Pics: Keerthi Mangalore
Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady (SP)
Beltangady, Nov 16: “Religious bigotry that has pervaded all over the world has been destroying great civilizations and has resulted in the glorification of violence. There should not be frictions and narrow-mindedness as far as principles of life are concerned. The intolerance against each other, which is presently being witnessed, should die down and total peace should settle down in the world,” said Sri Veereshananda Swamiji of Ramakrishna Vivekanandashram, Tumkur.
He was delivering the benedictory address, after inaugurating the 77th annual all-religion convention organized on Sunday November 15 night at Dharmasthala, as part of the ongoing Lakshadeepotsava at Dharmasthala.
“Righteousness and salvation are the two undeniable truths in one’s life. Awakened conscience and leading a life of alertness and responsiveness are the clear characteristics of religion. The right attitude would be not to neglect life, and to have an integrated viewpoint on everything,” he asserted.
Dr D Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala, in his introductory address, said that India has been moving through a phase of milestones because of the success it has tasted in conducting researches on moon through satellite, finding out about the presence of water there, winning of the Nobel Prize by an Indian scientist, etc. He hoped that necessary steps would taken by the concerned to provide higher education and basic facilities for conducting advanced research in the country, to stop brain drain. He also felt that the path of non-violence can turn earth into a heaven. He also pointed out that USA President Barack Obama had celebrated Deepavali in White House, and that Vedic hymns were chanted when our President, Pratibha Patil, accepted the commonwealth torch from the queen in London. “People elsewhere are taking from us many things which many of us rubbish as superstition,” he noted.
Sri Siddheshwara Mahaswami of BijapurJnanayogashram, felt that having full knowledge of the truth, loving the truth and making it a way of life is religion. Religion expects people to always think in terms of the welfare of other fellow beings. Truth lives in the form of principles in the outside world, as soul in oneself and by being omni-present. Finding the truth should be the life-goals of the people, he added.
Entrepreneur and social worker, Ronald Colaco from Bangalore, Prof Jeevandhar Kumar Hotapete from Mysore and Mangalore Badriya PU College principal, Dr B Ismail, also addressed the gathering.
MLA Abhayachandra Jain and SDM Education Society vice-president, Prof S Prabhakar, were present. Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade welcomed. RUDSET director, M K S Prabhu, read the messages. SDM Education society secretary, Dr B Yashovarma read the citations. The speakers were felicitated by D Surendra Kumar Dharmasthala.