Diganta Biswa Sarma to Deliver 20 Lectures on 'Ishopanishad' at IIT Guwahati

Sahitya Akademi Translation Award winner and an expert on Indian Culture and Philosophy, Dr Diganta Biswa Sarma will deliver a series of lectures as an Expert Faculty Member at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati.

The course organized by IIT Guwahati’s Center for Indian Knowledge Systems is titled “Ishopanishad for the modern age through the lens of Sri Aurobindo”.

This course which will start from August 2024 will use English and Assamese as the languages for explaining the key concepts of ‘Ishavasyopanishad’.

There will be two lectures of one-hour duration on each Sunday; a total of 40 lectures will be covered in 20 weeks. A unique feature of the course is that on each Sunday, the participants will be given demonstration of some technology. The target audience is the faculty and students of various colleges and universities of Assam.

The IIT Guwahati authorities have planned to conduct the course in self-sustaining mode and have registered it as a consultancy project in the Industrial Interactions and Special Initiatives (II&SI) section of the institute.

Professor Uday Shanker Dixit, Head, Center for Indian Knowledge Systems and Professor Sukanya Sharma, Head of Department of Humanities and Social Sciences are the organizers of this course.

In the said course, Dr Diganta Biswa Sarma will complete 40 lectures of one-hour duration in a period of 20 weeks starting from August 15, 2024. Each Sunday, two lectures will be conducted (preferably from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM) followed by lunch and technological demonstration.

It may be mentioned that, Dr. Sarma, Professor of Practice, Dibrugarh University, is a Sahitya Akademy Translation Awardee and a devotee of Sri Aurobindo. Born into a notable family, he achieved academic excellence in his schooling and higher education, earning accolades and scholarships. Sarma’s early leadership roles, such as Magazine Secretary and General Secretary during his student days, reflected his commitment to extracurricular activities.

The Ishavasya Upanishad, also known as the Isha Upanishad, is one of the shortest yet profound texts in the vast body of ancient Indian philosophical literature known as the Upanishads. Comprising just 18 verses, it is a part of the Shukla Yajurveda and is considered one of the fundamental texts that delve into the core concepts of Vedantă, the philosophical foundation of Hinduism

The Ishavasya Upanishad addresses essential aspects of human existence, the nature of the ultimate reality (Brahman), and the path to realizing one's true self (Atman). Its brevity, coupled with its profound insights, has led scholars and spiritual seekers to explore its teachings and reflect upon its relevance in the contemporary world.

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