To involve Vedic scholars from different parts of the country in promoting discussion and debate on Veda vijnana, the Shikshayatan has been organising regular programmes at various places, including Jodhpur, Jaipur and Varanasi, the three renowned centres of Vedic learning.
JODHPUR
An important part of this outreach programme has been the Pandit Motilal Shastri Memorial lecture series organised at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in association with Jai Narain Vyas University. The university has a special research unit on Pandit Madhusudan Ojha.
September 21, 2017
Sharirikavimarsha and its contemporary relevance
The Vedic vijnana was as relevant today as in the past, said Prof. Ganeshilal Suthar, well- known Vedic scholar and former director of Pandit Madhusudan Ojha Shodh Prakosht, Sanskrit Department, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur, at the fifth lecture in the series. He highlighted the importance of Ojhaji’s works on different aspects of Vedic vijnana. He specifically mentioned the book authored by Ojhaji, Sharirika-vimarsha. Prof Satyaprakash Dubey, Acharya, Sanskrit department, Jai Narain Vyas University, referred to the works of Ojhaji to drive home the point that it was not enough to learn the correct way of offering Vedic mantras; it was equally important to study their meanings. He dwelt on the meaning of dharma and stressed on the importance of the Vedas in contemporary times.
September 25, 2015
Psychology in Vedic literature
In the fourth lecture, Prof Ramanuj Devanathana, renowned Sanskrit scholar and former Vice Chancellor of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University, Jaipur, talked about mana or intellect. He said all philosophers have accepted the presence of mana. He said Ojhaji had presented many facets of mana in his books. Ojhaji and Shastriji had described mana as shvovasiyas, the one that is forever changing.
September 12, 2012
Nabhikiya urja in the Vedas
The third lecture in the series was addressed by Mr Gulab Kothari, editor-in-chief of Rajasthan Patrika. Speaking on the energy generated from the navel, Mr Kothari pointed out that Ojhaji had described ‘nabhya prajapati’ or the supreme being (Brahma) that resides in the navel, in his books. He cited the example of a bicycle to clarify this phenomenon: Spokes in a cycle wheel merge into a centre point from different directions. In Vedic vijnana, the one at the centre is the indraprana or nabhya.
March 10, 2011
Shastriji’s Veda-vyakhya padhati
In the second lecture, Prof. Dayanand Bhargava explained the concept of akshara and kshara. He pointed out that both Ojhaji and Shastriji had used simple terms to explain complex phenomena. He cited the following terms as illustrations—amrit-mrityu, sat- asat, abhu-abhva, rit-satya, kshara-akshara, rasa-bala, jnana-vijnana, agni-soma, brighu-angira and brahm-karma. Shastriji used a wide variety of references in his works but relied more on the Brahamana texts and puranas.
March 10, 2010
Shastriji’s Veda-vyakhya padhati
At the first lecture, Prof. Dayanand Bhargava of Jai Narain Vyas University said Shastriji oration was so powerful that not a single person in the audience was left untouched. He cited Shastriji’s description of universe as agnishomatmak. The fire in a living being consumes anna or food; the one who consumes anna is annada and the merging of anna and annada is yajna. Annada is fire or agni and anna is soma and hence the universe is created by the union of agni and soma. Pandit Anant Sharma said Shastriji’s rendition of Shatpath Brahmana was an extraordinary work where he had explained complex Vedic terms without whose knowledge and understanding it was impossible to know the mysteries of the Vedas.
VARANASI
The ancient city of Varanasi became the Shikshayatan’s second stop for a regular event after the 2012 meeting on Sanshayataducchedavada.
November 27-28, 2013
Scientific basis of Vedic culture
The programme, organised in collaboration with the Fine Arts Department, Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, included Pandit Madhusudan Ojha Smriti Samvad, Pandit Vidyanivas Misra Smriti Vyakhyan and a discussion on ‘sanskriti aur kala’ (culture and art). The main theme of the talk was Ojhaji’s Sharirikavijnana bhashya. Dr Dhananjay Kumar Pandey, speaking on the subject, said sharirik-sutra was another name for brahmasutra. He said Ojhaji had described Brahma as four-limbed or chatushpada. These limbs are nirvishesha (neutral), paratpar (supreme), prajapati (supreme being) and vigraha (body).
December 22-23, 2014
Sanskrit language and culture
During the second lecture in the series, Prof Yugal Kishore Mishra, Head of Department of Vedic Studies, Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi, said Ojhaji had committed his entire life to pursue Vedic studies on the wishes of his guru, Shivkumar Mishra. After an intense study of the Vedas, Ojhaji presented 288 volumes of his work to the world, of which only 80 were available today. He saw four elements in the Vedas—yajna, vijnana, stotra (eulogy) and itihasa (history). Second speaker, Murali Manohar Pathak, said Ojhaji had expertise in several vidyas, realms of knowledge. He pointed out that Ojhaji had written about jyotish (astrology) in his book, Kadambini; about grammar in Vyakaranvinod; about language in Varnasamiksha; on philosophy in Brahmavinaya and Brahmasamanvaya; on the Vedas in Yajnasarasvati and on dharma in Pratyantprasthanmimamsa.
December 18, 2015
Veda Vijnana and its context
Veda vijnana was the central theme of the third lecture. The speakers on the subject included Prof. Hariprasad Adhikari (Sampurnanand University), Prof. Shrikishore Mishra (BHU), Prof. Krishna Kant Sharma (BHU), Prof. Hriday Ranjan Sharma (BHU) and G. Ajneya Shastri (BHU). They spoke on the vast repertoire of Ojhaji and said his writings and teachings have left an indelible mark on the Indian psyche.
November 11, 2016
Yajnavijnana
The fourth lecture saw an all-round discussion on Ojhaji’s writings. The speakers pointed out Ojhaji’s important contributions in the field of yajnavijnana. Ojhaji had divided the world into two—the essential and the creative. The knowledge of the essence of the world can be gained from Veda vijnana and that of Creation through yajnavijnana.
November 11, 2017
Vedanta and its context
The fifth lecture in the series was organised with Vedanta as the main theme. The meeting was attended by Ojhaji’s great grand-daughter, Padmalata Thakur, who said Ojhaji’s personality was so powerful that the high and mighty bowed before his intellect. With his oratory skills and deep knowledge, Ojhaji stood out among other scholars during his time. In his speech, Prof. Naval Kishore Chaudhary said Ojhaji laid the foundation of understanding the Vedas scientifically. He specifically referred to Ojhaji’s work, Maharshikulavaibhavam, to describe the great teacher’s deep knowledge of Veda vijnana. He illustrated this by referring to Ojhaji’s explanation of drashta or the one who sees.
DARBHANGA
November 4-5, 2017
Pandit Madhusudan Ojha, his personality and his works
A two-day national seminar on Pandit Madhusudan Ojha and his writings was organised by Shri Shankar Shikshayatan and Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, Darbhanga, Bihar. The main objective of the seminar was to bring together scholars from Darbhanga to discuss Pandit Ojhaji’s exposition of veda vijnana through his writings and oration. Prof. Santosh Kumar Shukla, convener, Shri Shankar Shikshayatan, introducing the revolutionary scholar, pointed out that no one had understood and articulated the principles of veda vijnana as Ojhaji. In his address, Dr Dhirendra Jha, Vice Chancellor, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, referring to Ojhaji’s works, said they contained an ocean of knowledge within them. Dr Vidyadhar Mishra, former VC of the university, represented India’s spiritual legacy and should be called as a great tapasvi.
JAIPUR
September 16-17,2016
Vedic literature of Pandit Madhusudan Ojha and Pandit Motilal Shastri
A two-day national seminar on the works of Pandit Motilal Shastri was organised in association with Sanskrit Bharati PG College, Jaipur. The main theme of the discussion was the elements of veda vijnana as contained in the works of Pandit Madhusudan Ojha and his disciple, Pandit Motilal Shastri.