Instead, Hindu dharma tradition recognized diversity as being ingrained in the very structure of the universe, destroying which is neither fully attainable nor desirable. Thus, instead of seeking to destroy diversity, dharma traditions conceived a social order wherein diversity was not only recognized as a fundamental reality of the human society, but was also nurtured and allowed to flourish and called this conceptual framework “varṇa vyavastha”. As Frawley (2014) notes: “The Vedic concept of ‘varṇa-dharma’—reflects an organic and ecological model of society that is universal and quite appropriate for the dawning planetary age… In this Vedic idea, human society follows the same organic order as the human body, which mirrors the order of the entire universe. Like the human body, human society should be one in nature, but differentiated according to functions .”
Though varṇa, a misunderstood concept, is often equated with caste and discrimination, a thorough examination of dharma traditions reveals how at its very core, the framework of varṇa is all about creating a social order that facilitates individuals to live according to their inner temperaments and pursue their own unique paths to self-actualization. Varṇa upholds diversity and promotes meritocracy. The very term varṇa is derived from the verbal root word ‘vr’, which means “to choose”. Shastry (2011) describes varṇa as: “Unique descriptor tags, unique features which can be used for identification of individual entity for a specific identity .” Thus, varṇa can be understood either as a reference to the svadharma (personal duty/purpose of life) chosen by each individual in his/her life according to his/her svabhāva (inherent nature) or more appropriately as a descriptor tag referring to the svabhāva that drives people to spontaneously choose particular paths of life as their svadharma. This interplay of svabhāva and svadharma allow us to develop a conceptual framework of varṇa, which facilitates each member of the society to pursue their unique paths to success, prosperity and self-actualization.
The paper will first briefly explore the meaning of varṇa in the context of their descriptions available in some of the prominent Hindu texts and its function in the Hindu framework of Purusharthas. The role of varṇa will also be explored in the context of svadharma and viśeṣa dharma.
The paper will then utilize the interplay between svadharma and svabhāva to identify three key elements in a conceptual framework of varṇa, namely:
a. Identification of the different temperaments of individuals
b. Classification of people at a conceptual (not social) level into different groups according to different temperaments as per their inherent nature and capacity
c. Enunciation of different duties/actions/paths of life most suitable/applicable to each group, such that people belonging to all the groups can attain overall wellbeing by performance of those duties
The paper will then enunciate how only a merit based social order founded on the conceptual framework of varṇa can facilitate self-actualization of people while preserving diversity. In addition, a correlation between Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the Hindu framework of Purusharthas will be presented to demonstrate how an individual’s svadharma lies in attaining self-actualization. Furthermore, a brief account contrasting varṇa with jāti and Caste, highlighting how varṇa is a conceptual framework, while the latter two are references to social structures will be presented.
Books by Nithin Sridhar
Indic Today, 2021
Īśopaniṣad is one of the short Upanishads with only 18 mantras but which captures the entire gamu... more Īśopaniṣad is one of the short Upanishads with only 18 mantras but which captures the entire gamut of Hindu philosophy and worldview. This commentary, which is divided into two parts, aims to not only provide a word-by-word explanation on each of the verses, but also provide an exposition of the vision of the Upanishad going beyond its text.
Walking the Worlds: A Biannual Journal of Polytheism and Spiritwork, 2019
IndiaFacts, 2019
Nithin’s work stands out as a serious, thoughtful engagement with the different, diverse perspect... more Nithin’s work stands out as a serious, thoughtful engagement with the different, diverse perspectives on the subject — an attempt (the first?) to understand, rather than confront, the ‘taboos’ of menstruation.
Vitasta Publishing, 2019
Menstruation across Cultures attempts to provide a detailed review of menstruation notions preval... more Menstruation across Cultures attempts to provide a detailed review of menstruation notions prevalent in India and in cultures from across the world. The world cultures covered in the book include Indic traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism; ancient civilisations like Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia and Egypt; and Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Two themes of special focus in the book are: Impurity and Sacrality. While they are often understood as being opposed to each other, the book examines how they are treated as two sides of the same coin, when it comes to menstruation. This is especially true in Indic traditions and pre-Christian polytheistic traditions like Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian and Egyptian. Impurity and Sacrality complement each other to form a comprehensive worldview in these cultures.
The book also examines how the understanding of impurity in Abrahamic religions differs from those of polytheistic cultures. As part of the examination of the sacrality attached to menstruation, a special focus has also been given to the deities of menstruation in polytheistic cultures and to what Ayurveda and Yoga say about this essential function in a woman’s physiology.
Finally, a comparative study of menstrual notions prevalent in modernity is presented, along with a Do and Don’t dossier.
The saying " matrudevo bhava, pitrudevo bhava, acharyadevo bhava " equating mother, father, and t... more The saying " matrudevo bhava, pitrudevo bhava, acharyadevo bhava " equating mother, father, and the teacher with Ishwara (Brahman) is a well-known and deeply ingrained wisdom in Hindu tradition. The phrase is actually taken from the Taittiriya Upanishad (Shikshavalli I.20), which is one of the foremost of the Upanishads. The importance of Guru in an individual's life can also be gauged by the fact that the Guru is considered as the father of a child, who has undergone the Upanayana ceremony [1] and has thus taken a " second birth " , whereas the Vedas taught by the Guru becomes the Mother of such a person. Though, the term Guru is often translated simply as a " teacher " , the English word does not completely convey the meaning of Guru. Manu Smriti (2.140-142) explains three kinds of teachers, in the context of spiritual education: Upadhyaya, Acharya, and Guru. Upadhyaya is one, who teaches any one branch of the Vedic corpus as a means of livelihood. It is similar to modern vocational teaching, wherein teachers use teaching as a means of livelihood. Acharya is one, who performs the sacrament of Upanayana (and initiates him into Gayatri mantra), and teaches the Vedas and the allied subjects, the entirety of the Vedic corpus along with its practical application and the deeper symbolic meaning. In the modern settings, he can be compared to preceptor, who acts as a teacher and a guide. Guru is one, who does various sacraments to the child, starting from Garbadhana to Upanayana, and also feeds him with food. That is, Guru is one, who takes up parental duties like performing various Samskaras and providing food and shelter to the pupil, apart from imparting the knowledge of Vedas and guiding the pupil on the path to liberation. In other words, Guru is an Acharya, who in addition to imparting knowledge of the Vedas, also plays the role of a parent. Manu Smriti (2.144) describes such a Guru, who truthfully fills both the ears of the child with the Vedas, i.e. who imparts Brahma-Jnana (Knowledge of Brahman, which ultimately leads to Moksha/liberation) to the child, as being both the father and the mother of that child. In verse 2.146, it is further states that such a Guru, who initiated a child into Veda and hence in the path towards Brahma-Jnana, is more venerable than the father, who has merely given physical birth to a child. Thus, in the Hindu tradition, Guru is not simply any teacher, who imparts some mundane knowledge. Instead, Guru is one, who imparts Adhyatmika Vidya-the spiritual wisdom and facilitates a person to attain Bramha-Jnana and hence become free from ignorance (Avidya), which causes the bondage of birth and death. This specific role played by the Guru is manifest in the very name itself.
The essay can be downloaded from Amazon Kindle.
India-https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01MU61Z0R
US-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU61Z0R
UK-https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MU61Z0R
Published Articles by Nithin Sridhar
Indica Today, 2022
Manusmṛti and other Dharmaśāstra texts occupy a prominent place in Indian textual tradition as au... more Manusmṛti and other Dharmaśāstra texts occupy a prominent place in Indian textual tradition as authentic sources of dharma. Despite this, the contemporary engagement with the text has been prejudicial and problematic and most importantly, one of discomfort. This discomfort is largely due to unfamiliarity with the purpose, textual landscape, and the underlying worldview of Dharmaśāstras. This paper seeks to fill the gap in contemporary approach and facilitate a better understanding of Dharmaśāstras by highlighting certain important aspects of their textual landscape and the worldview that informs them.
Indic Today, 2020
Starting from George Bühler in the 19 th century to Patrick Olivelle and Wendy Doniger of our own... more Starting from George Bühler in the 19 th century to Patrick Olivelle and Wendy Doniger of our own times, Western scholarship has had a long engagement with the text of Manusmṛti. Though their engagement has been long and at many different levels, one thing with which they are yet to come to terms with is the sheer size of the text as well as the wide range of the subject matter covered in them. Wendy Doniger, for example calls it a patchwork 1 woven using scraps from multiple sources. It is often held that the text was composed in layers over a period of time, using multiple sources, and hence, is filled with excurses and later day interpolations.
In this paper, I contend that the predominant position of modern scholarship on the composition and integrity of the text of Manusmṛti is problematic as it sidelines the evidence presented by the native tradition regarding how the text has been received within the tradition. It will be shown that a careful understanding of the native accounts of the origination of the text as well as the general process of transmission of knowledge prevalent in the Hindu tradition clearly points to Manusmṛti as a carefully created text with unitary authorship. It will be further shown how the very narrative structure of the text as well as its deeper architecture support the position of unitary authorship.
Indic Today, 2020
Sarvajña was a Kannada poet and philosopher of the 16th century. He is famous for his three-lined... more Sarvajña was a Kannada poet and philosopher of the 16th century. He is famous for his three-lined vacanas or poems called ‘tripadi’. His poems deal with a variety of subjects ranging from philosophy and devotion to ethical guidelines and useful nuggets for daily living. He is often counted among important saints of Vīraśaiva tradition. In this paper we will explore the philosophical teachings of Sarvajña, especially his views on īśvara, māyā, jñāna and mokṣa and try to discern the ideas of Advaita Vedānta present in some of his vacanas.
Indic Today, 2019
Mindfulness is a very popular practice today in the West. While its origins in the Buddhist medit... more Mindfulness is a very popular practice today in the West. While its origins in the Buddhist meditation practices of Zen and Vipassanā are grudgingly acknowledged, the rich traditions of meditation and mindfulness in the Vedic tradition, which forms the basis of even the Buddhist practices are rarely written about. This paper examines one such practice of Mindfulness—the asparśa-yoga—that has been conceptualized and practiced in the tradition of Advaita Vedānta.
Asparśa-yoga is the yoga of non-contact which has its roots in the Upaniṣad¬-s but finds an explicit mention and a crystal clear enunciation in the Māndukya Kārikā of Ācārya Gauḍapāda. The term Asparśa primarily refers to the state of contact-less existence, and secondarily to the means of attaining such a state, both of which will be explored in the paper. It will further be shown how Asparśa-yoga can be understood as a unique Vedantic practice of mindfulness.
Social order and harmony have been issues of consistent concern for the ṛṣi-s and authors of dhar... more Social order and harmony have been issues of consistent concern for the ṛṣi-s and authors of dharmaśāstra. Unlike the modern society, the dharma traditions did not conceive of a society in terms of utopian concepts like equality and egalitarianism, which when taken to its logical conclusion promote sameness and destroy diversity. Instead, Hindu dharma tradition recognized diversity as being ingrained in the very structure of the universe, destroying which is neither fully attainable nor desirable. Thus, instead of seeking to destroy diversity, dharma traditions conceived a social order wherein diversity was not only recognized as a fundamental reality of the human society, but was also nurtured and allowed to flourish and called this conceptual framework “varṇa vyavastha”. As Frawley (2014) notes: “The Vedic concept of ‘varṇa-dharma’—reflects an organic and ecological model of society that is universal and quite appropriate for the dawning planetary age… In this Vedic idea, human society follows the same organic order as the human body, which mirrors the order of the entire universe. Like the human body, human society should be one in nature, but differentiated according to functions .”
Though varṇa, a misunderstood concept, is often equated with caste and discrimination, a thorough examination of dharma traditions reveals how at its very core, the framework of varṇa is all about creating a social order that facilitates individuals to live according to their inner temperaments and pursue their own unique paths to self-actualization. Varṇa upholds diversity and promotes meritocracy. The very term varṇa is derived from the verbal root word ‘vr’, which means “to choose”. Shastry (2011) describes varṇa as: “Unique descriptor tags, unique features which can be used for identification of individual entity for a specific identity .” Thus, varṇa can be understood either as a reference to the svadharma (personal duty/purpose of life) chosen by each individual in his/her life according to his/her svabhāva (inherent nature) or more appropriately as a descriptor tag referring to the svabhāva that drives people to spontaneously choose particular paths of life as their svadharma. This interplay of svabhāva and svadharma allow us to develop a conceptual framework of varṇa, which facilitates each member of the society to pursue their unique paths to success, prosperity and self-actualization.
The paper will first briefly explore the meaning of varṇa in the context of their descriptions available in some of the prominent Hindu texts and its function in the Hindu framework of Purusharthas. The role of varṇa will also be explored in the context of svadharma and viśeṣa dharma.
The paper will then utilize the interplay between svadharma and svabhāva to identify three key elements in a conceptual framework of varṇa, namely:
a. Identification of the different temperaments of individuals
b. Classification of people at a conceptual (not social) level into different groups according to different temperaments as per their inherent nature and capacity
c. Enunciation of different duties/actions/paths of life most suitable/applicable to each group, such that people belonging to all the groups can attain overall wellbeing by performance of those duties
The paper will then enunciate how only a merit based social order founded on the conceptual framework of varṇa can facilitate self-actualization of people while preserving diversity. In addition, a correlation between Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the Hindu framework of Purusharthas will be presented to demonstrate how an individual’s svadharma lies in attaining self-actualization. Furthermore, a brief account contrasting varṇa with jāti and Caste, highlighting how varṇa is a conceptual framework, while the latter two are references to social structures will be presented.
Indic Today, 2021
Īśopaniṣad is one of the short Upanishads with only 18 mantras but which captures the entire gamu... more Īśopaniṣad is one of the short Upanishads with only 18 mantras but which captures the entire gamut of Hindu philosophy and worldview. This commentary, which is divided into two parts, aims to not only provide a word-by-word explanation on each of the verses, but also provide an exposition of the vision of the Upanishad going beyond its text.
Walking the Worlds: A Biannual Journal of Polytheism and Spiritwork, 2019
IndiaFacts, 2019
Nithin’s work stands out as a serious, thoughtful engagement with the different, diverse perspect... more Nithin’s work stands out as a serious, thoughtful engagement with the different, diverse perspectives on the subject — an attempt (the first?) to understand, rather than confront, the ‘taboos’ of menstruation.
Vitasta Publishing, 2019
Menstruation across Cultures attempts to provide a detailed review of menstruation notions preval... more Menstruation across Cultures attempts to provide a detailed review of menstruation notions prevalent in India and in cultures from across the world. The world cultures covered in the book include Indic traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism; ancient civilisations like Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia and Egypt; and Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Two themes of special focus in the book are: Impurity and Sacrality. While they are often understood as being opposed to each other, the book examines how they are treated as two sides of the same coin, when it comes to menstruation. This is especially true in Indic traditions and pre-Christian polytheistic traditions like Greco-Roman, Mesopotamian and Egyptian. Impurity and Sacrality complement each other to form a comprehensive worldview in these cultures.
The book also examines how the understanding of impurity in Abrahamic religions differs from those of polytheistic cultures. As part of the examination of the sacrality attached to menstruation, a special focus has also been given to the deities of menstruation in polytheistic cultures and to what Ayurveda and Yoga say about this essential function in a woman’s physiology.
Finally, a comparative study of menstrual notions prevalent in modernity is presented, along with a Do and Don’t dossier.
The saying " matrudevo bhava, pitrudevo bhava, acharyadevo bhava " equating mother, father, and t... more The saying " matrudevo bhava, pitrudevo bhava, acharyadevo bhava " equating mother, father, and the teacher with Ishwara (Brahman) is a well-known and deeply ingrained wisdom in Hindu tradition. The phrase is actually taken from the Taittiriya Upanishad (Shikshavalli I.20), which is one of the foremost of the Upanishads. The importance of Guru in an individual's life can also be gauged by the fact that the Guru is considered as the father of a child, who has undergone the Upanayana ceremony [1] and has thus taken a " second birth " , whereas the Vedas taught by the Guru becomes the Mother of such a person. Though, the term Guru is often translated simply as a " teacher " , the English word does not completely convey the meaning of Guru. Manu Smriti (2.140-142) explains three kinds of teachers, in the context of spiritual education: Upadhyaya, Acharya, and Guru. Upadhyaya is one, who teaches any one branch of the Vedic corpus as a means of livelihood. It is similar to modern vocational teaching, wherein teachers use teaching as a means of livelihood. Acharya is one, who performs the sacrament of Upanayana (and initiates him into Gayatri mantra), and teaches the Vedas and the allied subjects, the entirety of the Vedic corpus along with its practical application and the deeper symbolic meaning. In the modern settings, he can be compared to preceptor, who acts as a teacher and a guide. Guru is one, who does various sacraments to the child, starting from Garbadhana to Upanayana, and also feeds him with food. That is, Guru is one, who takes up parental duties like performing various Samskaras and providing food and shelter to the pupil, apart from imparting the knowledge of Vedas and guiding the pupil on the path to liberation. In other words, Guru is an Acharya, who in addition to imparting knowledge of the Vedas, also plays the role of a parent. Manu Smriti (2.144) describes such a Guru, who truthfully fills both the ears of the child with the Vedas, i.e. who imparts Brahma-Jnana (Knowledge of Brahman, which ultimately leads to Moksha/liberation) to the child, as being both the father and the mother of that child. In verse 2.146, it is further states that such a Guru, who initiated a child into Veda and hence in the path towards Brahma-Jnana, is more venerable than the father, who has merely given physical birth to a child. Thus, in the Hindu tradition, Guru is not simply any teacher, who imparts some mundane knowledge. Instead, Guru is one, who imparts Adhyatmika Vidya-the spiritual wisdom and facilitates a person to attain Bramha-Jnana and hence become free from ignorance (Avidya), which causes the bondage of birth and death. This specific role played by the Guru is manifest in the very name itself.
The essay can be downloaded from Amazon Kindle.
India-https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01MU61Z0R
US-https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU61Z0R
UK-https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MU61Z0R
IndiaFacts, 2019
‘Varna’ is a much misunderstood concept. It is often equated with the ‘caste’ and the ‘caste syst... more ‘Varna’ is a much misunderstood concept. It is often equated with the ‘caste’ and the ‘caste system’ and is considered as the root cause of discrimination and oppression present in the Indian society. Yet, a thorough examination of Hindu scriptures will clearly reveal that the scriptural conception of Varna has no resemblance to the present practice of caste system.
IndiaFacts, 2019
‘Varna’ is a much-misunderstood concept. It is often equated with the ‘caste’ and the ‘caste syst... more ‘Varna’ is a much-misunderstood concept. It is often equated with the ‘caste’ and the ‘caste system’ and is considered as the root cause of discrimination and oppression present in Indian society. Yet, a thorough examination of Hindu scriptures will clearly reveal that the scriptural conception of Varna has no resemblance to the present practice of caste system.
Indic Today, 2019
This short work of Brahmajñānāvalīmālā by Adi Shankaracharya is a heartfelt pouring of a Jivanmuk... more This short work of Brahmajñānāvalīmālā by Adi Shankaracharya is a heartfelt pouring of a Jivanmukta, who is eternally established in the bliss of Atman. This song of the mukta, aptly titled “a garland of long lines of knowledge of Brahman” is an inspiring call to all people to renounce attachments and become mumukshus in the pursuit of brahma-jnana, which alone truly frees an individual. This work also serves as a tool of nidhidhyasa for the mumukshus, who are striving hard to realize their innermost Self.
While a detailed examination of the text is beyond the scope of this article, let us try to get a glimpse of the beauty and depth of this composition. Examining in detail just the opening verse of the text provides an insight into the intellectual and spiritual stature of the revered Acharya.
IndiaFacts, 2018
Adultery which is called “Saṅgrahaṇa” in the dharmaśāstra-s has been given extensive treatment in... more Adultery which is called “Saṅgrahaṇa” in the dharmaśāstra-s has been given extensive treatment in Indian texts. Indian tradition perceives adultery at three levels: physical, verbal, and mental. While physical is considered the worst, the mental is designated as the secret kind.
Saamagaana: The First Melody, 2018
