Gorakhpur, September 14: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday that the Gyanvapi which some people call a mosque today is Vishwanath himself.
Chief Minister Yogi was addressing the inaugural session of the seminar on ‘Contribution of Nathpanth in the creation of harmonious society’ at Deendayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University. The two-day seminar has been organized under the joint aegis of Gorakhpur University and Hindustani Academy Prayagraj.
In the program, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described the tradition of saints and sages as a tradition connecting society and the country and mentioned Adi Shankar in detail. He said that the tradition of Indian sages and saints has always been a connecting one. This saint-sage tradition has given importance to egalitarian and harmonious society since ancient times. The
Chief Minister said that if attention had been paid to removing untouchability, the country would never have been enslaved. The saint tradition never gave importance to untouchability and discrimination in the society. This is the tradition of Nath sect as well. Nath sect respected every caste, religion, sect and region. It tried to unite everyone. On one hand, Nath sect stressed on spiritual upliftment through purification of the body and on the other hand, it tried to unite every section of the society.
He said that the words, verses and couplets of Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath ji talk about uniting the society and social harmony. His guruship is also renowned for strengthening social harmony. Even Malik Muhammad Jayasi has said, ‘Binu Guru Panth Na Paaye, Jo Bhule Se Bhet, Jogi Siddh Hoi Tid, Jab Gorakh Saun Bhet.’ Saint Kabirdas ji also describes his glory while Goswami Tulsidas says, ‘Gorakh awakened the yoga, Bhakti bhagayo log nigam niyog se.’ Yogi said that the tradition of saint literature, its chain goes forward from the literature of Guru Gorakhnath.
The Chief Minister said that the indelible marks of the tradition of Nathpanth are not only in every corner of the country but also in foreign countries. Referring to his meeting with a prominent saint of Tamil Nadu in Ayodhya, he said that he has received manuscripts of Nathpanth from the remote areas of Tamil Nadu from the said saint. Many places of worship and traditions of Nathpanth related to Gorakhnath ji still exist here. The Manjunath mentioned in the tradition of Karnataka is Manjunath Gorakhnath ji. The tradition of Sant Gyaneshwar Das in Maharashtra is also a link of Matsyendranath ji, Gorakhnath ji and Nivruttinath ji. There is a tradition of reading Navnaths on the lines of Ramcharitmanas in Maharashtra. Nathpanth will be seen expanding in states like Punjab, Tripura, Assam, Bengal etc. as well as in many countries including Greater India and Nepal, Bangladesh, Tibet, Afghanistan, Pakistan.
Emphasizing the need to preserve the symbols related to the tradition of Nath sect and to store them in the form of a museum, the Chief Minister said that Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath Shodhpeeth of Gorakhpur University can take initiative in this direction.
The Chief Minister said that Nath sect has always understood its role according to the country, time and circumstances. When external attacks on the country had started, the Yogis of Nath sect made the society aware of the danger to the country through playing Sarangi. He said that it is a matter of good fortune that Mahayogi Gorakhnath ji sanctified Gorakhpur with his sadhana.
