World Sanskrit Day 2026 Celebration at Ananda Ashram*
Thu, Aug 27 to Mon, Aug 31
Thursday evening – Monday afternoon
Paramparā: Sanskrit Lineage
Special Programs offered in person (in Blue Sky Center) and streamed online*
This four-day celebration is scheduled around World Sanskrit Day, celebrated on the full moon of the Indian month of Shrāvaṇa, the auspicious occasion of Rakṣhā Bandhana, which falls on Thursday, August 27, this year. The topic this year is Paramparā: Sanskrit Lineage. Focusing on the transmission of knowledge passed down through ancient sacred texts (śruti), written traditions (smṛti), and also the living practices that continue today.
At the Ashram, the methods of Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati are taught through paramparā, knowledge that has been preserved for millennia. Classical study is emphasized to deepen the understanding of sacred texts, language, and philosophy. Ongoing classes in pronunciation, grammar, and scriptural study are provided through the School of Sanskrit, under the direction of Bharati Devi.
The event is organized in honor of the ancient language of Sanskrit by Shanta Bulkin, co-founder of the East-West Sanskrit Institute based in California, and is hosted by the School of Sanskrit at Ananda Ashram (part of ISEWU / International Schools of East-West Unity). It also honors the extraordinary teaching legacies of Ashram Founder Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati (Shri Ramamurti) and of Professor Ram Karan Sharma, a world-renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet.
Traditional Ashram Daily Programs:
In addition to the Special Events, the following programs are offered daily to all by open donation in the MH:
9:00 AM Meditation Program with Fire Ceremony and Scriptural Studies
7:00 PM Meditation Program with Fire Ceremony and Selected Readings
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World Sanskrit Day 2026 Celebration Special Programs
Special Programs are in Blue Sky Center (BSC)
Fire Ceremony and Meditation take place in the Main House (MH)
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Thu, Aug 27, 7:00 PM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony for Healing and World Peace
Thu, Aug 27, 8:00 PM
Welcoming of Guests
Divine Music – Laraaji Nadananda & Arji OceAnanda
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Fri, Aug 28, 9:00 AM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony
9:45 AM – 10:05 AM Selected Sanskrit Verses
Fri, Aug 28, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Three Videos
Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna & Samādhi – Satsang with Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, 1988
This video, recorded at the San Francisco Ashram, is part of the Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati video project created by John Parulis (Krishnapujan), which began in 1981. This project is about the sacred transmission of knowledge within the gurukula system. These videos, moving moments of infinite wisdom, are presented as they happened, using the technology of the day.
Note: There are over 200 hours of videotape recorded by John Parulis, of which about 60% have been remastered and stored, with the support of the Baba Bhagavandas Publication Trust.
The Mother Tongue – Dr. M.A. Jayashree with Kimberly Flynn
Śruti paramparā, the ancient system for learning and preserving India’s wisdom, was “heard” by great ṛṣi-s and preserved through sound and repetition, encompassing vast knowledge and extensive memorization over millennia – a feat nearly incomprehensible. This innate ability to learn by sound, the same seed from which our first language, the Mother Tongue, takes root before birth, lives on in the practice of śruti paramparā. Beloved teacher from Mysore, Jayashree carries this living tradition forward through call-and-response chanting.
Adhyayanam and the Precision of Recitation – Shantala Sriramaiah with Poornima & Nidhi
A demonstration of paramparā in the Mysore–Karnataka Tradition from Veda Studies founder Shantala, along with senior students.
Fri, Aug 28, 2:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Practical Pāṇini: Pāṇinian Grammar and Consonant Sandhi – Indira Bulkin
Our Guru, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, introduced us to Pāṇini midway through our regular Sanskrit classes. He showed us how elegantly and beautifully Pāṇini explained rules that seemed wordy and cumbersome in English. In this talk, we will look at a few examples where Pāṇini brilliantly and concisely lays out how consonants transform through sandhi, illuminating the relationships between letters.
Fri, Aug 28, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Presentation by Manorama
Details to be announced
Fri, Aug 28, 7:00 PM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony for Healing and World Peace
Fri, Aug 28, 8:00 PM
Performance by East-West School of Music – Naren Budhkar – tabla & Kinnar Seen – sitar
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Sat, Aug 29, 9:00 AM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony
9:45 AM – 10:05 AM Selected Sanskrit Verses
Sat, Aug 29, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Paramparā: The Living Journey of Knowledge – Deven Patel
In celebration of World Sanskrit Day, this talk explores paramparā—the living lineage of teaching through which knowledge is received, reflected upon, shared, and matured over time. Drawing on traditional Sanskrit verses and the Vedāntic framework of anubandha-catuṣṭayam, we will reflect on how true learning transforms the student through humility, discernment, dharma, and lasting joy.
Sat, Aug 29, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
The Moon as Guru: Connecting to Maternal Lineage Gifts through Our Cosmic Mother
This year’s WSD theme – paramparā – celebrates lineage wisdom being passed uninterrupted from ear to ear. Śravana, or sacred listening, first occurs between mother and child, so Mā is the first guru. While Jupiter (Guru) is the planet of wisdom in jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology), the Moon represents mother, serving as our first celestial guru. Celebrate Mā in the form of the Nityā Devī-s, the goddesses of the lunar phases, who reveal the cosmic gifts received through our maternal lineage. Experience Mā in her manifold lunar forms, and discover her connection to the Sanskrit alphabet, connecting with her through the power of mantra.
Sat, Aug 29, 3:30 PM – 5:15 PM
Dr. Ram Karan Sharma: Scholar, Poet & Mentor – Indira Bulkin & Deven Patel
Indira and Deven will share Sanskrit poetry and stories about beloved mentor, Dr. Ram Karan Sharma, who bridged the gap between traditional Indian Sanskrit studies and Western academia. As an award-winning Sanskrit author and poet, and an extraordinarily devoted teacher, he had phenomenal breadth and depth in many aspects of Sanskrit literature.
Sat, Aug 29, 7:00 PM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony for Healing and World Peace
Sat, Aug 29, 8:00 PM
Kathak Dance – Satya Narayana Charka with Sanskrit Recitation – Deven Patel
Details to be announced
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Sun, Aug 30, 9:00 AM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony
9:45 AM – 10:05 AM Selected Sanskrit Verses
Sun, Aug 30, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Paramparā: Eternity of Emulating and Excelling – Naren Budhkar
Passing on the unbroken lineage of art, knowledge, and spirituality is a matter of both reverence and responsibility within Indian culture, a process critical for both information and identity. The ancient language of Sanskrit is the most complete example of this unbroken transmission. Its perpetuation through paramparā, and the broader concept of continuity across various fields of life will be discussed.
Sun, Aug 30, 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
A Practical Introduction to Veda Chanting: The Tradition & Method – Leslie (Manasvini) Freyberg & Anne Vial
Śruti paramparā is the oral transmission of sacred knowledge of the Veda from teacher to student (guru-śiṣya) over millennia – a tradition that is alive today. We will give an insight into the six foundational elements of Veda recitation: varṇa (syllable pronunciation), svara (intonation), mātra (duration), bala (force), sāma (evenness), and santāna (continuity through sandhi). We will examine and chant together the final verse of Medhā Sūktam, a hymn for cultivating mental power, intuition, and memory retention.
Sun, Aug 30, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Unraveling the Kāvyaprakāśa – David Mellins
In this presentation, two strategies from Sanskrit rhetoric or alaṁkāra-śāstra are compared: one provided by Mammaṭa in his 11th-century Kāvyaprakāśa, the other by Jayadeva Pīyūṣavarṣa in the 13th-century Candrāloka. Dr Mellins will discuss how Jayadeva reverses Mammaṭa’s more traditional sequencing of topics and, in so doing, demonstrates that literary aesthetics provides the foundation for language theory as much as language theory provides the foundation for literary analysis.
Sun, Aug 30, 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Down Memory Lane: A Day in the Life with Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati – Shanta Bulkin
In the 1970s, many had the good fortune to study Sanskrit at the San Francisco Ashram. Guruji would direct us in chanting nouns, verbs, and mantras. Sometimes, after an hour, he would say, “Now stop, forget everything you just learned, and feel this inner current of energy.” He described this as the electromagnetic vibration – the anāhata nādam. He trained us with great discipline, preparing the next generation of teachers, many of whom are still among us, carrying forth his dynamic instruction.
Sun, Aug 30, 7:00 PM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony for Healing and World Peace
Sun, Aug 30, 8:00 PM (MH)
Kirtan Chanting – Krishna Devi – voice & harmonium, Dinesha – drum
Healing through feeling the inner vibrations and pulsation by way of kirtan and chanting.
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Mon Aug 31, 9:00 AM
Meditation & Fire Ceremony
9:45 AM – 10:05 AM Selected Sanskrit Verses
Mon Aug 31, 10:15 AM – 12:15 PM
Panel Discussion on the Theme “Paramparā: Sanskrit Lineage”
Shanta Bulkin (Moderator), Naren Budhkar & Anne Vial
Discussion on methods for the continuation of the Ashram’s Sanskrit study legacy, and ways to promote the greater Sanskrit tradition into the future.
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Bios in Order of Appearance:
Hailed as one of the forefathers of both ambient electronic and new age music, Laraaji is best known for his 1980 collaboration with Brian Eno, “Ambient 3: Day of Radiance.” Groundbreaking electronic musician and mystic, Laraaji performs an atmospheric solo set featuring zither, kalimba, percussion, keyboard and voice.
Arji ‘OceAnanda’ Cakouros is a Sound Healer, musician, Usui Reiki Master and Dreamwork teacher based in Niskayuna, NY. Her Hellenic background and deep interest in the ancient Asclepian and Pythagorean healing traditions have a strong presence in her work and life. She joins longtime collaborator Laraaji in sharing her heart space through a variety of gentle percussion and electronic instruments.
Beneath a lighthouse on a long beach, John Parulis had a powerful experience of connection to the Universe. Falling to his knees, with his arms raised, he looked at the sky and ocean and said, “I want to know the Truth behind all of this.” A few weeks later, a picture of Guruji arrived in his college mailbox, along with an invitation to visit. Leaving home with $300 in his pocket, John arrived at the San Francisco Ashram. Meeting Guruji for the first time made it clear: When you arrive at your true home, you never leave.
Retired professor of Sanskrit, Dr. M.A. Jayashree holds a doctorate from Bangalore University, with a thesis on the Concept of Mind in Indian Philosophy. An accomplished Karnatic classical musician holding a vidwat (master’s) degree, she is also a recognized painter in the Mysore school – reflecting the multi-disciplinary character of traditional Indian scholarship. She is a co-founder, with her brother Prof. M.A. Narasimhan, of the Anantha Research Foundation (Sanskrit & Yoga Research Foundation) in Mysore, established in 1998 to bring traditional Indian wisdom to students worldwide. Jayashree has taught generations in spoken Sanskrit, the Yoga Sūtras, and the Bhagavad Gītā.
Kimberly (Kiki) Flynn has studied Yoga since 1982, and Ashtanga Yoga under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois since 1993.
Kiki opened Ashtanga Yoga Shala in Los Angeles in 1996, where she hosted Pattabhi Jois and his family twice.
At Jois’ direction, she pursued Sanskrit chanting, and in 1998, began her studies with Dr. M.A. Jayashree. Kiki has produced and recorded several Sanskrit chanting CDs with Dr. Jayashree and helped expand the global reach of her Mysore-based Sanskrit institute’s teaching. She continues to study with the great wisdom holders of Mysore.
Shantala Sriramaiah is a Veda recitation teacher from Bangalore and has been studying 1-2-1 with her Guru, Sri M.S. Sreenivasan, as one of his senior students. She continues her personal practice alongside teaching and is grateful to the Challakere family for mentoring her. Combining her long background in corporate Learning & Development along with traditional methods of learning she grew up with, Shantala creates courses accessible to students from all backgrounds. She loves creating a global community around chanting practices and is committed to continuing her own family tradition. After 15 important years in Belgium, she now lives in Lugano, Switzerland, with her husband and two children.
Indira (Ann) Bulkin met Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati in the summer of 1971. The following spring, she became a full-time student at the Yoga Society of San Francisco. During that time, the Guru held Sanskrit classes for many hours a day, seven days a week. In the early 1980s, he named her the head of the Sanskrit Department at the YSSF.
Manorama is a direct student of Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. She considers herself very lucky to have been able to learn under his caring guidance. She comes to this Sanskrit conference with gratitude for all the blessings that Ananda Ashram offers to the world.
Kinnar Kumar Seen is the son of the well-known musical authority Ustad Lachhman Singh Seen. Kinnar completed a Master’s degree in music with a major in Sitar and was awarded gold medals for his proficiency. He has performed at major music festivals worldwide and played with the Beatles Magical Orchestra in 2005, conducted by David Amram. Kinnar has given lectures and demonstrations at Harvard, Princeton, and Brown Universities, and the Juilliard School of Music. The New York Times named him “a leading artist of India.” Kinnar Seen is a longtime friend of Ananda Ashram and has previously taught music there.
Deven M. Patel is a professor of Sanskrit and Indian culture in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches courses in literature, philosophy, mythology, literary theory, and translation studies. He writes on the history and interpretation of literature and translates from Sanskrit to English.
Suzanne Lang is a Vedic Wisdom Counselor who uses Sanskrit, Yoga, Āyurveda, and Jyotiṣa as vehicles for nourishment, transformation, and healing. She began studying Sanskrit at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 and the language is a part of her daily sādhana. A former dancer, poet, and professor with a BA in Literature & Creative Writing from Dartmouth and an MFA in Poetry from Emerson College, Suzanne lives in Philadelphia with her partner and children. Follow her @rockstarvedicwisdom.
Pandit Satya Narayana Charka is a distinguished Kathak dance performer, choreographer, and teacher of international acclaim. His gurus include Pandit R.K. Shukla, Pandit Shambhu Maharaj, Shrimati Maya Rao and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Pandit S.N. Charka has won many prestigious awards, including first place in the All-India Dance Competition. Since the early 1970s, he has presented numerous traditional dance recitals as well as dance dramas, bringing myth to life for today’s audiences. Since 1981, he has been the director of the East-West School of Dance, New York, based at Ananda Ashram. He has been teaching in the wider New York metropolitan area and has been performing internationally.
Born into the music and Sanskrit traditions in India, Naren Budhkar has had first-hand experience of paramparā. His grandfather was a Sanskrit scholar, and his father had a passion for music. Naren grew up witnessing and partaking in the practice of tradition through various sacred rituals, discourses, and classical music. Since moving to the U.S., Naren could be called an ambassador of Indian classical music and culture. He has performed at prestigious venues globally and in the US, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. Recently, he performed at the residence of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill to commemorate the cultural heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
First and foremost a chanter of Veda, Leslie Dillingham Freyberg (Manasvinī) began her Sanskrit studies with Vyaas Houston of the American Sanskrit Institute, and has furthered them with Manorama, Dr. Edwin Bryant, Dr. Antonia Ruppel, and Dr. Ram Karan Sharma, as well as weekly Friday-evening literature sessions with Dr. Deven Patel via Ananda Ashram’s Zoom. She began formal Vedic Chant studies with Sonia Nelson and Deborah Kuryan at the Santa Fe Vedic Chant Center, and now continues online with Shantala Sriramaiah. A certified Iyengar Yoga teacher, Leslie has taught sessions on invocations and the Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali, and teaches Vedic Chant in person and online.
Anne Vial, from Nuremberg, Germany, works as a Literary Scout in Barcelona, Spain. She graduated from University College London (BA in Modern European Studies) and King’s College, University of Cambridge (MPhil in Social and Economic History). She is blessed with wonderful Sanskrit teachers at Ananda Ashram and at the East-West Sanskrit Institute. She also studies with Dr. Elena Sierra (University of Barcelona), Dr. Antonia Ruppel (University of Munich), Dr. Deven Patel (U of Pennsylvania), and Dr. M.A. Jayashree (Mysore, India). Anne loves chanting and the science of metrics.
David Mellins is a Buddhist translator and scholar of Sanskrit poetics. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University, specializing in alaṁkāra-śāstra and related semantic philosophies of classical India, and studied with Ram Karan Sharma, who became an important mentor. His dissertation, advised by Dr. Gary Tubb, involved a translation and study of three commentaries of Jayadeva Pīyūṣavarṣa’s Candrāloka, a thirteenth-century treatise on rhetoric. He is fascinated by the relationship between literary aesthetics and soteriology, and the aesthetic underpinnings of language use in cultures. He has taught at Columbia, Rutgers, Seton Hall, and Yale, and is collaborating on the first translation of Prajñāvarman’s Udānavargavivaraṇa, a comprehensive commentary on the Buddha’s occasioned teachings.
In 1971, Shanta Bulkin was planning a multi-year trip to India when he met an elderly fortune teller. Adolphus Gonyaw predicted that within six months, Shanta would meet a man who would change his life. He never made it to India. Six months later, at twenty-three and deeply depressed, he found himself at Ananda Ashram in New York State. The first thing Dr. Mishra said to him was, “If you want to stay here, you must study Sanskrit.” Not a request, but a clear statement. Now, more than fifty years later, Shanta’s dharma is bringing this extraordinary electromagnetic language to students of all ages.
Krishna Devi is a Kirtan musician and Bhakti Yogini. She was initiated into the spiritual practice of Sanskrit chanting by her Guru Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, who taught Sanskrit as the “science of vibration.” Krishna Devi regards chanting as a gateway into meditation and believes that chanting the sacred sounds allows an opening of one’s heart. She leads Kirtans at Ananda Ashram; she is also a published author of the book Kirtan Angels and has recorded and produced several albums. In addition, Krishna Devi teaches a weekly Beginners’ Sanskrit class.
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*All WSD events will be live-streamed to our Facebook Live page and YouTube channel.