Days after Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to eradicate Sanatana Dharma, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board announces initiatives to promote the same among youth, put them on ‘bhakti path’.
Hyderabad: Distribution of 1 crore copies of the Bhagavad Gita among as many students and VIP break darshan (skirting the usual queue) facility for those up to 25 years of age who write the ‘Govinda Koti’, a devotional reference to Lord Venkateshwara, 1 crore times in a book — these are some of the initiatives the newly constituted Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, the trust that manages the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, has announced “to promote Hindu Sanatana Dharma in a grand manner to attract the youth into the Bhakti path”.
The TTD’s announcement Tuesday has come within days of Tamil Nadu minister and state Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi creating a furore across the country with his call to eradicate the ‘Sanatana Dharma’.
The decisions were taken under the chairmanship of Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) legislator from Tirupati, who took over as the TTD chairman for the second time last month.
The Tirupati temple is located about 125 km from Chennai and is patronised by millions of devotees from across Tamil Nadu as well.
Udhayanidhi’s statements evoked a sharp reaction from Bhumana who, speaking to reporters after the board meeting, said, “Sanatana Dharma is not a religion but a lifestyle and is not related to any one particular caste or sect. These remarks would hurt the sentiments of people and disturb the peace in the society,” terming such comments from persons holding high positions as “unwarranted and inappropriate”.
According to Bhumana, the TTD is involved in activities intended to spread and strengthen Sanatana Dharma and urged the members to dedicate themselves “to the service of Lord Venkateshwara and his devotees and take up Hindu Dharmic activities in a widespread manner.”
The Bhagavad Gita to be gifted to school, college and university students will be a 20-page booklet containing the essence of the Hindu scripture. The coveted VIP break darshan facility for youth will also include their families. Apart from the Govinda Koti, those below 25 years of age will also be granted a one-time darshan for writing the Govinda Namavali 10,01,116 times, the board said.
“The TTD prayer hall in T. Nagar (Chennai), constructed decades back, is very popular and a new Goddess Padmavathi temple, also in Chennai, was consecrated and opened to the public in March. The TTD had, in principle, decided to expand the temple construction activities, especially in neighboring states such as Tamil Nadu and Telangana,” a senior TTD official said to ThePrint.
