Invaders tried to shatter India’s knowledge tradition, time to protect heritage, says CM Yogi
Gorakhpur, September 24: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that foreign invaders not only looted India’s glory but also tried to destroy its knowledge tradition and intellect. Attacks on temples were a part of the invaders’ thinking. Only the method of this effort changed during the British period. The British attempted to create confusion and 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 presiding over 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 Digvijay Nath Ji Maharaj, and the 12th death anniversary of the national saint, late Mahant Avaidyanath Ji Maharaj.
At the conference, held in the Mahant Digvijay Nath 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 merely plunder, but also to destroy 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 over traditional medicine. The result was that we gradually became disconnected from our traditions, values, and roots.
Chief Minister Yogi said that in ancient times, India’s knowledge was remarkable and superior in every field. India’s ancient universities produced excellent graduates in every field, including language, grammar, economics, science, astronomy, Ayurveda, astrology, crafts, technology, etc. By preserving this rich knowledge tradition of India, we can offer much to the world for the welfare of the people.
He said that the new generation must be introduced to heritage such as Panini, Patanjali, the masters of Ayurveda, and Chanakya’s Arthashastra. About three thousand years ago, 88 thousand sages gathered in Naimisharanya to document the knowledge acquired through the Shravan tradition.
Chief Minister Yogi, citing national poet Maithili Sharan Gupt’s lines, “Who were we, what have we become, and what will we become? Let us ponder over all these issues together today,” said that India’s scholars have always pondered over issues of the past, present, and future. In keeping with this tradition of contemplation, the Indian sage tradition has always preserved its heritage in some form or another.
Chief Minister said that India is the only society in the world that has not limited knowledge to mere learning of letters or attaining material achievements. India’s tradition has considered education a means to liberation. It is
Yogi 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’s leader, it was because of its tradition of knowledge. We had a monopoly on the heritage of knowledge.
He said that many of today’s developed countries have a history of 400 to 500 years, while 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. Saints and scholars discussed their research and innovation in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik-Trimbakeshwar. Indian society still connects its festivals, celebrations, and auspicious events with the Indian Hindu calendar.
Chief Minister said that in 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspired the countrymen to preserve and advance India’s knowledge tradition. In this same vein, the preservation of ancient manuscripts, inscriptions, copper plates, and parchments scattered throughout India began. Society and families, obsessed with modernity, were unable to understand their importance. Today, when work is being done on them and people are expressing a desire to learn about them, their importance is now being understood by everyone.
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.
Chief Minister said that today is an opportune time to introduce the current generation to this knowledge heritage.
The Chief Minister said that to express gratitude to our Rishi tradition and to make India feel Indian, the work of establishing a research center on the Indian knowledge tradition has resumed within India.
He appealed to educational institutions, saying that this is the most opportune time to educate the current generation about the preservation of all the heritage associated with the Indian knowledge tradition.
