Padma Bhushan Pattadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, Pujya Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, joined Sadhguru for a conversation on the “Making of Nation on June 14.

Padma Bhushan Pattadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala, Pujya Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade, joined Sadhguru for a conversation on the “Making of Nation,” the latest installment of the “In Conversation With The Mystic” series on June 14. The event was held at the Isha Yoga Center and was attended by over 1000 people. The conversation covered the significance of spiritual, religious and cultural ethos in a society. The event was also live webstreamed at www.inconversations.com

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The conversation was a Q&A session between the audience and Sadhguru and Dr. Heggade. In response to a question about the role spirituality could play in building a nation, Sadhguru first differentiated between spirituality and religion, and spoke about how spirituality is a technology of creating inner wellbeing. He looked at the importance that this knowledge be offered to the world. Dr. Heggade shared the story of Dharmasthala by the four Dharma devatas. He spoke of how spirituality is not just about god but also about looking after human beings around you. Explaining his duties as Pattadhikari, Dr. Heggede said, “I am supposed to mainly attend to Lord Manjunatha, but my duties are also to attend to humanity. We have education, medical & many other initiatives.”

The one-hour event came to close at around 12:30, and both Dr. Heggade’s and Sadhguru’s responses were greatly appreciated by the audience. Earlier in the day, upon his arrival at the Isha Yoga Center, Dr. Heggade was given a traditional welcome in Sadhguru’s presence with sacred chants, Poorna Kumbha, and an arati.


 

About Pattadhikari Dr. Veerendra Heggade

Pattadhikari Dr. Veerendra Heggade is a renowned philanthropist and has been the hereditary administrator of the Dharmasthala temple in Karnataka for over 40 years. The 400-year-old Shiva temple is a household name in Karnataka, taken care of by Vaishnavite priests and administered by the Jain Heggade family, in a long tradition of multi-religiousness.

Dr. Heggade has greatly expanded the scale and scope of the services provided by the temple. His rural development initiative covers 19,028 Villages and 320 urban towns. The project facilitates empowerment of 2.59 million families in agriculture, health, sanitation, women empowerment and much more. Dr. Heggade has also established numerous charitable trusts that run hostels, schools, colleges and hospitals, and are engaged in renovating ancient temples.

In recognition of these services, Dr. Heggade has been bestowed with several state, national and international honors including the Padmabhushan in 2000, the Lalitha Kala Academy Award in 2008, Honorary FRCPS in 2005, Karnataka Rajyothsava award in 1985, Kannadiga of the Year in 2004, and Karnataka Rathna in 2009. In 2012, the SKDRDP project established and run by him won the “Green Oscar,” the Ashden International Gold Award for Initiatives in Renewable Energy.