Indian Religions Podcast

Conversations

Discussions on broad-ranging topics, with particular attention to online education and digital resources, as well as scholarly seminars and conferences.
Learning Ancient Languages

Sanskritist and seasoned teacher Dr. Antonia Ruppel shares her views on the merits and pitfalls of academic enterprise, the brave new world of self-employed scholarship and the teaching of ancient languages.

Guest: Antonia RuppelDate: 8/18/2025
Pāṇḍitya: Mapping Sanskrit Texts Online

Tyler Neill discusses the new platform Pāṇḍitya, an online graph visualization tool illustrating connections between works and authors in the Pandit Prosopographical Database of Indic Texts. It also facilitates exploration of the Sanskrit E-Text Inventory (SETI) as an overlay on the Pandit network.  Tyler's blog "Sanskrit and Tech with Tyler" is …

Guest: Tyler NeillDate: 5/15/2025
The European Association for South Asian Studies

Ute Hüsken discusses the European Association for South Asian Studies and its upcoming conference in Heidelberg, Germany in October 2025. This conference is open to scholars of wide-reaching disciplines and career stages. Feel free to contact: info@ecsas2025.com with general queries.

Guest: Ute HüskenDate: 6/12/2024
Sanskrit Study

A candid conversation with renowned Sanskritist and online teacher Antonia Ruppel on her love of the language, teaching philosophy, views on academia, and online programs, here and here. Antonia Ruppel is a researcher on the project Uncovering Sanskrit Syntax. She did her PhD in Classics at the University of Cambridge and was subsequently the …

Guest: Antonia RuppelDate: 4/12/2024
Tantra: A New Understanding

Professor Gavin Flood of Oxford University discusses new insights on tantra to be released in an upcoming publication stemming from his Continuing Studies teaching at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Flood's online Tantra course is here.

Guest: Gavin FloodDate: 4/10/2024Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Translating a Śrī Vidyā Text

The Cidvilāsastava of Amṛtānanda (fl. c. 1325-1375) one of the most comprehensive treatments of the esoteric contemplation of ritual found within the Śrīvidyā tradition and Śaiva tantra in general. This short forty-verse hymn offers esoteric knowledge and creative contemplations (bhāvanā) for critical steps in the ritual worship of …

Guest: Brian CampbellDate: 4/5/2024
Open Access at Heidelberg Asian Studies Publishing (HASP)

Learn about the fascinating Ethno-Indology series now published at Heidelberg Asian Studies Publishing which offers inexpensive peer-reviewed Open Access and Print-on-Demand publishing for scholars from all over the world.

Guest: Date: 3/6/2024
Episode 300

In honour of his 300th New Books Network podcast, a flip interview featuring a candid conversation with NBN host Raj Balkaran ranging from scholarship, to teaching, to entrepreneurship, and beyond.

Guest: Raj BalkaranDate: 11/8/2023
The Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik

Learn about the history and mandate of the Inter-University Centre, which is affiliated with over one hundred academic institutions across the globe. The Centre hosts international advanced academic events in a wide array of fields, located on the Adriatic coast in the historically rich city of Dubrovnik. Raj Balkaran is a scholar of Sanskrit …

Guest: Nada BruerDate: 10/9/2023
Teaching (and Learning) at a University Online

There is a lot of talk about online learning, and particularly universities going online. Today I talked to Caleb Simmons, Executive Director of Arizona Online (and notable scholar of religion and South Asian Studies). We talk about how online learning is done at Arizona and the promise of online learning generally. Listeners might be …

Guest: Caleb SimmonsDate: 10/4/2023