A viral video of foreigners chanting the Mahamrityunjay Jaap has been circulating on social media claiming that the group of people are Italians who have resorted to this mantra to get rid of the novel coronavirus that has gripped the country.

“इटली में महामृत्युंजय का जाप हो रहा है 🙏 जय हो भोलेनाथ 🙏” is the text viral with the video

Translation: Mahamrityunjay Jaap is being chanted in Italy. All hail Shiva

The Twitter account of Babulal Sharma shared this video and has over 2000 views.

इटली में महामृत्युंजय का जाप हो रहा है🙏 pic.twitter.com/Mhx3ZhFKsj

— Babulal Sharma (@babulalsharma19) April 7, 2020

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Facebook

On Facebook, this video is viral

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatsapp

Apart from Facebook and Twitter, the video along with the same caption has been going around on Whatsapp too.

Truth

The video has nothing to do with Coronavirus and the foreigners seen chanting the mantra are not from Italy. 

The video is actually more than a year old when Covid-19 had not even been discovered. It was uploaded by a Facebook page called Arya Samaj Youtube, a channel dedicated to promoting the Arya Samaj movement. They posted this video back on 4th January, 2019 with the caption: “भारत में वंदेमातरम् पर भी विवाद हो जाता है लेकिन अमेरिका यूरोप में गूंज रहा है वैदिक धर्म”

Translation: There are controversies on Vande Matram also in India when America and Europe are chanting Vedic mantras.

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If you compare both the videos, it is very clear that the same video is being circulated with a false caption.

       

The original video was posted in retaliation to the Vande Matram row that had erupted in Madhya Pradesh after the then Chief Minister Kamal Nath suspended the singing of Vande Mataram by government employees on 1st January, 2019; a ritual that had been unchanged since the last 14 years.