Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya
Encyclopedia
Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya is a non-profit organization in India
, founded for the purpose of stimulating the study and practice of the Vedanta
philosophy "revealed in the Upanishads".
"for the interpretation of Indian culture by stimulating the study and practice of Adhyatma Vidya", which means the Hindu
doctrine of Advaita described in the Vedanta
, as taught (historically) by Shankara
. D.B. Gangolli, a student of Saraswati's, wrote a notable book on Shankara.
These traditional media have been supplemented since 2007 by a website.
According to the Himalayan ashram
Somashram.in, APK organized a "Conference of Scholars" (Vedanta vidwat-goshthi) at Holenarsipur, Karnataka, in March 2011.
According to The Times of India
, "Several experts spoke on the 'Gita'", including "K.G. Subraya Sharma, president, Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, Bangalore" at "The Global Gita
Conference" in Bangalore in 2003.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, founded for the purpose of stimulating the study and practice of the Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
philosophy "revealed in the Upanishads".
History
The Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya (APK) organization was founded in 1920 by Sacchidanandendra SaraswatiSacchidanandendra Saraswati
Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati Swamiji was the founder of the Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya in Holenarasipura, Hassan district, Karnataka, India.-Life:...
"for the interpretation of Indian culture by stimulating the study and practice of Adhyatma Vidya", which means the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
doctrine of Advaita described in the Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
, as taught (historically) by Shankara
Shankara
Shankara can refer to:*Shiva, the Hindu god*Adi Shankara, 9th century CE Hindu philosopher*K. N...
. D.B. Gangolli, a student of Saraswati's, wrote a notable book on Shankara.
Activities
Under Saraswati, APK used three traditional means to achieve its objectives:- Lectures and Seminars
- Publication of books
- A monthly magazine Vidyanilaya
These traditional media have been supplemented since 2007 by a website.
According to the Himalayan ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
Somashram.in, APK organized a "Conference of Scholars" (Vedanta vidwat-goshthi) at Holenarsipur, Karnataka, in March 2011.
According to The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
, "Several experts spoke on the 'Gita'", including "K.G. Subraya Sharma, president, Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, Bangalore" at "The Global Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
Conference" in Bangalore in 2003.
Reception
The Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya appears to be respected for its religious work within India:- The HinduThe HinduThe Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
newspaper, reporting the release of six books to commemorate the founder of the Sahitya Bhandara publishing house, states that- "As part of the programme, the organisers would be honouring the ‘Adhyatma Prakash Karyalaya' of Holenarasipur, which has brought out 211 works on religion and spirituality."
- The Advaita Vedanta website describes Saraswati and the APK as follows:
- "Another important author is Sri Saccidanandendra Sarasvati of the Adhyatma Prakasa Karyalaya, Holenarsipur, who brought the critical thinking of modern academic scholarship to the Advaita tradition. He wrote the Brahmavidya-Rahasya-Vivrti on the Chandogya Upanishad, Gitasastrartha-Viveka, Vedantaprakriya-Pratyabhijna and Klesapaharini On Suresvara's Naishkarmyasiddhi, in addition to many other texts in English And Kannada on the Advaita Tradition."
- A review of Lakshminrsimha Murti's biography of the founder of APK explains that Saraswati's
- "critical approach.. led him to conclude that the two major lines of interpretation of [Shankara's] thought, the bhamati and vivarana schools[,] unnecessarily complicated and even obscured the teachings of Advaita Vedanta."
- The reviewer evidently enjoyed the biography, and comments frankly that
- "the book explains the nature of the controversy and tells of some of the participants but I would have liked more information."
Publications
- D. B. Gangolli, The Essential Adi Shankara, Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, Bangalore, 1992. LC Call No.: B133.S5 G33 1992
- Lakshminrsimha Murti, Shri Shri Satchidanandendra Sarasvati (Life History & His Contributions to Shankara Vedanta), Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya, 2008.