The word Arsha means that which is from the Rishis - the great sages of ancient India. The word Vidya means knowledge. Gurukulam refers to a residential center for learning with the teacher. Thus, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is a place where one learns the knowledge imparted by the Rishis. Established in 1990 by Swami Dayananda Saraswati, an eminent teacher of Vedanta and an erudite scholar in Sanskrit, the Gurukulam is patterned after the ancient gurukulams of India. The Gurukulam offers Indians and Westerners alike an opportunity to study the profound spiritual knowledge of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahmasutras, and other classical Vedic texts in English, with weekend classes in Tamil.

Located on 64 acres, 30 km. outside of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, in a serene setting in the Nilgiri Mountains, the Gurukulam offers short and long term programs of study for guest and resident students of all ages. The campus is adorned by a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Dakshinamurti, considered the first teacher of Vedic knowledge. There are regular, ongoing meditation and Vedanta classes on weekends which anyone can attend without prior registration. On the grounds, the Arsha Vidya bookstore has many publications, tapes and cd's on Vedanta, Hinduism, Sanskrit and Yoga. Funding comes in the form of donations from people who value the Gurukulams offerings. Additional funds comes from book sales.

There are two other institutions founded by Pujya Swamiji where regular teaching of Vedanta and Sanskrit goes on. One is Swami Dayananda Ashram, Purani Jhadi, Rishikesh, U.P., and the other is Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Additionally, Pujya Swamiji's many students have established gurukulams, ashrams and centers of their own for continuing this teaching throughout India and abroad.