Addressing a gathering at an event in Gorakhpur, which used to be his bastion, UP CM Yogi Adityanath expressed his reservations over Kashi’s Gyanvapi being addressed as a mosque. “Gyanvapi is not a mosque but Vishwanathji himself”, said the Chief Minister of UP.
Contending that the devotees see the uncertainty on the true identity of the pilgrimage, Yogi Adityanath mentioned that it is the biggest obstacle not only in the way of worshipping on the site but also in national integrity.
ज्ञानवापी को आज लोग दूसरे शब्दों में मस्जिद कहते हैं,
लेकिन ज्ञानवापी साक्षात 'विश्वनाथ' ही हैं… pic.twitter.com/njo9Fk03Xe
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) September 14, 2024
Yogi Adityanath narrates a story
Narrating an old story from mythology, Yogi said, “When Acharya Shankar reached Kashi after attaining enlightenment, Lord Vishwanath took his test. During this, when the saint was going to take a holy dip in Ganga in the early hours the next morning, Lord Vishwanath guised as a person from a community that was referred to as untouchable those days stood in his way. Adi Shankar naturally asked him to move away. The person standing in the way then asks, “You consider yourself an incredibly learned saint, whom do you want to move away? Is your enlightenment seeing this physical body or the soul behind it?”
Vishwanath is a form of Gyanvapi
Yogi Adityanath further narrates that seeing such a question being put by the person, the saint was astonished and asked him who is he; to which he replied, “The Gyanvapi for which you’ve come from far, I’m its form, I’m Vishwanath.”
The UP CM also mentioned physical untouchability as the biggest hurdle not only in the way of spirituality but also national unity and integrity.
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Yogi Adityanath is the Mahant of the Gorakhnath Temple and Gorakshpeeth. He has always been vocal on the issues of Hinduism, be it the Ram Mandir, the Mathura pilgrimage, or the Gyanvapi. He owns a brigade of youth under the umbrella of ‘Hindu Yuva Vahini’.
