Nārāyaṇa Sūktam
12.30pm NY | 6.30pm Brussels | 8.30pm UAE
5 classes, 1 hour each, starting 17 Jan

A course of 5 classes to learn the poetic and philosophical Nārāyaṇa Sūktam, a hymn from the Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣat which is very similar in its import to the Puruṣa Sūktam, almost as if an extension if it, a meditation on it. While the Puruṣa Sūktam speaks of the Supreme as our all-encompassing reality and unfolds the creation of the universe and its natural laws, the Nārāyaṇa Sūktam is a poetic, heartfelt, emotional and devout personal address to the same all-encompassing divine.

The Nārāyaṇa Sūktam describes the superb greatness of the Divine and how to meditate on this reality in our own hearts.

Please note: Sūktam will be taught as I received from my teachers The Challakere Brothers. This Sūktam is taught with different svara-s and variations in texts in other traditions. We use the text as presented in Ramakrishna Ashram’s publication Mantrapuṣpam. 

Course objectives:

At the end of 5 classes, you will:

• Learn the complete Narāyaṇa Sūktam along with all Vedic phonetic details.
• Understand the high level significance of this hymn (not a word-by word analysis) useful for meditation and contemplation.
• Explore a brief comparison with Puruṣa Sūktam.
• Practice chanting excerpts with the teacher on Zoom at least once (more if you wish).
• Send up to 3 recordings during the course for individual evaluation of your chanting.

Course curriculum with dates:

Class 1: Jan 17 – Mantras 1-4
Class 2: Jan 24 – Mantras 5-8
Class 3: Jan 31 – Mantras 9-12
Class 4: Feb 07 – Aux mantras
Class 5: Feb 14 – Significance

Course level:

Intermediate – students should have knowledge of rules of Veda chanting and practice of at least some short mantra-s at the beginner level. The teaching will be quite fast paced and may be challenging if you do not have previous Vedic chanting experience. It is recommended to do this course only if you have completed the Foundation course with Veda Studies.

Course fee:

€149 (Self paced course of 110€ value free with this registration)
Access to self-paced course will be made available only 2 days before start of course.

Course platform & resources:

• Course will be taught on Zoom. Each week, participants will receive the replay link (recording) from the class. Therefore, if you miss a class, you can catch up with the recording.
• Texts are provided – in English transliteration & Devanagari along with meanings & detailed phonetic guides.
• All students will receive lifetime access to the Nārāyaṇa Sūktam (110€ value) self-paced course on the Veda Studies online platform – with texts, audio and video recordings for practice in between classes. This will be your study companion through the course and for future practice after course completion as well.
• Zoom details will be sent to registered participants.
• Course fee includes also evaluation of 2 recordings (If students are unable to attend the live classes, up to 3 recordings can be agreed to ensure learning).

Time zone not suitable?

You can still sign up for the course if the time zone isn’t suitable for live classes as all recordings will be made available and you will still be able to send in up to 3 recordings (only for those not joining live classes each week) for evaluation and keep up with the class.