Report
The ninth seminar on Pandit Madhusudan Ojha’s Sharirikavimarsha focussed on the 16th chapter of the book, jivatmapratipatti. It was organised on December 29,2023. In this chapter, Ojhaji has presented detailed explanations on jivagma, chidatma, chidansha and chidabhas.
The seminar was chaired by Prof. Santosh Kumar Shukla, convener of Shri Shankar Shikshayatan and Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Main speakers at the meeting included Prof. Veernarain Pandurangi of Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bengaluru, Prof. Pradeep Kumar Pandey of Central Sanskrit University, Bhopal and Prof. Ramkishore Tripathi of Sampurnanand University, Varanasi.
Prof. Pandey in his speech touched upon Ojhaji’s explanation of amrita and mrityu. He said amrit was chit and mrityu was achit. The light of knowledge is chit and its outer covering was achit. Chit is identified as chidatma, chidansha and chidabhasa.
Prof. Pandurangi explained the concepts of chidatma and chidansha. He quoted Ojahi’s definition of chidatma as pure intelligence or supreme being. Ojhaji termed the concept as atyanpandiha. Like an open, vast sky, it is independent of direction, time and number. It is without any frontier. When this chidatma is bound by limits, it becomes chidansha. There are two types of chidansha–pratyagatma and sharirika. Prof. Ramkishore Tripathi explained the meaning of sharirika further through two important principles of vedic philosophy. When chidansha assumes body, it turns into chidabhasa.
In his address, Prof. Shukla said Shri Shankar Shikshayatan had been organising a series of seminars on Pandit Madhusudan Ojha’s Sharirikavimarsha. Every month, one chapter of the book was taken up for discussion. Experienced teachers were invited to expand on the themes at these seminars.
The programme, attended by over hundred scholars and students,was conducted and coordinated by Dr Lakshmi Kant Vimal and Dr Manishankar Dwivedi of Shri Shankar Shikshayatan.