Episode Details

In this episode, I am once again joined by Jensen Martin, a scholar-practitioner and PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Jensen leads a deep dive into Narasiṃha, compares different version of the Narasiṃha myth, and examines contradictions in the tradition. Jensen reveals his motive for pursuing a PhD, describes his plans for a meditation retreat as part of the project, and reflects on what he sees as a crisis in academia. Jensen also discusses the relevance of Narasiṃha to today’s world situation, the terror of dissolution, and the advantages of being an outsider. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep359-narasimha-the-lion-man-jensen-martin-2 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:47 - Jensen’s PhD about Narasiṃha 02:27 - Caveats and disclaimers 04:26 - Relevance of Narasiṃha to today’s world situation 07:54 - Story of Narasiṃha 25:59 - Uniqueness of Narasiṃha 29:00 - Calculating the yuga 33:46 - Interstellar travel and kriya yoga 37:15 - Reconciling myths with historical evidence 37:15 - Soifer and comparing the Narasiṃha myths 50:06 - Star Wars canon 51:55 - 1000 years of narrative development 56:03 - How Narasiṃha is most commonly seen today 01:01:49 - Many different schools 01:02:50 - The advantages of being an outsider 01:06:09 - Jensen is motivated by awakening 01:08:42 - Narasiṃha meditation text 01:15:15 - Oral tradition 01:20:12 - Dhruva Gorrick and visions of Narasiṃha 01:23:43 - Terror of dissolution 01:28:42 - The Cult of Janagannath 01:34:14 - The benefit of worshipping Narasiṃha 01:42:28 - What Narasiṃha means to Jensen 01:45:29 - Jensen’s goal is to find out what Narasiṃha means today 01:47:21 - Contradictions in the tradition 01:48:35 - How Jensen will proceed with his PhD and a practice focus 01:49:37 - The danger of moving too fast 01:52:43 - Jensen’s retreat curriculum 02:00:09 - Learning Hindi 02:01:58 - Academic lineage and a flexible programme 02:03:12 - Future plans and financial crisis in academia … Previous episode with Jensen Martin: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=jensen To find our more about Jensen Martin visit: - https://www.instagram.com/jensen_sudarshan/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James