Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar (2 July 1903 - 30 October 1969) was a Srauti scholar and also was a great exponent of the art of upanyasas (discourses) on various subjects in Hinduism. Born in the Thanjavur district as the first son to Sri Subramanya Dikshithar, boy Anantharaman was initiated into the learning of the Vedas under his father Subramanya Dikshithar who was also known as chinna Muthannaval brother of Sengalipuram Vaidhyanatha Dikshithar or Periya Muthannaval. Paruthiyur Krishna Sastri was the first guru for Anantharama Dikshithar. He first had his Aksharabyasam from Krishna Sastri at Muthannavals’s Gurukulam. Then he further studied other Shastras and Vedangas from eminent scholars of repute including Kadalangudi Natesa Sastrigal who also was his father in law. On the divine wishes and direction of Sri Guruvayurappan, the presiding deity, He has performed many Srimadh Bhagavatha Saptaahams at Guruvayur. More »
Sri Balakrishna Sastrigal A retired Senior Executive of State Bank of India, Brahmasri T S Balakrishna Sastrigal started learning the wide spectrum of fundamentals required for performing Harikatha at the very tender age of 8 under the guidance of his father, himself a doyen in Puranic Upanyasakams called Brahmasri Sambamoorthi Ganapaadigal. The training included Vedas, Puranas, Sastras, Karnatic Music, and Multiple Languages like Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kanada and English.
Being a bank employee his virtual induction to performing Harikatha was initiated at the age of 16 by his father in law, himself an exponent in 18 Puranaas called Srivatsa Somadeva Sarama. Spanning over almost 7 decades, the service Brahmashri Sastrigal rendered to the society through his sole stirring Musical Discourses was immense.
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Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamigal On the day of Deepavali in 1961, Muralidharan was born to the pious Tamil Brahmin couple, Sri Rajagopala Iyer and Smt. Savitri, in Manjakuppam, a village in Cuddalore, in Tamilnadu, India. Right from childhood, Muralidharan was always devoted towards God, especially Sri Srinivasa Perumal. He was also interested in attending Bhajans and discourses in temples. Muralidharan deeply desired to become one like the Sadhus who his father often invited home for meals. More »
Sri Nochur Venkatraman belongs to the parampara of sages like Adi Sankara and Ramana Maharishi. He is not a ‘swami’ in the usual sense and yet devotees call him so considering his realization.Upanishadic wisdom flows through him with unsurpassed clarity. His discourses on bhakthi and jnana reflect the genuine source of wisdom in him. A brilliant speaker with great knowledge of Sanskrit, Sri Nochur Venkataraman hails from Nochur village near Palakad in Kerala. A brilliant speaker with great knowledge of Sanskrit, Brahma Sri Nochur Venkataraman hails from Nochur village near Palakad in Kerala. Proficient in Malayalam and Tamil, Nochur’s upanayasam of Srimad Baghavatham is a treat to listen.
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Sri Suki Sivam is a popular scholar in Tamil. His religious and philosophical speeches are famous among Tamil Hindus. He is hosting a TV show ‘Indha naal iniya naal’ in Sun TV. He has written numerous novellas and is highly regarded in India. His popularity has also spread to other countries like Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand. Furthermore, his speeches and television shows, like the above-mentioned ‘Indha naal iniya naal’, are screened on a daily basis in countries such as Singapore (Sun TV) and Malaysia.Apart from being an excellent writer, he is also an exceedingly eloquent orator. With use of hand gestures and captivating analogies, his speeches strike an instant rapport with listeners. He was awarded the Kalaimamanni award by the Indian state government for his great contributions towards Tamil literature. He has authored books in tamil; Vaazhthal Oru Kalai (Living is an art) and others. He takes his speeches from different resources and makes them good analogies. The book Vaazhthal Oru Kalai, speeks of similar lines to ” The Power of Now”, by Eckhart Tole, though not as different and subjective as the later. He speaks of as how to lead a better life, by having our own ideologies and principle. More »
Sri Sundara Kumar an eminent exponent of Upanyasam genre.Listening to the lectures is an unforgettable experience. What is most notable about Sri.Sundarkumar is that he he symbolises humbleness and humility. is not a publicity monger, does not give cassettes or CDs-nor are his lectures available on You Tube or any other video sharing website. The only way to listen to him is to attend his lectures personally. Believe me-it is an experience to cherish. Replete with contemporaneous examples and subtle humour without sacrificing the main message-this is his unique style.
I thought I will share with the members the gist of some of the gems I heard from him:
Not much of his personal life is public Knowledge,but from what I Have heard, he is a post graduate in Sanskrit. He worked in Canara Bank for sometime, before taking voluntary retirement and devoting himself exclusively to spiritual activities and Upanyasams. His knowledge of different spheres of life is amazing.He quotes extensively from various sources like Kambaramayana, valmiki, Tulsidas, Thiruvalluvaretc. Even though he resigned from Bank long back, he quotes even modern developments in Banking like non-performing assets,core competence etc.. More »
Sri Velukudi Krishnan is a prolific speaker on Vaishnavism. Son of Sri. U.Ve. Velukudi Varadhachariar Swamy, a well known figure in Vaishanava community, Sri. Krishnan used to accompany his father in religious discourses from a young age. After the passing of his father, Sri. Krishnan who is a qualified cost and chartered accountant followed in the footsteps of his father.
His mastery over Sanskrit and his extensive knowledge of Hindu scriptures, especially in Vaishnavism make his discourses irresistible.Sri Krishnan has travelled all over the world to deliver discourses and his discourses are published in more than 200 CDs. More »
Vishaka Hari is a prominent Carnatic music vocalist and established exponent of Harikatha, otherwise known as a story teller of Kathakalakshepam.
Vishaka Hari learnt Carnatic music under the legendary Carnatic violinist, Padma Vibhushan Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman, while her spiritual guru and father-in-law is Sri Krishna Premi,.She learnt the art of Harikatha by her husband, Sri Hariji, himself an experienced Harikatha exponent who delivers discourses in Tamil, English and Hindi. Vishaka Hari has performed in several sabhas during the Chennai Music Season since 2006. More »
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