Chandigarh, August 26 – Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal said that Mathas and religious institutions have played a significant role in preserving the values, teachings and traditions taught by Sanatan Dharma. Many times, various attempts have been made to destroy our culture but our religious institutions and our faith played a pivotal role in safeguarding our tradition and cultural values.
“Teachings and values of Sanatan Dharma have been in existence since time immemorial and will exist eternally,” asserted Sh. Manohar Lal while addressing a gathering during a programme held in Kurukshetra on Friday to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Acharya Srila Prabhupada, the founder of Gaudiya Mission.
He said that along with being the centres of religion and culture, our religious heritage also resides in the Mathas as Mathas preach the message of humanity and universal brotherhood. Mathas are the centre of Sanatan culture and they have been established for human welfare.
The Chief Minister while paying tribute to Acharya Srila Prabhupada, founder of the Gaudiya Mission on his 150th birth anniversary congratulated all the saints and sages. Apart from this, he also congratulated Gaudiya Math for organizing the ‘Samaran Utsav’ for three consecutive years.
Sh. Manohar Lal welcomed all the Saints and Mahatmas who attended the programme.
“Kurukshetra, the holy land of religion and there could not have been a better place to celebrate the birth anniversary of Acharya Srila Prabhupada than here,” added the Chief Minister.
Society should follow the teachings of great men
The Chief Minister said that many problems can be solved through spirituality. Today society should follow the teachings of great men. Sometimes people come to such a crossroads in their life when they feel directionless, then they can take inspiration from the lives of great men.
Sh. Manohar Lal urged all the religious leaders to motivate maximum youth to connect with their religion and culture. Youth should be the carriers of our culture. It should be ensured that the coming generations should progress not only religiously but also culturally. We have to pass down the beliefs coming from time immemorial to the next generation. Preach the teachings and values taught by saints and great men to the masses and also follow the same in our lives, said the Chief Minister.
India, the land of saints - Chief Minister
The Chief Minister said that India is the land of saints, Mahatmas and Prophets, who have united our country with the thread of unity in diversity. Despite numerous sects and languages, we are one. Hinduism is a religion, which has also emphasized beliefs. People have followed Hinduism because of their faith and belief. We have never harmed anyone or belittle anyone's faith, added Sh. Manohar Lal.
The Chief Minister said that there is barely any country in the world in which people of different ideologies, cultures and beliefs have set an example by maintaining their separate identities while living in harmony for such a long time. The credit for this goes to those sages who devoted their lives to human welfare. Acharya Srila Prabhupada is also one of them, he added.
Haryana has started Sant-Mahapurush Vichar Prasar Yojana
The Chief Minister said that the saints and Mahatmas of our country have played a significant role in spreading the message of communal harmony. The teachings of such personalities are the heritage of the entire human society. It becomes our utmost responsibility to preserve and save their legacy.
Realizing the same, the Haryana Government through its unique ‘Sant-Mahapurush Samman Vichar Prasar Yojana', State Government leaving no stone unturned for ensuring to preach the message of great men in the society, especially among the Youth and generations to come, said Manohar Lal.
The anniversaries of saints like Sant Kabir Das, Maharishi Valmiki, Guru Nanak, and Guru Tegh Bahadur are being celebrated at the state level. In the past, a state-level function was organized in Panipat to celebrate the 400th Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur ji, informed Sh. Manohar Lal.
State is taking concrete steps to persevere cultural heritage
The Chief Minister said that Haryana Government is taking concrete steps to persevere cultural heritage. Kurukshetra Development Board has been constituted for the maintenance of pilgrimages in Kurukshetra. Through this, 164 pilgrimages under 48-kos will be renovated.
In the year 2014, the Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi desired to develop Kurukshetra as Geeta Sthali on an international level. Haryana Government is celebrating International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav since 2016 under the guidance of the Prime Minister. Gita Jayanti is also being celebrated abroad. In 2019, Gita Jayanti Mahotsav was celebrated in Mauritius and London, informed Sh. Manohar Lal.
“Kurukshetra can be termed as the religious and cultural capital of Haryana. Work is being done to make it a major tourist destination. Saraswati Heritage Development Board has been constituted for the restoration of Saraswati river,” informed the Chief Minister.
Acharya Srila Prabhupada established Gaudiya Math in 1918
The Chief Minister said that in the year 1918, Acharya Srila Prabhupada had established Gaudiya Math. Following the principle of Vaishnavism by Chaitanya Prabhu, he presented the Varna Ashram religion prevalent in ancient India on a truly scientific and theistic basis. He had removed various misconceptions arising in Sanatan Dharma.
Acharya Srila Prabhupada established 64 Mathas along with temples across the country and abroad. Published newspapers and magazines in different languages like Bengali, Sanskrit and Oriya.
The Chief Minister said that Acharya Srila Prabhupada was the founder of the Hare Krishna movement. In the year 1933, he sent the preachers of Sanatan Dharma to Europe.