PM sleeping on floor, coconut water-only diet in ritual for Ram temple: Sources
UTTAR PRADESH,JAN 18 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sleeping on the floor and having only coconut water for the 11-day ‘anusthan’ (special ritual) he is observing ahead of the Pran Pratishtha of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, sources told India Today on Thursday.
He announced the start of the ritual on January 12 and said he was fortunate to witness the “historic” and “auspicious” occasion of the Pran Pratishtha.
The Prime Minister said God chose him as an instrument to represent all Indians during the Pran Pratishtha exercise and that he is undertaking the 11-day special religious exercise keeping this in mind.
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Officials said PM Modi will adhere to ‘Yam Niyam’ for the 11 days and has decided to strictly follow all instructions laid down in scriptures.
‘Yam Niyam’ spells out several austere measures, including yoga, meditation and discipline in various aspects, for its practitioners. PM Modi already follows many of these disciplines, including waking up during an auspicious time before sunrise, meditation and consuming ‘satvik’ food, in his daily life, according to the officials.
The Prime Minister has also decided to observe a fast with strict penance for the 11 days, said the officials.
Consecration is described as the manifestation of divine consciousness in the deity’s idol. The scriptures provide guidelines for the rules of fasting before the consecration.
Ahead of the Pran Pratishtha on January 22, the idol of Ram Lalla was brought inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Wednesday night, according to Shri Ram Mandir Construction Committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra.
The installation of the idol in the sanctum sanctorum is expected to be done by today.
Several rituals are being performed in the run-up to the January 22 consecration ceremony and will continue till the eve of the event. PM Modi will be the chief guest of the event, which will also mark the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
According to the temple trust, over 7,000 people, including politicians, celebrities, industrialists, saints will attend the ceremony.
-The India Today
