Amid ongoing political storm over a controversial remark against Goddess Kali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, was one such saint who had a clear vision of Maa Kali.
The Prime Minister was virtually addressing the birth centenary celebration of Swami Atmasthananda.The Prime Minister said, "Swami Ramakrishna Paramhansa, was one such saint who had a clear vision of Maa Kali, who had surrendered his whole being at the feet of Maa Kali.
This whole world, this variable and constant, everything is pervaded by the consciousness of the mother. This consciousness is seen in the Kali Puja of Bengal."The Prime Minister underlined that a "beam of this consciousness and power was illuminated by Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa in the form of Yugpurush like Swami Vivekananda and the spiritual vision that Swami Vivekananda felt about Maa Kali, had infused extraordinary energy and power within him".
"A mighty personality like Swami Vivekananda would get excited like a small child in devotion, in the memory of Jaganmata Kali," Prime Minister Modi said.The Prime Minister remarked that he could see the same sincerity of devotion, and the same power of Shakti Sadhana within Swami Atmasthanandaji.
The Prime Minister paid his tributes to Swami Atmasthananda by reminiscing the time he spent with him. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said, "This event is filled with many feelings and memories.I have always been blessed by him, there was an opportunity to be with him.
It is my good fortune that I kept in touch with him till the last moment."Prime Minister Modi noted that be it Adi Shankaracharya hundreds of years ago or Swami Vivekananda in modern times, the saint tradition of India has always been proclaiming 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' and the establishment of Ramakrishna Mission is also associated with the idea of 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat'.
While highlighting the contributions of Swami Vivekananda, the Prime Minister said that he lived this resolution in the form of a mission and his influence was seen in all parts of the country and his travels made the country realise its ancient national consciousness in the era of slavery, and also infused new confidence in it.
"This tradition of Ramakrishna Mission was carried forward by Swami Atmasthananand ji throughout his life," he noted.While remembering the time he spent with Swami Atmasthananda, Prime Minister Modi said that he was fortunate to talk to him in Gujarati.
The Prime Minister also remarked on the time during the Kutch earthquake when relief work was carried out under the guidance of Swami Atmasthananda.While taking the example of Digital India, Prime Minister Modi stated that India has emerged as a world leader in the field of digital payments.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the achievements of giving 200 crore vaccine doses to the people of India. "These examples are a symbol of the fact that when the thoughts are pure, efforts do not take long to complete and obstacles show us the way," he added.