The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, addressed the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of the historic Gita Press in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, today and released the Chitramaya Shiva Purana Granth. The Prime Minister also visited Leela Chitra temple in the Gita Press and paid floral tribute to the portrait of Lord Shri Ram.
PM Modi started his speech by reciting a very popular sanskrit sloka from KRISHNASHTAKAM, written by Adi Shankarachaya in Sanskrit, worshiping the brilliance of Sri Krishna as the master of the universe.
श्री हरिः। वसुदेव सुतं देवं, कंस चाणूर-मर्दनम्।
देवकी परमानन्दं, कृष्णं वंदे जगद्गुरुम्॥
It means, I worship Lord Kṛṣṇa, Who is the spiritual master of the universe, Who is the son of Vasudeva, Who is the Lord, Who killed Kamsa and Cāṇūra, and Who is the bliss of Devakī. He, As the universal Guru (the one who leads from darkness towards Light), removes the darkness of ignorance by blessing faith and patience and leads us towards the light of truth and righteousness.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked that in the pious month of Sravan, and with the blessings of Indradev, he has got the opportunity to be present at Gita Press in Gorakhpur, which is the worshiping place of Shiva Avtar Guru Gorakhnath and the workplace of many saints. Referring to his visit to Gorakhpur, the Prime Minister said that it is a wonderful example of development and heritage going hand in hand. He informed me that he will head to Gorakhpur Railway Station to lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Gorakhpur Railway Station and flag off two Vande Bharat Express Trains after the completion of the program at Gita Press. He also mentioned that the pictures of the proposed railway station have created a buzz of excitement among the citizens. Referring to the Vande Bharat Express, the Prime Minister stated that it has elevated levels of convenience for the middle class. Recalling the time when Ministers had to write letters to add a halt for a train in their region, the Prime Minister said that today Ministers are writing letters to flag off Vande Bharat Trains. “Vande Bharat Trains have become a craze”, he added. Shri Modi congratulated the people of Gorakhpur and India for today’s projects.
“Gita Press is not just a printing press but a living faith”, the Prime Minister said as he remarked that the office of Gita Press is no less than a shrine for crores of people. He said that with the Gita comes Krishna; with Krishna, there is compassion and ‘karma’, and there is a sense of knowledge as well as scientific research. The Prime Minister said, quoting the Gita, “Vasudeva Sarvam, i.e., Everything is from and in Vasudev.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that the spiritual light that lit up the world in the form of the Gita Press in 1923 has become the guiding light of the entire human race today. He thanked God for the good fortune of being able to witness the golden century of this humanitarian mission. On this historic occasion, the Prime Minister said, the government has conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize on Gita Press. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s emotional attachment to Gita Press, the Prime Minister informed us that Gandhiji once used to write for Gita Press through Kalyan Patrika. He further added that it was Gandhiji who suggested that advertisements should not be published in the Kalyan Patrika, and the suggestion is still being followed. The Prime Minister expressed delight that the country paid its respects to Gita Press by conferring the Gandhi Peace Prize, honoring its contribution and its 100-year-old legacy. In these 100 years, the Prime Minister continued, Gita Press has published crores of books, which are sold at a price less than the cost and delivered door-to-door. He noted the spiritual and intellectual satisfaction that this flow of knowledge must have provided to so many readers while also creating many dedicated citizens for society at the same time. The Prime Minister congratulated the personalities who have been contributing and cooperating in this Yagya selflessly without the need for any publicity and also paid tributes to personalities like Sethji Jayadayal Goyandka and Bhaiji Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar.
The Prime Minister underlined that an organization like Gita Press is not only associated with religion and work but also has a national character. “Gita Press connects India and strengthens India’s solidarity”, Shri Modi said as he informed about its 20 branches across the country. The Prime Minister mentioned that one can find Gita Press stalls at every railway station in the country. He informed me that the Gita Press publishes 1600 titles in 15 different languages and propagates the basic thoughts of India to the masses in different languages. “Gita Press in a way represents the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”, he asserted.
The Prime Minister pointed out that it is no coincidence that Gita Press has completed its journey of 100 years at a time when the country is celebrating 75 years of its independence. Highlighting the time before 1947 when India continuously made efforts in different fields for its renaissance, the Prime Minister said that different institutions took shape to awaken the soul of India. As a result, he continued, by 1947, India was completely ready to break the shackles of slavery with mind and soul. He noted that the establishment of Gita Press also became a major base for it. The Prime Minister lamented the time when centuries of slavery tarnished India’s consciousness a hundred years ago and foreign invaders burned India’s libraries. “The Gurukul and the Guru tradition were almost destroyed during the British period,” he said. He also shed light on the beginning of the disappearance of India’s sacred texts, as the printing presses at the time were beyond the reach of the common man due to their high cost. “How would our society run without the Gita and Ramayana? When the sources of values and ideals start drying up, the flow of society stops automatically”, the Prime Minister exclaimed.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Bhagavad Gita has always been a source of inspiration when unrighteousness and terror have become strong and the truth has been clouded with danger. Quoting the Gita, the Prime Minister explained that whenever there is a crisis in the authority of religion and truth, then God appears on earth to protect them. Referring to the tenth chapter of the Gita, which explains God appearing in any form, the Prime Minister said that sometimes organizations like Gita Press are born to revive human values and ideals. He said that Gita Press accelerated the flow of consciousness and thinking in India as soon as it was established in 1923. He mentioned that our scriptures, including the Gita, once again started resonating in every household, and our minds mixed with the minds of India. “Family traditions and new generations started connecting with these books, and our holy books started becoming the base for generations to come”, he added.
“Gita Press is proof that when your objectives are pure and your values are pure, success becomes synonymous’ ‘, the Prime Minister said. He underlined that Gita Press as an institution has always enriched social values and shown the path of duty to the people. He gave examples of the cleanliness of the river Ganges, the science of Yoga, the publication of Patanjali Yoga Sutra, ‘Arogya Ank’ associated with Ayurveda, ‘Jeevancharya Ank’ to introduce people to the Indian lifestyle, ideals of service to society, ‘Seva Ank, and ‘Dan Mahima’. “Behind all these efforts, the inspiration of serving the nation has been attached, and there has been a resolve to build the nation ”, Shri Modi added.
“The penance of saints never fails; their resolutions are never empty!”, Shri Modi said. Recalling his address from the Red Fort about freedom from the mentality of slavery and taking pride in our heritage, the Prime Minister said that the nation is moving forward while taking both development and heritage with it. On the one hand, India is making new records in digital technology, while at the same time, the divine form of Vishwanath Dham in Kashi has also emerged after the redevelopment of the Kashi Corridor. The Prime Minister mentioned building world-class infrastructure while also witnessing the magnificence of pilgrimages like Kedarnath and Mahakal Mahalok. The Prime Minister also drew attention to the fact that the dream of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is also going to be fulfilled after centuries. The Prime Minister also mentioned the new Naval Ensign, showing the mark of the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Prime Minister also touched upon renaming the Rajpath to the Kartavya Path to inspire the spirit of duty, developing museums across the country to honor tribal traditions and tribal freedom fighters, and restoring sacred ancient idols that were stolen and sent outside the country.
Concluding the address, the Prime Minister said that the idea of a developed and spiritual India was given to us by our sages, and today one can see it becoming meaningful. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the spiritual practice of our saints and sages will continue to give such energy to the all-round development of India. “We will build a new India and make our vision of world welfare a success”, the Prime Minister concluded.
Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath, Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, Shri Ravi Kishan, General Secretary Shri Vishnu Prasad Chandgothia, and Chairman Keshoram Agarwal of the Trust Board of Gita Press were present on the occasion, among others.
