Pali Is Crucial To Understanding Buddha's Teachings, We Have To Keep It Alive: PM Modi At Abhidhamma Divas Event

Prime Minister Modi announced initiatives to preserve Pali, the language of Lord Buddha's teachings, which has recently been granted classical status.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the government will take initiatives to preserve and develop Pali language and the sacred texts — Lord Buddha’s teachings — written in it. The ancient language was recently given the ‘classical’ status. Stating this on Abhidhamma Divas, the PM noted that Pali was the language in which Buddha’s teachings were conveyed on this day, and that Pali was crucial to understanding the Dhamma. “A language is simply not just a mode of communication, it is the soul of a civilisation, its culture, its heritage. It is our responsibility to keep Pali alive and through it the Buddha’s message,” he said.

Abhidhamma Divas commemorates Lord Buddha’s descent from the celestial realm after teaching Abhidhamma. 

PM Modi was speaking at the inauguration of the International Abhidhamma Divas and the celebration for the recognition of Pali as a classical language. He emphasised that though Pali was not in use any more, any language, literature, art and spiritual traditions express the heritage of a nation and its identity. 

Delivering the keynote address at the event organised by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Modi said centuries of colonial rule and the invaders prior to that had tried to wipe out India’s identity, and those with a “slave mindset” continued to do so after Independence. “The ecosystem then had taken India away from its heritage, and India was left far behind. The Government of India is making all efforts to revive India’s Buddhist heritage. In the last few years, we have brought back over 600 artifacts to India, most of which were Buddhist objects,” he said.

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Both Academic And Spiritual Efforts Needed To Understand Pali: Modi

PM Modi said his government was working towards the revival of Buddha’s legacy, and India was reinventing its identity in the process, adding that the government was engaged in fulfilling both rapid development and reviving its rich heritage.

About Pali, the language spoken during Buddha’s time in the 6th century BCE, he said: “We are trying to promote Pali through apps, digitisation, and archival research. Both academic and spiritual efforts are needed to understand Pali. Scholars and academics should guide the people in understanding Buddha Dhamma.”

In his advice for the youth of the country, Modi said they should be proud of their culture, values, and roots, while leading the world in science and technology at the same time.

The PM performed the ‘Chivar Dana’, offering of yellow robe, and interacted with senior most monks of the Sangha.

Addressing the gathering Thursday, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat described Abhidhamma Divas as an extremely significant day for all of humanity as it marks “a call for living a life filled with peace, prosperity, and harmony”.  

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju was also present on the occasion where Shartse Khensur Rinpoche Jangchup Choeden, the secretary general of International Buddhist Confederation, said an invocation and extended greetings in Pali.

Others who attended the event included Dr Bhadant Rahul Bodhi Mahathero, president of the Bhikkhu Sangha’s United Buddhist Mission, Mumbai; Bhikkhuni Shakya Dhammadina, an Abhidhamma teacher; Prof Mahesh Deokar, HoD, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies at the Savitribai Phule University in Pune; Dr Anirban Dash, Director, National Manuscript Mission, IGNCA, New Delhi, Dr Pranshu Samadarshi, Assistant Professor, School of Buddhist Studies, Nalanda University, Bihar; Abhijit Halder, the Director General of IBC; and a large number of youth from different universities.

Prof Bimlendra Kumar, Professor, Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Banaras Hindu University, and Indian Council for Cultural Relations, (ICCR) Chair Professor, Lumbini Buddhist University, Nepal, presented a special talk on the significance of Pali as India’s classical language.  

There were two exhibitions too. While one displayed scrolls depicting various scripts from Southeast Asian countries and a map of the region showing the spread of the Pali language, the other was on ‘The Life and Teachings of the Buddha’.