Veda theory intensive

16 online LIVE classes with recordings
Class days: Monday & Wednesday in September and October at 4.00pm to 5.15pm, Brussels time, plus one Saturday from 4.00pm to 5.30pm each month. Exact dates and times in curriculum below.
Optional quiz with certificate of completion
Course level: Intermediate/Advanced (see more details on course level below, beginners can join!)

Introduction:

The Vedas are the oldest spiritual works of ancient India. Many Indic knowledge systems consider it as authority and forms the foundation of their respective practices. Revealed to the brilliant Ṛṣi-s (Seers) of Vedic times, these collections of high calibre poetry we refer to as mantras, need time, patience, contemplation and an attentive mind to fully appreciate its scope and comprehend its vision. This intensive course will lead all enthusiastic seekers in the direction of that understanding.

The course content is based on 10+ years of intensive personal research as well as long term study with the late Prof. R.L. Kashyap, who taught me to approach the Veda-s for personal growth and inspiration through a deep understanding of the deities and their collaborative functions with humans. Dr. Kashyap was the Founder of SAKSHI, an institute dedicated to the revival of Vedic knowledge. He received the Padmaśrī award from the President of India for his contribution to Literature & Education. Prof. Kashyap also taught me how to approach commentaries and how to be discerning with translations.

The uniqueness of this course is that I am a chanting practitioner. This is central to my life and teachings. All theory I study or teach, emerges from my practice of chanting the Veda, of which I have studied a very wide range of texts from my Guru, Sri. M.S. Sreenivasan. If I understand the nomenclature and arrangement of Veda, it is because I have been taught several of those texts in the Guru-Śiṣya parampara (1-2-1 mentoring) with full understanding of the source and arrangement of those texts. The knowledge passed on in this system of education cannot be found in published books. Therefore, the content of this course is entirely unique and cannot be found elsewhere – not in a course, nor in any single book.

Course objectives:

At the end of this course, the student will:

1. Have an overview of Indic Knowledge Systems & be able to clearly distinguish Veda from later texts.
2. Understand the general approach to commentaries and translations as undertaken in this course. Some book recommendations will be provided.
3. Understand the nomenclature of Veda – how mantras are organised in the Vedas – by function & structure. We will also list (with brief overviews) the vocabulary as related to nomenclature – maṇḍala, adhāyāya, aṣṭakam, praśnaḥ etc.
4. Have an overview of the chronological layers of the Veda – Saṃhitā, Brāhmaṇa, Āraṇyaka & Upaniṣat.
5. Understand the content of each Veda and their differences in each – Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma & Atharva Veda.
6. Understand some of the key terms and central themes of the Veda – Mantra, Ṛṣi, Devatā, Chandas, Sūktam, Yajña.
7. Get an insight into Taittirīya Prātiśākhyā – the rule book on how to recite the Veda in our lineage. We will therefore also go over an overview of the Śīkṣā Vedāṅga.
8. Learn how word meaning is assigned in the Veda with some case studies and approach based on works of Prof. R.L.Kashyap.
9. Be taken through an evolution of deities from Veda to the Purāṇa-s (Gaṇeśa, Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, Indra) and also have an overview of the deities & deity groups (collective deities) of the Veda.
10. Have an introduction to some special and specific considerations – 1) Repetition of mantras in the Veda 2) The spirit of Khila mantras in Ṛgveda (later additions).

 

Course fee: €649

Pay in 3 instalments:

There are no scholarships available for this course. However, you can pay in three easy instalments. Once you make the first instalment, the other two instalments are required as well (if you withdraw from course, the remaining payments still need to be honoured).

€239 x3 monthly instalments from 23 August (Click here to sign up with this plan)

Dates and curriculum:

Class 01: Sept 04 : Introduction to course + Approach to translations & commentaries. IKS overview.
Class 02: Sept 06: Veda overviews: Differences & similarities between Ṛg. Yajur, Sāma & Atharva.
Class 03: Sept 11: Saṃhitā, Brāhmaṇa, Āraṇyaka & Upaniṣat.
Class 04: Sept 13: Veda terminology, Mantra, Yajña, Chandas, Ṛṣi-s & Ṛṣikā-s.
Class 05: Sept 16: (SATURDAY 1.5hrs): Veda nomenclature (and terminology) – how is Veda organised?
Class 06: Sept 18: Ṛgveda & Yajurveda mantras overview
Class 07: Sept 20: Sāma/Atharva veda mantras overview
Class 08: Oct 02: Deities of Veda – Gods: Agni, Indra, Sūrya, Soma & deity groups.
Class 09: Oct 04: Deities of Veda – Goddesses: Aditi, Uṣā, Rātri and others.
Class 10: Oct 09: Evolution of deities from Veda to Purāṇa: Gaṇeśa, Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, Durgā, Indra
Class 11: Oct 11: Sūrya: Special overview of Sūrya mantras including Aruṇa praśnaḥ.
Class 12: Oct 16: Śīkṣā & Taittirīya prātiśākhyā overview.
Class 13: Oct 18: Repetition of mantras in the Veda; Spirit of Khila mantras.
Class 14: Oct 21: (SATURDAY 1.5hrs): Word meaning assignment in Veda & Nirukta (etymology) overview.
Class 15: Oct 30: Vāstu & Jyotiṣa mantras in the Veda
Class 16: Nov 01: Summary, Closing words on understanding Veda, Quiz instructions & wrap up

 

Course Level: Intermediate to Advanced

This course is for:

• Those who have at least some experience chanting Veda and Vedic texts and wish to organise their knowledge.
• Students who are practising or teaching any Indic knowledge systems based practices (Yoga, Āyurveda, Jyotiṣa etc). This course will help understand their source texts – The Vedas.
• Anyone who has not had a comprehensive overview of Veda and would like to undertake an intensive course and are motivated to study!
• Students who are ok with not being clear about everything immediately – The Vedas take time, patience and some contemplation to figure out. You will possibly need to revisit this material in a few months.
• If you are a beginner, but still wish to go through this course, you are welcome to join us, with the understanding that there will be a lot of new information for you and perhaps not everything can be understood immediately. One needs to sit with this information and reflect, for it to become knowledge.

 

This course is NOT for:

• Students looking for a chanting practice – this course is entirely theory, although there will be loads of examples of chanting (no teaching of chanting!).
• Those looking to learn the mantra-s for which overviews will be presented, like the Vāstu, Jyotiṣa or Sūrya mantra-s. This is an entirely theoretical course to help practitioners of all Indic Knowledge based systems.
• Those looking for an academic level course. This course will not resolve any historical debates on dates, theories (AIT –  āryan invasion theory for example), or other academic level debates. I am not an academician, and my focus and perspective is entirely practitioner oriented, while also informed by the works of mainly Indian scholars and practising pundits in South India.

 

Included in this course:

• 16 Live classes taught with all Sanskrit words displayed on screen in English transliteration.
• Recordings of all classes organised in a self-paced course.
• Optional quiz & certificate – you can take the quiz anytime, certificate is issued on passing the quiz – There is no instructor interaction with the quiz.
• If you join LIVE, you will be able to ask questions and there will be Q&A at the end of each class to address some questions. Answering doubts and queries via email will not be possible through this course duration. You may send your questions, and what is possible to be addressed in the LIVE classes will be considered.

FAQs

1. I have completed the Chanting Teacher training OR I am enrolled in the 2024 Chanting teacher training – should I be taking this course as well?
   Some part of this course is taught in the TT. The additional content is much more detail in the overviews, the repeating mantras in the Veda and the Khila mantras overviews. Also the special class on Sūrya mantras is not covered in the TT. If you wish to study this theory in an intensive format, you are most welcome to join! To old and new students of the INDICA-Veda Studies TT, a discount will be offered, if you have not received this information in your TT newsletter, write to Edgar for more information!
2. I have bought the self-paced Veda theory bundle – is this content the same or different?
   This course will cover most topics in more depth and there are several new topics being covered, not present in the theory bundle. For those who have purchased the entire bundle previously, a discount will be offered. You should receive this offer in an email, if not please contact Edgar for more information!
3. I have absolutely no chanting background, will I still be able to follow this course?
   The examples provided in the course of mantra-s and chants are much more relatable if you have some background in chanting Veda. Even otherwise, if your focus in on theory, you will certainly be able to follow. Especially if you are practitioner in one of the other sciences – yoga, āyurveda etc, you will benefit from this course and having a comprehensive insight into the Veda-s.
4. I am completely new to Indic Knowledge Systems, will I still be able to follow this course?
   Indic Knowledge Systems (IKS) is the basis for all practitioners of Yoga, Āyurveda, Jyotiṣa, Tantra, Vedānta etc. If you wish to have a comprehensive overview of especially the source texts – the Vedas, you are welcome to join this course. You can always revisit the entire teaching as often as you like. This is how I built my understanding of the Veda as well, by revisiting teachings, reflecting, connecting, allowing the co-existence of doubt and multiple views on a topic.
5. Will this course be available in self-paced format for purchase later?
   Yes, this course will be available for later purchase, but please note, the early offer is ONLY available in the dates mentioned. The self-paced course pricing will be at a higher fee. All those who sign up for the LIVE course will also automatically receive the permanent self-paced course with all recordings of classes.
6. Are there any scholarships or discounts offered on this course?
   For this course, we are unable to offer scholarships/discounts.
7. Can I follow this course through recordings as I’m unable to be there during this time (or time-zone inconvenient)?
   Yes, absolutely, you can follow the course through recordings. It is advisable to keep up with the recordings and not allow them to pile up! You can always revisit the recordings for a more thorough watch.
8. Do I need to have a Sanskrit background or be able to read in Devanāgari?
   While helpful, this is not a requirement. There will be a lot of Sanskrit words used, which will also be displayed on screen in English Transliteration- so it will be accessible.

 

Other similar courses coming:

Veda Theory Masterclass -2
Devatā (deities) deep dive – classification and functions of all Vedic deities.
The (mis) concepts of major/minor deities.
Duo-deities.
Multi-deities.
The real deities behind popular sūktams – what mantras suggest vs what tradition considers.

Veda Theory Masterclass -3
Ṛṣi-s deep dive – overviews of ṛṣi-s and ṛṣikā-s of the Veda.
Comparison of ṛṣi-s of the Veda from ṛṣi-s of the Purāṇa.

Veda Theory Masterclass – 4
Vedic Sanskrit as experienced in the Veda and comparison with Sanskrit of later compositions.
Practitioners approach to Vedic Sanskrit.
“Svara” in Veda – function & significance.
Chandas in Veda