Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah has called upon people to join hands to promote universal brotherhood, the spirit of oneness, tolerance and harmony.
All religions preach righteousness, compassion, tolerance and unity. The purpose of religion is to expand consciousness to rise above oneself.
“Humanity stands above all religions. Let us all join hands to promote universal brotherhood, the spirit of oneness, tolerance and harmony,” he said, felicitating N.S. Ramanuja Tatacharya Swami (NSR), Sanskrit scholar of Navalpakkam village in Vandavasi taluk in Tiruvannamalai district on his being conferred the Chevalier de la Legion d’ Honneur (Chevalier Award) by the French government, at a function got up at the village on Sunday.
(The title was conferred on Mr. NSR, a professor and Associate Researcher at the French Institute of Pondicherry, at a function held at the French Consulate in Puducherry on July 12).
Mr. Rosaiah said education makes integrity of spirit. That too being a Vedic scholar is something great. It is the inward wisdom, intellectual capacity, in-depth knowledge of Vedic scripts, the Vedas, dedication and devotion that have made Mr. NSR reach such great heights.
“It is heartening to note that Navalpakkam, this tiny village, is a home to many erudite Vedic scholars for centuries together.
“It is his hard work, sincerity and flair to learn more to gain in-depth knowledge that made Mr. NSR what he is today,” he said.
Mr. Rosaiah said teachers or gurus had the responsibility of moulding the youth into men and women of character. Merely spreading knowledge would not suffice to build a healthy society. They should set an example of true greatness of spirit and an embodiment of virtues. “A real teacher should possess more than book knowledge. Those who are his students are really gifted to gain wisdom and knowledge from such an erudite and spiritual person like Mr. NSR”, he said.
Mr. Rosaiah released the second volume of a book authored by Mr. NSR and a souvenir brought out on the occasion.
L.V. Subramanyam, Executive Officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, received the first copy.
Mr. Subramanyam said Sanskrit was the repository of ancient wisdom.
All the scientific discoveries of today were already talked about in ancient texts. “Bhaskaracharya spoke of the speed of light several thousands of years ago. Aircraft and X-rays were discovered several thousands of years ago. It is unfortunate that our generation has not been exposed to the truth,” he said.
The TTD Executive Officer said Sanathana Dharma never spoke of the supremacy of any caste. It only talked of a person’s outlook. “The caste system has been started by individuals. It is our mistake that we have not understood the basics of Sanathana Dharma”, he said.
Mr. Subramanyam said acceptability from 14 countries was required for conferring the Chevalier Award on a person. This goes to speak of the greatness of the persons receiving the award. “Such people do not seek honours, but honours go after them,” he said.
Mr. Ramanuja Tatacharya said he owed his erudition to his gurus.
The late Paramacharya of the Kanchi Sankara Mutt, Srimad Andavan Swami and Srimad Azhagiya Singar have all motivated him to write books, he said.
Pointing out that Sanskrit was the mother of most Indian languages, he said scholarly works of many great savants had inspired many a common man to live a life of dharma.
T.E. Kasturi, cardiologist of Tirupati, was among those who felicitated Mr. NSR.
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