Prof. Ramakrishna Pejathaya

Dr. Ramakrishna Pejathaya has a doctorate from the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSVP), Tirupati, for his research on the medieval text on astronomy Siddhāntaśekhara of Śrīpati and its influence on later astronomers. He has been actively involved in teaching Jyotiṣa, Sanskrit literature, Indian Knowledge Systems and Poetics since 2007. Ramakrishna holds a Vidvat degree in Triskandha Jyotiṣa which he studied traditionally along with Sāhitya and Siddhānta Kaumudī at SMSP Sanskrit College, Udupi. He has several research papers and books to his credit. He has also produced study material for the texts Jātakālaṅkāra, Janmapatradīpakam and Bhāskarīya Bījagaṇitam. He was a co-investigator for the encyclopaedia project Jyotiṣaviśvakoṣaḥ undertaken by SMSP Sanskrit Research Centre, Udupi. The output has been published in nine volumes by the centre. He as a Principal Investigator is now in the revising process of a research project Idiomatic expressions from classical Sanskrit plays funded by Samskrit Promotion Foundation. Currently, Dr. Pejathaya serves as Associate Professor in the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems at Chanakya University. During his service at Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth he was the Program Director of MA Sanskrit and the founder Director of the Centre for Avadhanām, a joint initiative of Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth and Indic Academy. He has designed several innovative courses. Noteworthy of them are Kauṭilya and Public Finance Administration, Puruṣārthas: Perspectives from Mahābhārata, Life Lessons from Bhagavad Gītā and Avadhāniśikṣā. He is also a member of academic bodies such as the Academic Council and Board of Studies at several institutions. Dr. Ramakrishna is one of few practitioners of the art of Avadhānam in Sanskrit and classical Kannada. He has performed more than 25 Aṣṭāvadhānas till date in different parts of the country including Udupi, Sringeri, Bengaluru, Ernakulam, Calicut, Tirupati, Somnath, Prayag Raj and Varanasi.