Rajnath Singh Bats for Vedic Maths, Says Students Need Shlokas and Code

Ayodhya: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said Sanskrit and Vedic mathematics were relevant in modern education, asserting that students should be equipped to understand both ancient Sanskrit shlokas and modern computer code.

Addressing a Sant Sammelan organised on the occasion of the Shri Guru Parv Mahamahotsav here, Singh said Sanskrit was not merely a language but a "repository of India's knowledge tradition", encompassing subjects ranging from the Vedas and Upanishads to mathematics, medicine, philosophy and literature.

"We need students who understand Sanskrit shlokas as well as computer code," Singh said, adding that traditional knowledge should be connected with contemporary requirements rather than being confined to the past.

Singh also highlighted the importance of Vedic mathematics, recalling that he had introduced it when he was the Uttar Pradesh education minister in 1991.

Describing it as a language of India's intellectual heritage, he said he would urge Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure that Vedic mathematics was taught to students in the state if he returns to power.

"I was a student of physics, mathematics and chemistry, and I can say that Vedic mathematics is still unparalleled. Even very difficult mathematical problems can be solved through Vedic methods," he said, further claiming that it was also taught at the London School of Economics.

The defence minister was speaking at the newly constructed building of Shri Narayan Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya at the Shri Udasin Sangat Rishi Ashram in Ayodhya.

Chief Minister Adityanath was scheduled to attend the programme but could not reach the venue due to other engagements, Singh said.

The minister also clarified that he did not formally inaugurate the newly constructed building as the Model Code of Conduct (MLA polls) was in force. "But I did inspect the building," he said.

Describing the new structure as more than just a building, Singh said it could emerge as a major centre for Sanskrit education and become a place where future generations were prepared by combining traditional learning with modern education.

"The best way to preserve a tradition is to connect it with the needs of the present," he said. "We need students who understand Sanskrit shlokas and computer code, who study Nyaya and Mimamsa and also have the ability to understand the problems of modern society."

He also stressed that modernity should not be equated merely with the use of new technology or speaking English.

"(Being modern) means having the ability to find solutions to the problems of one's time," Singh said.

Referring to the role of saints and gurus, he said technology could make the world's knowledge available within seconds, but the more important question was whether people possessed the wisdom to use that knowledge correctly.

"Saints give us vision. They do not necessarily give answers to all our questions; sometimes they give us questions that begin our journey towards finding the right answers in life," he said.

He also recalled the contribution of saints to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and said their sacrifices and suffering should be remembered now that Lord Ram had been installed in his grand temple.