S. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), visited the Pournamikavu Bhadrakali temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Sunday after the successful lunar landing of Chandrayaan-3. He offered prayers at the temple and said that science and spirituality are two sides of the same coin.
Somanath had sought blessings at the Sri Chengalamma temple in Tirupati just before the release of Chandrayaan 3 on July 13. The visit stirred debate about whether Somanath’s scientific bent undermined his spiritual values.
In response to these rumours, the ISRO chief stated on Sunday that there is no inherent conflict between the two aspects. “I am an explorer. I explore the Moon. I explore the inner space. So it’s a part of the journey of my life to explore both science and spirituality. So I visit many temples and I read many scriptures. I try to find the meaning of our existence and our journey in this cosmos. It’s a part of the culture that we are all built to explore, find out the inner self as well as the outer self. So for the outer, I do science and for the inner, I come to temples,” Somanath told news agency ANI.
Speaking about Chandrayaan-3’s landing spot being named ‘Shiva Shakti,’ he said that there is nothing wrong with this because PM Modi described the meaning of the name in a way that everyone can understand.
“PM narrated the meaning of it in a manner that suits all of us. I think there is nothing wrong with that. And also he gave the next name to Tiranga and both are Indian-sounding names. See, we must have a significance of doing what we are doing. And he has a prerogative of naming it being the Prime Minister of the country,” he said.
The ISRO chief previously stated that the space agency is ready to carry out PM Modi’s visionary objectives.
“India has the capability to travel to the Moon, Mars and Venus but we need to increase our confidence. We need more investment and the space sector must develop and by this, the whole nation should develop, that is our mission. We’re ready to fulfil the vision that was given to us by PM Modi,” Somanath had said.
India scripted history on August 23 as the ambitious third Moon mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) touched down on the Moon’s south pole, propelling the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first nation to land on the uncharted surface.
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