Sri Sri Ravishankar defends consecration at incomplete Ram Temple

Bengaluru, Jan 16 (PTI) Amid objection by Jyotishmath Shankaracharya Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati to the upcoming consecration of the incomplete temple Ram temple in Ayodhya, Sri Sri Ravishankar of Art of Living on Wednesday said there are many instances of temples being built up after the 'prana pratishtha' of the idol.

Ravishankar said the Shankaracharyas belong to one school of thought but there are other provisions, allowing construction of temples even after the prana pratishtha.

“There are other provisions where you can keep building the temple after the prana pratishtha. At Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Lord Rama himself did prana prathishta of a Shivalinga. That time there was no temple. He didn’t have time to build a temple. He did prana pratishta and later the temple was built,” he explained.

Even the Madurai temple and Tirupati Balaji temple were tiny ones initially, which the kings built later, he further said.

Justifying the need for a temple at Ayodhya, the spiritual leader said it is correcting the wrong that had happened 500 years ago.

“It's a dream coming true. For five centuries people have waited for this. It's correcting the wrong that had happened 500 years back. So there's a great sense of celebration and a lot of enthusiasm in the whole country,” the Art of Living founder said.

He said an ideal society is always addressed as 'Ram Raj', to state that everybody is equal, everyone has justice, everyone is happy, and prosperous.

The self-styled spiritual guru further explained that there are societies that are prosperous but unhappy and there are societies that are happy but not so prosperous.

“But Ram Raj is a society that has both happiness and prosperity. Also, there is justice and equality. That has been the dream of the people of this land for centuries -- equal opportunity for everybody,” the AOL chief said.

According to him, India is moving in that direction as it is becoming one of the top economies of the world, leaving behind many other countries.

Speaking about the life of Lord Ram, Ravishankar said he was an ideal brother, a symbol of brotherhood, compassionate, and the one who embraced everybody.

“Being a king, he embraced the fisherman, the boatman, and the tribal woman Shabari in the forest. So it shows the wide spectrum, the whole spectrum of unity in diversity,” he explained. PTI