Itihāsa Through Śāstric Lens - Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata

Name: Itihāsa Through Śāstric Lens - Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata
Price: ₹4999 (incl. of 18% GST) / $60 INR
Availability: InStock

This foundational course explores the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata through a Śāstric lens, empowering participants to critically understand their narratives, characters, and teachings. Learners will be equipped to distinguish authentic interpretations from modern distortions and reclaim the wisdom of the ṛṣis for contemporary discourse and use.

07 Nov 2025 - 07 Dec 2025

07:00 PM - 08:30 PM

16 Sessions | Fri, Sat, Sun | 24+ Learning Hours

₹4999 (incl. of 18% GST) / $60

Overview

Contemporary interpretations of our ancient texts, epics are often shaped by ideological biases, deep-rooted colonial frameworks, and commercial storytelling. A Śāstric approach helps us see the Itihāsas not just as stories, moral fables, but as profound blueprints of dharma, history, psychology, and an entire metaphysics, as encoded by ṛṣis like Vālmīki and Vedavyāsa.

This course provides a structured introduction to the Śāstric method of engaging with Itihāsas. Participants will gain tools to interpret, analyze events, characters, and teachings with clarity, which instill pride and appreciation for the knowledge corpus that our ancestors built.

Intent

This course will give learners a chance to:

Reflect, revisit and re-examine popular notions held about our own knowledge systems such as the Itihāsa corpus.
Learn to discern genuine commentary from biased, commercialized re-telling.
Become aware and preserve our ancestral interpretive methods and pass them forward.

Structure

Itihāsa through Śāstric Lens is a foundation for the upcoming advanced courses.

Though part of a broader series, this course offers independent educational and cultural value to learners. It establishes the framework for critically analyzing the Itihāsas through theological, cultural, literary, and historical perspectives. This course forms the foundation for advanced levels, as it progresses from narrative exploration (storytelling) to active observation and practical application, enabling participants to understand and articulate the śāstric interpretation of the Itihāsas with confidence.

7 Nov - Introduction to their interconnectivity

This session carries the participants through the seemingly disconnected but philosophically well-connected areas, i.e., Śāstra, Itihāsa, and Purāṇa.
8 Nov - Credible means of knowledge (pratyakṣa, anumāna, āgama)

In this session, participants will understand the very basis of Śāstra, i.e., Pramāṇa Traya, the trinity of evidence.
9 Nov - Permissible evidence, resolving inconsistencies and identifying fallacies

This session will enable the participants to explore the world of logic in a nutshell and how our ancestors have used this art to make the seekers realize the purpose of life.

Module 2

Rāmāyaṇa through the Śāstric Lens

14 Nov - Analysis of Rāmāyaṇa - Philosophical, literary & historical values

In this session, participants will understand the important facets of Rāmāyaṇa as history (itihāsa), as a doctrine (śāstra) and as a philosophical text (Vedānta).
15 Nov - Critical explorations of key events and characters

In this session, participants will be introduced to the “Interconnectivity” concept discussion in 1st session. By analysing the key events and characters of Rāmāyaṇa, they will understand the underlying Vedānta in History.
16 Nov - Interactive Session

Interactive question and answer session with cohort.

Module 3

Mahābhārata through the Śāstric Lens

21 Nov - Analysis of Mahābhārata - Philosophical, literary & historical values - Part I

In this session, participants will understand the important facets of Mahābhārata as history (Itihāsa), as a doctrine (Śāstra) & as a philosophical text (Vedānta).
22 Nov - Critical explorations of key events and characters

In this session, participants will be introduced to the “Interconnectivity” concept discussion in 1st session. By analysing the key events and characters of Mahābhārata, they will understand the underlying Vedānta in History.
23 Nov -Analysis of Mahābhārata - Philosophical, literary & historical values - Part II
28 Nov - Analysis of Mahābhārata - Philosophical, literary & historical values - Part III
29 Nov - Interactive Session

Interactive question and answer session with cohort.

Module 4

Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata - Are They Connected?

30 Nov - Tracing threads and event flows that bind the two - Part I

In this session, participants will be taken through the hitherto lesser known but curious interconnectivity between Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata.
5 Dec - Tracing threads and event flows that bind the two - Part II
6 Dec - A careful consideration of the concept of the 'Chronology of Historical Events'

In this session, participants will be introduced to the alternative and śāstric view of history, historiography and chronology.

Module 5

Revision

7 Dec - Interactive sessions

Interactive question and answer session with cohort for all modules.
7 Dec - Presentations

Participants share their learnings and insights through a presentation.

Key Takeaways

Reclaim Authentic Sources

Engage with Itihāsas through traditional commentaries and Śāstric methods.

Strengthen Discernment

Distinguish genuine insights from biased or commercialized retellings.

See Epics as Knowledge Systems

Understand them as layered texts of dharma, history, psychology, and metaphysics.

Decode Narrative Techniques

Appreciate how ṛṣis embedded meaning in structure, allegory, and chronology.

Apply Teachings Practically

Use timeless lessons in ethics, leadership, relationships, and self-mastery.

Preserve Cultural Continuity

Carry forward ancestral methods and wisdom for future generations.

Who is this course for?

This course welcomes adult learners and seekers of all ages who are on a journey of inner discovery, identity, and belonging and who wish to engage with our knowledge systems and texts with devotion to Deva (Deity), Guru (Teacher), and Sampradāya (Tradition).
It is especially designed for young adults (21–35 years) who may not have the guidance of elders, grandparents, or traditional family structures, and who often find themselves navigating a world of half-truths and distortions on social media.
For those seeking authentic grounding in Itihāsa, this course offers direct access to original methods, commentaries, and insights, so learners can reconnect with their roots and carry forward our cultural wisdom with clarity and confidence.

Know your Instructor

Śrī Raghothama Rao

Raghothama Rao is a Tirupati-based writer, life skills coach, and documentary filmmaker who left a 17-year corporate career in 2012 to devote himself to Indian culture and history. As a resource person for Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC), he scripted over 300 episodes and played a key role in launching SVBC–3 for Kannada broadcasting. He also translated more than 150 Kannada devotional kīrtanas into Telugu for TTD’s Dasa Sahitya Project, supporting Telugu bhajana groups.

Since 2018, he has produced over 200 videos on the Vijayanagara Empire and recently begun work on the Kākatīya Dynasty. He runs aavakaaya.in, a well-regarded Telugu content portal, and documents Madhva community history on his blog Madhva History. A postgraduate in English Literature, Raghothama ji has been training TTD employees in Purāṇas, Itihāsas, and devotional literature since 2011.

With his work spanning scriptwriting, translation, media, teaching and corporate, he is a respected scholar and storyteller, bringing clarity, accessibility and authenticity to the study of Itihāsa and Purāṇas.