Padma Shri Dr. David Frawley, also known as Acharya Vamadeva Shastri, is a prominent American scholar known for his multifaceted roles as an author, Vedacharya, astrologer, Vedic teacher, and the founder of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in New Mexico. Originally from Wisconsin, USA, he was born in 1950 into a Catholic family as one of nine siblings.
Immersion in Hindu Dharma
Frawley’s educational journey began as a self-taught individual, and later, he pursued higher studies in Ayurveda for nearly a decade under the guidance of India’s first Ayurveda graduate of 1940s, Dr. B.L. Vashtha. Despite being raised in a Catholic environment, his time in India drew him towards Hindu Dharma. In the 1960s, he immersed himself in various spiritual traditions, exploring Buddhism, Taoism, and Sufism. During this period, he had regular correspondence from 1976-1982 with the renowned Hindu spiritual guru and humanitarian, Maa Amritanandmayee. He was inspired to study Vedas through the works of Sri Aurobindo, and eventually, it was Vedanta that resonated most profoundly with him, leading to his conversion to Sanatan Dharma. Over the subsequent decades, he devoted extensive time to studying Vedic texts, Astrology, and Ayurveda.
Accomplishments
In 1980, Frawley established the Vedic Research Center, later renamed the American Institute of Vedic Studies in 1988. In the early 80s, the Aurobindo Ashram published Dr. Frawley’s articles and translations in Sri Aurobindo publications.[1] With continued support from M.P. Pandit of Aurobindo Ashram, Frawley published his first book, Creative Vision of the Early Upanishads, in 1982. With his work on Yogic interpretation of Vedas largely influenced by Sri Aurobindo and Ganpati Muni, Dr Frawley published his second book, Hymns from the Golden Age, in 1986. A revised version of this book was published as Wisdom of the Ancient Seers: Selected Mantras from the Rig Veda in the US in 1993. His most prominent work, Vedic Yoga: The Path of the Rishis, was published in 2014. In recognition of his remarkable contributions to Vedic studies and research, he was honored with the Padma Shri award in 2015.[2]
On a personal note, Dr Frawley is married to a well-known author and teacher of the Shakta tradition, Shambhavi L. Chopra. Together, the couple are doing selfless service for dharma. While Dr Frawley possesses a wealth of knowledge of the Vedas, Yoga, Ayurveda, and Astrology, Ms Chopra brings a powerful element of Bhakti and Sadhana, enhancing their dharmic initiatives.[3]
Advocacy and Activism for Hindu Civilizational Narrative
Beyond his contributions to the dharmic academic space, Dr David Frawley has supported dharma against Hinduphobia. In the wake of the bogey of intolerance raised by the anti-Hindu lobby, Frawley stated that the rise of the so-called “Hindu right” is a backlash of the oppression and attacks on the identity of the Hindus over the centuries. Upon laying the Ram Mandir’s foundation stone in August 2020, he was happy that after 500 years, Shri Ram’s glory was being restored, making a billion dreams come true.
Even as he supports positive dharmic causes, he has also called out the unjust vilification of dharmic personalities. In 2018, when there was a concerted attempt to smear Yog guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved, Dr. Frawley called out the New York Times for doing it and also elaborated how it was a global tussle going on for Yoga, which is a multi-billion dollar business in the West.[4]
Drawing historical parallels, Dr. Frawley recalls the deliberate efforts by the British to destroy Ayurveda, recognizing that controlling the medical and educational systems of colonized countries was a means to exert dominance.[5] In his critique of the orientalist scholar Carl Jung, Frawley pointed out Jung’s substantial borrowing from Eastern wisdom, only to ultimately turn away from it.[6]
Dr. Frawley has been quite vocal about the failure of Nehru and his policies impeding India’s development, which has finally been transformed after PM Narendra Modi came to power.[7] Dr. Frawley is a staunch critic of the Aryan Invasion theory and has authored a book on The Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India in 1994. Here, he argues how British colonialists, German orientalists, and Marxists were instrumental in fabricating the myth of the Aryan Invasion of India to legitimize their invasion of the land and its traditions for the sake of gaining power through their politics.[8]
In recent times, he has also called upon India to reclaim history from the political and religious biases of groups that have sought to politically control or convert India, exploit it commercially, or divide it into smaller pieces they can more easily dominate.[9] He has appealed particularly to Hindus in South India to unite to save their collective past and protect their shared future.[10] In the national emblem controversy atop the Indian parliament inaugurated by the prime minister, Dr. Frawley alleged that opposition parties were not interested in Indian heritage but loved British-era edifices.
Dr David Frawley described the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference as an academic assault on Hinduism.[11] While voicing against adharmics (i.e., those who oppose dharmic traditions), he warns the Hindu community to beware of the new politics of fake narratives, such as the false Hinduism vs. Hindutva dichotomy. He warns how politicians who hid their Hindu identity or were apologetic about it were now trying to project themselves as Hindus by randomly visiting a few temples.[12] He also called out the hypocrisy of the makers of the web series Quantico, starring Priyanka Chopra, for depicting Hindus as terrorists in their story.[13]
Dr Frawley’s trials of dharma can be followed through his books, courses, and lectures. His digital footprint across social media is prominently visible on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram. On YouTube, his short videos, talks, and lectures can be found on Indic channels like The Festival of Bharat, India Inspires, and Center for Indic Studies, among others.
Citations
[1] Dr. Frawley’s journey https://www.vedanet.com/about/about-acharya-david-frawley-pandit-vamadeva-shastri/#:~:text=He%20has%20a%20D.,He%20has%20a%20second%20D.
[2] Dr. David Frawley’s discovery and adoption of Sanatan dharma https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/spirituality-greater-faith-700336.html
[3] The dharmic couple of Dr. Frawley and Shambhavi Chopra https://www.himalayanacademy.com/blog/taka/2009/05/25/vamadeva-shastri-and-shambhavi/
[4] Dr Frawley defends Baba Ramdev https://www.indoamerican-news.com/yoga-gurus-under-siege-in-the-western-media-the-assault-on-swami-ramdev-today/
[5] How the British intentionally destroyed Ayurveda. https://www.facebook.com/reel/869787621311122
[6] David Frawley on Carl Jung https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/041118/hinduism-is-a-religion-but-it-is-something-more-david-frawley.html
[7] David Frawley critiquing Nehruvian policies https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/why-hindutvas-foreign-born-cheerleaders-are-so-popular/articleshow/58085790.cms
[8] Decoding the Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India https://alchetron.com/David-Frawley
[9] Time to reclaim history – Dr. David Frawley https://voiceofindia.me/2022/07/16/time-to-reclaim-indias-history-david-frawley/
[10] South Indian Hindus need to unite to save their collective past and protect their shared future https://sanatanprabhat.org/english/85225.html
[11] Dismantling global Hindutva is an assault on Hinduism https://www.deshvidesh.com/hinduphobia-to-hindumisia/
[12] Dr. Frawley warns against propagandists of Hinduism vs. Hindutva https://zeenews.india.com/blogs/bad-hindu-good-hindu-the-creation-of-a-new-politics-of-hinduism-vs-hindutva-2179915.html
[13] Quantico depiction of Hindus as terrorists https://www.facebook.com/reel/869787621311122