Vanipedia and VEDA— E-learning just got easier with access to two transcendental websites. Vanipedia, by Vishnu Murti Dasa and his team, is a valuable website for studying Srila Prabhupada books and teachings. The first stage is online now. VEDA: Vedic Knowledge Online, managed by Bhakta Jan Mares, is the largest, most comprehensive online encyclopedia of the Vedic world. These two inspiring resources are the work of committed and innovative devotees.
Vanipedia
Vanipedia is designed to be a dynamic, interactive encyclopedia of all of Srila Prabhupada’s words.
“It’s a resource for any spiritual or devotional seeker,” says Vishnu Murti Dasa, “and a vast library of profound knowledge.”
The website is a work in progress. It’s designed as a lotus flower with six petals: Vanibooks, Vaniquotes, Vaniversity, Vanimedia, Vanisource, and Vanictionary. Devotees from around the planet are volunteering to collaborate on completing each section.
“The key to the project’s full success,” says Vishnu Murti, “will be the devotional and technical contributions of many committed and talented people, all collaborating from anywhere in the world.”
By putting the entire body of Prabhupada’s instructions at devotees’ fingertips, the Vanipedia website should prove to be an extremely valuable resource in helping devotees improve their services to Srila Prabhupada.
Go to www.vanipedia.org.
VEDA: Vedic Knowledge Online
Jan Mares says that the original idea for VEDA: Vedic Knowledge Online came from his friend Varnadi, a computer programmer now living in Florida.
“It was intended to be an encyclopedia, but it expanded over time,” Jan says. “It now includes an introduction to bhakti-yoga, an interfaith section, a download section, and a Vedic planetarium.”
As an encyclopedia, VEDA is a goldmine for Vaishnavas. The Library section contains unique material, some unavailable anywhere else online, including biographies of Vaishnava acharyas and devotees, as well as seminars and study guides.
At VEDA you can test your Vedic knowledge with an online quiz, and you can download a variety of study guides to improve your understanding of the world of the Vedic literature.
Jan says his motivation in maintaining the VEDA website is to help spread Vedic knowledge in a broad way.
“When we started seven years ago,” he says, “this type of information was missing online. We want to make VEDA an outstanding Vedic Vaishnava resource for everyone.”
Go to www.veda.harekrsna.cz.
—Antony Brennan