What does the Mahābhārata – a gargantuan epic tale from ancient India – have the teach about life wisdom? Learn three core themes of the ancient Sanskrit epic – along with a story of one of its most compelling female characters – from Dr. …

Karen Ruffle's Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia (John Wiley & Sons, 2021) is an introduction to the everyday life and cultural memory of Shi’i women and men, focusing on the religious worlds of both individuals and communities at particular …

Breaking box office records, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has achieved an unparalleled level of success with fans across the world, raising the films to a higher level of narrative: myth. Michael D. Nichols's Religion and Myth in the …

What does yoga have to do with wisdom? What do traditional yoga texts teach about the human experience? What relevance does ancient Indian yoga have to the modern world? Learn yogic insights from seasoned scholar-practitioner Dr. Ian …

Jacqueline Fewkes and Megan Adamson Sijapati edited volume Muslim Communities and Cultures of the Himalayas: Conceptualizing the Global Ummah (Routledge, 2020) explores individual perspectives and specific iterations of Muslim community, …

What does it mean to be a Swami? This podcast features words of wisdom from ISKCON Leader Bhaktimarga Swami. In drawing from his ISKCON journey which began in 1973, we broach topics of devotion, detachment, and surrender. Raj Balkaran is …

Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of …

Why study World Religions? This podcast features words of wisdom from Dr. Brian Carwana, Executive Director of Encounter World Religions who advocates for widespread religious literacy. We learn core insights Dr. Carwana has arrived at …

Join Raj Balkaran as he talks with Dr. Kate Hartmann, Assistant Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Wyoming and Director of Buddhist Studies Online, a new educational platform providing coursework on the history, …

This podcast features Brenda Beck’s lifelong work on the Tamil folk epic Ponnivala. In addition to her forthcoming new English translation of the epic (“Land of the Golden River”), we also discuss her 1982 study of the epic The Three …