१.५.Vijay Deo Jha-Pandit with MacBook and manuscripts
(The author of this article is a journalist, author, and political strategist. Contact Number- 7717760438)
Pandit with MacBook and manuscripts
Scholars in Mithila have long cherished the noble temptation of nurturing their children to surpass them in scholarly pursuits, ensuring that the illustrious tradition of learning is preserved, enriched, and passed on from one generation to the next.
The late noted Sanskrit grammarian, Pandit Amarnath Jha of Haṭāḍh Rupauḷī village in Madhubani district of Mithila, had the same noble urge to mentor and mould his two worthy sons, Shambhunath and Bhavanath, as scholars in the distinguished Mithila tradition of learning. While both vindicated the dictum of ‘worthy sons of a worthy father,’ it was Bhavanath Jha who rose beyond all expectations.
He chose not to remain content as a Sanskrit scholar in the traditional sense, limiting his study merely to Pāṇini’s grammar, the admiration of finer prose of Kālidāsa, or writing annotations on Dharmaśāstra.
He charteda more difficult terrain of academic pursuit that requires serious researches and in-depth understanding of history. In the second decade of this century, the academic world of Mithila begun to notice a young pandit whose research, annotations, interpretations, explanations, and significant inquiries into the traditional Mithila school of learning filled scholarly circles with interest and appreciation.Most importantly, his remarkable works in the field of Indology, historical research, rediscovering and reconstructing the lost and forgotten treasures of knowledge and the knowledge tradition of Mithila won accolades for him.
In recent times, Bhavanath Jha has once again garnered significant recognition in academic circles for his exceptional work in deciphering and interpreting ancient manuscripts. Associated with the National Manuscript Mission, his scholarly contributions have shed new light on historical knowledge and have further enriched the understanding of traditional intellectual heritage of Mithila.
The whole gamut of his literary, academic, and intellectual pursuits reveals his serious intent to recalibrate and reestablish the intellectual and cultural glory and supremacy of Mithila, which had lost its shine.
My association with Bhavanath Jha began around 2017. He would often greet you by sending some rare books, articles, and research papers on history, Dharmashastra, and related subjects for you to read. We had differences of opinion on many academic issues, and we still enjoy differing and being at loggerheads; but with great reverence, he has been a reference whenever any question or curiosity arises.
When I first met him, he was a portrayal quite in contrast to any archetypical Sanskrit scholar of Mithila. Here was a Pandit with a MacBook and a mountain of manuscripts and books all around, making the best use of technology to decipher and disseminate the treasures of classical knowledge including that of Mithila. I found him deeply rooted in the past, his feet firmly planted in the present, and his vision sharp toward the future.
I had the opportunity to work closely with him on two academic projects — Biography of an Indian Patriot: Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh of Darbhanga by the late Jata Shankar Jha, and Bhū-Parikramana by Mahakavi VidyapatiEsammad group.In the former, I served as the editor an exclusive undertaking of mine, while in Bhū-Parikramana I worked as the co-editor and translator alongside him.
I come from a family renowned for its rich academic and scholarly excellence, revered as a cornerstone of the Maithili language, literature, and its cultural movement.Hence, as if by default—or shaped by the very air of literary pursuit that surrounded me—I inherited a natural inclination for scholarship and a deep commitment to literary and historical research.
So, when I started editing project on Biography of an Indian Patriot: Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh of Darbhanga, Bhavanath Jha remained my constant companion and guide throughout this challenging project.
Editing is not the right domain for the lazy or the laggard, for they often mistake it for mere reproduction of the original work and end up doing just. In academia, editing is a most assiduous task that demands critical insight, appreciation, examination, and an in-depth historical understanding of the work under consideration. It entails not only rigorous evaluation but also the valuable additions to the original text. That has been the rudiment of literary editing which I learnt from my scholar father late Dr Ramdeo Jha.
The above-mentioned book, written by the noted historian Dr. Jata Shankar Jha, which came into my hands for editing, is one of the finest, deeply researched, and most authentic works ever written on Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh, the illustrious scion of the Kandwala dynasty.I became cautious and worried because this project demanded a great deal of times and patience, deep penetration, the ability to understand contemporary history, and the faculty to assimilate it within a modern context. It was more than that what I had estimated.
Fortunately, Bhavanath Jha graciously assisted me in this project, and I reserved my highest honorific and words of gratitude for him by calling him my editor.He insisted that I completely revise the book's layout to bring it on par with international standards. Furthermore, he asked me to verify every statement and fact in the book with appropriate references and citations. As a result, over a hundred citations and references were included in the edited version with each historical fact with multilayer decoding and descriptions. In addition, previously unknown information, rare illustrations, some of the rarest documents, and multiple editor’s notes were added.This is not an act of self-praise or an attempt to seek validation for my editorial skill; rather, it is a sense of satisfaction in having substantially increased the value and volume of the original work.My year-long research endeavour received fulsome praise and critical appreciation from reviewers.It would be dishonest not to share the moments of praise and recognition with Bhavanath Jha. He was instrumental in the entire effort, frequently searching documents and providing citations and references from extensive archival sources, in addition to personally designing the book’s page layout.
We encountered a number of interesting instances, and these anecdotes make for very lively reading. One such instance was related to Ragus. The late king had mentioned Ragus in his diary, arousing our curiosity. Finding Ragus was like searching for a needle in a haystack.I had nearly given-up my hope and attempt to find about Ragus. After all I can’t halt my project for the sake of Ragus. But Bhavanath Jha did not.
One quiet, lifeless night, he called me with rare excitement — he had discovered who Ragus was. He even had an entire set of prescriptions written by a doctor for Ragus. Before you rush to imagine that Ragus was some eminent figure — a British official, perhaps, or someone from the Raj Darbhanga court — know this: Ragus was, in truth, the favourite horse ridden by Lakshmishwar Singh.His chase for Ragus makes a separate and very engaging story on how a diligent researcher-editor, driven by curiosity and persistence, can uncover remarkable truths hidden within the folds of forgotten history.The editor must possess historical insight and deep familiarity with the subject, book, and author they intend to edit, ensuring precision and authenticity in their work.
My joint academic endeavour with Bhavanath Jha was the translation and editing of Bhū-parikramaṇa, the renowned work of Mahakavi Vidyapati, which has recently been published in three languages — Sanskrit, Hindi, and English.Scholars have so far regarded Bhū-parikramaṇa as a collection of moral tales, whereas in fact, it stands as the earliest example of gazetteer literature ever written, establishing Vidyapati as the forerunner of this genre. The book presents a vivid and descriptive geographical account spanning from Haryana to Mithila. The original manuscript of Bhū-parikramaṇa, on which Munishwar Jha and Basukinath Jha had based their work and which was originally kept at Calcutta Sanskrit College, could not be traced for firsthand verification of the text. As we primarily relied upon the works of these two scholars, we found them riddled with errors—both grammatical and factual.
Bhavanath Jha asked me to search for authentic secondary sources. Fortunately, during the course of research, several scholarly articles and references related to Bhū-parikramaṇa were discovered, in which portions of the original text were quoted in fragmented form. These references enabled comparisons, refinements, and rectifications of the extant version of Bhū-parikramaṇa available in the academic domain.
Bhavanath Jha, known as a veteran grammarian and expert in manuscript reading, verified, rectified, and reconstructed the entire text of Bhū-parikramaṇa, uncovering many new details. He corrected numerous misspellings of place names, such as Harabhumi to Haribhumi, Sūnapīṭha to Sūtapīṭha, and several others. He worked extensively on identifying the geographical locations mentioned in Bhū-parikramaṇa. He would often insist on consulting James Rennell’s map and old geographical records for reference.Bhū-parikramaṇaalso presents a challenge for archaeologists: identifying the many place names, villages, towns, and capitals it records. He insisted to match ancient names to present-day sites based on linguistic similarities and geographical clues. Fascinatingly, certain place names from the Ramayana are re-examined through this lens
One of our interesting findings is that present-day Janakapura in Nepal was neither the abode of Goddess Sita nor the site where her marriage with Lord Ram was solemnized. Vidyāpati mentions Janakapura twice, he offers no descriptive account of the place. Rather, he refers to it merely as a point of reference or a landmark for measuring distances to other locations. In the chapter concerning Janakadeaa, Vidyapati describes all other places except Janakapura. It is difficult to imagine that a scholar-poet of Vidyapati’s calibre would overlook Janakapura so casually—especially given its supposed association with Goddess Sita and its identification as the site of her marriage. Janakapura was a well-known religious site during Vidyapati’s time; however, no evidence suggests that it was explicitly connected with the Ramayana tradition.While working on this issue Bhavanath Jha had meticulously examined all the facts.
An editor must be objective and firmly grounded in the facts and claims they make, and this quality I found in Bhavanath Jha, whose approach and style of editing are remarkably distinct.It is neither my place nor my stature to be the jury on his scholarly wisdom and acclaim, yet I see in him a great hope for the revival of the Mithila school of learning and the grand tradition of erudition for which Mithila has been known.His scholarly undertaking means a great deal for the present and for posterity.
This Pandit with MacBook and manuscripts is infusing pixels with palm leaves.
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