“Many months ago, I visited Narendra Modi and told him that he must be a PM candidate. Modi was hesitant and said that there were many qualified people. I told him that he should create a ‘Modi wave’.” – Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Swami Dayananda Saraswati is a world-renowned teacher of Vedanta. Under his guidance, numerous centers for Vedic teaching have been founded around the world. The two main centers in India are the Arsha Vidya Ashram in Rishikesh and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Coimbatore. In the U.S., the main center is the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. At present, there are at least sixty centers in India and abroad that carry on the same tradition of Vedantic teaching. As a humanitarian and visionary, Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the All India Movement for Seva, which has improved the lives of millions of indigent citizens. He founded the Acharya Sabha, a Hindu apex body of ancient mathas of India.
After having been diagnosed with a severe pulmonary disorder, Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati had been hospitalized for more than two months in intensive care in Coimbatore. Swami returned to Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. He is slowly regaining my voice. He practices physical therapy daily to make his walking steadier and regain strength. His devotees all over the world have been praying for his speedy recovery.
In a recent conversation, Swamiji spoke about the ongoing elections and his conversation with Narendra Modi. “Many months ago, I visited Narendra Modi and told him that he must be a PM candidate. Modi was hesitant and said that there were many qualified people. I told him that he should create a ‘Modi wave’.”
Indeed the only excitement today is the Modi wave that is sweeping the country. So much so that even many from the US are visiting India to do their part.
Swamiji recalled campaign work he did in his twenties (1950s). “I was a journalist. Besides reporting, I used to get news from London and consolidate. The candidate for the T. Nagar, Chennai, constituency was impressed with my capacity to write. She offered me an office in a huge building. I served as her agent.”
“I ran her campaign well. She lost to Congress as the Congress was very powerful.”
Swamiji reminded us that even then, working for elections was not an ordinary game. “There are no rules. Middlemen offer to sell votes in exchange for favors.”
“I left the job at the news agency because there was not much income there. Indian Express offered me a job but they asked me to wait for one year!”
It is truly inspiring that the most revered and foremost teacher of Vedanta of today was a journalist and involved in national elections. Today’s citizens aspire for an honest and capable leader.
“The country needs Modi. I wish everybody all the best”, concluded Swamiji.
See also
- “Hindu vote is sacred. Every one should vote to protect dharma”
- Aurobindo, Besant, Dayananda Saraswati on Nation and Dharma
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