Vashishta Gurukul carries the tradition of India’s greatest teacher — the preceptor of Lord Rama — into the heart of North Texas.
Maharishi Vashishta was the kula guru of the Ikshvaku dynasty — the line that produced Lord Rama. He was not merely learned; he was the living embodiment of wisdom. The Yoga Vashishtha records the dialogue between Vashishta and the young Rama — the teacher and the student, sitting together in inquiry.
The word gurukul means “family of the teacher” — not a building, not an institution. A living relationship between those who know and those who wish to know.
We chose this name because it is exactly what we aspire to: not a school in the modern sense, but a continuation of that ancient tradition, here in Collin County, for the 300,000+ Indian-origin families of the DFW area.
Vashishta Gurukul was founded by Viswanath Eranki as one of the seven entities of the Thretha Yugam — the integrated living ecosystem being built on the Panchavati campus in Celina, Texas.
We began meeting on open land, under the North Texas sky. Our first students were children and adults from the DFW community who felt that something essential was missing: a living connection to their Vedic heritage, not as history, but as practice.
We are early in this journey. The classes are running. The community is growing. The permanent campus is being built. We are a Vashishta LLC, with our 501(c)(3) application in progress.
The ancient gurukul was not a building. It was a household — students lived with the teacher, learned through observation and relationship, and were shaped by the entire environment. We cannot replicate that fully in the modern world, but we can honor its essence.
Knowledge heard directly -- the oral tradition, transmitted exactly as it has been for millennia. We do not read the Vedas. We chant them.
Memory as sacred practice. Vedic recitation trains not just the intellect but the nervous system, breath, and attention.
Inquiry as the highest form of learning. Yoga Vashishtha is a model: Rama asked questions, and the teacher answered from the depths of realization.
Right conduct as the foundation of learning. The farm, the sanctuary, the shared meals -- all of it is the classroom.
Vishy Eranki is the founder of the Thretha Yugam — the integrated living ecosystem that includes Prana Farm, Gausevak, Vashishta Gurukul, Tapovana, Shabari, and the Panchavati Temple Trust.
A member of the North Texas Indian community, Vishy has spent years envisioning what it would look like to build a complete Vedic ecosystem for the diaspora — not as nostalgia, but as a living, breathing, economically self-sustaining community.
Enrollment is open. We are early, intentional, and growing. Join us.