Representing Devi Durga: The Foundation of the Shakti Tradition

The School of Indic Studies of the Institute of Advanced Sciences (INADS), Dartmouth, USA has celebrated the 5th year of ‘Devī-Mahātmyaṁ’ held on the auspicious occasion of Durgā-Ashtmi, i.e, October 19th, 2026. This year the theme of the Symposium was ‘Representing Devi Durga: The Foundation of the Shakti Tradition’ The objective of this program is to educate ourselves from the manifold features and work of Devi Durga. Devi Durga always inspires us to uphold truth, compassion, and courage in every sphere of life by reminding us that the Shakti is there in every essence of life. This year the panelists were - 1. Dr. Abhineet Kumar Srivastava from the University of Delhi - वागाम्भृणी सूक्त में स्त्री-स्वर और स्त्री-शक्ति की अभिव्यक्ति 2. Dr. Naresh Sharma, Head of Jyotisha and Ayurveda at Maharishi Valmiki Sanskrit University, Kaithal, Haryana - नवदुर्गा एवं ज्योतिष का अन्त: सम्बन्ध. 3. Dr. Abha Jha, Head of Philosophy at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi, Jharkhand - भारतीय दार्शनिक परंपरा में “शक्ति” तत्त्व 4. Dr. Maheep, Director of IPGA, New Delhi — Bharat Mata through the Devi-Mahatmya: Protective Shakti and the Restoration of Peace in a Fractured Multipolar World. 5. Dr. Sushma Jakkula, President of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, Florida, USA - Exploring the concept of Shakthi through the lense of Ayurveda. Also, in this video - 1. Shri Amruth Suryanarayanan, student and instructor at Sitalakshmi Gurukul, Bengaluru did Vedic Invocation. 2. Ms. Sadhana Sathish, Student, Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, presented Devi-Stuti. 3. Bharatanatyam recital by Ms. Rebecca Busch, Faculty of Vedic Dance at Maharishi College of Perfect Health International, USA. Dr. Alok Kumar Dwivedi Assistant Professor, KSAS, Lucknow introduced the theme and Dr. Aparna Dhir, Assistant Professor, INADS, USA moderated the program.