When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union. – Bhagavad Gita
Compassion is the root of all religious faiths – Basavanna
In a world rife with competition, lust for wealth and merrymaking, there are also some souls who, through their intense efforts teach the lessons of humanity in your life. You can cite numerous examples – Sai Baba, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda in India. But, in this present day, can you find a human soul who strives for the benefit of all religions? There are many, but in Karnataka, every person and road will point to only one place – the Siddaganga Mutt.
Facts about Siddaganaga Swamiji
1. Born on April 1, 1907, to a simple farmer family in Magadi Taluk, Ramanagara District, he got initiated into the fold in 1930. It was in 1941, that he was appointed the present Head of Siddaganga Mutt, by Shri Uddana Swamiji.
2. He has established more than 120 educational institutions. They offer courses in traditional languages such as Sanskrit as well on modern science and technology. He is respected by persons of all communities.
3. His work swears by the motto of Anna Danam (offering food) and Vidya Danam (gaining knowledge is the path to clarity from ignorance).
4. Siddaganga Swamiji is proficient in three languages, Kannada, Sanskrit and English.
5. For his humanitarian work, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature way back in 1965 by Karnataka University. On his centenary year, 11 years ago, the State Government of Karnataka had awarded Swamiji the highest civilian award for the State, Karnataka Ratna. The Government of India also did felicitate him with a Padma Bhushan.
6. The Seer, conveys in his message,”When there is unrest in the whole world, India is capable of leading the world to achieve global peace.”
7. The Gurukula of Swamiji caters to more than 8000 children. There is no caste barrier and the students are at the age of 5 to 16 years. They are provided the three aspects of life, required in the early stages, free of cost – food, education, and shelter.
8. Before any election, every political party in Karnataka makes it a rule to seek the blessings of the Mutt Seer. But being a staunch favorer of secularism, the Seer always stayed away from politics.
9. During the time of Babri Masjid demolition, when the entire country went ablaze, the Seer when interviewed, condemned the demolition.
10. It was on, April 8, 2006, that the then popular President of India APJ Abdul Kalam, praised the work of the Swamiji stating he had done “tapas” for 76 years aiming to bring peace to the world.
Conclusion
In recent times, not only television channels but also few websites scurry to give information and get more viewers in order to make their online presence popular. It does not matter to them if the content they give is right or wrong. But when it comes to holy men, persons who have devoted their lives to humanity, then every individual is at his/her best to provide the best and authentic content.
Contributed by Satyanarayana, Bengaluru
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