Om Birla said Bhagavad Gita belongs to the entire humanity
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said the religious Hindu book Bhagavad Gita does not belong to any particular language, region or religion but to the entire humanity.
Mr Birla was in Kurukshetra to take part in the ongoing International Gita Mahotsav and was accompanied by Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar and State Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta among others.
If there is darkness or difficulty in anyone's life, then Gita can show the way forward. "very doubt in our life can be cleared after reading a small part of the "Gita Saar"," said Mr Birla.
"India is the world's largest democracy and the base of our democracy was laid thousands of years ago by the sages and thinkers who always emphasised on the path of peace, spiritually and equality among all forms of life present on the planet," he said.
The Lok Sabha speaker was the chief guest at the valedictory function of the seminar held as part of the International Gita festival organised by Kurukshetra University (KU) and Kurukshetra Development Board.
Mr Birla appreciated the efforts of the university in organising the seminar which, he said, will motivate the young generation to take inspiration from the Gita and imbibe its teachings in their lives.
Mr Birla said that in today's digital age, the youth are intellectually capable and are leading the world. If they get spiritual knowledge, then their lives will go in the right direction, he said.
"We should adopt the message of Gita in our life," he said, adding those who sacrificed their lives in the freedom movement also took inspiration from the Gita.
"Today there is a need for peace in the material world. We take refuge in God during happiness and sorrow; this is our culture. We get new inspiration from the holy book Gita and we try to govern ethically keeping in mind the expectations and aspirations of the people. Along with our rights, we should also follow our duties," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Khattar said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi motivated us in 2014 to celebrate the significance of Gita and the holy land Kurukhetra by celebrating Gita Mahotsav every year".
"Today, Gita Mahotsav has become an International event and it is playing an important role in disseminating the universal message of karma, bhakti, gyan and moksha to the entire world," he said.
At the event, 75 families of freedom fighters from Haryana were honoured to mark the 75 years of ''Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav''.
Welcoming the guests, Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor Som Nath Sachdeva said the varsity has successfully organised the International Gita Seminar for the sixth year in a row.
The university lays special emphasis on the all-round development of its students when they learn about India''s glorious past, its spiritual and moral traditions and ethical values along with their formal education, he said.