Publications

Anthony Cerulli’s The Practice of Texts is a much needed book at a time when Ayurvedic education in India is receiving particular academic and policy scrutiny. In particular, it offers novel insight into the nature of modern Ayurvedic ‘gurukulas’ and the unique roles they serve, as fluid spaces within which ‘neo-traditions’ of Ayurveda evolve and are transmitted from practicing vaidya-gurus to students. It also masterfully reinterprets and transforms the very notion of the classical Ayurvedic text from a bounded, static re-telling of history, to a ‘fluid and conversational resource’ (pp. 40) that is a ‘field of knowing on which (the) vaidya-guru coordinates (her) interactions with patients (and students) (pp. 87)’. It is written with great nuance, both in terms of factual accuracy as well as anecdotal richness, and offers to the reader a rare and expansive presentation of the larger historical, political, and pedagogical frameworks within which the Ayurvedic gurukula exists and functions, in contemporary South India.

Anaplastic Astrocytoma (AA) is a relatively rare cancer, and is associated with a median life expectancy of 3 years after conventional therapy. Complete cure of the highly infiltrative AA is uncommon, and reports of positive outcome in cases of partial resection of AA are rare. Further, integrative approaches to the management of AA remain underexplored. This paper contributes to the limited literature in this domain by presenting a case that was successfully treated through integrative conventional and Ayurvedic interventions. A patient diagnosed with AA in the left parieto-occipital lobe underwent partial lesion resection followed by post-operative radiation and chemotherapy. The patient was given a conservative post-surgical life expectancy of two years, and was referred to an Ayurveda hospital for further treatment. The Ayurvedic intervention was focussed on redressal of radiation and chemotherapy side-effects, improvement of quality of life, and improving the patient’s strength and immunity. Following this novel integrative model of care, the patient was able to resume all personal and professional routines, and a contrast MRI revealed absence of residual lesion allowing the patient to outlive his initial prognosis by several years till date. We posit that the findings of this report merit further examination in the interest of potential improvements to existing models of care.

The Asian elephant has always occupied a prominent place in the art of the Indian subcontinent – from Harappan seals and prehistoric petroglyphs to the later plastic art of Buddhist stupas and temples of the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. In this paper, we discuss the representation of elephants at the Buddhist stupa at Kanaganahalli, in northern Karnataka. Most of the sculptures are in shallow relief, on limestone, and are excellent examples of the quality of early Indian art, offering unique insights into the relationship between humans and the Asian elephant in the early centuries of the Common Era, and the various uses that captive elephants were subject to at the time.

While the diverse contemplative techniques are employed across a plethora of traditions around the world, contemplative research over the years has not reflected this variety. Despite growing interest in research on meditation, studies in contemplative science have largely focused on a narrow selection of practices (e.g., mindfulness, compassion, etc.) and traditions (i.e. Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation etc.). By choosing this topic, we hope to broaden the scope of contemplative science.