India’s spiritual tradition not bound to any community: Narendra Modi

India’s inner strength lie in its spiritual tradition, which has held together its people — irrespective of communities — in an inseparable bond stated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. He said that whenever anything evil took place in the country, reformers had come up from the Hindu society and did everything to restrict the society from doing anything wrong.

The Prime Minister was speaking at the three-year-long Centenary Celebration of Sri Gaudiya Math and Mission. Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of Tripura Tathagata Roy, Minister of State for Urban Development, Babul Supriyo and Firhad Hakim were also present in the programme.

He said: “Raja Ram Mohan Roy fought for abolition of the practice of sati in the country and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar had created awareness in the society and brought several changes. This is our age old tradition that whenever anything wrong took place in the society someone came forward to reform the society. The society that does not accept the reforms cannot sustain for long and turn lifeless. But this is our strength that our societies have got reformers.”

“People from across the world wonder that how this country can still stand strong despite passing through several ups and downs. 

Spiritual consciousness is the power that keeps the country intact. He wondered that there may not be any place apart from India where people with such diversity accept this fact. 

“The society is so deep that here a person who worships an idol and at the same who doesn’t worship also appreciate this fact. Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a preacher of bhakti. It is not an easy task to be a devotee. 

“A true devotee is a person who never gets divided. There is no difference between me and who made me and there is where bhakti andolan starts, Prime Minister maintained. If we take a look into the freedom movement of our country, we will understand that Bhakti andolan made the ground of the freedom movement stronger.”

He added that when we sing the bhajan “Vaishnav Jan To Tene Re Kahiye Re”, we never raise question that in which language it is written. “The reason behind mentioning this is that consciousness transcends language and thus we do not bother about the language in which the bhajan is written.” 

It was favourite to Mahatma Gandhi. Though I have no right to do so, but some time I replaced “Vaishnav Jan” with “jan pratinidhi” in the modern context. While speaking out the lines, he said that it also shows that there was thought of corruption even 400 years ago. 

“I sometime listen to a saying in the world that “live and let live”. 

“But this country is at a step ahead. In India we say that “live and let live and also help a person who needs help to live”, said Modi.

After attending the inaugural programme he went to Gaudiya Math at Baghbazar and performed prayer.

The Prime Minister said this consciousness transcended even language. The bhajan“Vaishnav Jan To Tene Re Kahiye Re” is a prime example of this.

Meanwhile, around 35 Youth Congress activists were arrested for trying to show black flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited the city this evening to launch the centenary celebrations of Gaudiya Mission and Math, police said.

Around 5 pm, the Youth Congress activists gathered near Netaji Indoor Stadium, the venue of the event, and started waving black flags when a fleet of cars was approaching the place, they said.