'Gita Press no less than temple', PM says in Gorakhpur

Gorakhpur (UP), July 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who attended the closing ceremony of the centenary celebrations of Gita Press in Gorakhpur on Friday, said the publishing house is "no less than any temple".

"Sometimes saints show the way, sometimes institutions such as the Gita Press guides humanity through its work," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said that Mahatma Gandhi had an emotive relationship with Gita press, and he contributed to its monthly magazine 'Kalyan'.

"Even now, 'Kalyan' follows his advice of not running advertisements," he said.

It may be recalled that the Congress had condemned the decision of the government to award the Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press because of the "stormy relations it had with Mahatma Gandhi", as it allegedly ran "campaigns that were against his thought".

The press has, however, denied such allegations saying Gandhi was a regular contributor to its fortnightly magazine 'Kalyan'.

The Prime Minister also unveiled a special edition of the Shiv Puran, considered to be one of the 18 major purans, at the event. The book has been edited by a scholar in Nepal, and contains over 200 photographs of Lord Shiva, Parvati, and Ganesh from the publisher's own collection.

"Wherever there is Gita, Lord Krishna himself is present there," Modi said, adding that everything emanates from Vasudeva (Lord Krishna).

He said that Gita press unites the country and helps in developing a national consciousness.

"It reflects Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat (one India, Best India)," he added.

The Prime Minister specifically praised the work of Gita Press in spreading awareness to keep the Ganga river clean, and for contributing to nation-building.

"Gita Press is the only printing press in the world which is not just an organisation, but a living faith. It is no less than a temple for crores of people," Modi said.

The press was established in Gorakhpur by a businessman named Jaydayal Goyandka who wanted to bring out "error-free copies of the Bhagavad Gita".

The Gita Press strengthened the practice of Hindu traditions in the country by reaching low-income households. Since 1923, the press has published 42 crore books, including 16 crore copies of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, which still remains its bestseller.

It has also produced copies of the Ramayana, Purans, and Upanishads, making it the "world's largest publisher of Hindu religious books", as per its website.

Gita Press is based in Gorakhpur and Varanasi, but has translators in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and West Bengal, among other places.

Gita Press was recently conferred with the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 by a jury headed by the Prime Minister. The prize is an annual award instituted by the Central government in 1995 and carries a prize money of Rs 1 crore, a citation, plaque and a traditional handicraft or handloom item. Notably, Gita Press has refused to accept the prize money, saying it will only accept the citations.