Pandit Madhusudan Ojha was an exceptional scholar of veda vijnana vedic science. He had deep and abiding interest in understanding the process of Creation as detailed in the vedic granthas. He was determined to know the secrets of the universe. This pursuit of truth about the universe took him to the Vedas, Brahmanas, Upanishads and various other texts. He found the first kernel of eternal knowledge in the first two mantras of Nasadiya Sukta of Rigveda (Mandala 10 Sukta 129). Then even nothingness was not, nor existence, There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it. What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?! In this obeisance to the mystery and magic of Creation, Pandit Madhusudan Ojha discovered a radical and inexplicable exploration of the process of Creation and the cosmos. The first two mantras, in particular, delve into the concept of a primordial void or a state of absolute non-being that existed before the universe came into existence. Then there was neither death nor immortality nor was there then the torch of night and day. The One breathed windlessly and self-sustaining. There was that One then, and there was no other. These stutis state that before the universe came into existence, there was neither existence nor non-existence, neither the visible nor the invisible, neither the definable nor the indefinable. The second stuti offers a glimpse into the vedic understanding of the universe and the nature of Creation. Imbued with a poetic and philosophical depth, these verses paint a vivid picture of this void, emphasising the absence of any physical entities or concepts that we associate with the universe. The verses elaborate on this concept by asserting that there were no dust particles, no sky, no upper or lower regions, no veil, and no deep water. Day and night as we know them did not exist, and the concept of time was yet to be conceived. By emphasising the absence of these fundamental elements, the Nasadiya Sukta invites us to contemplate a state of nothingness, a vacuum devoid of any form or structure. This concept of a primordial void, known as asat in Vedic philosophy, is not a state of nothingness but a state Introduction of potential, a fertile ground from which the universe could emerge, like a seed from a fertile soil. The mantras challenge our conventional notions of Creation, questioning the role of devatas in this process. They suggest that since devatas were created after the universe, they cannot be considered the source of creation. This poses a profound question: Who could possibly know the origins of the cosmos and how it came into being? According to Pandit Ojha's rendering of vedic science, the radical and complex doctrines embedded within its teachings were first conceived by celestial beings known as the Sadhyas. These divine entities resided in a realm known as Svarga Loka, believed to be located north of the majestic Himalayas. This notion is also alluded to in the Purusha Sukta, a sacred hymn within the Rig Veda (10. 90), where it states, "tenam deva ayajanta sadhya rishyancha ye," signifying that the Sadhyas performed sacred rituals and pursued knowledge. However, the Sadhyas were not unanimous in their understanding of the universe's creation. They engaged in vigorous debates, contemplating various theories in attempting to decipher the ultimate origins of existence. It was amidst this intellectual discord that emerged a distinguished figure, the eminent scholar Parameshthi Brahma. Through his astute analysis and profound wisdom, he deconstructed and refuted numerous conceptions about Creation, ultimately unifying them into a singular, paramount doctrine. This doctrine declared that Brahma, the Supreme Being, constituted the very foundation of the universe. Following this revelation, the Sadhyas bestowed their accumulated knowledge of the Vedas upon the exalted Maharshis, wise sages dwelling within Svarga. These wise men delved into the depths of vedic wisdom, meticulously studying and preserving its teachings for future generations.
Aparavada is one of Pandit Madhusudan Ojha's most distinctive works on the mystery and process of Creation. The work is firmly grounded in the Vedic-Puranic tradition. Yet what sets it apart is Ojha's deliberate and insightful engagement with two philosophical systems that are often seen as opposites: Charvaka, the materialist school, and Sankhya, the dualist philosophy of evolution. From these darshanas, he draws ideas and concepts, and presents them while weaving them into a unified, deterministic framework. Ojha turns to these systems not to reconcile them, but to illuminate two foundational truths:Causation is inherent in the very process of Creation and that events unfold according to the intrinsic nature (svabhava) of things, not through arbitrary divine intervention. In Aparavada, the universe is portrayed as an ordered, intelligible system where every occurrence follows a definite sequence-predictable, measurable, and inevitable. Through this synthesis, Pandit Madhusudan Ojha offers a profound vision of Creation shaped by necessity, natural order, and the unwavering logic of causation.
Santosh Kumar Shukla is a Professor at the School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is convener of Shri Shankar Shikshayatan and has edited Dashavadarahasya. Vedic Srishthivada, Ahoratravadavimarsha Vedic Srishthi Prakriya.
Wilson John Wilson John is a writer and translator with over four decades of experience in media and research. He works as the Editor at Shri Shankar Shikshayatan. He has contributed to the translation of Bharatavarsha The India Narrative, Brahma's Universe-The Chronicle Of Creation, Vedic Concept of Man and Universe and The Ten Theories of Creation.
Lakshmi Kant Vimal Lakshmi Kant Vimal is a Research Officer with Shri Shankar Shikshayatan. He has a doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. His academic interests are vedanta and vedic vijnana. He has co-edited the following books-Dashavadarahasya: Vedic Srishthivada, Ahoratravadavimarsha and Vedic Srishthi Prakriya.
Hindu (1821)
Philosophers (2357)
Aesthetics (318)
Comparative (76)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (53)
Language (353)
Logic (85)
Mimamsa (62)
Nyaya (143)
Psychology (548)
Samkhya (65)
Shaivism (67)
Shankaracharya (237)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist