Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi’s Speech

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The great price we have to pay for forgetting history, what we lose, what we miss out; if we want to understand this, then I believe, we can understand this very well from the personality of Shrimad Rajchandraji that what we have missed out on, what we have lost by forgetting Him. And today, it is a very auspicious occasion that Shrimad Rajchandraji, whom Revered Bapu used to also address as Kavishri, His 150th year; and the land of sacrifice on which, following centuries of slavery, the sacred act of awakening India’s conscience was carried out, the 100th year of this Sabarmati Ashram. The year 2017 is significant in many ways.

Through today’s programme, many people from this country, those who are associated with Gandhi, those who study Gandhi, for them the name of Shrimad Rajchandraji is familiar; however, there is an entire generation of people for whom the name of Shrimad Rajchandraji is new. The fault is ours because we should have kept the memory of these great men alive from one generation to the next, but we went on such a wrong track that we forgot them. It is this Government’s effort that there is a constant remembrance of this great nation’s great sons, great traditions and great history. We remain connected to the roots of history and prepare ourselves to create new history and demonstrate valour. We have to move forward with this purpose.

Shrimad Rajchandraji, as Gurudev Rakeshji was saying, there were many great personalities of the world who came to meet Mahatma Gandhi. He held discussions for independence with many great people of the world. They were tall, broad, 6 feet, 6 ½ feet in height; shiny, smooth, fair skinned people. It has been my good fortune. I had gone to Vavania where Shrimad Rajchandraji was born. It is His ancestral place and I am grateful to members of His family for the way they have cared for this space. After leaving from there, I had told the teachers that whenever they went for a tour in Saurashtra, they should definitely spend a few moments in Vavania. When we go to a temple, we experience different kind of vibrations, it is a different experience. What I had experienced, I believe you will also experience the same. The space that has been created for Shrimad Rajchandraji in Vavania, it is not a temple, it is a space; but as soon as you enter, you will experience the vibrations of a spiritual consciousness.

In our country, PhD is done on many subjects. PhDs are undertaken on the poems, creations in prose and verse of many great beings. But it is my wish, that as we celebrate Shrimad Rajchandraji’s 150th year, especially the Universities of Gujarat as well as the Universities of this country – why don’t they undertake PhD on Shrimad Rajchandraji’s writings and preachings?

The impact of Shrimad Rajchandraji’s letters on Gandhiji’s life, in all his activities, at every moment is evident. Look at Gandhiji’s uniqueness. There wasn’t difference in their ages. Shrimad Rajchandraji was brought up in the Jain tradition, yet look at Gandhiji’s simplicity. He was a barrister now. Despite there being no difference in age, a person equal to him and someone who led an ordinary life, he would put all the questions of his mind on paper and seek answers from Him. And Shrimad Rajchandraji would unhesitatingly send the casket of complete knowledge along with spiritual consciousness and support through letters to Revered Bapu. If we see the letters between Revered Bapu and Shrimad Rajchandraji, then we will have a better understanding of that period of time, of Gandhiji’s mental state, as well as how much care even the leader of such huge independence struggle used to take of his mental state; he learnt how to manage it from Shrimad Rajchandraji.

Our new generation does not have any knowledge of this and hence this year, as we are celebrating the centenary year of the Sabarmati Ashram, when student tourists from the country come to Gujarat, I will tell those teachers also that you see everything but you must inspire those children to spend a few moments at the Sabarmati Ashram. Take them to Vavania and show that such great men have been born in our country in these times. It is not a tale from the bygone age of Sages and Saints. How much ever I praise Gurudev Rakeshji, it will not be enough. He walks on the Path of Right Knowledge as well as the Path of Selfless Action. His thinking has been nurtured and developed through the inspiration of Shrimad Rajchandraji and in order to fulfil these ideals, His life is dedicated to the selfless service of the tribal population living in remote jungles. And I have seen that there are a large number of people around the world who listen to His discourses on TV regularly. I have just returned from the Netherlands, I was in the Netherlands the day before yesterday. A large group of young Indian professionals associated with IT are also settled there. At least a dozen people met with me, held me and pulled me aside and said, you are meeting Rakeshji day after tomorrow!! And they said one more thing. They said, please send us a photograph of Rakeshji with you. These things are not easy. They hold great strength in themselves. I have had the privilege of working in the area of Dharampur, where Rakeshbhai is functioning these days. I have had the opportunity of spending a long period during my youth amongst the tribal population.

Today when I have come to the Sabarmati Ashram, we are recalling Shrimad Rajchandraji’s penance, His meditative state and the teachings that emerged from His personal experience.

Shrimad Rajchandraji, a great spiritual luminary, who has shown the Path of Right Knowledge, the Path of Selfless Action and the way to awaken our inner consciousness. Revered Bapu has lived by the teachings of Shrimad Rajchandraji, and has shown their successful experimentation. On the occasion of commemorating these two great men together, I express once again that to have had the opportunity to be amidst you all, to have had the good fortune of seeing such a large number of people who have come from different parts of this country and the world, to have had the opportunity of meeting Rakeshji, I consider it my great fortune.

Many, many thanks.