New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a fiery speech after leading rituals at the pran pratishtha of Ram Lalla at the Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir Monday, exhorting the country to seize the moment as a pivot for development, while telling detractors that the Hindu god ‘was not the problem but the solution’.
“Dev se desh tak, Ram se rashtra tak,” Modi told thousands of invitees who watched the consecration ceremony, adding that the inauguration of the temple would germinate into a new era of India’s development, powered by the youth.
Modi equated the inauguration of the Ram temple with India’s future, asking detractors to revisit their thoughts on it. “Ram is not fire, he is energy. Ram is not a dispute, he is a solution. Ram is not just ours, Ram belongs to everyone. Ram is not only present, Ram is eternal,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister began his speech by chanting “Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai”, and then saying — to much applause by the audience — “Aaj hamare Ram gaye hain (Today our Ram has come)”.
He said Ram has come after centuries’ of wait, patience, numerous sacrifices and prayers. He added that he was fortunate to be witness to the consecration ceremony in the temple’s garbh griha, adding, “I want to say so much, but my voice is choked, My body is still thrilled, my mind still in that moment.”
He said that Ram Lalla would no longer live in a tent — the makeshift place for the deity before the temple was built — but would be in a hallowed temple.
“22 January has a phenomenal vibe…This is not just a date but the origin of a new era. After the bhoomi pujan (in 2019), people waited with bated breath, with patience every day. Today, we have the fruit of centuries of patience…We have got Shri Ram,” he said.
Modi said the country had demolished the mentality of slavery and was poised to create new history. “Even a 1,000 years later, people will talk about today.”
Modi also asked for the deity’s forgiveness that he had to wait for centuries for a home. “Something must have been remiss in our devotion. But today I am confident that he will forgive us,” the PM said.
He thanked the justice system of India for the Ram Temple, which he said had been built via legal permissions.
He also invoked Sita, Hanuman, Lakshman and Bharat in his speech, asking the youth to take lessons from Hanuman’s devotion, which he said should be aimed at the country’s development.
Modi congratulated the country for celebrating Ram Lalla’s consecration, the cleanliness drive that had been launched for the occasion, the lighting of diyas, which he said was like another Diwali.
“I am fortunate that at this auspicious time, I got the opportunity to walk from the sea to Saryu,” the Prime Minister said.
He said this was not just a moment for victory, but also for humility as many had paid a steep price for the temple.
He told his audience to translate Ram’s divinity into thoughts from the country. “Ram ke rup mein rashtra chetna hai…Ram bharat ka adhar, vidhan, chintan, pratishta, pratap, neti, vishwatma hai,” he said.
He said people should take the inauguration of the Ram Temple as an edifice for future good and development. “Ram ka mandir to ban gaya, ab aagey kya? It is a good sign that our generation has been chosen as a time changer… Yahi samay hai, sahi samay hai.”
The Prime Minister said this pran prathishta was the seed for the next 1,000 years of India’s growth, adding there was no place for helplessness in India.
He asked the youth to take an oath — “Sankalp le rashtra ke nirman ke liye jeevan ka pal pal laga dengey.”
He said the construction of the Ram Mandir proved that if the goal was pure, then anything was achievable. “We must not sit around, be distracted. I tell the youth, there are thousands of years of inspiration before you. You must be proud of your tradition and build the future. India’s future is of success. We will not stop. We will reach the top,” he added.
The Prime Minister led the prayers at the consecration of the idol shortly after noon Monday, having prepared himself for 11 days before that, including sleeping on the floor on a blanket and drinking only coconut water. He also toured the country and visited many Ram temples.
After the pran pratishtha, Modi broke his 11-day fast by drinking water from the hands of Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
VIDEO | PM Modi concludes his 11-day fast as he drinks water from the hands of Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.#RamMandirPranPratishtha pic.twitter.com/JItiT6Z2GA
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 22, 2024
Before Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the “temple has been built where we had resolved to build it”, adding it was an emotional moment for all as it had come after a 500-year wait.
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