Podcast
The Discover India Podcast by Professor Pankaj Jain: Bhārat Darśan
Hosted by Prof Pankaj Jain · EN
Bhārat Darśan: The Discover India Podcast is about Indian Culture, Indian classical music, Sustainability, Hindu/Buddhist/Jain Studies, Film Studies, and Diaspora Studies. Episodes also include presentations at various conferences and webinars. Dr. Pankaj Jain is the Director of The India Centre and the Head of the Department of Humanities and Language at FLAME University.
#India #Indology #IndianClassicalMusic #IndianCulture #IndianTraditions #India #Hinduism #Jainism #Buddhism #Dharma #Jainology #ReligionAndEcology #FilmStudies #Bollywood #IndianDiaspora #Dharmic #ManojGovindraj
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Episodes
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Finding Your Roots: Prof. Pankaj Jain on Dharma and Identity (Part 1)
6d ago00:29:48Tap to summarizeWhat happens to a generation that does yoga and celebrates Diwali — but couldn't tell you what the Gita actually says?In Part 1 of this conversation, Indologist Prof. Pankaj Jain sits down with Shailee Prajapati to talk about reconnection: his own leap from a computer science career into the study of Indian traditions, why so many second-generation Indians come to feel like "a guest in their own family," what we tend to abandon first, and where the journey back to our roots actually begins.A warm, honest conversation for anyone raised between two worlds.🎙️ Interviewed by Shailee Prajapati — watch the full version and subscribe to her channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCkFjeG8R5vZ0BQwi4nZqqqw 📺 Part 2 coming soon.🎧 Video version on the Discover India podcast https://youtu.be/XTMsa15veAE⏱️ CHAPTERS (Part 1)— Introduction — From IT to Indian traditions: the pivot, and the pressure we all face00:00 — Where reconnection actually begins — What the second generation abandons first — and the cost they don't see until later— Dharma and identity: stop asking who you are, start asking what's yours to do📖 ABOUTProf. Pankaj Jain is an Indologist and scholar of Indian religions and environmental ethics, and the host of Discover India: Bhārat Darśan.🔗 ConnectYouTube: @ProfPankajJainSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5jSL5qrjKmgYHQhMGLUdJ2Instagram: @ProfPankajJain#BhagavadGita #IndianPhilosophy #Diaspora #Dharma #Hinduism #NRI #DiscoverIndia #PankajJain #Spirituality #SecondGeneration
Transcribe →Ardhanarishvara in 75 Seconds
1w ago00:00:52Tap to summarizeArdhanarishvara is more than devotional imagery. It is a sculpted metaphysical thesis on the unity of consciousness and energy. This short explores the philosophical depth of Shiva–Shakti integration within Hindu thought and non-dual traditions.Indian iconography as ontology. Dharma as intellectual civilization.#InternationalYogaDay #Ardhanarishvara #ShivaShakti #HinduPhilosophy #SanatanaDharma #IndianWisdom #WomensDay #IndianCulture
Transcribe →अग्नि · Agni, in homage to Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Agneepath
1w ago00:00:46Tap to summarizeStarting a new series — my original Hindi & Urdu poems, each in conversation with the voices that shaped me. 🔥First up: अग्नि · Agni, in homage to Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Agneepath.बरसों पहले बच्चन जी की "अग्निपथ" ने राह दिखाई थी। यह मेरी अपनी "अग्नि" है — उन्हीं ज्वालाओं को नमन।From the land of fire I come, on the path of fire I walk. I am the child of fire-born warriors, the decree borne in fiery scrolls. My resolves are struck from fire's own sparks; my vows, steel tempered in flame. Like fire, the road of life rises ever upward — the mind a mass of blazing light, the body drenched in the sweat of toil.कौन सी पंक्ति ने आपके भीतर की आग को छू लिया? 👇#Agni #अग्निपथ #Agneepath #HarivanshRaiBachchan #बच्चन
Transcribe →He Walked Barefoot for a Dream | Malaviya & BHU
3w ago00:00:50Tap to summarizeMadan Mohan Malaviya’s inspiring journey of building Banaras Hindu University shows the power of vision, humility, and Dharma. From travelling across India to raising funds in the most unexpected ways, this story reminds us that great institutions are built on purpose, not privilege.#BHU #MadanMohanMalaviya #IndianEducation #Dharma #IndianHistory #Motivation #Shorts
Transcribe →ऋग्वेद का पुरुषसूक्त: प्राचीन स्थिरता का अद्भुत दर्शन
3w ago00:00:44Tap to summarizeप्राचीन Rig Veda का Purusha Sukta मानव, प्रकृति और ब्रह्माण्ड के गहरे सम्बन्ध को प्रस्तुत करता है।इस सूक्त में वर्णित Purusha केवल एक पुरुष नहीं, बल्कि सम्पूर्ण सृष्टि का प्रतीक है—जिससे सूर्य, चन्द्रमा और पृथ्वी की उत्पत्ति बताई गई है।भारतीय दर्शन, विशेषकर Samkhya, इस विचार को आगे बढ़ाते हुए Prakriti और पुरुष के समन्वय से सृष्टि की व्याख्या करता है।आज के पर्यावरण संकट के समय में, यह वैदिक दृष्टि हमें स्मरण कराती है कि मानव और प्रकृति एक-दूसरे से पृथक नहीं, बल्कि एक ही ब्रह्माण्डीय तंत्र के अंग हैं।#ऋग्वेद #पुरुषसूक्त #भारतीयदर्शन #स्थिरता #धर्म #पर्यावरण #वैदिकज्ञानThe Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda presents a profound vision of cosmic interconnectedness. Humans, nature, and the universe arise from the same cosmic being. This ancient insight resonates strongly with contemporary discussions on sustainability and ecological responsibility.#RigVeda #PurushaSukta #Sustainability #IndianPhilosophy #VedicWisdom #Dharma#Ecology #DiscoverIndia
Transcribe →Did Sanskrit influence the structure of the Periodic Table?
3w ago00:00:55Tap to summarizeDid Sanskrit influence the structure of the Periodic Table?When Dmitri Mendeleev predicted undiscovered elements, he used Sanskrit prefixes such as “Eka.” Scholars have noted structural parallels between Panini’s grammatical system and Mendeleev’s tabular classification of elements. While no direct evidence proves deliberate borrowing, the intellectual environment of 19th-century Europe was deeply engaged with Sanskrit scholarship. This short explores the fascinating intersection of ancient Indian knowledge systems and modern scientific classification.#DiscoverIndia #Sanskrit #Mendeleev #HistoryOfScience #IndianKnowledgeSystems #Panini #Dharma
Transcribe →Can AI create Consciousness? Indian Philosophy explains!
May 2700:00:54Tap to summarizeAs AI companies race toward Artificial General Intelligence (AI), many assume consciousness will eventually emerge from computation. But Indian philosophical traditions — Vedanta, Samkhya, and Jain thought — challenge this assumption at its foundation.Is consciousness an output of complexity? Or is it ontologically primary? Dr. Pankaj Jain offers a Dharmic intervention into the AI debate.#AI #AIConsciousness #HardProblem #IndianPhilosophy #Vedanta #Jainism #Dharma #ArtificialIntelligence
Transcribe →Why does the Ashoka Chakra in the Indian flag have 24 spokes?
May 2400:01:03Tap to summarizeThe official Flag Code of India does not explain the number. It only says the Ashoka Chakra symbolizes Dharma and movement. But the number 24 is deeply significant in Jain Dharma, where 24 Tirthankaras guide humanity on the path of ahimsa and liberation.Could the 24 spokes symbolically reflect these 24 enlightened teachers?#AshokaChakra #IndianFlag #Tirthankaras #JainDharma #Mahavira #Rishabhanatha #Ahimsa #Dharma #IndianHistory #DiscoverIndia #IndicCivilization #Jainism #24Tirthankara
Transcribe →Mahāvīra & Gandhi | Nonviolence from Ancient India to the Modern World | Episode 12
May 2100:05:17Tap to summarizeMahāvīra Biography Series | Dr. Pankaj JainThe Mahāvīra Biography Series explores the life, philosophy, and civilizational impact of Bhagavān Mahāvīra, the 24th Tīrthaṅkara of the Jain tradition and one of the greatest spiritual revolutionaries of India. Through research-grounded storytelling and global intellectual analysis, this documentary series situates Mahāvīra within the broader framework of Dharma — a living civilizational ethos shaping ethics, nonviolence, and social transformation across centuries. In Episode 12, we explore:• The transmission of Ahimsa from Mahāvīra to Mahatma Gandhi• The reinterpretation of nonviolence in modern political movements• Connections with global thinkers such as Tolstoy and civil rights leaders• Jain principles in contemporary activism and ethical discourse• The continuing relevance of Dharma in shaping a more just and peaceful worldThis episode reveals how Mahāvīra’s teachings did not remain confined to ancient India but traveled across time to influence some of the most powerful movements for justice and freedom. Through Gandhi and beyond, Ahimsa became not only a spiritual discipline but also a transformative force in global history. By examining these connections, Episode 12 highlights the enduring power of Dharma as a bridge between personal ethics and collective change. About the Presenter: Dr. Pankaj Jain is Director of The India Center and Professor & Head of Humanities & Languages at FLAME University. Author of Jainism: From Bhagwan Mahavira to Mahatma Gandhi (2025), he is a Fulbright-Nehru Fellow and internationally recognized scholar of Dharma traditions, sustainability, and Indian intellectual history. Subscribe to complete the Mahāvīra Biography Series and explore how ancient wisdom continues to inspire modern movements for peace, justice, and sustainability.#MahaviraAndGandhi #Ahimsa #Gandhi #Nonviolence #Jainisminfluence #Tolstoynonviolence#Civilrightsnonviolence#Indianphilosophy
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Hindu Theology and Biology: The Bhāgavata Purāṇa and Contemporary Theory
May 2000:39:26Tap to summarizeThis webinar examines the relationship between Hindu thought and modern science through the lenses of history, integration, and innovation. Rather than asking whether a classical Hindu text can be reconciled with modern biology in a literal or reductionist sense, the book investigates how a sophisticated theological tradition can engage in constructive dialogue with contemporary scientific thought while preserving its intellectual integrity. By focusing on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa and its interpretive tradition, the study argues that Hindu theology possesses conceptual resources capable of engaging modern scientific discourse at the levels of metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophical anthropology.This lecture isolates the teleological structure of knowledge as the decisive point of contact. It contrasts the operative ends of modern scientific inquiry—explanation, prediction, and technical control—with the Bhāgavata’s soteriological orientation, in which knowledge functions as a transformative discipline ordered toward the reconfiguration of perception and the cultivation of devotion. On this account, epistemology is inseparable from formation: knowing is not merely representational but participatory. Reframing the science–religion interface in terms of ends rather than competing truth-claims, the argument advances a model of integration in which divergent yet potentially complementary purposes coordinate distinct epistemic practices.Jonathan B. Edelmann, Ph.D., is currently a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) and the owner and manager of Scholar Path Consulting, LLC. Edelmann has a BA in Philosophy from the University of California at Santa Barbara, an MA (MSt) and a PhD (DPhil) from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, was a Luce Fellow in the American Academy of Religion, and has taught Sanskrit, Indian Philosophy, Science and Religion as an Assistant and Associate Professor.Edelmann’s first book, Hindu Theology and Biology, published by Oxford University Press, won awards from the John Templeton Foundation and the Dharma Academy of North America, and was nominated for the Hindu-Christian Studies Award. He has published in leading academic journals in his areas of specialization, such as the Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of Hindu Studies, Journal of Dharma Studies, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Zygon, and others. He has published chapters with Columbia, Brill, Oxford, and other leading academic presses.Edelmann has served as steering committee Chair and Editor for leading academic societies and journals, advised student university groups, and served as MA/PhD advisor.
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