Saints’ ideas, philosophies made India the most ancient living civilisation: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India was the most ancient living civilisation of the world due to the “immortal” ideas and philosophies of its saints and seers.

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Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Jain spiritual figure Acharya Vidyanand Maharaj’s birth anniversary, Modi said his ideas had inspired the government’s welfare schemes.

“Be it providing housing, drinking water or health insurance, the government is ensuring saturation coverage of its welfare measures so that no one is left behind,” he said.

Recalling that Acharya once said that life truly becomes spiritual only when it becomes a means of selfless service, Modi said this thought was deeply rooted in the essence of Jain philosophy and intrinsically linked to the spirit of India.

“India is a country where service and humanity are central to its ethos. It is defined by service and guided by humanity”, said the PM, noting that while the world tried for centuries to quell violence with violence, India introduced the world to the power of non-violence. He emphasised that the Indian ethos had always prioritised the spirit of service to humanity above all.

Stating that he had been conferred the title of ‘Dharm Chakravarti’ and humbly expressed that the Indian tradition teaches one to accept whatever is received from saints as a blessing.

“Whether it is the PM Awas Yojana, Jal Jivan Mission, Ayushman Bharat Yojana and other such welfare schemes, they signify the sense of service towards the last person in the social hierarchy,” Modi said.

The Jain saint was born on April 22, 1925, in Shedbal, Belagavi (now in Karnataka). Modi highlighted the saint’s pivotal role in reviving the ancient Prakrit language through his literary works and devotional compositions.

He pointed out that Prakrit is one of the India’s oldest languages, but it had starting to fade from common use due to cultural neglect. He added that in October 2024, the government had granted Prakrit the status of a classical language.

The PM said the government had launched a digitisation drive to preserve India’s ancient manuscripts, which includes a significant number of Jain scriptures and texts related to Acharyas.

He reiterated that the government was committed to free the nation from the colonial mindset and advance with both development and heritage in tandem. Thereby, the government was promoting the use of mother tongues in higher education, he said.