PM’s address at Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 23 Oct, 2022

Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai! Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai! Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai! Present on stage, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh Smt. Anandiben Patel; the popular Chief Minister of UP Shri Yogi Adityanath ji, all the Awadhvasis; all the devotees of Sri Ram and Sri Bharat in the country and around the world; ladies and gentlemen! Today Ayodhya appears divine with lamps and magnificent in spirit. Today the city of Ayodhya is a reflection of the golden chapter of India’s cultural reawakening. When I was coming here after Ramabhishek, I was feeling overwhelmed with various feelings, emotions and sentiments. I was wondering, when Lord Shri Ram had come to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, how would Ayodhya have been decorated? We could not see the Ayodhya of the ‘Treta’ period, but today with the blessings of Lord Rama, we are witnessing the divinity of the eternal Ayodhya in the ‘Amritkaal’. Friends, We belong to that civilization and culture, the festivals and celebrations of which have been a natural part of life. Whenever something new happened in the society, we created a new festival. India has no match in the way we have kept alive the message of ‘victory of truth and the defeat of untruth’ in the society. Lord Shri Ram had put an end to the tyranny of Ravana thousands of years ago. But today even after thousands of years, every humane and spiritual message that had originated from that incident is continuously illuminated in the form of lamps. Friends, Deepawali lamps are not just a commodity for us. They are the vibrant spirit of India’s ideals, values and philosophy. As far as we can see, this illumination of the lights, this impact of light, this beam of rays in the horizon of night, is the proclamation of ‘Satyamev Jayate’, the basic mantra of India. This is the proclamation of the lines from our Upanishad – “सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः”. That is, victory belongs to the truth, not to the untruth. This is the proclamation of our sage’s words – “रामो राजमणि: सदा विजयते”. That is, victory is always of the good which is synonymous with Lord Rama and not of the evil with which Ravana is identified. That is why our sages, who used to see divine energy even in the earthen lamp had said – दीपो ज्योतिः परब्रहम दीपो ज्योतिः जनार्दन। That is, the lamp-light is the form of Brahma. I believe this spiritual light will guide India’s progress and resurgence. Friends, Today, on this auspicious occasion, I want to remind the countrymen of one more thing in the brightness of these lakhs of lamps. In Ramcharitmanas, Goswami Tulsidas ji has said – “जगत प्रकास्य प्रकासक रामू”।. That is, Lord Rama illuminates the whole world. He is like a beacon for the whole world. What is this light? This is the light of kindness and compassion; this is the light of humanity and dignity; this is the light of equanimity and love. This light is for everyone; this light sends out the message of walking together with everyone. I remember writing a poem on ‘Lamp’ in Gujarati, probably years ago. And the title of the poem was- ‘Diya’. I want to share a few lines today. I had written- દીવા જેવી આશ ને દીવા જેવો તાપ, દીવા જેવી આગ ને દીવા થકી હાશ. ઊગતા સૂરજને હર કોઈ પૂજે, એ તો આથમતી સાંજે’ય આપે સાથ. જાતે બળે ને બાળે અંધાર, માનવના મનમાં ઊગે રખોપાનો ભાવ. That is, the lamp not only provides hope but also radiates heat. A lamp produces fire and also gives comfort. Everyone worships the rising sun, but the lamp guides us in the dark. The lamp itself burns and also eliminates darkness. The lamp brings a sense of dedication in the person. We toil hard and give everything (to fulfil a goal) but when it is accomplished, we spread the light of the accomplishment to the whole world with a selfless spirit, dedicating it to the whole world. Brothers & Sisters, When we rise above selfishness and undertake this journey of selflessness, then the resolution of assimilation automatically gets absorbed in it. When our thoughts are fulfilled, we say ‘इदम् न मम्’. That is, this accomplishment is not for me; it is for the welfare of mankind. ‘Deep Se Deepawali Tak’ is the philosophy of India; this is the idea of India; this is the eternal culture of India. We all know very well that India has faced many dark ages through the medieval and modern times. Even in the storms that destroyed some great civilizations, our lamps kept burning and giving out light. Then we re-awakened after calming down those storms because we never stopped lighting the lamps. We didn’t stop building trust. Not long ago, amidst the difficult Corona period, every Indian had stood up with a lamp in this very spirit. And, today, the world is watching how India is fighting strongly against Corona. This proves that emerging from every era of darkness, India has spread the light of its might in the past and will continue to spread it in the future too. When light becomes a witness to our actions, the end of darkness is automatically assured. When the lamp becomes a witness to our actions, then the confidence of a new dawn and a new beginning automatically gets strengthened. With this belief, once again wish you all a very Happy Diwali! Say with me with full devotion – Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai! Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai! Siyavar Ramchandra Ki Jai!