PM lays foundation stones and dedicates to the Nation various development projects in Kedarnath

The Prime Minister,  Shri Narendra Modi laid foundation stones and dedicated to the Nation various development projects in Kedarnath. He inaugurated Shri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi and unveiled the statue of Shri Adi Shankaracharya. He also reviewed and inspected the executed and ongoing infrastructure works. The Prime Minister also offered prayers at the Kedarnath Temple. Prayers were offered and celebrations held at 12 Jyotirlingas and 4 dhams and many places of faith all over the country along with the event at Kedarnath Dham, all events were linked to the main event at Kedarnath Dham.  

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister evoked the great spiritual rishi tradition of India and expressed his indescribable joy on coming to  Kedarnath Dham. Recalling his interaction with soldiers at Nowshera yesterday, he said yesterday, on Diwali, he took the feelings of 130 crore Indians to soldiers, today, on Govardhan Puja, he said that I was on the land of soldiers and in the divine presence of Baba Kedar. The Prime Minister quoted a verse from Ramcharitmanas- ‘अबिगत अकथ अपार, नेति-नेति नित निगम कह’ meaning some experiences are so supernatural, so infinite that they cannot be expressed in words. He said this is how he feels under the shelter of Baba Kedarnath.

The Prime Minister said that new facilities like shelters, facilitation centres will ease the lives of priests and devotees and allow them to fully immerse in the divine experience of the pilgrimage. Recalling the Kedarnath floods in 2013, the Prime Minister noted that damage caused by the floods years ago was unimaginable. He said “people who used to come here used to think that will this our Kedar Dham stand up again? But my inner voice was saying that it will stand with more pride than ever before.”  The Prime Minister said due to the grace of Lord Kedar and inspiration of Adi Shankaracharya and his experience of managing the aftermath of the Bhuj Earthquake, he could be of help in those difficult times. He struck a personal note and said that it is a blessing that he could serve the place which nurtured him earlier in his life. He thanked all the workers, priests, Rawal families of the priests, officials and the Chief Minister for relentlessly pursuing the development works at the Dham. I said he kept monitoring the work through drones and other technologies. He said that “this combination of modernity with the eternal on this ancient land, these development works are the result of the natural grace of Lord Shankar.”

Talking about Adi Shankaracharya, Shri Modi said  that the meaning of Shankar in Sanskrit is – “शं करोति सः शंकरः”. That is, the one who does welfare is Shankar. This grammar was directly proven by Acharya Shankar. His life was as extraordinary as it was  devoted to the welfare of the common man, he said. The Prime Minister recalled there was a time when spirituality and religion started getting linked with stereotypes and outdated practices. Whereas, Indian philosophy talks about human welfare and looks at life in a holistic way. Adi Shankaracharya did the work of making the society aware of this truth, he said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that today, our cultural heritage centers of faith are being viewed with deserved and valid pride, as they should be viewed. “A grand temple of Lord Shri Ram is coming up in Ayodhya. Ayodhya is getting its glory back. Just two days ago, the whole world saw the grand celebration of Deepotsav in Ayodhya. Today we can imagine how the ancient cultural form of India must have been”, Shri Modi said. The Prime Minister said that today’s India is confident about its heritage. “Today, India sets tough goals and deadlines for itself. Today, it is not acceptable for India to be timid about deadlines and goals”, the Prime Minister said. Talking about the contribution of heroes of the Freedom Struggle, the Prime Minister asked the countrymen to visit the places related to the glorious freedom struggle of India and pious places of pilgrimage and get acquainted with the spirit of India. 

The Prime Minister said that the third decade of the 21st century belongs to Uttarakhand. He informed that work is going on at a fast pace on the Chardham road project, connecting with the Chardham highways. In future, the work has started so that devotees can come here to Kedarnath ji through cable car. There is also the holy Hemkund Sahib Ji nearby. Work is going on to build a ropeway to make the darshan in Hemkund Sahib ji easy. “Keeping in mind the immense  potential and full faith in the capabilities of the people of Uttarakhand, the State government is involved in the ‘mahayagya’ of Uttarakhand’s development”, he said.

The Prime Minister lauded the discipline shown by Uttarakhand in the fight against Corona. Overcoming the geographical difficulties, today Uttarakhand and its people have achieved the target of 100 % single dose vaccination. This is the strength and power of Uttarakhand, he said. “Uttarakhand is situated at a very high elevation. My Uttarakhand will scale even greater heights than its own elevation”, The Prime Minister concluded.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi has been reconstructed after the destruction in the 2013 floods. The entire reconstruction work has been undertaken under the guidance of the Prime Minister, who has constantly reviewed and monitored the progress of the project. Today also, the Prime Minister reviewed and inspected the executed and ongoing works along the Saraswati Aasthapath. Key infrastructure projects which have been completed, including Saraswati Retaining Wall Aasthapath and Ghats, Mandakini Retaining Wall Aasthapath, Tirth Purohit Houses and Garud Chatti bridge on river Mandakini. The projects have been completed at a cost of over Rs. 130 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for multiple projects worth over Rs 180 crore, including the Redevelopment of Sangam Ghat, First Aid and Tourist Facilitation Centre, Admin Office and Hospital, two Guest Houses, Police Station, Command & Control Centre, Mandakini Aasthapath Queue Management and Rainshelter and Saraswati Civic Amenity Building.

रामचरित मानस में कहा गया है-

‘अबिगत अकथ अपार, नेति-नेति नित निगम कह’

अर्थात्, कुछ अनुभव इतने अलौकिक, इतने अनंत होते हैं कि उन्हें शब्दों से व्यक्त नहीं किया जा सकता।

बाबा केदारनाथ की शरण में आकर मेरी अनुभूति ऐसी ही होती है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

बरसों पहले जो नुकसान यहां हुआ था, वो अकल्पनीय था।

जो लोग यहां आते थे, वो सोचते थे कि क्या ये हमारा केदार धाम फिर से उठ खड़ा होगा?

लेकिन मेरे भीतर की आवाज कह रही थी की ये पहले से अधिक आन-बान-शान के साथ खड़ा होगा: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

इस आदि भूमि पर शाश्वत के साथ आधुनिकता का ये मेल, विकास के ये काम भगवान शंकर की सहज कृपा का ही परिणाम हैं।

मैं इन पुनीत प्रयासों के लिए उत्तराखंड सरकार का, मुख्यमंत्री धामी जी का, और इन कामों की ज़िम्मेदारी उठाने वाले सभी लोगों का भी धन्यवाद करता हूँ: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

शंकर का संस्कृत में अर्थ है- “शं करोति सः शंकरः”

यानी, जो कल्याण करे, वही शंकर है।

इस व्याकरण को भी आचार्य शंकर ने प्रत्यक्ष प्रमाणित कर दिया।

उनका पूरा जीवन जितना असाधारण था, उतना ही वो जन-साधारण के कल्याण के लिए समर्पित थे: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

एक समय था जब आध्यात्म को, धर्म को केवल रूढ़ियों से जोड़कर देखा जाने लगा था।

लेकिन, भारतीय दर्शन तो मानव कल्याण की बात करता है, जीवन को पूर्णता के साथ, holistic way में देखता है।

आदि शंकराचार्य जी ने समाज को इस सत्य से परिचित कराने का काम किया: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

अब हमारी सांस्कृतिक विरासतों को, आस्था के केन्द्रों को उसी गौरवभाव से देखा जा रहा है, जैसा देखा जाना चाहिए।

आज अयोध्या में भगवान श्रीराम का भव्य मंदिर पूरे गौरव के साथ बन रहा है, अयोध्या को उसका गौरव वापस मिल रहा है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

अभी दो दिन पहले ही अयोध्या में दीपोत्सव का भव्य आयोजन पूरी दुनिया ने देखा।

भारत का प्राचीन सांस्कृतिक स्वरूप कैसा रहा होगा, आज हम इसकी कल्पना कर सकते हैं: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

अब देश अपने लिए बड़े लक्ष्य तय करता है, कठिन समय सीमाएं निर्धारित करता है, तो कुछ लोग कहते हैं कि –

इतने कम समय में ये सब कैसे होगा! होगा भी या नहीं होगा!

तब मैं कहता हूँ कि – समय के दायरे में बंधकर भयभीत होना अब भारत को मंजूर नहीं है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

चारधाम सड़क परियोजना पर तेजी से काम हो रहा है, चारों धाम हाइवेज से जुड़ रहे हैं।

भविष्य में यहां केदारनाथ जी तक श्रद्धालु केबल कार के जरिए आ सकें, इससे जुड़ी प्रक्रिया भी शुरू हो गई है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

यहां पास में ही पवित्र हेमकुंड साहिब जी भी हैं।

हेमकुंड साहिब जी के दर्शन आसान हों, इसके लिए वहां भी रोप-वे बनाने की तैयारी है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021

उत्तराखंड ने कोरोना के खिलाफ लड़ाई में जिस तरह का अनुशासन दिखाया, वो भी बहुत सराहनीय है।

भौगोलिक कठिनाइयों को पार कर आज उत्तराखंड ने, उत्तराखंड के लोगों ने 100 प्रतिशत सिंगल डोज़ का लक्ष्य हासिल कर लिया है।

ये उत्तराखंड की ताकत है, सामर्थ्य है: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 5, 2021