Manuscript with commentaries on Shlokas of Gita released
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Mar 9: In a veiled attack on his opponents, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that some elements were targeting constitutional bodies for political interests and thus harming the country though they don’t represent mainstream of India.
“Now a day, there are some people, who are always making efforts as to how to target the prestige and credibility of our constitutional institutions. Be it our judiciary, Parliament or even Indian Army, attempt are being made to target them due to political interests and this tendency is severely harming the country,” he said while releasing a manuscript on Shlokas of Srimad Bhagavad Gita at New Delhi today in presence of Manoj Sinha, Lt Governor J&K UT and Dr Karan Singh, former Sadar-e-Riyasat and Chairman Trustee of Dharmarth Trust.
The Prime Minister reminded that individual freedom comes from these constitutional institutions and we must keep in mind our democratic duties also while talking of our rights.
“Our democracy gives us freedom of thoughts, freedom of work and equal rights in every sphere of our life. This freedom comes from the institutions that are the guardians of our Constitution and therefore, whenever we talk of our rights, we should also remember our democratic duties,” he stressed.
Expressing satisfaction that those attacking Constitutional institutions don’t represent mainstream of India, PM Modi said that the country was now moving forward with a commitment for its duties. He added that the country has made the `Karmayoga’ advocated by the Gita as its mantra and is working to change the lives of its poor, farmers, labourers, Dalits and the backwards.
In this context, the PM also spoke of the help provided by India to several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic by sending them medicines and now vaccines without any condition, and credited the Gita’s inspiration for it.
The manuscript, released today by PM Modi, has been published by Dharmarth Trust, written with extraordinary variety and nuance of Indian calligraphy ranging from Shankar Bhashya to Bhasanuvada.
The Prime Minister lauded the work done by Dr Karan Singh on Indian philosophy and added that his effort has revived the identity of Jammu and Kashmir, which has led the thought tradition of the entire India for centuries. He said thousands of scholars have dedicated their whole lives for in depth study of the Gita, which can be clearly seen in the analysis of different interpretations on every verse of a single scripture and the expression of so many mystics.
Modi said that Gita is also a symbol of India’s ideological freedom and tolerance, which motivates every person to have his own viewpoint. He said that Adi Shankaracharya, who united India, saw the Gita as a spiritual consciousness.
“Saints like Ramanujacharya had put forth the Gita as an expression of spiritual knowledge. For Swami Vivekananda, Gita has been a source of unwavering diligence and indomitable confidence. For Sri Aurobindo, the Gita was a true embodiment of knowledge and humanity. Gita was a beacon in Mahatma Gandhi’s most difficult times. The Gita has been the inspiration of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s patriotism and valor. This is the Gita, which was explained by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and gave new strength to the freedom struggle,” he added.
The Prime Minister stressed that the Gita is a book for the whole world and every creature. “It has been translated into many Indian and International languages and research is being carried out in many countries by many international scholars,” he added.
Earlier, Dr Karan Singh, Chairman Trustee of Dharmarth Trust, J&K, scion of erstwhile royal Dogra family and an expert on Hindu philosophy, elaborated on the collection of manuscripts with commentaries by scholars on Shlokas of Gita.
He also threw light on the Dharmarth Trust, which was formed by founder of J&K State , Maharaja Gulab Singh to run affairs of temples in Jammu and Kashmir.
The manuscript released today, is named “Srimad Bhagavad Gita: Rare multiple Sanskrit commentaries in original calligraphy”. This is the first time that key commentaries on the Gita by 21 celebrated Indian scholars have been compiled together for a comprehensive and comparative appreciation of the holy book.
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