Spirituality greatest strength of India: Venkaiah Naidu

Spirituality is our greatest strength and it has been the soul of our nation and the foundation of our civilisation since ancient times, Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday.

He was addressing a gathering after releasing the biography of Iskcon founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada ‘Sing, Dance and Pray’.

"Spirituality is our greatest strength, and Indian culture stands for the universal values of unity, peace, and social harmony," Naidu said.

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Praising ancient scriptures for their transcendental spiritual value, Naidu said for millennia they have been manuals directing people to lead an ideal life based on ethics and values.

"Our scripture 'The Bhagavad Gita' provides insightful solutions to all the problems of human existence, ranging from approaches to liberation from suffering, to self-realisation and attaining moksha or salvation, to the nature and significance of dharma to the overriding importance of action, devotion and a wide array of other philosophical questions,” he added.

Calling India the land of devotion, Naidu said bhakti runs through the veins of Indians and is the lifeline of India’s collective civilisational consciousness.

Naidu pointed out that many rishis, munis and acharyas in India had uplifted the masses through the non-sectarian, universal method of worship, and lauded Srila Prabhupada for preaching the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'.

"The Bhagavad Gita provides insightful solutions to all the problems of human existence, ranging from approaches to liberation from suffering, to self-realisation and attaining moksha or salvation, to the nature and significance of dharma to the overriding importance of action, devotion and a wide array of other philosophical questions. The father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, expressed his deep reverence for the Gita," Naidu said.

Hindol Sengupta, the author of the biography; Madhu Pandit Dasa, president of Iskcon-Bangalore and chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Chanchalapathi Dasa, senior vice-president of Iskcon-Bangalore and vice-chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, were present at the event.