A.K. Aruna started his studies in Advaita Vedanta and the Sanskrit language in 1976 at an intensive three-year program in a traditional gurukulam, outside Bombay, India, under Shri Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the most renowned Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta scholar of the past century. Stepping outside his academic background in Western philosophy, Aruna immersed himself in the deepest, oldest spiritual tradition in the world. This detailed study opened his eyes. In this ancient teaching, Aruna found a complete merging of the intellect and heart. From that point on, he dedicated his life to the inclusive vision of Vedanta.

Returning to his native United States, Aruna earned a master’s degree in South Asian languages and literature from the University of Washington. Aruna later studied computer languages, becoming a programmer and manager of information technology in San Diego, California. Retiring to India in 2000, Aruna dedicated himself to studies in Advaita Vedanta and the Sanskrit Language. He created a set of tools for those students interested in a thorough study of Sanskrit to better understand the Bhagavad Gita.

These tools consist of a five-book set under the title, The Aruna Sanskrit Language Series. They are: <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-aruna-sanskrit-grammar-reference"><em>The Aruna Sanskrit Grammar Reference</em></a>; <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-aruna-sanskrit-grammar-coursebook"><em>The Aruna Sanskrit Grammar Coursebook: 64 Lessons Based on the Bhagavad Gita</em></a>; <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-bhagavad-gita-dictionary"><em>The Bhagavad Gita Dictionary</em></a>; <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-bhagavad-gita-reader"><em>The Bhagavad Gita Reader: Sanskrit/English Parallel Text</em></a>; and <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-bhagavad-gita-sanskrit-key"><em>The Bhagavad Gita Sanskrit Key: Verse-by-Verse Grammar & Vocabulary</em></a>. Additionally, there is now a reading and pronunciation guide, <em>The Sanskrit Reading Tutor: Read It, Click It, Hear It!</em> Using these tools, Aruna has been teaching Sanskrit at the Arsha Vidya Gurukulams in both South India and in the U.S.

Aruna has lived and studied in a traditional teaching gurukulam for over nine years in India and two years in the U.S. Wishing to help yoga students ground the traditional purpose of yoga in the revered scriptures of India, Aruna releases <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-patanjali-yoga-sutras-1"><em>Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Translation and Commentary in the Light of Vedanta Scripture</em></a>. This presents the yoga discipline as its practitioners in the ancient scriptures understood and practiced. There is also a translation only booklet of these sutras, <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-patanjali-yoga-sutras-translation"><em>Patanjali Yoga Sutras: A Translation in the Light of Vedanta Scripture</em></a>, useful for classroom introductions and repeated readings of this enlightening work.