Educational Media Reviews Online

Gurukulam, a meandering and slow moving film, documents the daily life at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Tamil Nadu, India. Swami Dayananda Saraswati, one of the foremost teachers of the Hindu Philosophy Advaita Vedanta, headed Gurukulam until his recent death. Saraswati believed that the spiritual philosophy of Advaita Vedanta needed to be taught to any who made a sincere effort to seek it out. Unlike others who would only teach native students, Saraswati’s school attracted a significant number of seekers from all over the world. Interviews with several of these foreign students as they go about their daily life at the school fill a minor role in the film. This film depicts students at one of Gurukulam’s typical five-week courses as they arrive, go about their daily routines, attend classes, and live at the ashram for the duration of the course.

The film’s length and the gentle spiritual setting of the school make for a long viewing experience. The sense of time expansion this achieves is significant for followers of this philosophical school. In fact, the languid nature of the film gives a very good idea about what a five-week course at Gurukulam, or a similar ashram, would actually be like. Unfortunately for western audiences this directionless repetition makes for a very slow moving film which is unlikely to appeal to any but ardent practitioners of Advaita Vedanta or other closely related spiritual philosophies. Saraswati’s students through many small acts of assistance show their great respect and admiration for the venerable swami. In several sections of the video Saraswati’s teachings are filmed. These segments give a good sampling of the way in which Swami Saraswati delivered his lessons and show the graceful, gentle, and sometimes humorous way in which he made highly complex ideas more understandable. Unfortunately, these are just random samplings which do not allow for any sort of real understanding about Advaita Vedanta or the specific nuances of Saraswati’s teachings.

On the positive side, this film captures the essence of a course in a typical Indian spiritual school dedicated to the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and the beautiful natural setting in which the school is located. Lacking any clear direction and failing to educate the novice about India, Hinduism, Advaita Vedanta, or Swami Saraswati’s teachings, the film is unlikely to hold the attention of a Western viewer. Too wandering and directionless for an academic class and too unexciting for home use, it is unlikely this film will see much use in any typical educational setting, hence the rating of with Reservation. The way the film successfully portrays the seemingly aimless unlocking of knowledge through circular time and for bringing to western attention a significant teacher of Advaita Vedanta a rating of Recommended is appropriate. The datedness of the film and the death of Saraswati since the film was released all combine for a rating of Recommended with Reservations.