Vedas basis of our values, says Pranab

The President says Vedas were integral edifice of our traditional Indian culture and values besides providing us with insightful knowledge S He praises the TTD for taking several measures to preserve the oral tradition of Vedas and providing financial assistance to 1,000 Vedic scholars and financially assistance to 100-odd Vedapathasalas across the country

Hyderabad: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said the Vedas give the message of universal brotherhood and they should be preserved. "The traditional Indian philosophy 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' beautifully captures the essence of our global outlook. UNESCO has also recognized the Vedas as oral heritage and it is our sacred duty to preserve them in their pristine form," he said. The President was speaking after inaugurating a 'Veda Pathashala' of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) at Ai-Bhimavaram village in West Godavari district on Friday.

Studying Vedas will bring happiness: Naidu

AI. Bhimavaram (West Godavari district): Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the studying of Vedas inculcate moral values in the modern society. Speaking at the inauguration of TTD’s Veda Patasala here on Friday, in which President Pranab Mukherjee participated as the chief guest, he said all efforts should be made to protect the Dharma. Studying Vedas would bring happiness and health to the mankind. He called upon the people to protect Vedas for the survival of our civilisation.

Referring to farmers’ problems, the Chief Minister said while farmers need 5,000 cusecs of water for rabi crop in Godavari delta, only 1,600 cuecs was available in Godavari river. He promised to supply water from Sileru reservoir to save the rabi. Stating that this is first time that the State is experiencing scarcity of water in Godavari for rabi season, he said the government would request Odisha to release water to rabi for Godavari delta in exchange for supply of power to that State.

TTD chairman Chadalawada Krishnamurthy said there were 1,000 students and 100 teachers in 17 courses in Veda Patasala. The school was established at an estimated cost of Rs 4.75 crores and Rs Rs 40 crores have been earmarked in TTD budget for the school’s maintenance.

President Pranab Mukherjee said Vedas are a source of our heritage, culture and constitute the foundation of our value system. He said that the ideas enshrined in the Vedas are essentially the benevolent messages limited not only to the welfare of the individual, society and the nation, but manifest a spirit of universal brotherhood. The President was speaking at a meeting after inaugurating the TTD- run “Veda Patasala” here in Akiveedu mandal in West Godavari district on Friday.

The Veda Patasala which was constructed with a cost of Rs 4.57 crore includes Goshala, Yaga Shala, Pushkarini, Late Kanchi Seer Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Gnanamandir, Sai Baba Temple and Pranab Mukherjee visited all the buildings and also listened the chanting of Vedas from the child students.

In his address, President said that the traditional Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ beautifully captures the essence of our global outlook and said that the UNESCO has also recognised the Vedas as oral heritage and it is our sacred duty to preserve them in their pristine form. “Vedas are an integral edifice of our traditional Indian culture and values.

They provide us with insightful knowledge, wisdom and understanding through ancient Vedic lore and anecdotes. The Vedic seers had codified 14 Vidyas into 4 Vedas, 6 Vedangas, Puranas, Nyaya, Mimamsa and Dharmashastra. These Vedic texts enshrine the message of world peace, prosperity and sustainable development. Lokāh Samastāh Sukhinoh Bhavantu is the doctrine of universal peace and prosperity.”

He said that the true message of Vedas can only be availed if they are interpreted correctly and added in fact, the old Indian tradition of Vedic teachings was primarily oral and it was based upon the bedrock of "guru-shishya” parampara and added “Under that system, the authentic and correct interpretation of Vedic literature was handed down from ‘guru’ to his ‘shishyas’ from one generation to successive generations. The guru would stand as a trusted medium to percolate the ‘true interpretation’ of the Vedic knowledge.”

However, over the period this system has weaned, he said and therefore, initiatives like makings of ‘Veda Patasalas’ acquire great significance because they can provide an institutional framework for dissemination of Vedic knowledge. He added that in ancient India, all Vidyas were taught in residential universities or Gurukulas some of which are world famous like Takshashila, Vikaramshila and Odantapuri, the remains of which have been found.

They were very famous throughout the world particularly in China & South East Asian countries, he added. He further stated in all these Universities, 14 Vidya-s were taught to the students. In Andhra Pradesh too, we had many education centres along with river Godavari, Krishna such as Nagarjunakonda, Amaravati, wherein many foreign students learned here. Veda Patasalas of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams remind us of those great learning institutes established by gurus and sages, the president complimented,

Pranab praised the TTD for taking several measures to preserve the oral tradition of Vedas and expressed his happiness that the TTD was supporting over 1,000 Vedic scholars by providing them with financial assistance. It is also financially assisting 100 Veda Patasalas spread across the country. He said that the TTD has entered into an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RCI-DRDO for conducting scientific research in association with eminent scientists.

It has also established Centre for Veda Science Research (CVSR) for promoting research in Vedas under the enlightened care of scientific institutes. It has also recognized 7 Patasalas as Centres of Excellence in Vedic Studies to give a fillip for oral tradition of Vedas. It has taken initiative to record 10 rare Vedic Sakhas for future generations. This indeed is a laudable endeavour in conserving, consolidating and spreading Vedic knowledge.

TTD Trust Board has always supported and encouraged propagation of Vedic traditions and education with the aim to spread the Vedic wisdom in the society, he said and stated it is running seven Veda Patasalas at Tirumala, Hyderabad, Nalgonda, Vizianagaram, Kotappakonda and Ai-Bhimavaram. It has also started Sri Venkateswara Vedic University, a unique institution of its kind. Governor E S L Narasimhan, Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju, Ministers Kamineni Srinivas, Peetala Sujatha, P Manikyala Rao, MPs Gokaraju Gangaraju, Maganti Venkateswara Rao (Babu), TTD Chairman Chadalavada Krishnamurthy, former MP Kanumuri Bapiraju and others participated.