Report
Shri Shankar Shikshayatan organised the seventh seminar on Pandit Madhusudan Ojha’s Indravijaya on July 31, 2024. The discussion focused on Bharatavarsha.
Prof. Ramraj Upadhyaya of Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Rashtriya Sanskrit University, spoke about Somavalli. There was a mountain known as Hemkut and the moon was located on it as somavalli. The yagna is carried out with soma. When devas fought with asuras, the latter destroyed somavalli.
चन्द्रस्तु सोमवल्लीरूपो यो हेमकूटाद्रौ।
यज्ञैकसाधनं तद्देवानामुदखनन्नसुराः॥ इन्द्रविजय, पृ. २८७, कारिका १
chandrastu somavallirupo yo hemakutadrau
yagyekasadhanam tadyevanamudakhannnasuraha–Indravijaya, page 278 shloka 1
This episode lays importance to yagya. Devatas acquired several powers through yagya. Asuras also tried to carry out yagnas for that purpose but could not do so. Asuras were unaware of the correct method of yagna.
यज्ञात् सिद्धीर्देवतानामनेका दृष्ट्वा यज्ञं कर्तुमैच्छन्नदेवाः।
किन्त्वस्मिंस्ते यज्ञविज्ञानशिक्षाशून्यः सिद्धिं नाप्नुवन् विध्यबोधात्॥ वही, कारिका २
yagyat sidhirdevatanamaneka drishta yagyam katurmechhannadevaha
kintavsmimste yagyavigyanshikshashunyaha siddhim napruvan vidyabodhat
–Indravijaya page 278 shloka 2
Prof. Vijay Garg, Acharya, Sanskrit Department, Hindu College, Delhi University gave his lecture based on the topic Devyajnabhumi. He said that the synonym of the word svarga was Trivishtap. Triloki is a major topic in Vedic science. In triloki, the first earth is Bharatavarsha. The second is space and the third is Hemavatvarsh Dyuloka. These three worlds together are Trivishtap. Here Pandit Ojha ji has determined the location of Trivishtap. The place from North Ocean to Kuruvarsh is called Trivishtap. In this way Trivishtap has been called Dyulok. The king of one part of that earth is Devadatta, the king of the other part is some other person. The king of the third part is someone else. The kingdom is different based on the king of the same earth. Similarly, the king of one part of svarga is Brahma. The part of svarga where Brahma is the king is called Brahma’s Vishtap. The other part of svarga where Vishnu is the king is called Vishnu vishtap. The third part where Indra is the king is called Indra’s Vishtap.
भारतवर्षं पृथ्वी हैमवतं वर्षमन्तरिक्षं स्यात् ।
उत्तरमब्धिं यावत् कुरुवर्षान्तं त्रिविष्टपं तु द्यौः॥
ब्रह्मण एकं विष्टपमपरं विष्णोस्तृतीयमिन्द्रस्य।
एभिस्त्रिभिरधिपतिभिः स्वर्गो लोकस्त्रिविष्टपं भवति॥ वही पृ. २७१, कारिका१-२
Bharatavarsha prithvi haimavatam varshamantariksham syat
uttaramabdhim yavat kuruvarshantam trivishtapam tu dyo
Brahman ekam vishtapamparam vishnostrutiyamindrasya
ebhistnibhiradhipatibhiha svargo lokastinvishtapam bhavat.–Indravijaya page 271 shlokas 1-2
Dr. Ritesh Kumar Pandey, Associate Professor, Grammar Department, Shrirang Laxmi Adarsh Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, Vrindavan, gave his lecture on the origin of Sura. He said that when the demons could not obtain Somras, they went to their king Varuna and prayed. Varuna made an intoxicant and gave it to the demons. The demons accepted the intoxicant made by Varuna’s efforts. The demons started saying that they drink Sura, and in this way the word Sura became popular in the public in the sense of alcohol.
Dr. Neerja Kumari, Assistant Professor, Sanskrit Department, Mahant Darshan Das Mahavidyalaya, Muzaffarpur, Bihar delivered her lecture on the second chapter of Indravijaya. She said that Omkar has great importance in the Indian knowledge tradition. Regarding the importance of Bharatavarsha, the author himself writes where there are the Vedas and the residents are divided into four castes according to religion, and where cow and holy Ganga are worshipped, that country is Bharatavarsha.
ओङ्कार एव येषामविशेषान्मन्त्र आराध्यः।
येषां भिन्नमतानामप्यत्रास्त्येकबन्धुत्वम् ॥
येषां शास्त्रं वेदश्चातुर्वर्ण्ये विभाजितो धर्मः।
धेनुर्गङ्गाऽऽराध्या तेषां देशोऽस्ति भारतं वर्षम् ॥ वही, पृ. २५८, कारिका१-२
omkar eva yeshamavisheshanmantra aradhyaha
yesham bhinnamatanamapyatrastyekabandhutvam
yesham shastram vedashchatuvranarye vibhajite dharmaha
dhenugrangaradhya tesham deshosti bharatavarsham–Indravijay, p 258, shloka 1-2
Dr. Ravindra Ojha, Shri Lakshmi Narayan Vedapathshala, Surat, recited Vedic Manglacharan with his students. The programme was conducted by Dr. Lakshmi Kant Vimal of Shri Shankar Shikshayatan. Professors from universities and colleges, research scholars, and several others interested in the subject from various states participated enthusiastically and contributed to making the seminar a success.