BIRGUNJ, April 7 – King Gyanendra has said Hinduism, which dates back to the beginning of civilization itself, embraces the high ideals of tolerance and “Vasudaiva kutumbakam” or universal fraternity, in which ideals lies the strength in the relations amongst various faiths in this Hindu Kingdom. The King made this remark while addressing the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the World Hindu Federation (WHF) at Pipara Muth in Birgunj, on Friday. On the occasion, the King said “Based on humanistic ideals, the Hindu culture, which espouses the precept Sarve bhawantu sukhina sarve santu niramaya or ‘Let every human being be happy and free of disease; let every individual’s well-being be ensured,’ is dedicated to the good and peace of all.” These ideals must be incorporated into our way of life, as inscribed in the great religious epic The Bhagawat Gita, the King added. King Gyanendra referred to many instances where, for peace, many sages had sacrificed their lives, and said that to establish permanent peace in the true sense is the need of the day “Let us all pledge to dedicate some of our time towards this noble cause,” said the King, adding the holy Vedas also lay special emphasis on peace and humanism.
Noting that the kingdom of Nepal, the fountainhead of Hinduism, has, since time immemorial, provided ascetics and mystics with the spiritual ground for meditation, the King mentioned that Siddhartha Gautam, the founder of Buddhism, is a son of this land. “Buddhism later spread far and wide, including India, China and Japan, and Lord Buddha came to be revered as the proponent of peace, a fact we should take pride in,” the King said. Mentioning that Janaki is also a daughter of this soil, the King said having never faced any kind of discord in the name of religion, Nepal can be taken as a paradigm of perfect harmony between religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The monarch observed that while holding all religions in high esteem, we firmly believe in the good virtue of creating a peaceful environment, which is also an outstanding attribute of Hinduism.