By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:The inauguration program of the birth centenary festival of the revered Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the destroyer of the evil wheel, Daksha Maharatha Vedanta Keshari, Rashtrasantha Brahmalin, will be celebrated on the next Shravan Shukla Navami Tithi, August 21. Various programs will be organized all over India till November 2027 next year. The festival will be celebrated at 25,000 places in Odisha, this was announced by the Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Janma Centenary Festival Committee, Odisha, at a press conference on Wednesday.
In this press conference, the chairman of the organization, Swami Jivanmuktanandapuri, and the coordinator, Vinay Kumar Bhuyan, announced that the program will be inaugurated on August 21 at Gurjanga, Talcher. The inaugural program will include a procession, cow worship, yagna, city parikrama, dharma sabha, prasad sevan, a meeting of centenary workers, cultural programs in various places in the village in the evening, bhajan evening, dance, speeches by Pala and venerable saints, and an exhibition related to Swamiji’s life.
Saint Brahmananda Saraswati, Sachidananda Maharaj, Shivdas Baba, Smriti Sagar Maharaj, Jeevan Chaitanya Maharaj, Sachidananda Das Maharaj, Babaji Biswanath Das, Sharadhananda Saraswati, Avinash Baba and other saints will be present in this program. Durga Prasad Sahu, field officer of the National Swayamsevak Sangh, and other prominent figures of the state will be present and guide the people.
After this, Shradhanjali Sabhas will be held in villages and settlements from August 23rd, the date of sacrifice, to September 4th, the date of sacrifice, Janmashtami. In October 2026, a Sanskrit conference will be held in Chakapada, a women’s conference in Jaleshpatta, and in November, the first Mahasammelan will be held in Sambalpur, the second in Berhampur, and the third Mahasammelan in Bhubaneswar. Apart from this, grand gatherings will be organized in major places in India like Haridwar, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. From January to April 2027, Jagran Yatra will be organized by saints in every village and settlement, and huge Hindu gatherings will be organized in blocks and cities in April and May.
Swami Jivanmuktanandpuri said in this press conference that even as a monk, he gave up the path of meditation for salvation and dedicated himself to the service of the country and society and sacrificed himself for the protection of Dharma. He said that Swamiji participated in the freedom struggle at the age of 14. During the war with China in 1962 and the war with Pakistan in 1965, he dedicated himself to the service of war victims. Due to his efforts and inspiration, two Sanskrit schools and two colleges were established in Kandhamal and one high school in Tulsipur. He started night classes for women in Kandhamal. He emphasized yoga and exercise and established an Ayurvedic health center in Katingia, Kandhamal, and a primary health center in Rayagada. He himself practiced organic farming and cow herding and trained the local people.
He built small check dams and made irrigation arrangements. He started an agricultural cooperative society in Katingia, Kandhamal. He used to protect the forest through the Gram Samiti and encourage plastic waste. He used to call for planting Tulsi trees in every house. He organized Kirtan Sangh, Jagannath Rath Yatra, Dharani Penu Yatra, Panch Maha Yagya, Sampath Hayagya in the villages. He built 5 temples in Kandhamal and Gajapati. He also started a women’s Kirtan Sangh in Kandhamal. In 1966, he participated in the cow protection movement led by Karpatriji Maharaj in Delhi and was imprisoned for 18 days. In 1967, he led a cow protection movement in Odisha and served two and a half months in prison. On the holy day of Janmashtami in 2008, he and his four associates were brutally killed by pagans for trying to bring back converted Hindus to their religion.
On the occasion of the birth centenary of the legendary great man Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, Shri Bhuyan has appealed to implement these five resolutions to protect Hinduism (preventing deviance), raise cows in every home, plant trees, and protect the motherland, mother language, and culture through his life of work and good thoughts.
