After the pran pratishtha (consecration) rituals at the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a subtle dig at those who opposed the temple and created roadblocks over decades, when he said Lord Ram “is not fire but energy”.
The event at the temple, the heart of a decades-long political ferment, was avoided by most opposition parties like the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Left, and Trinamool Congress after they accused the BJP of using it for electioneering ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
“Ram is not fire but energy. Ram is not a dispute but the solution. Ram doesn’t belong to us alone but belongs to everyone,” said the Prime Minister while addressing the visitors as well as the nation.
He also got back at detractors for fearmongering that building a Ram temple on the previously disputed site would trigger violence.
“Those were the days when some people used to say that if the Ram temple is built, it would trigger violence. Such people failed to understand the sacredness of India’s social sentiments. The construction of this temple for Ram Lalla is also a symbol of peace, patience, mutual harmony, and unity in Indian society. We are witnessing that this construction is not causing any violence but rather giving birth to positive energy,” said PM Modi, who participated in the pran pratishtha ceremony as the chief yajman.
Speaking to the nation, he repeatedly underscored the delay in realising this day that came after decades-long mass movements and legal tangles. While he did not blame anyone in particular, the PM offered an apology to the deity on behalf of all his devotees. Ram Lalla, he also said, will “no longer live in a tent”.
In his address, he transcended the grand temple to the realm of spirituality. The Prime Minister said that it’s not just a deity’s temple but the temple of India’s perspective, vision, and foresight. “It’s a temple of national consciousness in the form of Lord Ram,” he said.
Emphasising on the “Ram is for everyone” mantra, the off-white silk attire-clad Prime Minister said, “Ram is pervasive, universal, the soul of the universe.”
But despite the overwhelming fervour across the nation on Monday, the PM was cautious enough to suggest the importance of being modest. Aiming for the “next thousand years”, Modi said, “It’s not a moment of victory alone for us but of modesty as well.”
So what’s next? The sense the PM wanted to communicate was simple: the struggle is behind and it’s time for jubilation while being grounded. And in doing so, he said, India should aspire for a new era of the next thousand years of greatness. Though he didn’t use the terms, he seemed to be aiming for the “Amrit Kaal” leading to a “Ram Rajya” where Ram is a unifying factor rather than being divisive, as being fearmongered by a few.
“Ram sirf hamare nahi, Ram to sab ke hain (Ram isn’t just ours, he is everyone’s),” was the PM’s message from Ayodhya.
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