Rajanaka Studies, Auspicious Wisdom & Soulful Contemplation

August 27, 2026 Aho’ my dear Rajanaka, I hope this finds you well. I don’t know where to begin in describing the events of these past few months. The loss in our immediate family has been compounded by so much within our community and among friends. No effort we make or goodness we mean to offer can protect us from what the world can bring. I feel deeply your support and affection; I am so very grateful for your friendship and concern.

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -38:56 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. This is an audio version of the opening section of The Gated Universe, “The World According to Rudra.” This is the first section of several divided for easier listening access. More is forthcoming. Discussion about this episode Rajanaka invites the study of comparative religions, philosophy, language, and mythology, with special attention to ancient India and eastern traditions.

The Gated Universe Contemplating Empowerment, Possibility, and Grievance Douglas Brooks 1 The World According to Rudra This began as another tl;dr essay, thinking aloud preeminent, the deliberation on mortal life rising from the inner storm that howls and weeps as if Rudra of the Veda its inner source. Rudra’s name means just that: howling, weeping, bleeding. He is chaos featuring itself in expressions of primal energies recurring and rearranging all that is possible.

Friday, June 12, 2026 My Dear Friends, Please read this. This week my beloved daughter Madeleine Grace passed. She went to bed and did not wake in the morning. She was perfectly herself when she went to bed. There were no other circumstances or reasons. I ask you with all deep respect and affection not comment in any way. Please no expressions of condolence or outreach. Please understand I hold your affection and care, I understand too your desire to express your feelings.

Our Invitation to South India December-January Saturday, May 23, 2026 Aho’ Rajanaka, I hope this finds you well. This email is our invitation to the India Pilgrimage 2026. As you likely know we’ve been making this pilgrimage to Tamil Nadu for the last twenty years: it’s a very special something. If you’re interested in your first time, please read on. If you’re interested in returning, as so many do, know that we will do everything we can to make this as rewarding as ever.

Confronting the Crisis of Our Times Valediction to the Class of 2026 1× 0:00 Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -21:21 -21:21 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Valediction to the Class of 2026 Delivered to the University of Rochester Department of Religion & Classics This past Sunday I was privileged to deliver the valediction to the graduates, friends, and families of the University of Rochester Department of Religion & Classics.

If you are interested in traditional Indian philosophies, or for that matter any thinking whose ostensible purpose is the love of wisdom, the pursuit of truth or value, it’s important to understand what you’re getting into. What’s thinking for? What can it provide for us? For traditional philosophers there must be an irrefragable conclusion, but why? Must we be conclusive?

This is a long one. If you take your time, I think it may be worth your time. This week is my teacher’s birthday and marks too the day of his passing. Appa loved a good conversation, the kind you can revisit and rethink. Appa wanted conversation to be like art: worth it the first time and worth it every time you return. I make no such claim here but I do wish good conversation on you all.

Sunday, March 22, 2026 Aho’Rajanaka, I hope this finds you well. This is the Rajanaka Summer Camp invitation. I’ve been mentioning Camp in emails and Zooms for months, the confirmed dates are Thursday July 9th through lunch on Monday July 13th. Come for all, come for some, come for any, there will be recordings too. Feel free to skip the prelude that describes Camp. There are only two principal innovations this year.

In the yoga traditions every philosopher writing in the Sanskrit language is also a serious grammarian. In fact, the Grammarians form their own storied philosophical schools and are among the very earliest to see the relationship between the formation of language and the deepest human experience. They don’t get often the credit they deserve but like the Logicians (i.e., the Nyaya), the Vaiyakarana provide the armature on which all the rest sculpt their arguments.