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The power of thoughts and ideas is so deep that it is difficult to measure. Thoughts and ideas are what shape the world because they define the moral compass of societies. For the normal and positive progress of societies, the ideas that shape them and the ideas that define them must be moral. The moral life alone provides a solid edifice for the cultural and civilizational development of human societies. Since the development of society is at stake, it is important that these ideas are discussed, discussed and understood by the components of society – the people.
In the early nineteenth century, a young man in Bengal, Jayadayal Goyandka, started a seminar that attempted to decipher the thoughts and ideas put forward by the Bhagavad Gita. A merchant by profession and a family man, Goyandka was driven by the desire to not only understand the essence of the Gita but to take it to the masses. He soon found an ally in Hanuman Prasad Podar and together the two embarked on a journey that sparked a social, political and philosophical transformation in Indian society. In 1923, this endeavor found an official release in the establishment of Gita Press. Over the next 100 years, journalism, which had begun with Jayadal’s simple desire for an original and error-free translation of the Gita, transformed into a selfless movement.
Gita Press has ensured unhindered access to authentic translations of books that carried not just philosophies but awakenings, and which not only offered insight but served as inspiration for conscious action, across North India. There is no philosophical issue related to Sanatan Kaal of India that cannot be found among the publications of Gita Press. It is published not for academics or researchers but for the masses. This is the most striking contribution of Gita Press because society can only be constructive and progressive when it is capable of building up a good and moral individual.
When I was a child, I noticed a bunch of books in my grandparents’ house in Haryana that were part of my grandparents’ collections. This was not an aberration as books from the Gita Press became an indistinguishable feature of every home. None of these books sought to preach. They merely introduced the readers to a pool of knowledge whose existence would have been forgotten had it not been for Gita Press.
The Foundation has made available millions of copies of Devi Bhagavata Purana, Durga Saptashati, Puranas and
Upanishads and Bhakta-Gathas, apart from the Gita and Ramcharitmanas in Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Oriya, Telugu, Kannada and other Indian regional languages. Since journalism was never predisposed to exploitation, the masses found books affordable and easily accessible.
For more than a century of transformative work, Gita Press has been awarded the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize 2021. The press won the award “for its outstanding contribution to social, economic and political transformation through nonviolent and other Gandhian methods”. Established by the government in 1995, the Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award conceived as a tribute to the ideals espoused by Gandhi.
Had Mahatma Gandhi lived to see today, he would not have been happier and prouder. Gandhi appreciated the work done by Gita Press. He and Poddar shared a bond of friendship. Gandhi was, in fact, a contributor to the first issue of Kalyan, the main monthly magazine of Gita Press, published in August 1926. Other major contributors to Kalyan were Madan Mohan Malaviya, Rajendra Prasad, Rabindranath Tagore and Rama Tirath. Even Premchand wrote for Kalyan. Indeed, in a letter to Poddar, Gandhi wrote that the work done by Gita Press and Kalyan was “a great service to God.”
There is hardly anyone who doubts that when it comes to adopting the messages and teachings of the Gita in life, no one can come close to Gandhi. No other book or scripture influenced Gandhi, shaped his personality, and changed his life so profoundly as Gita. Gandhi believed that the Gita’s message is not directed at any particular religion or sect.
It is the universal message of Dharma and it is this universality of approach that makes the Gita a holy book for all.
In Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Rahasya, Bal Gangadhar Tilak writes the theme of the Gita is karma yoga, which encourages devotion to all work as an offering, without a desire for personal reward. Jayadayal and Poddar took it upon themselves to convey the message of the Gita to everyone as a form of karma yoga. Both of them had no intention of profiting. This philosophy continues to guide Gita Press. For Jayadayal and Poddar, Gita Press was an offering that India continues to capitalize on decades after the duo’s passing.
The Gita Press lives on as a testament to the power of Indian ideas and philosophies. The popularity of her books among the masses is a reassurance that we remain on the path of Dharma as components of an ethical society.
Indian wisdom is the key to many of our ailments. For 100 years Gita Press has helped keep Indian society at peace by keeping us connected to the eternal truth. I hope this movement grows from strength to strength.
The writer is Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in the Federal Council of Ministers. work and employment
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