The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the ‘Statue of Equality’ in Hyderabad today. The 216-feet tall Statue of Equality commemorates the 11th century Bhakti Saint Sri Ramanujacharya, who promoted the idea of equality in all aspects of living including faith, caste and creed. Governor Telangana Smt Tamilisai Soundararajan, Union Minister Shri G. Kishan Reddy were among those present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion the Prime Minister greeted everyone on the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami and expressed happiness on dedication of the statue on such a pious occasion. He said “India is giving concrete shape to India’s human energy and inspirations through this grand statue of Jagadguru Sri Ramanujacharya. This statue of Sri Ramanujacharya is a symbol of his wisdom, detachment and ideals.”
The Prime Minister participated in the ‘Purnahuti’ of ‘Vishwaksena Ishti Yagya’. The Yagya is for fulfilment of resolutions and goals. The Prime Minister offered the ‘sankalpa’ of the Yagya for the ‘Amrit’ Sankalp of the country and dedicated the yagya to 130 crore countrymen.
The Prime Minister recalled the Indian tradition of its scholars that views knowledge above rebuttal and acceptance-rejection. “If we have ‘advait’ then we have ‘dvait’ too and we also have Sri Ramanujacharya’s ‘Vishishtadvaita’ that encompasses both ‘davit-advait’”, said the Prime Minister. He noted that along with the pinnacle of gyan in Sri Ramanujacharya, he is the founder of Bhakti Marg too. One the one hand he is a saint of rich ‘Sanyaas’ tradition, he presents the importance of action in Gita Bhashya, on the other. The Prime Minister continued “In today's world, when it comes to social reforms, progressivism, it is believed that reforms will take place away from the roots. But, when we see Ramanujacharya ji, we realize that there is no conflict between progressiveness and antiquity. It is not necessary to go far from your roots for reforms. Rather it is necessary that we connect with our real roots, become aware of our real power.”
The Prime Minister elaborated on the link between the current measures and the wisdom of our saints. Sri Ramanujacharya made the country familiar with the real concept of social reforms and worked for Dalits and backwards. He said, today Sri Ramanujacharya is giving us the message of equality in the form of a grand Statue of Equality. Going along with this message, today the country is laying the foundation of its new future with the mantra of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas'. The Prime Minister emphasized that India, today, is working collectively for development of all without discrimination; social justice for all so that those who have been oppressed for centuries become partner with full dignity in the development of the country. Schemes like Pucca houses, Ujjwala connections, free medical treatment upto 5 lakh or the free electricity connections, Jan Dhan accounts, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan have strengthened Dalits, backwards and deprived.
The Prime Minister called Sri Ramanujacharya a ‘shining inspiration for the unity and integrity of India’. “He was born in the South, but his influence is on the whole of India from South to North and East to West”, he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that India's freedom struggle was not just a fight for its power and its rights. In this fight there was a 'colonial mindset' on one side, and the idea of 'live and let live' on the other. On the one hand, it was a hysteria of racial superiority and materialism, on the other hand it was a belief in humanity and spirituality. And in this battle India and its tradition were victorious, he said. “Indian Freedom struggle was blessed with the energy of equality, humanity and spiritualism that it received from the saints”, he added.
Referring to Hyderabad connection of Sardar Patel, the Prime Minister said “if Sardar Sahib's 'Statue of Unity' is repeating the oath of unity in the country, then Ramanujacharya's 'Statue of Equality' is giving the message of equality. This is the specialty of India as a nation.”
The Prime Minister elaborated on the richness of the Telugu culture and how it has enriched India’s diversity. He recalled the long traditions of kings and queen who were torchbearers of this rich tradition. In the context of rejuvenation and recognition of India’s places of faith, the Prime Minister talked about 13th century Kakatiya Rudreshwara Ramappa temple being declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Pochampalli being recognized as India’s best tourism village by the World Tourism Organization.
The Prime Minister noted the glorious contribution of the Telugu film industry which is making its presence felt globally and much beyond Telegu speaking areas. “This creativity is reigning on silver screen and OTT platforms. It is being praised even outside India. This dedication of Telugu speaking people towards their art and culture is an inspiration for all”, the Prime Minister added.
The Statue is made of ‘panchaloha’, a combination of five metals: gold, silver, copper, brass, and zync and is among one of the tallest metallic statues in sitting position, in the world. It is mounted on a 54-ft high base building, named ‘Bhadra Vedi’, has floors devoted for a Vedic digital library and research centre, ancient Indian texts, a theatre, an educational gallery detailing many works of Sri Ramanujacharya. The statue has been conceptualised by Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swami of Sri Ramanujacharya Ashram.
During the programme, 3D Presentation Mapping on the life journey and teaching of Sri Ramanujacharya was showcased. Prime Minister visited the identical recreations of 108 Divya Desams (ornately carved temples) that surround the Statue of Equality.
Sri Ramanujacharya worked tirelessly for the upliftment of people with the spirit of every human being equal regardless of nationality, gender, race, caste or creed. The inauguration of the Statue of Equality is a part of the 12-day Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Samaroham, the ongoing 1000th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramanujacharya.
आज मां सरस्वती की आराधना के पावन पर्व, बसंत पंचमी का शुभ अवसर है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
मां शारदा के विशेष कृपा अवतार श्री रामानुजाचार्य जी की प्रतिमा इस अवसर पर स्थापित हो रही है।
मैं आप सभी को बसंत पंचमी की विशेष शुभकामनाएं देता हूं: PM @narendramodi
जगद्गुरु श्री रामानुजाचार्य जी की इस भव्य विशाल मूर्ति के जरिए भारत मानवीय ऊर्जा और प्रेरणाओं को मूर्त रूप दे रहा है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
रामानुजाचार्य जी की ये प्रतिमा उनके ज्ञान, वैराग्य और आदर्शों की प्रतीक है: PM @narendramodi
भारत एक ऐसा देश है, जिसके मनीषियों ने ज्ञान को खंडन-मंडन, स्वीकृति-अस्वीकृति से ऊपर उठकर देखा है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
हमारे यहाँ अद्वैत भी है, द्वैत भी है।
और, इन द्वैत-अद्वैत को समाहित करते हुये श्रीरामानुजाचार्य जी का विशिष्टा-द्वैत भी है: PM @narendramodi
एक ओर रामानुजाचार्य जी के भाष्यों में ज्ञान की पराकाष्ठा है, तो दूसरी ओर वो भक्तिमार्ग के जनक भी हैं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
एक ओर वो समृद्ध सन्यास परंपरा के संत भी हैं, और दूसरी ओर गीता भाष्य में कर्म के महत्व को भी प्रस्तुत करते हैं।
वो खुद भी अपना पूरा जीवन कर्म के लिए समर्पित करते हैं: PM
ये जरूरी नहीं है कि सुधार के लिए अपनी जड़ों से दूर जाना पड़े।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
बल्कि जरूरी ये है कि हम अपनी असली जड़ो से जुड़ें, अपनी वास्तविक शक्ति से परिचित हों: PM @narendramodi
आज जब दुनिया में सामाजिक सुधारों की बात होती है, प्रगतिशीलता की बात होती है, तो माना जाता है कि सुधार जड़ों से दूर जाकर होगा।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
लेकिन, जब हम रामानुजाचार्य जी को देखते हैं, तो हमें अहसास होता है कि प्रगतिशीलता और प्राचीनता में कोई विरोध नहीं है: PM @narendramodi
आज रामानुजाचार्य जी विशाल मूर्ति Statue of Equality के रूप में हमें समानता का संदेश दे रही है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
इसी संदेश को लेकर आज देश ‘सबका साथ, सबका विकास, सबका विश्वास, और सबका प्रयास’ के मंत्र के साथ अपने नए भविष्य की नींव रख रहा है: PM @narendramodi
विकास हो, सबका हो, बिना भेदभाव हो।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
सामाजिक न्याय, सबको मिले, बिना भेदभाव मिले।
जिन्हें सदियों तक प्रताड़ित किया गया, वो पूरी गरिमा के साथ विकास के भागीदार बनें, इसके लिए आज का बदलता हुआ भारत, एकजुट प्रयास कर रहा है: PM @narendramodi
रामानुजाचार्य जी भारत की एकता और अखंडता की भी एक प्रदीप्त प्रेरणा हैं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
उनका जन्म दक्षिण में हुआ, लेकिन उनका प्रभाव दक्षिण से उत्तर और पूरब से पश्चिम तक पूरे भारत पर है: PM @narendramodi
इसमें एक ओर, ये नस्लीय श्रेष्ठता और भौतिकवाद का उन्माद था, तो दूसरी ओर मानवता और आध्यात्म में आस्था थी।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
और इस लड़ाई में भारत विजयी हुआ, भारत की परंपरा विजयी हुई: PM @narendramodi
भारत का स्वाधीनता संग्राम केवल अपनी सत्ता और अपने अधिकारों की लड़ाई भर नहीं था।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
इस लड़ाई में एक तरफ ‘औपनिवेशिक मानसिकता’ थी, तो दूसरी ओर ‘जियो और जीने दो’ का विचार था: PM @narendramodi
आज देश में एक ओर सरदार साहब की ‘Statue of Unity’ एकता की शपथ दोहरा रही है, तो रामानुजाचार्य जी की ‘Statue of Equality’ समानता का संदेश दे रही है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
यही एक राष्ट्र के रूप में भारत की विशेषता है: PM @narendramodi
पिछले वर्ष ही तेलांगना में स्थित 13वीं शताब्दी के काकातिया रूद्रेश्वर -रामाप्पा मंदिर को यूनेस्को विश्व धरोहर स्थल घोषित किया गया है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 5, 2022
वर्ल्ड टूरिज्म ऑर्गनाइजेशन ने पोचमपल्ली को भी भारत के सबसे बेहतरीन Tourism Village का दर्जा दिया है: PM @narendramodi
