Interview with PhD Student Jensen Martin
Jensen Martin is a PhD student in the History and Practice of Yoga at the GTU’s Center for Dharma Studies. A Presidential Scholar with a deep commitment to the scholar-practitioner path, Jensen brings more than 15 years of dedicated spiritual practice and exploration to his academic work. His research into Yogananda Narasimha, a meditative form of the Hindu deity Vishnu, blends historical investigation with personal pilgrimage across South Asia—driven by a desire to deepen Western understanding of Yoga’s philosophical and devotional roots.
GTU: What key experiences, people, or places have shaped your path toward doctoral study, and how did they influence your decision to pursue a PhD?
Jensen Martin (JM): My passion for yoga began 15 years ago when I read Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi and learned that meditation techniques could be applied with scientific rigor to achieve the results of direct spiritual experiences. That inspiration has led me into a lifelong process of experimentation with various teachers in both America and India to prove to myself the efficacy of the methods of the Yoga tradition. Some of my recent inspirational experiences took place in the city of Prayagraj, the site of the Kumbh Mela, a month-long religious festival that is held every twelve years. I joined the throng of over 65 million people in order to bathe in the sacred water of the Ganges and to get the blessings of the nagas, dreadlocked renunciates following the path of the god Shiva. In regard to my path to higher education, I have been particularly inspired by two women saints of the Hindu tradition, Amma Sri Karunamayi and Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, who have assisted me, often without my knowing, towards my goals of wisdom and mastery. Their support, combined with periods of self-enquiry in the Trinity Alps mountains of Northern California, I credit as the catalysts for my decision to come to GTU.
GTU: How would you describe your research interests, and what questions are you most passionate about exploring at this stage of your academic journey?
JM: My years of studying and practicing Yoga have resulted in a deep interest in Sri Narasimha, a Hindu deity with a lion head who is the fourth avatar of Vishnu, the sustainer and ruler of the universe according to Vaishnavism. Though Narasimha has relatively few temples dedicated to him in India compared to other deities, there is a fascinating historical depth that has not yet been fully explored. The presence of Narasimha temples in Afghanistan, Nepal, Bali and every state of India show that there was a time in which worship of Narasimha played a much more central role in the Hindu kingdoms, particularly among the respective royal families. Of specific interest to me is the aspect of Narasimha seated in meditation posture with a yoga belt, known as “Yogananda Narasimha.” This ancient form of god played a crucial part in the development of the Yoga tradition of South India with much remaining to be discovered. The Eastern Ghat mountains of Andhra Pradesh contain many of these temples as well as descendants of the Chenchu community, the original indigenous group of the region who collectively consider Narasimha to be their ishta-devata, or “deity of the heart.” I hope to be able to contribute to this field through a combination of research of regional sthalapuranas, localized myths of Narasimha, and direct interviews.
GTU: What made the GTU stand out to you as the right place to pursue your doctoral work?
JM: Besides its stellar reputation, the GTU is one of the few colleges that encourage scholar practitioner students, as it recognizes the passion and potential for success that a practitioner can bring to the table. Additionally, the work of Dr. Rita Sherma was introduced to me during my MA and I knew that the opportunity to work with her would be valuable.
GTU: How does receiving the Presidential Scholarship shape what’s possible for you in your doctoral journey?
JM: The Presidential Scholarship is an enormous opportunity to be able to use funds that would be used for tuition and instead direct them towards research trips that may otherwise not be possible. The nature of my academic questions are such that they will not be able to easily be answered from texts, therefore significant legwork will fall to me to conduct my own exploration which requires resources.
GTU: What are you most excited to dive into—whether it’s research, community, teaching, or something else—as you begin your PhD at the GTU?
JM: I most look forward to being able to study the South Asian languages that are offered through the partnership with UC Berkeley. The opportunity to learn Telugu and Tamil, some of the languages of South India, is uncommon and I eagerly anticipate the chance to be able to use the linguistic key to open some of the doors that have been hitherto closed to me. In addition, the excitement of having peers who are also passionate about their work and the feeling of community is something I also look forward to.
GTU: What impact do you hope your work will have on your field, your community, or the world?
JM: There are many misconceptions or inaccuracies in the world of Yoga in the West. Complex philosophies are often reduced in yoga classes to simple statements that do not do justice to the thousands year old tradition. I would like to be able to accomplish something, either in writing or in personal spiritual accomplishment, that could be a contribution to raising the standard of Yoga in the Western world. As the world changes, we see that the American constitutional rights of freedom of religion have allowed for other religious traditions to become rooted and accepted here in a way that sometimes they are unable to find in their place of origin, either from political oppression or changing cultural and social values. I would like to contribute to the Hindu and Yoga tradition in America in such a way that allows the tradition to become more rooted here in an authentic and philosophically accurate way.
GTU: What advice would you offer to others considering doctoral study in religion or theology?
JM: There are a number of challenges in this field, particularly that our society as a whole does not completely appreciate the value of religion and theological study; at least not enough to appreciate the theological field with salaries and support comparable to studies in science, law or business. Therefore, I believe that success and happiness in this field is completely predicated on the amount of one's passion for the pursuit of wisdom and the willingness to commit to that goal with a lifestyle of dedication towards one chosen spiritual path. There are inevitably difficulties that come from studying in this field and there may not always be the social recognition that is deserved, but I feel the rewards in the forms of personal breakthroughs of knowledge and insight in our chosen focus are invaluable and amply outweigh the cost of the struggle.