New Delhi: Can a nation truly progress if its growth is not guided by Dharma? This question was the underlying thread at the India Habitat Centre on Monday, where Kanchi Shankaracharya Vijayendra Saraswati delivered a benedictory address with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu sharing the dais.
The event, hosted by India Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank headed by BJP leader Ram Madhav, opened with Vande Mataram as the crowded hall stood. Sandhu garlanded the Shankaracharya — the 70th pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, one of Hinduism’s most prominent monastic institutions — and addressed an audience he described as “policymakers, diplomats, scholars, and thought leaders.”
“Pujya Swamiji accepted sannyas at the age of 13 and has devoted more than four decades to spiritual guidance, public service, and nation-building,” Sandhu said, adding that through extensive Vijaya Yatras across the Northeast, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and remote rural regions, the spiritual leader had strengthened national integration, cultural unity, and social harmony.
He also praised the Peeth’s work in Vedic education, Sanskrit scholarship, affordable healthcare, temple architecture and manuscript preservation.
“The three pillars of the Peeth’s work — Veda, Vidya, and Vaidya — form the bedrock of our civilisation,” Sandhu said.
The Shankaracharya’s benedictory address — a ceremonial blessing by a religious leader — covered scripture, Sanatana Dharma and statecraft. He spoke at length about preserving India’s spiritual and civilisational heritage.
“To protect the Vedas is to protect the civilisational memory of Bharat,” he said.
Three principles for youth
Reciting Guru Stotras at intervals, the Shankaracharya referred to the legacy of Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal, the former Kanchi pontiff known as the Paramacharya, and said younger generations should draw lessons from his contributions to Dharma, society and the nation.
He then listed three principles for every young person to learn and follow: mastery of one’s subject, spiritual discipline and service to society.
“Whatever you study—science, mathematics, geography, astronomy, or any other discipline—strive to master it,” he said.
Next, he spoke about the spiritual discipline that should accompany education.
“Education should always be accompanied by prayer, meditation, devotion, self-discipline, and remembrance of the Divine. These practices lead to true inner growth,” he added.
Coming to the third principle, which he reiterated several times during his address, he spoke about service to society.
“Work for rural development. Serve the poor. Remove suffering wherever you can. Whatever good you are capable of doing for society, do it wholeheartedly,” he said, adding that spirituality finds its highest expression through compassion.
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‘Let patriotism be guided by Dharma’
Linking Dharma with nation-building, he noted that India’s progress cannot be measured only through economic growth or political success. National strength, he said, also depended on Dharmic values and cultural unity.
“Let patriotism be guided by Dharma, service, sacrifice, and compassion,” he said, adding that to strengthen a nation, there must not only be political leadership but also moral and spiritual leadership.
While acknowledging India’s rapid growth in industry, startups and infrastructure, the Shankaracharya cautioned that laws and technology alone cannot build a great nation.
He said Dharma extends far beyond temple worship or religious rituals, and is reflected in mindset and actions.
“Dharma is not confined to temples; it is also truth, non-violence, purity, and self-restraint,” he added.
Toward the end of his address, he turned to India’s economic future, urging the country to engage with the world without following others blindly. He said India should welcome global knowledge where necessary while strengthening indigenous education, research, entrepreneurship and manufacturing.
He also underlined that India’s greatest institutions remain its family system, villages, and temples, and called for stronger bridges between urban resources and rural development.
He envisioned a future where India once again becomes a global centre of learning, much like Nalanda.
“Take from abroad only what is necessary; higher education should flourish in India’s own environment,” he said.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)