Prestigious Padma Bhushan Award for Dr. David Frawley

Dr. David Frawley has been awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the government of India. His award was announced as part of the Padma awards list, given in New Delhi on Jan. 26 as part of Republic Day celebrations. The award, which is approved by the Prime Minister, will be officially conferred by the President in a special ceremony later in March or April at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Frawley, also known as Pandit Vamadeva Shastri, was honored for his work as a Vedic teacher promoting Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedanta, Jyotish and Sanatana Dharma in India and throughout the world. He is the author of more than thirty published books that have gone into more than twenty languages worldwide. He has widely taught and traveled throughout India and has helped establish a number of Vedic organizations in several countries. He is regarded as one of the pioneers in bringing Ayurvedic medicine and Vedic astrology to the western world.

Frawley has a D.Litt. in Yoga from S-VYASA (Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana) in Bangalore, India. He is the director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies (www.vedanet.com) in Santa Fe, NM, which emphasizes distance learning and on-line courses. His wife Yogini Shambhavi Devi, an author and Vedic educator joins him in his teachings and programs around the world.

He has visited and taught in Houston at various Hindu centers over the last twenty years. He has worked with such organizations as the Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangha, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu American Foundation, and Swaminarayan BAPS.

The Padma awards this year included 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan, and 75 Padma Shri awards. Bill and Melinda Gates also received the Padma Bhushan award for their social work. The Padma awards are India’s highest national awards given to individuals for distinguished service to the country. They are mainly for citizens of India and it is rare for foreigners to receive them.