Sanatana Dharma has always worked for people’s welfare: Yogi

In every era and situation, whenever evil started becoming dominant, Sanatana Dharma always accepted it as a challenge, faced it and paved the way for the welfare of the public and nation: CM

GORAKHPUR Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said Sanatana Dharma had always accepted evil powers as a challenge and worked for the welfare of the country and its people.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath performs Kanya Pujan at Gorakhnath Temple, in Gorakhpur on Monday. (ANI Photo)

He performed ‘Kanya Pujan’ on the ninth day of Navratri at the Gorakhnath Temple here earlier in the day. Adityanath, also the ‘peethadheeshwar’ of Gorakhnath Temple, washed the feet of nine girls, representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga, in a brass plate filled with water in the temple’s dining hall, an official statement said.

Adityanath applied vermillion, sandalwood paste, yogurt, and rice grains on their foreheads. He then garlanded the girls and gave them a ‘chunri’ (scarf), ‘dakshina’ (offering), and gifts. He also sought their blessings. The girls were treated to a freshly cooked meal in the temple’s kitchen, served personally by the chief minister. Adityanath also performed Batuk Puja as Batuks are manifestations of the deity Kal Bhairav, the release said.

In the morning, the CM performed the puja of Maa Siddhidatri with traditional rituals and procedures at the Shaktipeeth within the temple.

The CM also extended greetings ahead of Dussehra to be celebrated on Tuesday.

“Vijaya Dashmi is a festival of the victory of dharma, truth, and justice. In every era and situation, whenever evil started becoming dominant, Sanatan Dharma always accepted it as a challenge, faced it and paved the way for the welfare of the public and nation,” he said speaking to reporters after Kanya Pujan.

The CM emphasized that the BJP’s double engine government had launched various schemes for women empowerment under the fourth phase of Mission Shakti. To create public awareness about them and their effective implementation, the phase 4 of ‘Mission Shakti’ is being carried forward effectively, he added.. Inputs from agency