Claiming that Ayodhya had a history of social harmony, President Ram Nath Kovind said that without Ram, Ayodhya was unthinkable as the soul of the country lived in this holy city.
"Without Ram, there is no Ayodhya. Ayodhya is because Ram is present here,” he said and added that the literal meaning of Ayodhya was “with whom it is impossible to fight”.
"Due to the might and power of Raghuvanshi kings like Raghu, Dilip, Aja, Dasharatha and Ram, their capital was considered invincible. Therefore, the name of the city is Ayodhya,” he said after inaugurating the Ramayana Conclave at Ram Katha Park here on Sunday shortly before visiting the temple construction site and offering his prayers at the Ram temple.
The President was accompanied by his family members, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Union Minister of State for Railways and Textiles Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma.
He said the popularity of Ram Katha was not only in India but worldwide. "There are many readable forms of Ram katha like Goswami Tulsidas' Ramcharitmanas in North India, Kritivas Ramayana in the eastern part of India, Kamban Ramayana in the South," he said.
President Kovind said that Ayodhya had a history of social harmony and creation of such an inclusive society by Lord Ram was an excellent example of unity, which was exemplary for all even today.
“Even Gandhiji has given the name of Ram Rajya to his vision of ideal India. The name of Ram was very important in the life of Bapu too,” Kovind said.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had said that Ramayana and Mahabharata, both of these texts, had visions of the soul of India and that it could be said that the ideals of Indian life values, their stories, and teachings were contained in the Ramayana.
President Kovind said the literary, spiritual and cultural influence of the Ramayana was seen in a large section of humanity. “Respect and love for Ram are reflected not only in India but in many folk-languages and folk cultures of the world,” he said.
"Ram katha is presented in many countries of the world. The Ramleela of Bali island of Indonesia is particularly famous. In many countries, including Maldives, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Nepal, Cambodia and Suriname, Indian diaspora have kept the spirit of Ram katha and Ramleela alive," he said.
Commenting on his own name as Ram Nath, President Kovind said: "I understand that in my family, when my parents and elders would have done my namakaran, then all of them might have had the same reverence and affection for Ram katha and Lord Ram which is seen in the common folk."
He said the context of Ram bhakt Shabri in Ramayana gave a unique message of social harmony. “The union of Shabri and Lord Ram, the disciple of the great ascetic Matang Muni, is a wonderful example of a discrimination-free society and the divinity of love,” he said.
"During his exile, Lord Ram did not call an army from Ayodhya and Mithila to fight. He made his army by collecting Kol-Bhil and Vanar. From Jatayu to Squirrel they were part of the campaign which shows his intensified love and friendship with the tribals,” the President said.
"Along with philosophy, the model code of conduct is also available in Ramayana which guides us in every aspect of life," he said.
He said Ramayana was such a unique book which presented the high ideals and limits of human life in front of the world community through Ram katha.
“I am sure that this effort of the Uttar Pradesh government for the promotion of Ramayana will prove to be important in the interest of Indian culture and the entire humanity,” he said.
"I commend Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his team for the campaign that has been launched by UP government today to take Ramayana to common people through art and culture by organising Ramayana Conclave," he said, adding that publicity of Ramayana was important because the inherent values of life it offered would always remain relevant for humanity. He said along with philosophy, Ramayana also offered the model code of conduct that guided in all aspects of life.
"I wish that just as all the people in Ram Rajya were free from physical, divine and material sufferings, similarly all our countrymen would lead a similar happy life. This prayer prevalent in our tradition for humanity in the face of the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic has become even more relevant,” he said.