Vedavaapi Foundation has launched a multi-institutional research initiative to develop Bharatiya shaastra-based models in select disciplines of Humanities and publish them via research papers, University-grade , (college) UG-level courses and textbooks. Its objective is to bring an authentic and academically rigorous Bharatiya perspective into the mainstream study of Humanities, for social good.
We invite like-minded institutes to participate via sponsoring projects and/or sharing their expertise in disciplines of their interest.
Why Shaastric Models?
Bharat has a rich intellectual tradition in diverse fields of knowledge spanning millennia.
However, heritage knowledge of Bharat as elucidated in its treatises called the shaastras was compiled in a context, different in several ways from the current social, political, environmental and lifestyle context. Though they have elements that offer first-principles or taattvic insights valid universally, their texts need to be revisited to isolate those core insights from context-specific parts and re-assessed for applicability today. The formula is
Practice (or shaastra as expressed) = Principles (tattva) applied to a Context (sandarbha)
We believe that for Bharatiya knowledge to be adopted and to enrich the mainstream academic discourse, it needs to be presented in a manner authentic to tradition, yet intelligible to the contemporary academic community, which is missing today.
Bharat’s intellectual tradition was instrumental in securing its status as the leading prosperous region for millennia. Naturally, a question arises: is there anything in Bharatiya shaastras that is useful in today’s context beyond what modern sciences offer? If so, what does it take to extract and re-contextualize their insights for current conditions?
See the presentation on Vedavaapi’s model of “Psychology” as a basis for Shastric Humanities for interesting insights.
The BoK (Body of Knowledge) Development Process
- Duration: 18 months (per discipline)
- Deliverables: Research paper, semester-long UG course, textbook
- Beneficiaries: Mainstream students, entrepreneurs looking to innovate in their field
- Invited Institutional Partners: Universities, Research Institutes, Colleges
- Collaboration Modes: Offer Shaastra faculty, contemporary domain experts, student research assistants for BoK development.
BoK Deliverables
- Paper: A peer-reviewed publication-quality research paper that proposes a Shaastra-based model for a Humanities knowledge discipline.
- Course: A University-grade 3 or 4-credit (45-60hrs) undergraduate-level course including curriculum, teaching, practice and evaluation material, instructor pedagogy guidelines and teacher training modules.
- Book: A first-level textbook entitled “Indic theory of X”, where X is the discipline name.
BoKs in Development
Psychology
Based on the experiences gained at MITADT SVS Vedic psychology degree programs and research , a first principles , model driven approach to ManoVijnan is under development.
Management
- A first-principles Introduction to Management Studies from a Vedic Perspective
- This is an upcoming course on the Conceptual / Philosophical Foundations of Management as a Knowledge discipline. It offers an in-depth exposure to authentic Vedic perspective on the domain of Management Studies, in line with Vedic understanding of Human Psychology, Society and Polity. It also compares and contrasts the Indic view of Management with contemporary western views, where applicable, to give the participant a comprehensive understanding of their relative coverage and gaps.
- This course is being designed to be taught as a foundation course to UG and PG students of BBA & MBA programs before they delve deep into their subject. It will also serve as an excellent primer on organizational thinking to corporate professionals and entrepreneurs.
Team
| Dr. K Sankaran Director, Justice K S Hegde School of Management, NITTE University, Karnataka | Dr. Sai Susarla Founder, Vedavaapi Foundation |
| Anurag Shukla PhD Scholar, IIM Ahmedabad | K. Ranganathan Shaastra Vidwaan (Mimaamsa) |
Principal Sponsor
MAEER’s Institute for Indic Knowledge Studies.