Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 1, released a special commemorative coin on the occasion of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada via video conference. Union Minister For Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), G Kishan Reddy, among others, was present on the occasion.
Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known as the ‘Hare Krishna movement’. ISKCON has translated the Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta and other Vedic literature in 89 languages, playing a stellar role in the dissemination of Vedic literature across the world, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had earlier said. The founder has also established over a hundred temples and wrote several books.
Modi while releasing the special commemorative coin also said, “There are hundreds of ISKCON temples in different countries around the world and is spreading the Indian culture. ISKCON has told the world that for India, faith means zeal, enthusiasm, to be in high spirits and faith in humanity.” Recalling the role of ISKCON during natural disasters faced by the country, the Prime Minister said, “I remember when there was an earthquake in Kutch in 2001, how ISKCON had stepped forward to serve the people. Whenever the country experienced any calamity, whether it is the tragedy of Uttarakhand or the devastation of cyclones in Odisha and Bengal, ISKCON has worked as a support for the society.”
The Prime Minister also said that in the times of slavery, Bhakti kept the spirit of India alive. Today scholars assess that if there was no social revolution of the Bhakti period, it would have been difficult to imagine the status and form of India. Bhakti connected the creature with God by removing the dicrimination of faith, social hierarchies and privileges. Even in those difficult times, saints like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who tied the society with the spirit of devotion and gave the mantra of ‘Faith to Confidence’.
ISKCON has translated the Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta and other Vedic literature in 89 languages, playing a stellar role in 89 languages, playing a stellar role in the dissemination of Vedic literature across the world, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had earlier said.
