President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday observed that the “single defining feature” of the quest of rishi munis (saints) of India in ancient times has been plurality.
Speaking after inaugurating the Sri Rajadhiraja Govinda temple built by the ISKCON on Bengaluru’s outskirts, the president said, “All competing world-views, from Advaita Vad to Vishishtadvait Vad, all have flourished under one umbrella. There are different sects, such as Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shakta sampradaya (tradition). Just as there can be many ways to reach the top of the hill, there are different paths to realise the Supreme, such as Jnana Marga, Karma Marga and Bhakti Marga. Yet, in Hinduism, you never know where one ends and another begins, as if they are all interlinked by their common faith in the divine”. It is no wonder that the Bhagavad Gita also offers different lessons to different people, depending on their qualification, he added.
