Masters of Sacred Speech
SCHEDULE
May 8 – “Panini – Vedic Sacrifice and Meta-Language”
Host: Baba Rampuri
12 noon New York • 9 am San Francisco • 5 pm London • 6 pm Berlin
In our first session we will discuss one of the greatest of all the Masters of Sacred Speech, the sage Rishi Panini, whose 5th century BC text, The Ashtadhyayi, is considered, by those who know, to be humankind’s greatest known intellectual achievement. We will discuss the text itself, it’s application and raison d’etre in ancient India, the Vedic sacrifice, mantras, and analogies. And then we will see how the West’s discovery of Panini and his text changed the way speech was understood, created the discipline of linguistics, and how by the 1940’s had influenced mathematics to the degree that computer programming languages became possible. Almost every major figure in Indian traditions is influenced by him, and some knowledge in his text is at the foundation of almost all the various disciplines in Indian tradition. So the knowledge of Panini and his work is indeipensible for anyone involved in traditional Indian culture.
Topics will include: Uniqueness of Sanskrit, sacred grammar, Vedic ritual, metalanguage, Sacred Speech and modern mathematic theory.
May 15 – “Patanjali and his Yoga”
Host: Baba Rampuri
12 noon New York • 9 am San Francisco • 5 pm London • 6 pm Berlin
Although the “poster-boy” of the modern yoga movement, very few of the physical culturists know Patanjali as he is known in traditional India as one of the greatest of all the commentators of Panini, master of sacred speech,
Topics will include: Interpreting Yoga Sutra, Sacred Speech as practice.
May 22 – “Bhartrihari, Cognition, and Speech”
Host: Baba Rampuri
12 noon New York • 9 am San Francisco • 5 pm London • 6 pm Berlin
Topics will include:
May 29 – “Abhinavagupta – Tantra and Sacred Speech”
Host: Baba Rampuri
12 noon New York • 9 am San Francisco • 5 pm London • 6 pm Berlin
Topics will include:
