Pandit Motilal Shastri, the great thinker of Vedic science of the twentieth century, is renowned in the realm of Sanskrit. By authoring more than one hundred treatises in the national language (Hindi), he presented an innovative perspective before scholars. His style of exposition is entirely novel. In Vedic science, the analysis of technical terminology is of vital importance, and Pandit Motilal Shastri has elucidated this thoroughly. This year, on Monday, September 28, 2026, this memorial lecture was successfully held in the Vachaspati Auditorium of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University.
Shri Shankar Shikshayatan organises this lecture annually as part of its foundation anniversary celebrations. Two important events marked the lecture. First was Rishi Samman which was conferred on renowned Sanskrit scholar, Dr Srikrishna Semwal and the release two English translations of Pandit Madhusudan Ojha’s books. ‘The Other Theory of Creation’ the first English translation of the treatise Aparavāda, and ‘The Universe in Space’, the first English translation of Vyomavāda, were released by the distinguished guests present. Both these texts of Pandit Madhusudan Ojha were published by Saraswatam Prakashan, Delhi.
The main lecture was presented by Prof. Kamla Pandey, former Professor of the Department of Sanskrit at Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Varanasi. She delivered her address on the topic ‘Chandasameekṣhā kā Svarūpa’ (The Nature of Chandasameekshā). She said the sheer depth of that treatise and the profundity of the core subject matter within it became evident to me… Ojha Ji’s treatise represents an ocean that can only be crossed by the boat of deep contemplative reflection, Both modern scientific inquiry and the oar of Vedic knowledge are indispensable if we are to even begin navigating this ocean of Chandasameeksha. The time has come when Sanskrit should no longer be relegated to the margins… Those pursuing modern science and technology must study these Sanskrit texts. When they study Sanskrit in conjunction with their discipline, they will discover how Madhusudan Ojha Ji, while elaborating the Meru-prastāra, decodes guru and laghu into 0 and 1! Understanding Sanskrit’s structure as a computational language is a task that will be fulfilled by students studying modern science and technology.
In his introduction to the programme, Prof. Santosh Kumar Shukla, Professor at the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, welcomed the gathered guests. He stated that this lecture series is conducted every year as an annual celebration commemorating the birth anniversary of Pandit Motilal Shastri. Pandit Rishi Kumar Mishra founded Shri Shankar Shikshayatan in the year 2000 for the development, propagation, enrichment, and preservation of Vedic knowledge.
Prof. Bharatendu Pandey, Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit, University of Delhi, presided over the programme. He observed that this treatise titled Chandasameekṣā by Pandit Madhusudan Ojha is exceptionally profound and scholarly. Only by repeatedly reading and teaching this work will the subject become firmly established in the intellect of the Sanskrit fraternity, students, and teachers alike.
Dr. Shrikrishna Semwal was honoured with the Ṛishi Sammān. Shri Shankar Shikshayatan confers this distinction upon scholars whose entire lives have been devoted to the domain of Sanskrit. As the former Secretary of the ‘Delhi Sanskrit Academy’, Dr. Semwal spearheaded numerous initiatives for the advancement of Sanskrit. In his address, he remarked that although he had not been personally associated with Shri Shankar Shikshayatan, he felt deeply honoured by the recognition bestowed upon him.
Prof. Sachchidanand Mishra, Member Secretary of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR), Delhi, emphasised that the knowledge of prosody (chanda) is essential for all of us. Ordinarily, students in classrooms are taught only about twenty meters, analyzing syllables purely on the basis of guru (heavy) and laghu (light). However, the treatise Chandaḥsamīkṣā examines both Vedic and classical (laukika) meters in exhaustive detail.
At the commencement of the event, Dr. Omkar Shailukar, Faculty at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, presented the Vedic Maṅgalācharaṇa, and Prof. Mahanand Jha rendered the classical (laukika) invocation. The programme was anchored by Dr. Dhananjay Mani Tripathi, Associate Professor in the Department of Sanskrit, Jamia Millia Islamia. Dr. Lakshmikant Vimal, Research Officer at Shri Shankar Shikshayatan, proposed the vote of thanks to the distinguished assembly. In this lecture, numerous scholars, faculty members, research scholars, and Sanskrit enthusiasts from the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, and Jamia Millia Islamia participated with great enthusiasm, making an invaluable contribution to the grand success of the event.