The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said that some due to ignorance are labelling our sacred elements like spirituality as superstition. Underlining that Sanatan stands for inclusivity, Shri Dhnakhar stated, “ Some people, due to ignorance or blindly pursuing the meaning of things, wrongly label our sacred elements, spirituality, as superstition.”
“The answer to everything today can be found in Sanatan. What Sanatan teaches is essential for the system of today, no matter where in the world it is. Sanatan stands for inclusivity, Sanatan stands for universal goodness, Sanatan stands for the supremacy of the soul.
Sanatan does not believe in subjugation. If you surrender to Sanatan, you are not a captive, you become a free person, a free soul”, he further stated. “Religion cannot be seen in a narrow, conservative manner.
Religion cannot be assessed within limited boundaries. We must understand the true meaning of religion, and only then will we realize that we all need to resolve to make India ‘Vishwa Guru’ once again. And India becoming the ‘Vishwa Guru is the greatest auspicious message for the world”, he added.
Addressing the gathering at the closing ceremony of 150th Birth Anniversary of Gaudiya Mission’s founder Acharya Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad, Shri Dhnakhar said, “ In our culture, we have endured cruelty, invasions, and barbarism What kind of barbarity, extremity, and reckless destruction of our religious places, our cultural symbols!
When Nalanda was set on fire, just imagine what was destroyed! How many floors did Nalanda have, how many lakhs of books were there, and they were not just for India, but for the entire world. The progress of technology today has some connection to the knowledge stored in our treasure of wisdom”.
In his address he further stated, “This is the land of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who never compromised on nationalism. And what a huge sacrifice it was! Today, we are in a fortunate time, that the concerns Shyama Prasad Mukherjee had, his thoughts, his commitment to nationalism, and the festering wound he saw, is no longer present in our Constitution”.
Emphasising on the significance of culture and the need to preserve the cultural aspects of society, Shri Dhankhar underlined, “Today, we need our children to have an awareness of our culture. It is a positive sign that many programs are being conducted in this direction, but if there is one greatest adornment for any country, it is not its wealth, but its culture.
Once the culture is disrupted, the decline cannot be stopped. Cultural aspects, all elements related to culture, their preservation, sustenance, and protection are crucial because they define India”. “There was a time….when people from around the world came searching for knowledge, for light.
Our institutions were of great repute, but at some point, we strayed from the path. Foreign invasions happened, this was about 1200-1300 years ago. A cruel act occurred, a thunderbolt, a violent blow struck, and our cultural and religious centers were destroyed.
We had the occasion to witness barbarity in extremity. It’s unimaginable what was done. And see, despite everything that happened over 1000 years, India’s culture could not be eradicated. It is still alive today”, he added.
Referring to India as the cultural centre of the world, the Vice-President highlighted, “ India is the cultural centre of the world and Kolkata is one of the epicentres of culture ! The challenges the world faces today are frightening.
They compel us to think.We talk about climate change, but the greatest crisis today lies in the human mind. Humanity is restless. Even though we are materially rich, powerful, capable of demonstrating strength, something is still missing.
And when people feel this lack, they see only one North Star India.” Shri C.V. Ananda Bose, Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, Shri Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Tourism, Srimad Bhakti Sundar Sanyasi Goswami Maharaj, President & Acharya, Gaudiya Mission and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.