Ananda Ashram

In addition to the morning and evening meditation programs and ongoing classes, Ananda Ashram offers special workshops and events throughout the year. Educational and cultural programs offered by the International Schools of East-West Unity (Gurukula), Inc. are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Click on a month to see list of events

Jul 21 - Aug 29
Mon - Fri
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

* Intermediate/Advanced Sanskrit Courses with Prof. Ram Karan Sharma
Bio: Prof. Ram Karan Sharma

Mon-Fri only. Tuition: 2-week Course $300 / single class $30
Study materials included.

A truly unique opportunity for those who already have a basic knowledge of Sanskrit to expand their understanding by studying with a master teacher and scholar from India. Presentation of the texts will include grammar, various linguistic aspects and philosophy.
Required: Acquaintance with the devanagari script and a preliminary knowledge of Sanskrit vocabulary. Beginners may attend informally.

This summer, Prof. Ram Karan Sharma will again offer three courses:

Jul 21 - Aug 1, Mon - Fri: Kalidasa's Meghadutam, Purvamegha
Kalidasa may well be the most famous and respected poet of the Sanskrit language. His well-known work Meghadutam (First Part) represents an afflicted mind's communion with the cloud, with rivers and mountains. These appear here to be the spokespersons of Nature as well as the healers of conflicts and tensions.

Aug 4 - 15, Mon - Fri: Mundakopanishad
Mundakopanishad is one of the major Upanishads, the scriptures which constitute the ancient source of all Vedanta philosophy.
This text contains messages of utmost spiritual and philosophical heights. It also emphasizes the significance of rituals for cultivating proper relationship between the mundane and the Divine - while the same rituals can become ineffective due to "overdoing" or misunderstanding. The metaphor of the two birds, as quoted in this Upanishad, illustrates the difference between the individual or personal and the cosmic consciousness.

Aug 18 - 29, Mon - Fri: Panini Sutras, Chapters 4 & 5 (Advanced Sanskrit Grammar Course)
Chapters 4 and 5 of Panini's Ashtadhyayi deal with "secondary derivative affixes," covering an extensive area in Sanskrit linguistics. The term Taddhita, the title of this section, implies the meaning "wellbeing for all."

Note: Special discount for participants in our educational (ISEWU) courses: 15% off Ashram overnight guest rate.
Or, when contributing 1 hr of work per day: 25% reduction on guest rate.

Inquire about availability of Work-Study arrangements and Sanskrit scholarships.