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Stressing on Vedas:Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya at the international conference on ’Decoding Veda Vidya’ in Udupi on Sunday.

Udupi: It is necessary to give importance to extensive research and decoding of Vedic texts, said V.S. Acharya, Higher Education Minister, on Sunday.

The Minister was speaking at the concluding session of the three-day international conference on “Decoding Veda Vidya and traditional resources for rediscovering Indian scientific heritage” here.

The conference was organised by Sri Vadiraja Research Foundation, Puttige; Foundation for Indian Scientific Heritage, Surathkal; Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (Deemed University), New Delhi; and Sri Janardhan and Mahakali Temples, Ambalpady.

Dr. Acharya said of late there had been interest in Sanskrit language, literature and the Vedic texts.

The revival of interest in Sanskrit, Vedas, Indology and oriental studies was an encouraging sign. It was necessary to tell the younger generation about the great heritage of the country. He said when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government had introduced a Bill to establish Sanskrit University in the State in the Legislative Assembly, there was opposition to it.

Some had even said Sanskrit was a dead language. He had convinced and informed them that there was more to Sanskrit than just Vedas and Vedantas.

Nearly 300 Sanskrit “pathashalas” (educational institutions) in the State now came under the Directorate of the newly established Karnataka Sanskrit University.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university Mallepuram G. Venkatesh had assured him that the number of students joining these Sanskrit educational institutions was likely to double. “We are committed to appointing good faculty in these institutions,” Dr. Acharya said. Registrar of Rashtriya Sanskrit Samsthan, New Delhi, Ramanuja Devanathan, said Karnataka was the 14th State in the country to start a Sanskrit university. The Karnataka Sanskrit University should have a separate Department of “Vedangas”. A Sanskrit Propagation Centre should be established in the university.

The Regional Centres of the university should be established in different parts of the State.

To give an impetus to research in Sanskrit and Vedas, the Government should institute junior and senior research fellowships in the university, Mr. Devanathan said.

Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji of Puttige Math said the aim of the international conference was to use the knowledge of Vedas for world peace. The Vice-Chancellor of Sri Gurusarvabhauma Vidyapeetha, Mantralaya,

V.R. Panchamukhi, delivered the introductory remarks. Managing Trustee of the temples Vijay Ballal was present