Archives: Lectures

Bishop Appasamy and Comparative Theology in India

A.J. Appasamy (1891-1975) was a Harvard, Oxford and Marburg trained Tamil Christian theologian who served as an Anglican priest and seminary professor in India before Independence, and post-Independence, as the first Bishop of Coimbatore in the Church of South India. Working from the premise that doctrines and theological systems are largely cultural and linguistic negotiations, and therefore provisional rather than permanent constructs, Appasamy’s earliest interest was in recasting Christianity as a living bhakti (‘devotional’) tradition in the Subcontinent. As his comparative practice matures there is a noticeable shift in his thinking away from larger generalized groupings of ‘religions,’ such as ‘Christianity’ and ‘Hinduism,’ and increasingly towards particular interaction with specific thinkers, texts and traditions. Concurrent to this he began to develop a methodology by which to do so that employs the Vedantic epistemological categories known as pramanas (‘evidences’). This paper will consider how Appasamy’s theological project and method might fruitfully be applied to the field of scholarship known today as ‘comparative theology,’ especially as it pertains to the Indian context. Building on Appasamy’s use of the pramanas, I will add my own proposal that comparative theologians from all traditions might draw further benefit from the clarity of the dialectical structure of the Vedantic commentarial tradition. Brian Dunn is currently pursuing his doctoral research in the field of comparative theology at the Theology Faculty, Oxford. His present focus is on the life and writings of a South Indian Christian theologian, Ayadurai Jesudason Appasamy, and his particular comparative interaction with Hindu philosophical and theological conceptions of divine embodiment.

Motivation to the Means in the Philosopher’s Stone

This seminar is an exploration of theories of religious action and meta-ethics in late pre-modern Indian philosophy of religion. We will focus on these theories as they are introduced by the Ny?ya philosopher Ga?g??a in his Tattvacint?ma?i. Parimal G. Patil is Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy at Harvard University, where is Chair of the Department of South Asian Studies. His primary academic interests are in Sanskrit philosophy and the intellectual history of religion in India. In his first two books, Against a Hindu God and Buddhist Philosophy of Religion in India, he focused on interreligious debates between Buddhists and non-Buddhist philosophers in the final phase of Buddhism in India. Currently, he is working on early modern Sanskrit philosophy, especially the work of the New Epistemologists.

Spoken Sanskrit: Week Seven

Founder Professor and Head (Retired), Department of Vaishnavism, University of Madras, India. His specialist subjects include the Pre-Ramanuja Religion and Philosophy, Pancharatra Agama Literature, Telugu and Sanskrit Literature and popularisation of Sanskrit as a spoken tongue. He has published a number of articles and monographs in academic journals on topics such as the Samskrita Svapnah, Bhakti and Prapatti in Srivaishnava Philosophy and the Pancaratra-kantakoddhara. Important Publications include: The Contribution of Yaamuna to Visistadvaita [Pub; Jayalakshmi Publications, Hyderabad]; Critical Edition and Study of Yaamuna’s Aagamapraamaanya [Gaekwad’s Oriental Series, Baroda]; and an English translation of Sri Vedanta Desika’s Padukasahasram and all of his 32 Stotras. Prof. Narasimhachary received the Certificate of Honour for Proficiency in Sanskrit from the President of India for the year 2004.

Elementary Sanskrit: Week Seven (TT12)

This course continues from the Elementary Sanskrit course of last term. The class is designed to introduce students to the basics of Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary through a reading of the Bhagavad-gita.

Elementary Sanskrit: Week Six (TT12)

This course continues from the Elementary Sanskrit course of last term. The class is designed to introduce students to the basics of Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary through a reading of the Bhagavad-gita.

Krishna In Dance and Miniature Paintings (TT12)

The representation of Krishna in Indian dance is inspired by miniature paintings. What does the dancer see when she looks at a miniature painting.? How close is the connection between dance and painting?. This lecture demonstration includes video, images and dance to covney a rich mythic and artistic experience.

Elementary Sanskrit: Week Five (TT12)

This course continues from the Elementary Sanskrit course of last term. The class is designed to introduce students to the basics of Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary through a reading of the Bhagavad-gita.

Elementary Sanskrit: Week Four (TT12)

This course continues from the Elementary Sanskrit course of last term. The class is designed to introduce students to the basics of Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary through a reading of the Bhagavad-gita.

Elementary Sanskrit: Week Three (TT12)

This course continues from the Elementary Sanskrit course of last term. The class is designed to introduce students to the basics of Sanskrit grammar, syntax, and vocabulary through a reading of the Bhagavad-gita.

Spoken Sanskrit: Week Three (TT12)

Founder Professor and Head (Retired), Department of Vaishnavism, University of Madras, India. His specialist subjects include the Pre-Ramanuja Religion and Philosophy, Pancharatra Agama Literature, Telugu and Sanskrit Literature and popularisation of Sanskrit as a spoken tongue. He has published a number of articles and monographs in academic journals on topics such as the Samskrita Svapnah, Bhakti and Prapatti in Srivaishnava Philosophy and the Pancaratra-kantakoddhara. Important Publications include: The Contribution of Yaamuna to Visistadvaita [Pub; Jayalakshmi Publications, Hyderabad]; Critical Edition and Study of Yaamuna’s Aagamapraamaanya [Gaekwad’s Oriental Series, Baroda]; and an English translation of Sri Vedanta Desika’s Padukasahasram and all of his 32 Stotras. Prof. Narasimhachary received the Certificate of Honour for Proficiency in Sanskrit from the President of India for the year 2004.