Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said no one could harm India as long as the flag of Sanatan Dharma continued to fly high, describing the country’s spiritual traditions as a source of national strength and unity.
Addressing a Shiv Mahapuran Katha in Rae Bareli, Adityanath said Sanatan Dharma was not limited to modes of worship but was tied to duty and the spirit of the nation.
“We did not limit ‘Dharma’ merely to modes of worship. We embraced it as the vital life force of society, linking it to our duties and regarding it as the motivating power of the nation,” he said.
Adityanath said India’s spiritual traditions preserved social unity and cultural consciousness even when foreign invaders attacked its sacred sites.
He said that despite the political weaknesses of the medieval period, the wisdom imparted from Vyas Peeths, or traditional seats of spiritual discourse, continued to strengthen society and contribute to India’s cultural and spiritual development.
Referring to Goswami Tulsidas, the composer of the Ramcharitmanas, Adityanath claimed that the poet had once been invited to join Mughal emperor Akbar’s Navratnas but refused the offer.
“When the proposal was put before him, he asked, ‘Who is this Akbar?’ People told him that he was the emperor of India. Tulsidas declared, ‘I have only one king, Ram. Barring Ram, I do not consider any Akbar, a foreigner, as my king,’” Adityanath said.
He added that Tulsidas had challenged Akbar by declaring Ram as his only king.
Adityanath said the continued tradition of religious discourses would ensure that the flag of Sanatan Dharma never bowed.
“As long as sacred kathas continue to resonate across India, the flag of Sanatan Dharma will never bow. And as long as that flag flies high, no one will be able to cause the slightest harm to India,” he said.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Sep 13, 2026 20:12 IST
