Acharya Shunya
Founder, Spiritual Preceptor
& President, Vedika Global
Acharya Shunya founded Vedika Global in May 2007 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The institution formally opened its doors on January 14, 2008, on the sacred day of Makar Sankranti, welcoming its first cohort of students.
​
Inspired by the traditional institutions established by her ancestors in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, to carry forward the teachings of Advaita Vedanta, the Yoga pathways of the Bhagavad Gita, and spiritualized Ayurveda drawn from classical source texts, Vedika Global was envisioned as a contemporary Gurukulam: spiritually inclusive, nonsectarian, and rooted in timeless wisdom.
In July 2024, as the Vedic Study Circle was inaugurated, Acharya Shunya stepped into the role of President for the first time since Vedika Global’s founding, becoming its third President. She did so to give the institution renewed direction and spiritual thrust at a pivotal moment. What began as a circle of forty sincere students grew to over eight hundred by January 2026, with ten structured programs offered freely and open to seekers across more than twenty-one countries, representing every faith, gender, and cultural background. The deepest Shastra is taught directly by her, with the Sadhvis guiding under her direction, ensuring disciplined study rooted in lineage.
​
Her leadership is not administrative in spirit but catalytic. She has called the community back to rigorous scriptural inquiry, lived Bhakti, Karma, Upasana, and Jnana Yoga, and the uncompromised transmission of classical wisdom. Around her stand long-serving Board members who have walked with Vedika Global for over a decade, steady in stewardship and aligned in purpose. Together, they uphold a shared vow: that the doors remain open, the teachings remain whole, and the lineage remains alive in this generation.
​
Her presidency rests upon three clear vows. First, to build and stabilize the Vedic Study Circle as a living home for serious seekers of Shastra. Second, to establish a physical space dedicated to deeper scholarship and immersive study, where committed students may gather in sustained inquiry. Third, to leave behind a body of enduring works that record and transmit the teachings faithfully. The eighteen-volume Walking with Dharma series has begun, with its first volume released freely as a gift to preserve and share the living voice of the tradition. The Vedika Global Publishing Press, initiated during her presidency, is now preparing to publish its first book, Wisdom Lotus, a commentary on the Guru Stotram by Acharya Shunya. Through study, space, and scripture, her leadership seeks to anchor the lineage for generations to come.
​
Sanjai Mathur
Treasurer & Financial Steward
Sanjai Mathur has served as a founding Board Member of Vedika Global since May 2007. From the very beginning, he has offered structural stability, financial stewardship, and quiet strength to the organization’s growth.​
Sanjai is a Chartered Accountant and senior finance leader with decades of experience in SEC and regulatory compliance, technical accounting, and corporate governance across publicly held companies. He brings this rigor and accountability directly into the nonprofit space. He has held leadership roles across technology, SaaS, biotech, and has audited cities and government agencies. He is currently serving as Corporate Controller for a growing SaaS company.
As Treasurer, he has provided steady financial stewardship from inception, ensuring that the organization remains debt-free and grows organically and responsibly from its modest beginnings into stable sustainability. His disciplined fiscal management has enabled Vedika Global to expand its programs, invite distinguished teachers from India for immersive study, and keep its core offerings accessible. He also contributes annually as a committed donor, reinforcing his stewardship with personal generosity.
​
Alongside accounting and governance, Sanjai established and sustained Vedika Global’s Ayurveda Food and Cooking Department from its early years, teaching classical nutrition and offering free monthly public cooking sanghas for over a decade. Through him, financial discipline and lived Ayurveda have worked hand in hand in service of the mission.
​​​
Sanjai bridges two worlds seamlessly: the precision of fiscal governance and the sacred intimacy of the kitchen. Through him, the fire of Ayurveda has not only been taught, but cooked, served, and shared.
Soham Thomas Steininger
Secretary and Technology Steward
Soham, known professionally as Thomas Steininger, has been a dedicated member of the Sarayu Paranapara and a student of Acharya Shunya's since 2010. He began his journey through the study of Ayurveda and continued into the depths of Advaita Vedanta, integrating both into a life of inquiry, discipline, and service.
​
Within Vedika Global, Soham has served with steadiness and foresight. He served as Director on the Board from 2016 to 2018 and rejoined the Board in 2024. His commitment to the lineage extends beyond governance. He has personally established endowments for Vedika Global’s multimedia department, ensuring that the teachings of the Sarayu Parampara continue to reach seekers worldwide with clarity and excellence.
Today, Soham leads technological seva for the organization. He guides the architecture, systems, and digital infrastructure that support online learning, publication, recording, and global outreach. His work allows timeless Vedic wisdom to move through modern channels without dilution.
​
In his professional life, Thomas Steininger is a highly respected hardware engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. With decades of experience in high-speed interconnect design, signal and power integrity, and complex system validation, he has held senior engineering roles at leading technology companies, including Oxide Computer Company, Dell/EMC, Transmeta, and Creative Labs. He specializes in large-scale problem solving at the cutting edge of computing infrastructure.
​
Trained in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with an early foundation in music engineering, he brings both precision and creative intelligence to his work in the world.
​
Soham embodies a rare synthesis: the rigor of advanced engineering and the contemplative discipline of Vedanta. Within the parampara, he has been recognized with the title of Sadhya, reflecting sustained commitment to study, reflection, and lived assimilation of the teachings. He convenes and leads the West Coast Reflection Pod for deliberation on Karma Yoga, a dedicated forum where committed students gather for rigorous reflection, shared inquiry, and practical integration of selfless action in contemporary life. In both domains, he serves quietly, steadily, and with devotion.
Janya Tuere Anderson
Fundraising and Sustainability Steward
Janya, known professionally as Tuere Anderson, has been a devoted student within Acharya Shunya’s lineage since 2011. Her journey began through the study of Ayurveda, where she completed formal training as an Ayurvedic Health Coach, and deepened over the years into sustained service, stewardship, and leadership within Vedika Global.
​
In 2025, she became a Director on the Board of Vedika Global, following years of substantial and often unseen contribution. She currently leads fundraising stewardship for the organization, guiding donor relationships with integrity, strategic vision, and care.
Her leadership reflects both devotion to the parampara and a deep understanding of sustainable organizational development.
​
Over the years, Janya has played a pivotal role in shaping Vedika Global’s operational frameworks and expansion models. She contributed significantly to the development of the Awakened Health model and has offered large-scale operational strategy, systems thinking, and structural refinement to support the organization’s growth. Her philanthropic contributions have further strengthened the foundation of the work, reflecting personal commitment aligned with service.
​
As seva, she also supports global workshops and online gatherings, hosting and managing Zoom sessions to ensure smooth delivery of teachings to students worldwide. Her presence behind the scenes has enabled countless satsangs, trainings, and immersions to unfold with steadiness and professionalism.
​
In her professional life, Tuere Anderson brings nearly three decades of executive leadership in public service, community health systems, and organizational development. She currently serves as Director of Administration–Internal Operations for the Employment and Human Services Department in Contra Costa County. A licensed clinical social worker and certified Organizational Relationship Systems Coach, she has led large-scale cross-sector system integration initiatives, public health transformation efforts, multi-million-dollar program oversight, and strategic equity-focused collaborations at county, state, and national levels.​
​
Her work bridges trauma-informed systems, public health infrastructure, and community partnership development with executive administration and operational excellence.
​
Janya embodies a synthesis of compassionate social leadership and disciplined spiritual stewardship. Whether guiding institutional systems or supporting sacred study, she serves with clarity, depth, and unwavering commitment.
