Youth should be enlightened on Arsha Dharma: TTD additional EO AV Dharma Reddy

Tirumala: The mass chanting of `Ravana Samhara' slokas (Ravana Vadha Ghattam) was held amidst religious fervour in Vasantha Mandapam, Tirumala on Tuesday. In the three-hour long spiritual event, the Pundits sonorously chanted the 270 slokas narrating `Ravana Samharam' episode- the fight between Rama and Ravana and Rama Killing Ravana from Yudhakanda of the epic Valmiki Ramayanam.

Dharmagiri Veda Vignana Peetham Principal KSS Avadhani who led the mass recitation programme said, since June 11 onwards the Yuddhakanda slokas were being recited daily. On Tuesday, slokas from 109 to 114 sargas pertaining to Ravana Samharam were recited while the 111 chapter narrates Rama killing Ravana. Adding tempo to the event, the Annamacharya Project artists rendered Keertanas relevant to the epic battle between Rama and Ravana while the settings depicting Ashoka Vanam, Sri Rama with Panchayudhas seated atop Hanuman, Lakshmana Swamy on Aswa Vahana and Sita Devi and Anjaneya caught everyone's attention. The setting of war between Rama-Ravana stood as a special attraction.

The event which came to end with the offering Nakshatra and Kumbha Harati was telecast live on SVBC for over three hours starting from 8:30am onwards for the sake of global devotees. Speaking to the media after the recitation of Ravana Samharam (slokas), TTD Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy said that in the context of diminishing human values, there is every need to enlighten the people more so our youth who are the future generation on our great ethics embedded in our Arsha Dharma (The Dharma given by our Rishis) to check the eroding values in the society. He said Mahavishnu took the human incarnation of Sri Rama only to show the world that evil cannot remain if Dharma is followed.

"As Sri Rama struck to Dharma throughout his life he could vanquish the evil forces - the powerful demons and their king Ravana," he said stressing on sticking to Dharma to have moral and spiritual strength to get rid of present difficulty of the pandemic coronavirus. Reddy appreciated the efforts of Pundits, SVBC channel personnel and garden wings for successfully taking forward the programme.

Pradhana Archakas Venugopala Deekshitulu, Krishna Seshachala Deekshitulu, OSD Seshadri, Kiran Swamy, SVBC CEO Suresh Kumar, Dy EO Vijayasaradhi, Annamacharya Project Director Dakshinamurthy Sharma, Higher Vedic Studies Project Officer Dr A Vibhishana Sharma and others were present.