Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu has urged people to understand and spread the "universal message of dharma or righteousness" as depicted in the Ramayana.
In a Facebook post titled 'Rebuilding the shrine, Enshrining the values' in 17 languages today, the Vice President expressed happiness over the proposed rebuilding of Lord Ram's Temple in Ayodhya from August 5.
"Calling it a moment of celebration, the Vice President said that this moment could lead to a societal spiritual rejuvenation if we can understand the essence of Ramayana and understand it in the right perspective. He described it as a tale that captures the unique Indian vision of Dharma or righteous behaviour," read a statement from the Vice President's Secretariat.
Quoting Naidu, the statement further said, "Lord Ram's life exemplified values critical for establishing a just and responsible social order. Ramayana is a relevant guide even today."
The Vice President further described the Ram Rajya as an "ideal" of people-centric democratic governance founded on values of empathy, inclusion, peaceful co-existence and good governance.
"The Vice President said that Ram's ideas as told in the Indian texts are secular in origin and their influence on the life and thought of people have been profound over at least two and a half millennia,' read a statement.
"Vice President described Ram Rajya as an ideal of people-centric democratic governance founded on values of empathy, inclusion, peaceful co-existence and constant quest for a better quality of life for the citizens that can serve as a benchmark, as a guidepost, as an inspirational springboard in our national endeavour to deepen our democratic roots," the statement added further.
( With inputs from ANI )