\

Swami Gangeshwaranandji in Singapore

Year 1974

His Holiness Swami Shri Gangeshwaranandji Maharaj Udasin  toured in South East Asia with the active colla­boration of the world-wide cultural organisation, “The Vishwa Hindu Parishad” for the establishment of “Ved Mandirs” in the ‘ various cities in all these countries.  Here is an account of the Swamiji’s visit to Singapore, which it is hoped will be found interesting by our readers – Editor.

Prajnachakshu Swami Gangeshwaranand is positively the first Hindu saint to travel abroad with a unique mission. Now in his ninety-fourth year(1974), he has already visited Thailand, Hong­kong, Philipines, Malaysia and is now in Singapore, the one time bastion of the British Empire in the East and now the best governed Island State of the world. Swamiji has by this time traversed over fifteen thousand miles in the sky, on land and by small cruises in the bay-waters … and gone through, very easily a tight schedule of talking and preaching engagements in five Capital Cities and three island towns. In over eight temples and scores of other holy places-Hindu, Buddhists, besides numerous homes of his devotees, he has performed ‘Bhajans and Satsangs’ and delivered sermons on themes of ‘Manav Dharma and Sans-kriti’ culture and civilisation, and the philosophy and practices of the ideal way of Hindu life.

Amidst all these incidental acti­vities, the most remarkable fact which had never been attempted before at any time in the history of the Hindus and indeed of all other extinct and existing religions, is the Swamiji’s mission to present the one volume mammoth compilation of the Vedas, the earliest sacred books of mankind to the people of the world.. Having gifted 601 Vedas in Bharat and 6 in Nepal, Swamiji has now embarked, true to the character and practice of the Aryas since ancient times, in the eastern direction. He has by this time presented 13 more Vedas in the above mentioned countries and islands. On his landing on the Singapore airport, he was received with an ovation in a manner seldom witnessed before.

Concluding the miraculous saga of Swamiji’s life story Shri Apte observed; “Maharshi Vyas compiled the four Vedas and enjoined each one of his four disciples to carry on the study of the sacred lore, passed on from generation to generation. That is how our sacred heritage has come to be preserved to this day .by incomparable efforts and unrnatchable intelligence by the Brahman class. Because of invention and use of a unique system of eight-version recitation of every one of the over twenty thou­sand verses that we have the correct texts of the Vedas in fault­lessly original and pure form as they were sung by the more than four hundred Rishis and 27 ladies, without a single interpolation. This ancient device has turned out to be more reliable and perfect than any modern computer machines. What was thus received by us, was copied down and commented by great lexicographers like Yask and Sayan respectively.

When the European scholars particularly the German, French and the English came to know of the indisputable relation of Sanskrit with their spoken languages their curiosity was roused and they devoted themselves to the study of Sanskrit literature. Swamiji has paid high tributes to all the European Vedic scholars for their incomparable zeal and tireless intellectual efforts in the field of Vedic scholarship. Swamiji, however, noted that because of the ignorance of these people on the one hand about the Vedic traditions and interpretations, and their emphasis on philological resemblances, and indeed their predetermined perjudiced approach in the matter of according and admitting the antiquity of Hindu history which facts require and on the other hand the not-very-cooperative mood of our Vedic Vidvans and Pandits, so many defects and drawbacks remained in the compilations and the conclusions of the great men. Vedas came in print in separate book forms. We are proud that as all the posible efforts were made through centuries of our bondage, of periods of indiscribable hardships, when, even our very existence was threatened, there was never a time when Pandits devoted to Vedic studies ceased to add their learned contributions. Ever since the art of printing was introduced in India, there have been innumerable publications of Vedas in all their aspects in almost all languages and provin­ces.

But one fact does stand out that never have all the four sacred books been compiled and published together. It is this gigantic undertaking which Swamiji has achieved so magnificently. This is why 1 call Gurudeo Gangeshwarananda as the Veda Vyas of the modern age. What five thousand years back Krishna Dwaipayana had achieved, Swami Gangeshwaranand is attempting. •It is Swamiji’s plan to present the Vedas in every capital of lands on the five continents and islands in the seven seas, for which mission Swamiji has come here. Have the darshan of the con­temporary Veda Vyas and be blessed.”

In his stay of a week from 15th October 1974 to 21st of October 1974, Swamiji presented the Vedas in two Shrines of Shri Laxmi Narayan and the Sindhu Samaj and the third to the re­nowned Ramkrishna Mission. The first two presentations were performed with the traditional rites and rituals in which unpre­cedented Hindu brethren participated.

Ramakrishna Mission- Singapore

The third function was remarkable as Swamiji in his opening speech himself observed:

“I am extremely delighted to be here in this shrine of Paramhansa Ramkrishna. This is indeed the first occasion of our having this opportunity of presenting the Vedas in the shrine of the first Paramhansa of our contemporary times, whose dynamic disciple Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu Monk, presented the Vedanta to the World and enlightened the humanity with the essence – the soul and spirit of our Vedas. I remember with joy and gratitude the obligations of the great Master and his disciple monk to the humanity and now humbly offer the Vedas in the place, which is the perennial fountain source of our Vedant philosophy.”

Swami Damodaranand, the monk in charge of the Mission had welcomed Swamiji applauding his achievements and his Mission.

JAI GURU DEV.