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OPINION FEBRUARY 16, 2024 | The Indian Eye 12

Mathura, he expanded his divine ac- Bengal, he drew constant inspiration
tivities in Dwarka. Renowned Krishna from the spiritual and intellectual en-
devotee like Meerabai was born in ergy inherent to the land. Bengal is the
Rajasthan but was drawn to Gujarat birthplace of saints like Ramakrishna
to be in union with Shri Krishna. Nu- Paramhansa and national icons like
merous Vaishnav saints share a spe- Swami Vivekananda. The same land
cial bond with Gujarat and Dwarka. has produced luminaries such as Sri
Gujarat’s poet-saint Narsinh Mehta Aurobindo and Guru Rabindranath
also hails from this region. Hence, the Tagore, who championed national
connection with Shri Krishna and the movements with a saintly fervour. So-
tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is cial reformer Raja Rammohan Roy
an inherent aspect of my life. also was from Bengal. Bengal was
I joined you all during the cen- the ‘Karma-bhumi’ of Chaitanya Ma-
tenary celebrations of Gaudiya Math haprabhu and his disciples like Prabh-
in 2016. At that time, I elaborated upada, whose influence has catalysed a
on Bharat’s spiritual consciousness. global movement of love and devotion.
When a society distances itself from Today, Bharat’s pace and progress
its roots, it tends to forget its capabili- are being lauded globally. We stand
ties. The most significant repercussion shoulder to shoulder with developed
is the development of an inferiority nations in modern infrastructure and
complex regarding our good qualities cutting-edge services, often surpass-
and strengths. Even essential philos- ing even major developed countries
ophies like Bhakti in Indian tradition in various domains. We are seen more
have not been immune to this trend. in leadership roles. Simultaneously,
The young individuals present here Bharat’s Yoga is permeating homes
can relate to this phenomenon. When worldwide. The world’s confidence in
it comes to devotion, some perceive it our Ayurveda and naturopathy is on
as contradictory to logic and moder- the rise. Presidents, Prime Ministers,
nity. However, devotion to God is a and delegates from numerous nations
profound philosophy bestowed upon visit to witness our ancient temples.
us by our sages. Devotion embodies How did this rapid transformation
hope and confidence, not despair or occur? It’s the energy of our youth!
fear. It has the power to infuse con- Today’s Indian youth combine knowl-
sciousness amidst attachment and PM Narendra Modi at the 150th anniversary of Acharya Srila Prabhupada (ANI) edge and research, proudly embracing
renunciation. Bhakti, as described by our culture. They understand the sig-
Shri Krishna on the battlefield in the emerged to guide the nation. In the oped nation. We progress with the na- nificance of both spirituality and en-
12th chapter of the Gita, is a great midst of the medieval era’s hardships, tion as our deity, guided by the vision trepreneurship. Therefore, there has
yoga that empowers individuals like when defeat enveloped Bharat in de- of ‘Dev Se Desh’. Our diversity is our been a surge in the youth population
Arjuna to stand against injustice. spair, the saints of the Bhakti move- strength, emanating from every cor- regarding visits to pilgrimage places
Therefore, devotion signifies determi- ment taught us the mantra ‘Haare ko ner of the land, constituting our ener- like Kashi and Ayodhya.
nation, not defeat. Harinam’, ‘Haare ko Harinam’. They gy, our vigour, and our consciousness. With such aware youth, it’s natu-
Our aim is not to triumph over emphasized surrendering only to the Gathered here in such large num- ral for our nation to embark on mis-
others but to conquer ourselves, Supreme Being. Amidst centuries bers, you all hail from diverse states sions like Chandrayaan and at the
fighting not for personal gain but of plunder-induced poverty, these and regions, each with its unique same time embellish ‘Chandrashek-
for humanity, embodying the spir- saints advocated protecting our values language, dialect, and lifestyle. Yet, a har Mahadev Dham’. When the
it of ‘Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre’. through a life of renunciation and re- shared ethos effortlessly unites us all. youngsters lead, we land rovers on the
This sentiment is deeply ingrained silience. They re-instilled confidence Lord Shri Krishna imparts the wis- moon, preserving tradition by using
in our culture and heritage. Hence, that sacrificing everything to uphold dom –।, signifying that the same di- names like ‘Shivshakti’. Vande Bharat
Bharat has never engaged in territori- truth inevitably extinguishes false- vine essence resides within all beings trains will traverse the nation, rejuve-
al expansion through aggression. The hood. Only truth prevails – ‘Satyamev as their soul. This belief, manifest- nating places like Vrindavan, Mathu-
ideological assaults by those unfa- Jayate’. Thus, the freedom movement ed through the concepts of ‘Nar Se ra, and Ayodhya. I’m pleased to an-
miliar with this profound philosophy gained immense strength from lumi- Narayan’ and ‘Jiva Se Shiva’, is deeply nounce the commencement of the
have influenced our psyche to some naries like Swami Vivekananda and ingrained in Bharat’s psyche. Hence, exquisite Ganga Ghat construction in
extent. Yet, we owe a debt of gratitude Srila Swami Prabhupada. Notable fig- our mantra of unity in diversity is so Mayapur, Bengal, under the Namami
to saints like Srila Prabhupada, who ures like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose simple, so pervasive that it leaves no Gange scheme.
re-instilled crores of people with the and Mahamana Malviya sought spiri- room for division. A single utterance With the blessings of the sag-
proud spirit of devotion and the re- tual guidance from Prabhupada Swa- of ‘Hare Krishna’ bridges hearts and es, this journey of development and
solve for ‘freedom from the mentality mi, enhancing the movement’s vigour. minds. For the world, a nation may be heritage will continue for the next 25
of slavery’ in this ‘Azadi Ka Amritkaal’. Through Bhakti Yoga, we derive a political construct, but for India, ‘Ek years, fostering a developed Bharat
Many learned saints of the Bhak- the confidence to transcend mor- Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ is a spiritu- and paving the way for global welfare
ti path grace us with their presence tality even amidst sacrifices. Hence, al conviction. through spirituality. With this aspira-
today. You are all well-versed in the our sages proclaim – ‘Amrit-Swarupa The life of Srila Bhakti Siddhan- tion, Hare Krishna to all! Thank you
path of devotion. The contributions Cha’, meaning devotion is akin to nec- ta Goswami serves as an exemplar very much!
of our Bhakti saints and the role of tar. Today, with this conviction, crores before us. Born in Puri, he received
the Bhakti movement in the free- of countrymen have entered the ‘Am- initiation (Diksha) in the Ramanu- This is the approximate
dom struggle have been invaluable. ritkaal’ fueled by patriotism. In this jacharya Ji tradition of the South and
During every challenging period in ‘Amritkaal’, we are committed to ele- propagated the legacy of Chaitanya translation and abridged version of
Bharat, great saints or Acharyas have vating Bharat to the status of a devel- Mahaprabhu. Establishing his Mutt in Prime Minister’s speech. The original
speech was delivered in Hindi
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