Om-gnosis Episode 11: Inside the Adyar Library & Research Centre: Treasures of Indian Philosophy with Radha Raghunathan, PhD
Episode 11 of Om-gnosis features Radha Raghunathan, PhD—author, editor, critic, and independent researcher in Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta, and Honorable Director of the Adyar Library & Research Centre (ALRC) in Chennai. Recorded in the library’s reading room, the conversation highlights her work editing and publishing foundational texts, from Bellaṁkoṇḍa Rāmarāya Kavi’s Vedānta Muktāvalī to her book Jñānāṅkuśam and an ongoing collaborative edition of Śrī Vedānta Deśika’s Paramata Bhaṅga. She also reflects on her research into Maṇipravāla literature and the poet Subramaniya Bharathiyar, a student of Annie Besant.
In the second half, Dr. Raghunathan traces the ALRC’s history from Henry Steel Olcott’s founding vision as a co-founder of the Theosophical Society through its journal Brahmavidyā and publications of Upaniṣads, to current initiatives in digitization, script training, and preservation. The interview closes with her insights on Bharathiyar’s use of the word “occult” for Tamil, the significance of Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita, and the enduring role of the teacher in spiritual study.
About Radha Raghunathan
Radha Raghunathan, PhD, is an author, editor, and independent researcher specializing in manuscripts and Advaita and Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta. She has served as Honorable Director and General Editor of the Adyar Library and Research Centre (ALRC) since 2019 and has edited its journal Brahmavidyā since 2017. Her publications include Jñānāṅkuśam with Two Commentaries (2017), Bellaṁkoṇḍa Rāmarāya Kavi’s Vedānta Muktāvalī (2018), and Paramata Bhaṅga: Śrī Vedānta Deśika’s Critique of Non-Viśiṣṭādvaita Philosophies (2020). She has presented widely at academic forums such as the ICPR, the Indian Philosophical Congress, and Sree Shankaracharya University for Sanskrit, and has taught Advaita at Satya Nilayam, Chennai. Her research and teaching are complemented by a commitment to interfaith and intercultural dialogue.