Category: Annual Lectures

Pandit Madhusudan Ojha was a profound scholar in the tradition of veda vijnana, said well-known vedic scholar, Acharya Jawalant Kumar Shastri during his lecture at Pandit Motilal Shastri Memorial Lecture 2023 on September 28,2023. The annual lecture is organised by Shri Shankar Shikshayatan to honour Pandit Motilal Shastri. The topic of the lecture was Pandit Madhusudan Ojha’s Contribution to Vedic Thought.Dr Jwalant Kumar Shastri took his early learning in guru-shishya parampara and completed his higher studies at Benares Hindu University. In his 35 years of teaching life, Acharya Shastri taught post-graduate students and guided 16 doctoral students. He has authored 15 books and 250 articles. He has edited the publication of a 700-year old manuscript on Rig Veda bhashya. His programmes on dharmashastra have appeared on Astha Channel.Referring to the great teachers who made stellar contributions to the vedic thought, Acharya Shastri made special mention of Ojhaji, his illustrial disciples Pandit Motilal Shastri and Pandit Giridhar Shastri and Dr Vasudeva Sharan Agarwal.Ordinary people know that there are four Vedas. Ojhaji has instead shown various layers of vedic thought. He pointed out that each of the Vedas were a combination of text and verses and hence they were veda-trayi. He had quoted Taittiriya Brahman to explore the possibility of elemental Vedas. It is said that all the mortal beings in Creation are forms of Rigveda; all actions in Creation are Yajur Veda and Samaveda was the light in every matter. Shastriji pointed out the emphasis laid by Ojhaji on understanding the meaning and context of each specific vedic term. He referred in specific to Ojhaji’s explanation of yajna vijnana and said Yajurveda was the foundation of yajna vijnana. There are forty chapters in this Veda and the first 20 contain mantras related to yajna. Yajna, said Ojahji, was the basis of all Creations. During the meeting, a new publication of Shri Shankar Shikshayatan, Vedic Srishti Prakriya, was released. The chief guest at the meeting, the Chancellor of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit University, Prof. Murali Manohar Pathak said he had come across Ojhaji and his works during his student days. He referred to Ojhaji’s Dashavadarahasya as one of the texts he had read during those days. Ojhaji had explained the profound mysteries of Creation as mentioned in Rigveda’s nasadiya sukata. The volume referred to sadasadvada, ahoratravada, avaranavada, vyomavada, rajovada etc. Prof. Girish Chandra Pant of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi, referred to Ojhaji’s foreign travels and his various conversations with foreign scholars and journalists. In his speech, former Vice-chancellor of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Haridwar, Prof. Devi Prasad Tripathi called Pandit Madhsudan Ojha’s writings as illuminating and profound. He made special mention of Ojhaji’s concept and explanation of the triadic world and how everything emerged and existed in these three worlds. In his introduction to the lecture and Shri Shankar Shikshayatan, Prof. Santosh Kumar Shukla of Jawaharlal Nehru University and convener, Shikshayatan, said the centre was devoted to the promotion of vedic science through it monthly vedic discussions, annual lectures and various publications. He said Pandit Motilal Shastrij’s disciple, Rishi Kumar Mishra had set up the centre to preserve and promote teachings of his two gurus, Ojhaji and Shastriji. The meeting was attended by participants from Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Rashtriya Sanskrit University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and other institutions.

 February 2, 2019 Veda svarup ka vichar A seminar on Veda svarup ka vichar –Discussion on the meanings of Veda–was jointly organised by Shri Shankar Shikshayatan and Satyawati College, Delhi University, on February 2,2019. was the subject of the first Rishi Kumar Mishra Memorial National Seminar. Introducing the theme, Dr Santosh Kumar Shukla, convener, Shri Shankar Shikshayatan, explained the meaning of the Vedas as enunciated by Pandit Madhusudan Ojha and Pandit Motilal Shastri. He pointed out that rishis divided the essence of the Veda into four parts. He quoted the Bhagvata Purana to state that when rishis found people losing longevity, intellect and vitality, they took inspiration from the paramatma (supreme soul) who dwelt in their heart to  present the Vedas. It can be said that the rishis unveiled the meaning of the Vedas while rishis, taking forward the tradition of learning, presented the mystery of purana vidya (knowledge of the puranas). Prof. Ramesh Chandra Bharadwaj, Sanskrit department, Delhi University, said Pandit Madhusudan Ojha developed a unique way of reading the Vedas. To understand the true essence of the Vedas, it is important to read the works of Pandit Ojha and Pandit Motilal Shastri. Inaugurating the seminar, Prof. Shashi Tiwari said the Veda was tatva or essence of creation. She said it had been so explained in the Mundakopanishad. Quoting hymns from the Vedas, she said there was no difference between the Vedas and Brahma. Since all elements reside in Brahma, everything is a manifestation of Brahma. Speaking in the first session, Dr Sundar Narain Jha, Department of Veda, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth said there was adequate reference to the Veda tatva in the Taitteriya Brahmana. The Brahmana grantha (text) has illustrated the Vedas as four directions—east has been described as Rigveda, south as Yajurveda, west as Atharvaveda and north as Samaveda. The second session was chaired by Dr Jai Prakash Narain and the concluding session was presided over by Prof. Sharada Sharma, Department of Sanskrit, Delhi University.  The seminar was attended by teachers and students of Delhi University colleges, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. श्री ऋषि कुमार मिश्र स्मारक राष्ट्रीय संगोष्ठी श्री शंकर शिक्षायतन और सत्यवती महाविद्यालय, दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय के संयुक्त तत्त्वावधान में ‘वेद का स्वरूप’ विषय पर राष्ट्रीय संगोष्ठी का समायोजन दिनांक २ फरवरी २०१९ को महाविद्यालय के सम्मेलन कक्ष में किया गया। पण्डित मधुसूदन ओझा और पण्डित मोतीलाल शास्त्री के अनुसार वेद के स्वरूप विषय को स्पष्टकरते हुए डॉ. सन्तोष कुमार शुक्ल, समन्वयक, श्री शंकर शिक्षायतन ने कहा कि  एक ही तत्त्वात्मक वेद को तात्कालिक समाज के अनुरूप ऋषियों ने वेद का चतुर्धा विभाग किया। भागवत महापुराण में यह बतलाया गया है कि जब ब्रह्म को जानने वाले ऋषियों ने देखा कि समय के प्रभाव से लोगों की आयु, शक्ति और बुद्धि क्षीण हो गयी है, तब उन्होंने अपने हृदय देश में विराजमान परमात्मा की प्रेरणा से वेदों को अनेक रूपों में प्रस्तुत किया। क्षीणायुषः क्षीणसत्त्वान् दुर्मेधान् वीक्ष्य कालतः। वेदान् ब्रह्मर्षयोऽभ्यसन् हृदिस्थाच्युतनोदिताः ॥ भागवत महापुराण १२/६/४७ एवं ब्रह्मसमन्वय, निर्विशेषानुवाक  पृ. ४ इस वाक्य से स्पष्ट होता है कि एक तत्त्वात्मक वेद को अनेक रूपों में ऋषियों ने तात्कालिक समाज के अनुरूप प्रस्तुत किया। समय के प्राभाव से वस्तु बदलती रहती है। एक ही क्रम में ऋषि और मुनि की परम्परा चली है। ऋषियों ने वेदविद्या के रहस्य को उद्घाटित किया है जबकि मुनियों ने पुराणविद्या के रहस्य को खोला है। प्रो. रमेश चन्द्र भारद्वाज, संस्कृत विभाग, दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय ने कहा कि वेदव्याख्या की पद्धति को विकसित करने वाले पण्डित मधुसूदन ओझा हैं। वेद के सही अर्थ को यदि जानना है तो पण्डित ओझाजी और पण्डित शास्त्री जी के ग्रन्थ को पढ़ना अत्यन्त आवश्यक है। उद्घाटन समारोह  के अध्यक्ष डॉ. शशि तिवारी ने कही कि वेद  तत्त्व है, इसका वर्णन मुडकोपनिषद् में है। उन्होंने मन्त्र को  उल्लेख किया- तत्रापरा ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽथर्ववेदः। १.१.५ इस मन्त्र में  प्रयुक्त अपरा की श्रेणी में ऋग्वेद आदि हैं। पराविद्या की श्रेणी में ब्रह्म है। ब्रह्म और वेद एक है। क्योंकि ब्रह्म  से ही संपूर्ण तत्त्वों का आविर्भाव होता है। आविर्भाव होकर वस्तु में  ब्रह्म का ही रूप रहता है।  अत एव ब्रह्म और वेद में कोई भेद नहीं है। प्रथम सत्र के अध्यक्ष के रूप में बोलते हुए डॉ. सुन्दर नारायण झा, वेद विभाग, श्रीलाल बहादुर शास्त्री राष्ट्रीय संस्कृत विद्यापीठ ने कहा कि तैत्तिरीयब्रह्मण में दिशाओं को वेदतत्त्व के रूप में वर्णन मिलता है। पूर्व दिशा ऋग्वेद,  दक्षिण दिशा यजुर्वेद,पश्चिम दिशा अथर्ववेद और उत्तर दिशा सामवेद है।           ऋचां प्राची महती दिगुच्यते दक्षिणामाहुर्यजुषामपराम्।           अथर्वणामङ्गिरसां प्रतीची साम्नामुदीची महती दिगुच्यते।।                    तैत्तिरीय ब्राह्मण  ३.१२.६ उपनिषद्भाष्यभूमिका, द्वितीय खण्ड पृ. ११८ उन्होंने कहा कि आज भी श्रौत या स्मार्त यज्ञ में वेदी के चारों दिशाओ में इसी क्रम से वेदपाठी को रखा जाता है। द्वितीय सत्र की अध्यक्षता डॉ. जय प्रकाश नारायण ने की। समापन सत्र की अध्यक्षता प्रो. शारदा शर्मा, अध्यक्ष संस्कृत विभाग, दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय ने की। कार्यक्रम का संचालन डॉ. अजय कुमार झा ने किया। कार्यक्रम में दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय के महाविद्यालयों से, श्री लाल बहादुर शास्त्री राष्टीय संस्कृत विद्यापीठ से एवं इन्दिरा गाँधी राष्ट्रीय कला केन्द्र से अनेक प्रतिभागी विद्वानों ने विद्वत्त पूर्ण शोधपत्र का वाचन किया।