The Advaita Vedanta tradition we follow was re-constituted by Adi Shankara - he declared "there is no other!". Our Shankaracharya is the direct representative of Adi Shankara as the Non-dual Consciousness. We will explore what the Veda are, the Vedic traditions, Adi Shankara's life and work and as well as those of his main disciples.

This elective will explore the nature of sound, breath, listening and pure vowels, drawing on the words of His Holiness, Mr Maclaren, Marsilio Ficino and others.

This elective offers a contemplative and expressive approach to the week’s Sanskrit study, using Abhinaya - the classical art of expressive movement - as a means to explore, express and experience selected texts. Rather than aiming for performance and perfection, we will engage movement as a subtle language for internalising meaning, awakening feeling, and deepening connection to the truths carried in the texts. No prior dance or movement experience is necessary - only a willingness to explore and feel.

In this study we will look at the role players in a sentence and how they can be applied to the śruti studied during the 2025 Online Sanskrit Week and also in practical life.

"Just as the concepts of कर्ता, कर्म, करणम, सम्प्रगानम्, अपादानम्, सम्बन्ध, अधिकरणम् and सम्बोधन are there to give a glimpse of the agent in different roles, so they should be studied first; later on, on the basis of these concepts, it would be possible to find the measures and apply them for certain events". - Śrī Śāntānanda Sarasvatī 1973 5.7

In this elective we will hear and discuss key passages from the Conversations with His Holiness relating to Sanskrit and the philosophy of language.