February 7-13, 2023 Shri Shankar Shikshayatan organised a seven-day workshop on Varna-samiksha from February 7.2023. Varna-samiksha is a book of grammar and usage written by Pandit Madhusudan Ojha. The workshop was organised around seven themes and each theme was discussed by different experts. The workshop was conceived and conducted by Prof. Santosh Kumar Shukla, convener, Shri Shankar Shikshayatan and faculty member of School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies. Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The themes and speakers were–matrika-vivechan–Prof. Om Nath Vimali, Delhi University; varna ka swarup–Prof. Bhagawat Charan Shukla, Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya, Benares, ranga-vivechan–Prof. Jaishankar Lal Tripathi,Kashi, Hindu Vishwavidyalaya, Benares, svar vimarsh–Dr Dayal Singh Panwar, vag-vijnana vichar–Dr Kuldeep Kumar, Himachal Pradesh Central University, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh,anantar-vidh –Dr Yaduvir Svarup Shastri of Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Darbhanga, Bihar and vakya-prayog ka swarup–Dr Ramachandra of Kurukshetra University. In the first lecture, Dr Ramachandra spoke about the forms of sentence usage. He said four elements were essential for using any language–varna, akshara, pada and vakya. The journey then concludes at maha-vakya. On the second day, the talk was on vag-vijnana by Dr Kuldeep Kumar. The essential element of vak is prana. He said it was prana from which the entire creation came into being. The entire creation is established in prana and in dissolution merges into prana. Prana is rishi. From rishi tatva is born pitr and from pitr devata and asura are created. From devatas emerged the visible universe. On the third day, Dr Yaduvir Svarup Shastri spoke on anantar-vidhi. Anantar means limitless or without any obstruction–how two meaningful words can join seamlessly. When two words join to create a new expression, the process is called anantar. He spoke on the various aspects of such words and expressions. Chairing the session, Dr Pramod Kumar Sharma of Jawaharlal Nehru University, said Varna-samiksha was a complex work and should form part of syllabus in colleges and universities. He explained that svarith svar were of two types–nitya and naimitia, constant and inconsistent. On the fourth day, the subject was swara. Speaking on the subject, Dr Dayal Singh Panwar explained that there were nine types of svara or sound or vowel.These are: shvasa-lakshan, nada-lakshan, vivara-lakshan, sthana-lakshan, vyakti-lakshan, geha-lakshan, sruti-lakshan, savan-lakshan and bhaga-lakshan. On the fifth day, Dr Shailesh Kumar Tiwari spoke on ranga-vivechan. There are eight types of rang or colour, of which the speaker explained in detail ranga, hunkar, nada, antastah and ushma. He referred to Pandit Madhusudan Ojha’s definition of ranga. When we strike a copper vessel with a finger, we hear a particular sound.On the sixth day, Prof. Rajdhar Mishra spoke on the forms of varna. These are vivarti, svarabhakti, anukswar and yama. On the concluding session, Dr Pankaj Kumar Vyas spoke on matrikas and explained there were five types of matrikas–brahma-matrika, akshama-matrika, rudra-matrika, bhuta-matrika and yavana-matrika. The workshop was attended by scholars and students from different universities and educational institutions. The workshop was managed by Dr Mani Shankar Dwivedi, Dr Lakshmi Kant Vimal and Dr Bishnu Shankar Mahapatra of Shri Shankar Shikshayatan.
