The History of India Podcast

A light weekly podcast covering the history of India, from 6th century B.C. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider donating to the Snehal Sidhu Memorial Fund (http://tinyurl.com/prkvwll)

Rank #1: 4.3 The cruel pleasures of the moon.
() The great city Pataliputra is at peace. But the good times cannot last. Soon, its start to squabble amongst themselves. A new power emerges to take advantage: the moon king will gain a tight grip on the city, and oppress its people. Or so the stories say. This week, we hear the stories, and judge the truth for ourselves.

Rank #2: 4 d. The joys of victory (part 1).
(www.historyofindiapodcast.com) Jainism has shaped Indian thought over the millenia, and continues to do so today. This week, we find out what life was like as a Jain in the time of Harsha. How did they worship? Where did they fit into society? What did others in ancient India make of them? Listen, and find out. Health warning: no accurate claims about Jain theology are contained within.

Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Lectures from the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

Rank #1: ‘The lotus in the mire’: the Indian reception of Tājika astrology.
Dr. Martin Gansten3 May 2017Tājika is the designation of the Sanskritized Perso-Arabic astrology that arose as an independent school following the second wave of astrological transmission into India in the early centuries of the second millennium CE. It is thus the form of Indian astrology most closely resembling western medieval and Renaissance astrology, which similarly rests on Arabic foundations. Although ultimately derived from the same Greek origins as classical Indian astrology, Tājika comprises many technical elements not included in the first wave of transmission about a millennium earlier. While the earliest known Tājika works in Sanskrit appear to have been composed by authors who were either Jains or members of the non-Brahmin Prāgvāṭa (Porwad) community encompassing both Jains and Hindus, the most influential of these authors was reinvented as a Brahmin by later Tājika tradition. Not all Brahmins were accepting of the foreign science, however, and many Tājika authors felt the need to defend their study of it by arguments that range from the mythological to the pragmatic. In today’s nationalist climate, where apologetic strategies are once more called for, Tājika is often subsumed under the modern paradigm of ‘Vedic astrology’, its extra-Indian origins largely forgotten, ignored, or even denied. Dr. Martin Gansten is a Sanskritist and a historian of religion specializing in astrological and divinatory traditions. He received his doctorate from Lund University, Sweden, where he has taught since 1998 and is now docent.

Rank #2: Influence of Kashmir on the Tantric traditions of Orissa.
Shivdasani lectureProf. G. C. Tripathi24 Nov 2016The paper shall try to trace the close relationship of the Orissan Tantrism and also Vishnuism to Kashmir of the 10th-12th Century. It were most probably the Orissan students learning in the Pathashalas of Kashmir, mentioned (sarcastically) by Kshemendra who brought the philosophy and ritual of Kashmir along with manuscripts from there to Orissa which enriched Orissan Vishnuism overlaid by Tantric practices. The paper would also shed light on the historical aspect of this relationship. Prof. Gaya Charan Tripathi was born at Agra (India). He went to school and pursued higher studies at Agra, Pune, and Benares. He has a Masters in Sanskrit (1959) from the University of Agra with a Gold Medal and first position in the University. He received his Ph.D. from the same University in 1962 on Vedic Deities and their subsequent development in the Epics and the Puranas supported by a Fellowship of the Ministry of Education. He is a Fellow of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for Higher Studies in Germany. He has a Dr.Phil. from the University of Freiburg/Br (1966) in History of Religions, Comparative Indo-European Philology, and Latin (besides Indology) as elective subjects in the grade Summa cum Laude. D.Litt. in Ancient Indian History and Culture from the University of Allahabad on ‘A critical Study of the daily Puja Ceremony of the Jagannatha Temple in Puri’ (published under the title Communication with God). He has taught at the Universities of Aligarh, Udaipur, Freiburg (twice), Tuebingen (twice), Heidelberg, Berlin, Leipzig, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and British Columbia (Vancouver). He is Chief Indologist and Field Director of the Orissa Research Project (1970–5) of the German Research Council (DFG), and has been Principal of the Ganganatha Jha Research Institute, Allahabad, for over twenty years. He was Professor and Head of the Research and Publication wing of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Delhi, and is presently Director of the Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology in New Delhi. He has published 22 books on subjects mostly pertaining to religions and literature of India. His specialisations are: Indian Religions and Philosophy, Vishnuism (especially Pancharatra school), Vedic studies, Sanskrit Literature, Grammar, and Philology, Cult practices of Orissa, and Gaudiya Vishnuism.

Incarnations: India in 50 Lives

The history of India told through the lives of 50 phenomenal people.

Rank #1: Vivekananda: Bring All Together.
Sunil Khilnani explores the life and work of Swami Vivekananda, a social and religious reformer who became India's first global guru, credited with introducing yoga to the west.Vivekananda was a restless, baby-faced monk from Calcutta. And his image - arms defiantly folded, soft features hardened by a Napoleonic gaze - can be found all over that city today - on t-shirts, murals, posters and sculptures. It's a ubiquity that is testament to both his contemporary influence - and to the way his essential message has been transformed. In his lifetime, Vivekananda was a reformer who insisted that Hinduism's moral force rested on its capacity to meet society's practical needs. In order to meet those needs Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission, which had no precedent among Indian religious institutions, and continues all across the country as a dispenser of education, health and social welfare.But despite his practical, critical, universalist thinking, Vivekananda has today become one of Hindu nationalism's leading spiritual lights.Featuring Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president of the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research.Producer: Martin WilliamsExecutive Producer: Martin Smith.

Rank #2: Panini: Catching the Ocean in a Cow's Hoofprint.
Professor Sunil Khilnani, from the King's India Institute in London, looks at the life and legacy of Panini, a master of the ancient Sanskrit language who lived around two and a half thousand years ago. His grammar, known as the Astadhyayi, had a lasting impact and helped to make Sanskrit the lingua franca of much of Asia for more than a thousand years - not through conquest or colonisation but because it served a purpose. Panini's grammar relied on a system that functioned like a powerful algorithm, or a computer programme today. He created, "in a mere forty-pages, the most complete linguistic system in history and helped to make Sanskrit the lingua franca of much of Asia for more than a thousand years".Produced by Mark SavageWith incidental music by composer Talvin Singh.Listeners can catch up with the series and see the list of remarkable Indians featured on the Radio 4 website.

Vedanta and Yoga

Lectures on Yoga and Vedanta given at the Boston Vedanta Society.Vedanta is one of the world's most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions.According to Vedanta, God is infinite existence, infinite consciousness, and infinite bliss. The term for this impersonal, transcendent reality is Brahman, the divine ground of being. Yet Vedanta also maintains that God can be personal as well, assuming human form in every age.Vedanta further asserts that the goal of human life is to realize and manifest our divinity. Not only is this possible, it is inevitable. Our real nature is divine; God-realization is our birthright.Finally, Vedanta affirms that all religions teach the same basic truths about God, the world, and our relationship to one another.

Rank #1: Amritabindu Upanishad 4.
Lecture by Swami Tyagananda, on the 11th of October, 2007, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston, MA. This is part of a series on the Amrtitabindu Upanishad delivered in 2007

Rank #2: How to Live Vedanta.
Lecture by Swami Kripamayananda (Vedanta Society of Toronto), given on June 4, 2017, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, MA.

The Stories of Mahabharata

Stories of Mahabharata

Rank #1: Mahabharata: Episode 3 – Birth of the Kuru Princes.
Pandu Hunts the Deer Couple.The stories of Mahabharata continues. In this episode we learn about the birth of the Kuru princes, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. We also learn about the tragic death of King Pandu caused by a curse from the dying sage Kindama.Audio engineering and sound design by Avi Ziv.

Rank #2: Mahabharata : Episode 4 – The Conflict Begins.
Young Bheema fight with the NagasThe stories of Mahabharata continues. The conflict between the Pandava brothers and the Kaurava brothers began at an early age.  In this episode we learn of the first attempt by the Kaurava brothers, primarily Duryodhona and Duhsashana, to eliminate their arch rival Bheema. The story gives us a glimpse of the extent to which the Kauravas could go to achieve their goals. Enjoy and do not forget to give your feedback.(Note: You can also subscribe to this series (for free) as podcast on iTunes store or any other podcast aggregator. Just search for Mahabharata and Bhawmik.)

Philosophy: The Classics

Author Nigel Warburton reads from his book Philosophy: The Classics which is an introduction to 27 key works in the history of Philosophy

Rank #1: Kant - Critique of Pure Reason.
What is our relation to reality? Are some features of our experience conditions of our having any experience at all? In this reading from his book Philosophy: The Classics Nigel Warburton attempts to summarise Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, a notoriously difficult yet important book.

Rank #2: Descartes - Meditations.
Can I know anything for certain? Can I even be sure that I exist? Descartes pushed scepticism to its limits in his Meditations. Nigel Warburton explains Descartes' key ideas and some of the criticisms that can be levelled against them.

Philosophy Now

Podcasts from philosophynow.org, home of the most widely read philosophy magazine in the world, Philosophy Now.

Rank #1: The Thoughts of Friedrich Nietzsche.
Grant Bartley from Philosophy Now discusses the influence and ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche, the infamous German anti-Christian philosopher, with Ken Gemes, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck. First broadcast on 8 November 2011 on Resonance FM.

Rank #2: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics.
Grant Bartley from Philosophy Now talks to Manjit Kumar, author of Quantum, about quantum mechanics. First broadcast on 21 June 2011 on Resonance FM.

The Philosophy Podcast

With The Philosophy Podcast, LearnOutLoud.com will showcase audio renditions of classic philosophy from such greats as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche and much more. For more audio and video material tailored to the lifelong learner, please feel free to visit www.learnoutloud.com

Rank #1: Giants of Philosophy - Aristotle.
Aristotle by Thomas C. Brickhouse. For more audio you can learn from, please visit www.learnoutloud.com

Rank #2: Wealth of Nations.
Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. For more Audio you can Learn from, please visit our website at www.learnoutloud.com

New Books in Philosophy

Interview with Philosophers about their New Books

Rank #1: Marya Schechtman, “Staying Alive: Personal Identity, Practical Concerns, and the Unity of a Life” (Oxford UP, 2014).
What is it to be the same person over time? The 17th-century British philosopher John Locke approached this question from a forensic standpoint: persons are identified over time with an appropriately related series of psychological states, in particular a chain of memories, and our interest in identifying persons in this way stems from our interest in holding people responsible for their actions. Locke’s psychological account of persons remains highly influential today, although his forensic approach is more contentious. In Staying Alive: Personal Identity, Practical Concerns, and the Unity of a Life (Oxford University Press 2014), Marya Schechtman builds on the Lockean idea of persons as forensic units, expanding it to include a much wider range of practical concerns and recognizing the role of sociological and biological factors in these relationships. Schechtman, a professor of philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, articulates her view in relation to a range of prominent competing positions, in particular Eric Olson’s influential animalist account in which human persons just are human bodies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rank #2: Simon Blackburn, “Mirror, Mirror: The Uses and Abuses of Self-Love” (Princeton UP, 2014).
At the heart of our moral thinking lies trouble with our selves.  The self lies at morality’s core; selves are intimately connected to the proper objects of moral evaluation.  But a common theme of moral theory is that the self, and concern with the self, is the source of much that is immoral: selfishness, greed, vanity, arrogance, envy, and so on.  Many moral views that otherwise are opposed to each other seem to agree that being good requires some kind of dissociation with the self.  And the transcending of the self is a central theme of our most popular religious traditions.Yet selves are not going away.  Indeed, culturally the self is increasingly dominant.  We now use the first-personal pronouns as a prefixes: we use iPods to listen to iTunes, and use our iPhones to take “selfies.” And all of this self-assertion seems connected to social ills stemming from lack of concern with other selves.  The question, then, is how to discern the proper degree of self-regard.In Mirror, Mirror: The Uses and Abuses of Self-Love (Princeton University Press, 2014), Simon Blackburn explores the complex phenomena surrounding selves and self-regard, offering deep insights into notions like pride, ambition, vanity, authenticity, and much else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voice of Vedanta

Vedanta is one of the world’s most ancient religious philosophies and one of its broadest. Based on the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of India, Vedanta affirms the oneness of existence, the divinity of the soul, and the harmony of religions. Vedanta is the philosophical foundation of Hinduism; but while Hinduism includes aspects of Indian culture, Vedanta is universal in its application and is equally relevant to all countries, all cultures, and all religious backgrounds.A closer look at the word “Vedanta” is revealing: “Vedanta” is a combination of two words: “Veda” which means “knowledge” and “anta” which means “the end of” or “the goal of.” In this context the goal of knowledge isn’t intellectual—the limited knowledge we acquire by reading books. “Knowledge” here means the knowledge of God as well as the knowledge of our own divine nature. Vedanta, then, is the search for Self-knowledge as well as the search for God.What do we mean when we say God? According to Vedanta, God is infinite existence, infinite consciousness, and infinite bliss. The term for this impersonal, transcendent reality is Brahman, the divine ground of being. Yet Vedanta also maintains that God can be personal as well, assuming human form in every age.Most importantly, God dwells within our own hearts as the divine Self or Atman. The Atman is never born nor will it ever die. Neither stained by our failings nor affected by the fluctuations of the body or mind, the Atman is not subject to our grief or despair or disease or ignorance. Pure, perfect, free from limitations, the Atman, Vedanta declares, is one with Brahman. The greatest temple of God lies within the human heart.Vedanta further asserts that the goal of human life is to realize and manifest our divinity. Not only is this possible, it is inevitable. Our real nature is divine; God-realization is our birthright. Sooner or later, we will all manifest our divinity—either in this or in future lives—for the greatest truth of our existence is our own divine nature.Finally, Vedanta affirms that all religions teach the same basic truths about God, the world, and our relationship to one another. Thousands of years ago the Rig Veda declared: “Truth is one, sages call it by various names.” The world’s religions offer varying approaches to God, each one true and valid, each religion offering the world a unique and irreplaceable path to God-realization. The conflicting messages we find among religions are due more to doctrine and dogma than to the reality of spiritual experience. While dissimilarities exist in the external observances of the world religions, the internals bear remarkable similarities.

Rank #1: Buddha.
A lecture given May 10, 2015 at the Vedanta Society of Southern California, Hollywood Temple by the Head Minister of VSSC, who is also a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. © 2015

Rank #2: Ashtavakra Samhita - Swami Sarvapriyananda.
Swami Sarvapriyananda, Minister of the Vedanta Society of New York, returns to Santa Barbara for a special Friday evening spiritual talk on March 17, 2017, where his topic is the Ashtavakra Samhita, or Song of Ashtavakra. Swami explains the great importance of this ancient Vedantic scripture, and leads us through four of its verses. An inspirational and educational talk!

Lectures in Intellectual History

Recordings from the popular public lecture series featuring new work on all aspects of intellectual history. Hosted by the Institute of Intellectual History at the University of St Andrews.

Rank #1: Jeremy Jennings - Travels with Alexis de Tocqueville.
Demoracy in America' by Alexis de Tocqueville is possibly the most famous book about America, but what did Tocqueville see when he visited America and how did his visit influence his writing? In this lecture, Jeremy Jennings seeks to answer both of these questions and to cast light on how other French authors saw America in the nineteenth century.

Rank #2: Dimitris Kastritsis - The Alexander Romance and the Birth of the Ottoman Empire.
During the period that saw the creation of the classical Ottoman Empire, the Alexander of pseudo-Callisthenes functioned as a familiar if contested cultural currency. Across the boundaries of Christianity and Islam, legends about the ancient conqueror took on new relevance in light of contemporary political aspirations, which were closely intertwined with religious and social turmoil, and the ensuing eschatological expectations. In this paper, Dimitris Kastritsis examines the fate of the Alexander Romance, both Greek and Islamic, in the period that saw the Ottoman state grow in to a global empire.

Philosophy For Our Times

Philosophy for our Times is a free philosophy podcast bringing you the latest talks and debates from the world’s leading thinkers. We host weekly episodes on today’s biggest ideas in news, society, culture, politics, science and arts. Subscribe today to never miss an episode.

Rank #1: Bonus Episode | The Death Of God And The War On Terror | Terry Eagleton.
Outspoken critic of Richard Dawkins, and renowned Professor of English Literature Terry Eagleton launches himself heroically at the twin hornet’s nests of modern religious apathy & radicalism. Where... Philosophy for our Times features debates and talks with the world’s leading thinkers on today’s biggest ideas. This live recording podcast is brought to you by the Institute of Art and Ideas – described by Total Politics as “Europe’s answer to TED” and host to the annual philosophy and music festival HowTheLightGetsIn.Visit iai.tv for more.

Rank #2: Thinking Dangerously, Living Differently | Angie Hobbs, Adrian Moore, Mark Vernon.
Philosophy as therapy is an ancient idea. Endorsed by Wittgenstein and popularized by self-help books. But isn't philosophy about understanding even if the insights are uncomfortable? Can philosophy... Philosophy for our Times features debates and talks with the world’s leading thinkers on today’s biggest ideas. This live recording podcast is brought to you by the Institute of Art and Ideas – described by Total Politics as “Europe’s answer to TED” and host to the annual philosophy and music festival HowTheLightGetsIn.Visit iai.tv for more.

Philosophy 247

David Edmonds interviews leading philosophers about moral issues that effect us 24/7.

Rank #1: Resistance to Change .
Change can disturb our peaceful existence - are we right to resist it? With Quassim Cassam.

Rank #2: Is Life Without Meaning? .
Do you ever get the feeling that life is meaningless?

The Seen and the Unseen - hosted by Amit Varma

All public policies -- indeed, all actions by humans -- have two kinds of effects: the effects that are intended, and visible; and unintended consequences, which are invisible. The Seen and the Unseen is a podcast that aims to examine both the seen and the unseen effects of our actions.Presented by Amit Varma (a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, and winner of the prestigious Bastiat Prize for journalism in 2007 and 2015 -- the only person to win it twice), the show takes on a specific public policy in every episode, and dissects its seen and unseen effects. For example: the ban on surge pricing by Uber in Delhi. What is seen is that Uber no longer costs so much; what is unseen is that you cannot get an Uber at all, because of the scarcity that is a direct result of the price control. The host explains the economic reasoning at work, and talks to an expert who breaks it down further.The host will have a panel of experts at his disposal, from a variety of disciplines, and will speak to a relevant expert in every episode. Subjects covered will range from broad ones like the state of education in India, to narrower ones like the banning of 'victimless crimes' like prostitution and gambling.

Rank #1: Ep. 95: The Indianness of Indian Food.
What does it mean when we say that something is 'Indian'? Does origin matter? Food writer Vikram Doctor joins Amit Varma in episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about how most of what we think of as Indian food originated elsewhere -- and it doesn't matter. Also check out The Real Food Podcast on Audiomatic

Rank #2: Ep. 102: The Paradox of Narendra Modi.
Shashi Tharoor, author of The Paradoxical Prime Minister, joins Amit Varma in episode 102 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about the many faces of Narendra Modi, as well as the nature of politics, the idea of India and his own journey as a politician. Also read: The Paradoxical Prime Minister on Amazon, as well as Shashi Tharoor's other books. The Facts Do Not Matter  -- Amit Varma No Free Trade For Horses  -- Ep 13 of The Seen and the Unseen, on the Anti-Defection Law. You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com

Elucidations

Elucidations is an unexpected philosophy podcast produced in association with the University of Chicago. Each month, Matt Teichman sits down with a person of philosophical interest to discuss their view on a topic. Now and again, he is joined by an awesome co-host. Some of the guests are philosophy professors, some of the guests are other kinds of professors, and some of the guests are not professors. Either way, the goal is to develop a feel for how the guest’s perspective hangs together interactively.

Rank #1: Episode 3: Brian Leiter discusses Nietzsche on morality.
In this episode, Brian Leiter discusses Nietzsche's critique of morality and his naturalist approach to human psychology.

Rank #2: Episode 105: R. A. Briggs discusses epistemic decision theory.
How do we tell what the best strategies for changing our beliefs on the basis of new evidence might be?