Governor H.R. Bhardwaj has said that people of Karnataka, who have a history of being rooted in tradition while embracing science and technology, should keep up this spirit.
Speaking at the 151st birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda, organised by Himanshu Jyoti Kala Peetha and Malleswaram Brahmana Sabha here on Monday, he said that while religion had divided the world, it also had the ability to keep people united when understood correctly.
“Religion is pure nectar when understood in the right spirit, and poison when approached the wrong way,” he said, calling upon people to “multiply the spirit of Swami Vivekananda” by understanding the spiritual core of religions.
On dharma
He said that every individual should act according to his or her own ‘dharma’ and added that his dharma was “protecting constitutional values”. This, he said, was a great ‘rajadharma’, which was often not followed.
Mr. Bhardwaj exhorted Brahmins to consider themselves “scholars”. Their duty, he said, was explaining the nature of the “cosmic power” to society.
Veereshanandaji Saraswathi of Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Ashram, Tumkur, said that Swami Vivekananda was a bridge between the East and the West and provided an alternative model to Western intellectuals.
M.V. Savitri, IAS officer, who received a national award for best electoral practices, was felicitated at the function. She was the District Election Officer of Chamarajanagar during the Assembly elections.
D.B. Chandre Gowda, Bangalore North MP, and director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan H.N. Suresh were present.
