Chief Minister Siddaramaiah participated in the first death anniversary of Sri Siddeshwar Swami in Vijayapura on Tuesday. Various organisations jointly organised a Guru Namana programme at the Jnana Yogashrama there.
He described the late seer as a rare saint who practised what he preached. “I believe that following the ideals preached and practised by him is the best way to pay tributes to him,” he said.
“His life is the best living model of idealism for us. We are fortunate that such a saint lived among us,” he said. The Chief Minister recalled some parts from the speeches of the seer and described his contribution to Indian philosophy.
“I have always been a follower of Basavanna and other Sharanas. Sri Siddeshwar Swami followed the path of the Sharanas and dreamt of an equal society without discrimination on the basis of caste, class, region or gender,” he said.
“One of the greatest things about Sri Siddeshwar Swami is that he shared the immense knowledge gained from his decades of study of various sources. He also used a language that was easily understood by the people. He worked hard towards creating a universe devoid of hatred or ego. There are no words to describe his life and achievements. His life was marked by simplicity in thought, words and deed,” the Chief Minister said.
“He was also a proponent of secular, progressive thought. He spoke against caste discrimination. He is considered a visionary as he aimed to reform human society with his ideas,” he added.
Responding to pleas by some leaders and seers, the Chief Minister said that the government is ready to take up any work that reminds the people of the life and message of Sri Siddeshwar Swami.
Sri Adrushya Kadasiddeswara Swami of Siddagiri Kannerimath in Kolhapur, Sri Shivratri Desikendra Swami of Suttur Math, Sri Shivamurthy Shivacharya of Sirigere, Sri Basavalinga Swami of Jnana Yogashrama and others attended the programme.
Ministers M.B. Patil, H.K. Patil, Shivananda Patil, MLAs Vinay Kulkarni, C.S. Nadagouda, Ashok Managoli and others were present.
