Our Story - Svabodhapariśuddhyartham

Sometime around 8th century, Sureśvaracharya, who was the disciple of Ādi Śaṅkaracharya, composed the Naiṣkarmya-siddhi, a treatise on Advaita vedānta.In his initial remarks of the composition, Sureśvaracharya mentions the reason for composing the treatise. He says “न ख्यातिलाभपूजार्थं ग्रन्थोऽस्माभिरुदीर्यते। स्वबोधपरिशुद्ध्यर्थं ब्रह्मविन्निकषाश्मसु॥”. That is, he did not write it so that he gains khyāti lābha or that he becomes worthy of pūjā. Rather, he wrote it so that the scholars can place it under critical examination and show him in what better ways he can improve upon developing his understanding (svabodha pariśuddhi). Our initiative is anchored on this thought. At FSIC, we work on developing academic scholarships with the view of keeping up conditions for critical reflection as individuals so that nothing hinders emergence of knowledge.

This initiative began in 2011 with the aim of developing competent faculty who are essential for advancing civilization in India's higher education institutions. The goal was to develop approximately 200 scholars who could foster Parampara and take on the IKS, or civilizational task, with an ethos of guru-shishya Parampara. To initiate this journey, we required qualified PhD holders in their respective fields, and we initiated the Faculty Development Program, which ran every summer for five years. Aarohi Research Foundation, a part of the Aarohi Trust, spent a decade, from 2011 to 2020, training and mentoring PhD students through a series of workshops and publications, among other activities. During this period, we developed courses and workshops to effectively train students. Three doctoral students completed their PhDs under the mentorship of the Aarohi Research Foundation. The foundation also built a network of scholars and mentored PhD, Post-graduate students and interns.

From April 2020, the same initiative continued functioning under a new name. It was called the India Studies Unit at the Centre for Educational and Social Studies (2020-2022), where the team engaged with three doctoral students who were mentored to complete their PhDs. Subsequently, the entire initiative was shifted to Chanakya University, and the Centre for Study of Cultures began its operation in 2022-2025. Since then, the same initiative has been functioning under Foundation for Study of Indian Culture (FSIC), a division of Samhati Foundation.

Key Achievements
● Doctoral Success:Six doctoral students were mentored to complete their PhDs, and another eight are currently in training.
● Extensive Training: The team has organized around 100 workshops, seminars, reading courses, and conferences to support their research.
● Academic Programs: They have developed and offered specialized courses for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students.
● Publications: The initiative has produced several publications, including peer-reviewed articles, popular books, and edited volumes.