September 28, 2025
Noted Sanskrit scholar, Prof. Radhavallabh Tripathi, is expected to deliver the Pandit Motilal Shastri Memorial Lecture 2025 on September 28,2025. The lecture will be organised at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit University. The topic of the lecture is: Journeying Overseas – A Clash between Tradition and Modernity
The lecture is based on Pratyantaprasthanamimasa authored by Pandit Madhusudan Ojha in which he has presented a strong and well-reasoned argument in favor of foreign travel at a time when sailing overseas was widely regarded as a taboo and thought to be against the shastras. He wrote this work in the context of the coronation of King Edward VIII, to which all Indian rulers had been invited. Jaipur’s king, Sawai Madho Singh, was also required to attend the ceremony in London.
As the royal guru, Ojhaji was consulted on whether such a long journey—spanning two to three months—was permissible under the shastras. While the king’s ministers and advisers expressed reservations, Ojhaji advised that the journey was indeed legitimate, and he himself accompanied the royal entourage to London.
On their return, however, strong criticism arose. Rumors spread of banishing Ojhaji from the community, and the king too faced opposition. In response, Ojhaji composed this volume, demonstrating with scriptural authority that foreign travel was not prohibited but rather sanctioned within the framework of the shastras.
Prof. Radhavallabh Tripathi
With nearly four decades of continuous service as a regular teacher at the Universities of Udaipur and Sagar, Prof. Radhavallabh Tripathi is among the senior-most Sanskrit scholars in the country. At Dr. Harisingh Gour University (formerly University of Sagar), he holds the distinction of being the senior-most professor.
Prof. Tripathi is widely recognized for his original and pioneering contributions to the study of Nāṭyaśāstra and Sāhityashāstra. His prolific scholarship includes 109 books, 183 research papers and critical essays, along with translations of more than 30 Sanskrit plays and several classical works into Hindi.
He has twice served as Dean, Faculty of Arts, at Dr. Harisingh Gour University. As the senior-most professor of the institution, he also officiated as Vice-Chancellor for about six months, and on two other occasions was appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor by the Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Pradesh.
In recognition of his literary and academic contributions, Prof. Tripathi has been honored with over 20 national and international awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit poetry and the Shankar Puraskar of the K.K. Birla Trust for his monumental Nāṭyaśāstra-Viśvakosha (in four volumes).
He has headed the Department of Sanskrit at Dr. H.S. Gour University from July 1980 to the present, except for a three-year period (2002–2005) when he served as Visiting Professor at Silpakorn University, Bangkok, under an ICCR deputation.
