Yoga is a code to connect people with life

 PM’s inaugural address  at the Annual International Yoga Conference in Rishikesh

We in India believe in researching both the frontiers of science and technology, as also, researching deep within our souls, that is, both Science, and Yoga. Perhaps, there can be no better place than Rishikesh, to host the International Yoga Festival.
This, indeed, is a place that has drawn sages, pilgrims, commoners and celebrities alike, over millennia, in quest for peace, and for the true essence of Yoga. As I observe the large and diverse gathering from different parts of the globe, at the banks of the Holy River Ganga in Rishikesh, my thoughts turn to Max Müller, the great German scholar, who said, and I quote: “If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.”
From Max Muller, to many of you present in Rishikesh today – all immensely successful people in their own right – whenever the quest to know one’s real self has beckoned, their destination has been India. And in most cases, that quest, has led them, to Yoga.
Yoga is a code to connect people with life, and to reconnect mankind with nature. It expands our limited sense of self, to see our families, societies and mankind, as extensions of our own self.
That is why, Swami Vivekananda said, “expansion is life, contraction is death.” By practicing Yoga, a spirit of oneness is created – oneness of the mind, body and the intellect.
Oneness with our families, with the society we live in, with fellow humans, with all the birds, animals and trees with whom we share our beautiful planet…this is Yoga. Yoga is the journey from ‘me’ to ‘we.’
This journey, as a natural by-product, brings the added benefits of good health, peace of mind, and even, prosperity in life. Yoga makes the individual a better person in thought, action, knowledge and devotion. It would be very unfair to see Yoga only as a set of exercises that keeps the body fit. Yoga is far beyond physical exercises. The quest for solace from the stresses of modern life, often drives people to tobacco, alcohol, or even drugs. Yoga offers a timeless, simple, and healthy alternative. There is ample evidence that practicing yoga helps combat stress and chronic lifestyle-related conditions. The world today, is also threatened by the twin challenges – terrorism, and climate change. The world looks to India, and to Yoga, for a durable, and sustainable answer to these problems.

When we talk of global peace, there should be peace among nations. That is possible only when there is peace within the society. Only peaceful families can constitute peaceful society. Only peaceful individuals can make peaceful families. Yoga is the way to create such a harmony and peace within individuals, family, society, nation and ultimately all over the world. Through Yoga, we will create a new Yuga – a Yuga of togetherness and harmony. When we talk of combating climate change, we seek to move away from a lifestyle of consumption, or “Bhoga”, to one of Yoga. Yoga can prove to be a strong pillar to lead a life of discipline and development. At a time, when emphasis is on personal gain, and what one may get out of any endeavour, Yoga offers a refreshingly different approach. Yoga is not about what one can get out of it. It is rather about what one can give up, what one can get rid of. Therefore, instead of attainment, Yoga shows us the path to liberation, or Mukti, as we call it in this part of the world. Swami Chidanand Saraswati ji, through his work at Parmarth Niketan has shown a way to live these noble ideals. I appreciate the work being done by Parmarth Niketan in bringing Yoga to people across the world.