Chanting of mantras, temple prayers in Goa to fight Covid-19

From chanting of 'Mahamrityunjay' mantra to offering special prayers at temples, people in parts of Goa have started seeking "divine intervention" in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the state, where the infection count has gone above 5,900 so far.

The coastal state, which was declared a Covid-19 green zone on May 1, had started witnessing a spurt in the number of cases a few days after that.

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The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the oldest regional political outfit in the state, said it has organised chanting of 'Mahamrityunjay' mantra in temples across Goa against the pandemic.

MGP leader and party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar said that this mantra would be chanted one lakh times in each temple across the state.

"We started from Vamaneshwar temple at Dhavali village in Ponda taluka in North Goa on Friday," he said.

"The Mahamrityunjay mantra, which is a part of Rigveda, has the power to eliminate all the negative energy around us. Covid-19 is one such negative energy which has affected the humans," the former state minister said.

State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

In South Goa district, the residents of Netravali village in Sanguem taluka have been offering prayers at the temple of 'Betal Sateri', a local deity.

"The local people have been seeking divine intervention by holding special prayers at the temple of Betal Sateri," retired teacher Dayanand Naik said.

Priest Kushta Velip, who heads the temple, said, "We believe that divine intervention is necessary to get rid of Covid-19. The pandemic is spreading everywhere."

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The village had remained unaffected till one of its residents, who worked in capital Panaji, tested positive for the infection after his return.

"All the villagers had to be tested after that. Thankfully, it was just one person who was found infected," said Amit Naik, a local resident.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Goa reached 5,913 on Friday, while the death toll due to the infection was 45.