Ayodhya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today participated in the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of Ram lalla in the newly built Shree Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
“Ram lalla’s prestige is the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole world is one family),” he said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the whole world was “connected with the Pran Pratistha and the omnipresence of Ram can be witnessed”. He said that similar celebrations could be seen in many countries “and the festival of Ayodhya has become a celebration of the global traditions of Ramayana”.
The Pran Pratishtha ceremony witnessed the participation of representatives of all major spiritual and religious sects of the country and people from all walks of life including representatives of various tribal communities.
Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and President of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, Nritya Gopal Das were present on the occasion among others.
Later, addressing the gathering, he said, “22nd January 2024 is not a mere date on the calendar, it is the origin of a new ‘kaal chakra’”. Drawing an analogy to that moment, Modi said that he got the belief that today’s moment will also be the one to alter the circle of time and move forward. He emphasized that the “joyous and festive” mood of the entire nation was on a constant rise since the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of the temple and the progress of the developmental works enthused new energy into the citizens. “The entire nation is celebrating Diwali today. Every household is prepared to light up the ‘Ram Jyoti’ in the evening,” he said. “From the sea to the Saryu River, the same festive spirit of Ram’s name is prevalent everywhere”, he continued.
After centuries of patience, uncountable sacrifices, renunciation and penance, our Lord Ram is here,” Modi said and added, “Today, we have received the heritage of centuries of patience, today we have got Shri Ram’s temple”. The Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the “sacrifice” of the people who made today’s day possible.
Modi paid tributes to Saints, Kar Sewaks and Ram Bhakts. He also apologized to Lord Ram for the delay in seeing today’s day and said that as today that vacuum has been filled, “surely, Shri Ram will forgive us”.
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Referring to Saint Tulsidas’s description of the return of Ram in ‘Treta Yug’ in the Ramcharitmanas, the Prime Minister recalled the happiness that Ayodhya of the time must have felt. “Then the separation with Shri Ram lasted for 14 years and was still so unbearable. In this age Ayodhya and the countrymen suffered the separation of hundreds of years”, he said, and reminded that despite Ram being present in the original copy of the Constitution, a prolonged legal battle was fought after the independence. The Prime Minister thanked the Judiciary of India for “keeping the dignity of justice intact.”
“This is a temple of national consciousness in the form of Ram. Lord Ram is India’s faith, foundation, idea, law, consciousness, thinking, prestige and glory. Ram is flow, Ram is effect. Ram is Neeti. Ram is eternal. Ram is continuity. Ram is Vibhu. Ram is all-pervading, the world, the universal soul,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister underlined that the nation that breaks the shackles of the mindset of slavery and derives inspiration from past experiences is the one which writes history. According to him today’s date will be discussed a thousand years from now. “Days, directions, skies and everything are brimming with divinity today”, the Prime Minister said, stating that this is not an ordinary time period but an indelible memory path being imprinted on time.
Modi said “Today’s occasion is not only a moment of celebration, but at the same time it is also a moment of realization of the maturity of Indian society. For us, this is not only an occasion of victory but also of humility.” Explaining the knots of history, the Prime Minister pointed out that the outcome of a nation’s struggle with its history is seldom happy. “Still”, he said, “the gravity and sensitivity with which our country has opened this knot of history shows that our future is going to be much more beautiful than our past.” Remembering the doomsayers, the Prime Minister said that such people did not realize the piousness of our social ethos. “The construction of this temple of Ram lalla is also a symbol of peace, patience, mutual harmony and coordination of Indian society. We are seeing that this construction is not giving birth to any fire, but to energy. Ram Mandir has brought inspiration to every section of the society to move forward on the path of a bright future”, he said. He continued “Ram is not fire, he is energy, he not conflict but solution, ram does not belong only to us but to all, Ram is not just present but is infinity”
Modi also interacted with the construction workers who contributed to the construction of the temple. He asked the young generation to take the support of their strong heritage and move ahead with confidence. “India will reach the goal of prosperity by following the path of both the purity of tradition and the infinity of modernity,” he said. “This grand Ram temple will become a witness to the rise of Viksit Bharat (developed India),” he stressed. Drawing lessons from the temple, the Prime Minister emphasized that a goal can be achieved if it is justified and born out of collective and organized power. “This is India’s time and India is going to move forward. After waiting for centuries we have reached here. We all have waited for this era, this period. Now we will not stop. We will continue to reach the heights of development,” he concluded.
– global bihari bureau
