Gorakhpur, 24 Sept (HS): Gorakhpeethadhiswar and Chief

Minister Yogi Adityanath said that foreign invaders not only plundered India's

wealth but also attempted to destroy its knowledge tradition and wisdom.

Attacks on temples were part of this mindset. Only the method of this effort

changed during the British period. By creating confusion, the British attempted

to cut Indians off from their traditions, values, and roots. He said that now

is the time to recognize our knowledge tradition, present it to the world with

evidence, and pass it on to the new generation by connecting it with modern

technology.

Chief Minister Yogi was chairing a conference on

Current Perspective of the Indian Knowledge Tradition on Thursday,

the first day of a series of conferences on contemporary topics to commemorate

the 57th death anniversary of the great man, late Mahant Digvijaynath Ji

Maharaj, and the 12th death anniversary of the national saint, late Mahant

Avedyanath Ji Maharaj. Held in the Mahant Digvijaynath Smriti Bhavan auditorium

of the Gorakhnath Temple complex, the Chief Minister painted a vivid picture of

the Indian knowledge tradition, from ancient times to the present. Referring to

the attacks on the ashrams of sages in Dandakaranya during the Ramayana period,

he said that whether by demonic and devilish forces or foreign invaders, the

objective of attacks on India was not only to plunder its wealth but also to

destroy its knowledge heritage. Referring to Mahmud Ghaznavi's attack on the

Somnath Temple, he said that the purpose of destroying the temple was not only

looting but also destroying the eternal tradition.

Chief Minister Yogi said that during the British period, the

approach changed. Indians were misled about their language, medical system, and

knowledge tradition. English was given importance over Sanskrit, and modern

medicine was given importance over traditional medicine. As a result, we

gradually became disconnected from our traditions, values, and roots.

Chief Minister Yogi said that in ancient times, India's

knowledge was amazing and the best in every field. India's ancient universities

produced excellent graduates in all fields, including language, grammar,

economics, science, astronomy, Ayurveda, astrology, crafts, technology, etc. By

preserving this rich knowledge tradition of India, we can give a lot to the

world for the welfare of the people. He said that the new generation must be

introduced to the heritage of Panini, Patanjali, the Acharyas of Ayurveda, and

Chanakya's Arthashastra. About three thousand years ago, 88 thousand sages

gathered in Naimisharanya to document the knowledge acquired through the

listening tradition.

Indian scholars have always pondered over issues of the

past, present and future.

Chief Minister Yogi, quoting the lines of national poet

Maithilisharan Gupt, 'Who were we, what have we become and what will we become

now, let us think about all these problems together today', said that Indian

scholars have always pondered over the issues of the past, present and future.

Keeping that tradition of contemplation in mind, the Indian sage tradition has

always preserved its heritage in some form or the other. The Chief Minister

said that Indian society is the only one in the world which has not limited

knowledge to just learning letters or attaining material achievements. The

Indian tradition has considered education as a medium to pave the way to

liberation.

India was called the world teacher because of its tradition

of knowledge: The Chief Minister said that India has the world's best climate,

the best fertile land, and the best water resources. Despite all this, if India

was called the world leader, it was because of its tradition of knowledge. We

had a monopoly on this heritage of knowledge. He said that many of today's

developed countries have a history of 400 to 500 years, whereas India had

universities like Takshashila 2600 years ago and Nalanda around 1700 to 1800

years ago. Kashi, Ujjain, and Kanchi were also major centers of knowledge. He

said that the Kumbh was not just a bathing event. In Prayagraj, Haridwar,

Ujjain, and Nashik-Trimbakeshwar, saints and scholars discussed their research

and innovation. Indian society still links its festivals, celebrations, and

auspicious events to the Indian Hindu calendar.

PM Modi encouraged the preservation of the knowledge

tradition: The Chief Minister said that in 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

inspired the countrymen to preserve and advance India's knowledge tradition. In

that same vein, discussions began to preserve ancient manuscripts,

inscriptions, copper plates, and parchments scattered throughout India. Society

and families, captivated by modernity, were unable to understand their

significance. Today, when work is underway and people are expressing a desire

to learn about them, their importance is now becoming clear to everyone.

More than one lakh manuscripts are being preserved: Chief

Minister Yogi stated that over one lakh ancient manuscripts have been collected

at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Kashi, and their preservation and

digitization work is underway. Such knowledge heritage also exists in families,

the homes of scholars, ancient monasteries, and temples. Manuscripts, copper

plates, and inscriptions have been found in various places, including Ayodhya,

Prayagraj, Mathura-Vrindavan, and Lucknow.

It is the right time to make the present generation aware of

the heritage of knowledge.

Chief Minister said that today, to express gratitude to our

Rishi tradition and to give India a sense of Indianness, the work of

establishing research centers on the Indian knowledge tradition has begun

again. He appealed to educational institutions, saying that this is the most

opportune time to preserve all the heritage associated with the Indian

knowledge tradition and make the current generation aware of it.

The conference began with homage to the departed Mahants: The

conference began with a floral tribute to the pictures of Yugpurusha Brahmalin

Mahant Digvijaynath Ji Maharaj and Rashtrasant Brahmalin Mahant Avedyanath Ji

Maharaj. Digvijay Stotra was recited by Dr. Abhishek Pandey, Mahant Avedyanath

Stotra was recited by Dr. Prangesh Kumar Mishra, Vedic Mangalacharan was

recited by Ashwini Tripathi and Goraksha Ashtak was recited by Mrityunjay and

Gaurav Pandey. The keynote speaker, Acharya Dr. V. Ramanathan of IIT BHU

presented a set of his four books based on the Indian knowledge tradition to

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The program was conducted by Dr. Shri Bhagwan

Singh.

On this occasion, prominent people present were

Malukpeethadhiswar from Vrindavan, Agrapeethadhiswar Dwaracharya Swami

Rajendradas Ji Maharaj, Mahant Shernath Ji Maharaj from Junagadh, Gujarat,

Jagadguru Shri Vishnuswami Sampradayacharya Shri Santoshacharya 'Satua Baba' Ji

Maharaj from Kashi, Peethadheeshwar Mahant Narayan Giri Ji of Shri

Dudheshwarnath Mahadev Math Temple Ghaziabad, Mahant Rajudas Ji from

Hanumangarhi Ayodhyadham, Swami Narsinghdas Ji Maharaj from Jabalpur, Mahant

Rambalkdas Ji Maharaj from Ayodhyadham, Mahant Shivnath Ji Maharaj from

Cuttack, Orissa, Swami Keshavanand Ji Maharaj from Patna from Bharat Sadhu

Samaj, Mahant Jai Bakshdas Ji from Tapsidham Basti, Peer Ramnath Ji from

Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, Mahant Ram Lakhandas Ji from Digambar Akhara

Ayodhyadham, Mahant Mithileshnath Ji Maharaj from Devipatan Temple, Balrampur,

Mahant Ravindradas Ji Maharaj from Kalibari, Gorakhpur, etc.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi