3 min readKurukshetraNov 30, 2022 08:37 AM IST
First published on: Nov 30, 2022 at 08:37 AM IST
Stressing on imbibing the teachings of ‘Bhagavad Gita’, President Droupadi Murmu Tuesday said that book spreads hope in despair and also give solutions to all doubts of practical life. Murmu, who is on a two-day visit to Haryana, inaugurated the International Gita Festival-2022 on the banks of Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra.
She offered prayers amidst chanting of mantras at Brahma Sarovar and also performed ‘yagna’ near Lord Shri Krishna’s huge chariot idol located at Purushottampura Bagh.
She was accompanied by Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
The President also launched a Nirogi Haryana scheme, an e-ticketing system in Haryana Transport and virtually laid the foundation stone of a medical college in Sirsa district to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 950 crore. She also participated in the International Gita Seminar.
Addressing the gathering, Murmu lauded the state government for organising the International Gita Festival and added that she considers it a blessing of Lord Krishna that she got an opportunity to begin her first visit to Haryana as the President from this ‘Dharma-kshetra’.
The President said ‘Bhagavad Gita’ is an international book in a real sense and it has been translated into many languages. “Like Yoga is India’s gift to the entire world, in the same way, Yoga-Shastra Gita is also the spiritual gift of Mother India to the entire humanity. The Gita is a life code for the whole of humanity, a spiritual beacon,” she said.
She said Gita, which comprises 700 ‘Shaloks’ has the essence of all ‘Vedas’. “Gita is the important ‘granth’ of ‘Vedanta’. It is such a book in which solutions to all the doubts of practical life and spirituality are easily found. It is a ‘granth’ of encouragement in adverse circumstances and spreads hope in despair. This is a ‘granth’ for life-building,” she said.
Leaders like Lokmanya Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi, who gave direction to our freedom struggle, took guidance from Bhagavad Gita in every sphere of life, she said adding Mahatma Gandhi used to call ‘Bhagavad Gita’ as ‘Mata’.
“Gandhi had said, ‘the mother who gave birth to me is gone, but I have learned to go to ‘Gita Mata’ in times of crisis’,” Murmu said, adding that Swami Vivekananda used to say that Gita gives a message of shedding cowardice and adopting bravery.
Brave jawans, hardworking farmers and daughters of Haryana made the state and the whole country proud in their respective fields by imbibing the teachings of the Gita, Murmu said. Murmu will be meeting women from Haryana who contributed immensely in their respective fields.
Earlier, the President visited the state-level progressive Haryana exhibition at the International Gita Festival where she saw the artwork based on Gita’s teachings and got a glimpse of the stories of valour and contribution of Haryana’s heroes in the freedom struggle displayed through photographs
Addressing the gathering, Murmu lauded the state government for organising the International Gita Festival and added that she considers it a blessing of Lord Krishna that she got an opportunity to begin her first visit to Haryana as the President from this 'Dharma-kshetra'. (Express Photo) 
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