Why the Russian edition of Bhagwat Gita PM Modi gifted to Putin once faced a ban case in Russia | Here's the backstory

New Delhi: The Russian translation of the Bhagwat Gita, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gifted to President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, is the same book that faced a lawsuit in a Russian city in 2011 seeking its ban. PM Modi on Thursday hosted a private dinner for the Russian President his 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence, hours after he arrived in India for a two-day visit. Following the dinner meet, the Prime Minister gifted him the Russian edition of the Bhagwat Gita, titled 'Bhagavad Gita As It Is'.

In a post on X, PM Modi said he presented a copy of the Gita in the Russian language to President Putin. "Presented a copy of the Gita in Russian to President Putin. The teachings of the Gita give inspiration to millions across the world," he wrote in a post on X.

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Replying to PM Modi’s social media post, ISKCON’s Kolkata spokesperson Radharaman Das thanked him for gifting the Russian edition of the Gita authored by the ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada, titled ‘Bhagavad Gita As It Is’, to the President of Russia. Das further informed that ISKCON has so far distributed over 60 crore copies of the Gita worldwide in over 110 languages.  

Russian Bhagwat Gita faced a lawsuit

Back in 2011, the Russian edition of Bhagwat Gita, had faced a lawsuit that called for a ban on the book. PM Modi gifted the very same book to Putin on Thursday. The book was translated into Russian in 1984. AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has written the Russian version of the Gita.

What happened in Russia in 2011

A controversy had erupted in Russia in 2011 over the book 'Bhagavad Gita As It Is'. In one Russian state, there was a demand to ban this version of the Gita. Some prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had filed a lawsuit demanding that the book a -- translation of the Bhagwat Gita -- be banned across Russia, calling it an “extremist text”. The prosecutors had argued that the book included a commentary that was 'hostile to other faiths', incited "religious hatred" and "promoted social discord".

The lawsuit had triggered a massive uproar back in India as well, with ISKCON launching a global campaign to gather support for the religious book. Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna also stepped in and took up the matter with the Russian authorities. Later, a Russian court ruled in favor of the Bhagwat Gita and said it was not an extremist book.