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Part 1: A Welcome Address at the International Yoga Festival Now, over three lakh children are trained under this project each year. Today, this prestigious project has completed 25 years of service to mankind. We are delighted to commemorate the silver jubilee of the project by organizing an International Yoga Festival. This has created an opportunity on a global scale for all the young minds to reinvent themselves and uplift the spirit of yoga. I am happy to mention here that there are more than 500 yoga delegates, jurists, and experts participating in the mega event from India and abroad. Inaugurating this mega event, His Holiness Vishwaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṁsa Śrī Svāmī Māheśvarānandajī, Śrī Dīp Mādhāvānanda Āśrama, Austria. In 1972, he went to Europe and founded the Austrian Indian Yoga Vedanta Fellowship in Vienna and opened Śrī Dīpa Mādhāvānanda Āśrama. Swamiji’s team teaches physical, mental, social, and spiritual health, respect for life, tolerance of all religions, cultures, and nationalities, world peace, protection of human rights and values, protection of the environment, and preservation of nature, selflessness, service, and care and love for all living things. My brother Rev. Hegdejī met him in New Delhi during the first International Yoga Day celebrations on 21st June 2015. By seeing the services and work done by Rev. Swamiji, my brother was very particular to invite him to inaugurate the international event. We are all honored by Swāmījī’s kind gesture to come all the way from Austria to inaugurate this mega event in spite of the short notice. On behalf of all of you, I welcome you, Swamiji. I request Shri D. Surendra Kumar, Vice President of the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Educational Society, to welcome Swamiji with a garland. It is my proud privilege to welcome Pūjya Dr. D. Virendra Hegdejī, Dharmādikārī Śrīkṣetra Dharmasthala, Chief Patron of this event, who is the President of today’s auspicious function. Dr. Hegdejī, a man of endless dynamism, is a guiding spirit and also the President of Shanti Vāna Trust. I, on behalf of all of you, welcome you, sir. I request Mr. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, President of the Yoga Federation of India and the Asian Yoga Federation, to welcome Hegde Ji with a garland. I also welcome Śrīmatī Hemāvatī Vīrandhra Hegde, Trustee of Śānti Vana Trust, who guides us in all activities of the Trust. I request Mrs. Indu Agarwal to please welcome Srimati Hemavati Hegde with a garland. I take this opportunity to also welcome Swāmī Jñāneśvara Purījī for this august gathering. I request once again Shri D. Surendra Kumar to please welcome Swami Jñāneśvara Purījī for this function. It is my proud privilege to welcome Sri Śrīpada Yeso Nāyak, Honorable Minister of State for Aish Independent Charge, Government of India, and patron of this event. A staunch believer of the Āyurvedic system, who is striving hard to strengthen the Āyurvedic system of medicine all over the world. Recently, under his leadership, an international conference of Aish has been organized in Dubai. Our president had attended the conference as well. Within a week’s time, Saudi Arabia has approved yoga as a sport activity. He is also a strong devotee of Śrī Kṣetra Dharmasthala and supports all our Aiś institutions. A warm welcome to you, sir. I request Dr. Prashant Shetty, Principal of the SDM College. Yasho Verma, please welcome Śrī Śrīpād Yasho Nāyak for this function. I welcome Sri Nalim Kumar Katil, honorable member of the Parliament, who supports all our activities. I request Śrī Sītārām Tolpaḍīṭayā, Secretary of the Śāntivana Trust, to please welcome Śrī Nalim Kumār Kāṭīl with a garland. I welcome Surendra Kumar, Vice President of the SDM Society, for this function. I request Dr. Shashikan Jain, Director, Yoga and Moral Education Project, Shantiyona Trust, to please welcome Shri D. Surendra Kumar for this function. I also welcome Śrī Aśok Kumār Agrawāl, Honorable President of the Yoga Federation of India, the Asian Yoga Federation, and the International Yoga Festival, who played a key role in the 2014 National Event held at Dharmasthala and also in organizing this International Event by us in a grand manner. I request Dr. Shiv Prasad Shetty, Dean, Department of Yoga and Physical Therapeutics, SDMCNY, Sujare, to please welcome Śrī Aśok Kumār Agrawāl with a garland. I welcome Mrs. Indu Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Director, Competition Yoga Federation of India and Ocean Yoga Federation. I please request Dr. Sujata, Dean, Division of Natural Therapeutics, SDMCNY, Sujare. I also welcome Professor S. Prabhakar, and I recognize the presence of Gangadharappa, Professor Prabhakar, Pranabir Karmakar, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Jha, and Sri Raman Kumar, who supported the event to make it successful. I also offer my warm welcome to all the jurors, yoga delegates, and experts from all over the world. Warm welcome to the persons from the news and broadcast and print media. I also welcome the organizing committee members, the principal, the teaching staff, and the non-teaching faculty of SDM Education College of Naturopathy and Yogic Science, who have worked hard to make this event a grand success. May Lord Śrī Majnāth bless you. First of all, before I start my welcome address, I would like to take permission from Honorable Swamijī and Dharmādhiṅkārījī to speak in Hindi, if you kindly permit me. Thank you, Sir. First of all, I would like to applaud the great personality of Manjh Pe Aaseen Bhārat, Param Pūjanīya Swāmījī once again. Today, Swāmījī is such a great personality, it is our good fortune that we have the opportunity to see him at this sacred place. And from all of you, to the religious authority, the most venerable Dr., we all bow at your feet, who called us to this sacred place and gave us so much, for our entire lives. Jahāṁ pe log lakhon rupaye kharch karke darśan karne me lainoṁ me khade hote haiṁ, vahāṁ par dharmādhikārījī ne purījī purījī... Pratibhāgī, un sab kī tarah se 8-10 pradeshon se, deśhon se, yahā par jo āj participants, hamāre delegates āye hain, un sab kī tarah se, ham dharma adhikārī ke, jī ke carnon me ek bār punaḥ praṇām karnā cāhenge, aur āśā karnā. We wish that He may continue to bestow His blessings upon all of us in this way, so that this place of dharma, whose very name is such—a place of dharma—and here, Purījī, Purījī... I belong to the Agarwal community. The way our Baniyā community is organized during the wedding ceremony, that arrangement was made by Paramadhānī Swāmījī. He, Hegdeji, and here Dharmadhikariji have arranged food for our children. We cannot forget that. Aisa Swastik Bhojan, Vastu Mein Yog Kī Diśā Par Cal Kar Jo Khāyā Jātā Hai, Vah Bhojan Inhoṁ Ne Hamāre Baccoṁ Ke Lie, Hamāre Delegates Ke Lie Aur Kal Rāt Hameṁ Patā Lagā Har Participant Ko Inhoṁ Ne Tracksuit Banā Diye. Kab Ye Kyā Phaislā Karte Haiṁ? Ye Koī Dharma Adhikārī Hī Kar Saktā Hai, Hamāre Jaisā Koī Vyaktī Nahīṁ Kar Saktā. And here, even five years ago, we had the opportunity to come here. Even then, the competition they had done here was a milestone in the field of the National Yoga Championship. Sir, we have set up the Yoga Foundation of India since 1974. But we have never been able to do such work. Pai, jo Dharmādikārījī ke āśīrvād se, yahā par ek bhī bachchā, hamārā aisā nahīṁ hai, agar koī bīmār huā hai, uske lie ṭraṇṭ ḍākṭar available hai, yahāṁ tak, yahāṁ se Bangalore, Bangalore, by air jo hamāre participant āye hai, apnī. AC buses inzam karke, hamare participant ko Bangalore Mahāprabhujī karata Mahāprabhujī karata. We cannot forget, the way a mother feeds her children at home, in the same way your children were feeding us. While we were feeding them, we were remembering our mother. I have specially told her that today, in the form of a mother, you are feeding your children in front of us. I, on behalf of all of you, do not have any words about the rules of this place. Even if you try to find a dictionary, English, Hindi, or any other language, there is no word that we can say and present at your feet. I repeat once again, you have been in the position of a religious leader for 50 years. We are at your feet. We are at your feet. Karata Mahāprabhujī karata he kevalam. Mīrā subhāgya thā, jab Śāśī Kān Jain ne āpke madhyam se hame ākar ye anurodh kiyā. Hame itnī khuśī huī ki ye function aur tab se bachche intizār kar rahe the, kab vo din āyegā, jab ham dharma sthal me pahuñc kar, yahā par āyeṅge. Aapne darśan ke liye, alag se VVIP, hamare bachcho ke liye, darśan karne ke liye, jahan log laino me lage hue hain, hamaare bachche siddhe jaate hain, darśan kiya Prabhu kā, aur bahar aa jaate hain, uske liye bhi mai aapka bahut bahut abhāvat pragat kartā hū. Aur ek in sab ki or se, mai Dharma Adhikārījī ke liye ek anurodh. Karna chāhūṅgā, aaj is plakṣa par mujhe pūrṇa viśvāsa hai ki āp manā nahīṅ kareṅgī. Sir, all our participants, the children here, are selected children, whom we have invited. On their behalf, we want to make you the life patron of the Yoga Foundation of India, so that with your blessings, our Yoga Foundation of India can move forward. The Prime Minister of India, the honorable and worshipful Sri Narendra Modi Jī, has promoted yoga throughout the world in the name of International Yoga Day. With your blessings, we wish that this yoga, which the Yoga Foundation India has been working on across the country since 1974, and the Asian Yoga Foundation since 2010... Countries, I go and become its messenger. I am the Secretary General of the World Yoga Body, and I have got the opportunity to go abroad at least 80 times from your leadership. But the day when the name of Dharmādikārījī will come to our feet, I have faith that no country in the world will survive which will not move forward for yoga. We want to go to the whole world through you. We want to go further in this ancient culture of India, these indigenous sports of India. Once, Ayush Mantri, our leader, is also sitting among us. Sir, I also bow to you. Hai aur sab ki taraf se, kyuki aap sarkar mein aisa pillar ho, aap ki jab kalam chalegi to saare desh mein yog kā prachar ho jai gā. Mera aap se bhi inroth hai ki aap bhi ek pattern ke nāte hamare sangh se, Yoga Federation of India, pichle 43 year se desh ke. Kone kone be yog kā pracār kar rahā hai binā kisī govt. With whose help, we have never asked anyone for money until today. Whatever we do, we are doing as religious authorities. Like noble persons, great hands come to us who carry out these tasks. We have never [asked] the government. I have not taken any grant, nor any kind of money from anyone. Without that, for 43 years across the entire country, we have been spreading the message of Yoga. We would like to say that the Ministry of AYUSH is with you. You are the owner of this Mantrālaya. With your blessings, you also join us in this tradition, and we will not leave any city in the country where yoga will not be done. Bharat ki saṁskṛti ek bar sabhi jor se taaliyan bajakar Śrī Pāranāyak jī ke bhi svāgat mein āp praṇām kījiye aur inko viśvās dilāiye ki deś ke har kone mein yog hogā. Bharat kī saṁskṛti, Bharat kī prācīn saṁskṛti jo mahān Swāmījī jaisā in mahān pūjanīya Swāmījī ke āśīrvād se. Hum saare deś meṁ videśoṁ meṁ har jagā hamārī yog saṁskṛti jayegī. Jo hamāre delegates āṭh deśoṁ se, das deśoṁ se yahā̃ āye haiṁ, main unkā bhī abhār prakaṭ kartā hūṁ. Jinoṁ ne hamāre nimantraṇ par yahā̃ āye haiṁ, Hindustān ke kone-kone se jo yahā̃ par hamāre pratibhāgī āye haiṁ. Ham unkā bhī svāgat karte haiṁ, sabhī official kā svāgat karte haiṁ, Yoga Foundation of India, Asian Yoga Foundation ke tamām padādhikāriyon kā svāgat karte haiṁ, aur viśeṣakar hamāre press bandhu. Sir, if your pen doesn’t work, if your pen... Doesn’t work, then none of our work will work. So I request my press friends, you stay here for four days, you see, these children in front of you, yoga, we don’t just do āsanas, there is yoga āsana, artistic yoga, artistic pair yoga, rhythmic yoga, free flow yoga dance, Jyo Aaj Kal Aap TV Pe Show Dekhte. Ho, Dance India me aise kārikram yahā āpko dikhāenge, aur āpki lekhni ke mādhyam se, āpke press bandhu ke mādhyam se, sāre deśh pe ye message āyegā. In śabdo ke sāth ek bār phir se main paramapūjaniye Svāmījī ke carnoṁ me praṇām kartā hūṁ, aur maṅgalācaraṇ me hazīr hūṁ. Tamaam Uche Pada Adhikāriyo Se Tamaam Mahānubhāvo Se And these children who have come, especially their parents, my greetings to these children. Bharat Mātā Jī, Bharat Mātā Jī, Bandhe, Bandhe, Praṇām Sir. Thank you very much, Sir. His Holiness, Vishwaguru, Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Paramahaṁsa, Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānanda Jī. We thank Śrī Aśok Kumār Agarwāl-jī for felicitating all our guests. Swami Maheshwaranandaji was born on the 15th of August, 1945, in Rupavas, Pali, Rajasthan. Inspired by his parents, at three years of age, he started to learn and spend most of his time in prayer and meditation. He was well determined to become an ascetic. On being advised a strict yogic regime and after six months of meditation and dietary measures based on spiritual lines, he attained the state of self-realization in 1962. He was then initiated into the order of Swāmī in 1967. In the year 1972, he went to Europe and founded the Austrian-Indian Yoga Vedanta Fellowship in Vienna and opened Śrī Dīp Madhavānanda Āśram. Swamiji’s teachings are about multidimensional aspects of health, tolerance toward all religions, selfless service, protection of nature, and world peace. The realization of these fundamental principles of life leads man to spiritual development, self-realization, and realization of God. Yoga is not part of any religion, but all religions are a part of yoga, because yoga is universal. Swamiji’s books are published in 11 languages, and thousands of centers of Yoga in Daily Life are present across five continents. He also started the World Peace Council to support universal peace and brotherhood. I now humbly request Swami Maheśvarānandajī to please inaugurate this function by lighting the lamp. I also call the representatives of the various countries to please come on stage for lighting the lamp. Ahmed from Africa, Beynaz from Iran, Junaid from Yemen, Karimi from Afghanistan, and Abdi Fattah from Somalia. Please come on stage. Nareen Kumar Katil is here with all of us today for this gathering. Due to certain circumstances, he needs to leave. We wholeheartedly appreciate your presence here, sir. I request Pūjā, Dr. D. Virendra Igrejī, please present him with a memento. Thank you very much, sir. Ministry of State, Department of Irish, Government of India, and a member of the Parliament, Goa, as well as the Chief Patron of the International Yoga Festival 2017, is a devotee of Śrī Kṣetra Dharmasthala and Dr. D. Virendra Hegdejī. He has worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the system of Īrṣī. He has also ensured the proper central registration for BNYS graduates for the first time in the country and has played a key role in granting the center of excellence for this institution. As a part of the inauguration of this event, I would like to request, I now request Śrī Māheśvarānanda Svāmījī to please give the inaugural address. Sarvaddhisākṣībhūtaṁ Bhāvātītaṁ Trigunarahitaṁ Satgurutvaṁ Namāmyahaṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Blessed Self, dear sisters and brothers, I feel myself in a completely other world, Svargaloka, beyond Svargaloka, Śāntivan. His Holiness Dr. D. Vīraṇḍra Harjeśvara, I feel so divine that he remembered me. He is a divine soul. The whole family is a divine incarnation. As our dear Śrī Agarwal Sahib taught, you see, even there are some people who cannot feed their own family, but he is the giver. Respected, honorable Ayush Minister Śrī Sripada Yusuf Naik Sahib, I think he got that quality and some spirituality of Patañjali. The ṛṣi Patañjali came back, and he got it in his hands to spread yoga in the whole world. He is the first one who is a minister of yoga, and I thank you. All dear sisters and brothers, I feel that I have a new vision in my work of yoga. Ananta Brahmāṇḍa Śūnyakāśa, how I understand yoga, yoga in daily life, everyday practice. The Bhagavān, Sarashiva, Ananta Brahman, Śūnyākāśa, there is nothing, only the space, only the space. Within that space, what we see, the first question comes: is the consciousness in the space, or is the space in the consciousness? Anant Brahman is the Divine Mother, and that consciousness is within the space; it is the Divine Light, Nādarūpa Parabrahma. It is that sound, and in our tradition and in our culture, first we had a śaṅkhanāda: "Oṁ kāravindu saṁyuktaṁ nityadāyanti yogīnaḥ, kaivalyaṁ mokṣaṁ caiva, oṁ kārāya namo namaḥ." In that space where there is nothing, but there is something, and that’s called Eko’haṁ Bahusyāmi. I am one, and now I will multiply. But how? Who? Where? Part 2: The Three Principles and the Essence of Yoga There are three principles: space, consciousness, and yoga. Yoga does not mean these physical exercises, not breathing, etc., but what is beyond. Yoga is balance, harmony, and union. These are the three principles through which that Swayambhū, the first, through the "Eko'haṃ Bahu Syām," with that Nāda first resonates. That Nāda within no time spreads in the whole universe. That is the divine light of the divine Śiva. That Prakāś, Prakāś Puñjam Ṛttake Sāgar. From that Nāda, Jyoti, and manifesting the Divine, the Śiva, the Swayambhū, He came in meditation mudrā. Śiva is a creator or giver of the science of Yoga: Bodhi, Mind, Emotion, Intellect, Consciousness, Jīvātmā, and Paramātmā. Therefore, yoga is not a religion. Many countries, many people, they are thinking that yoga is a kind of religion. Yes, it is a religion, but all religions say that Hinduism is from yoga. Yes, that is true. Every religion is coming from yoga because the first is the yoga. Yoga is a science which is given for humans, and humans have those capacities. Narse Narayan Bansakta Hai through the practice of yoga. We need a healthy body. Someone said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." Physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. For that, our ṛṣis have designed, then, what Śiva has given to us: the different kinds of yoga. My dear ones, the great dignitaries are sitting here, the Ayush Minister, the Yoga Minister. I was surprised, sir. I read somewhere in a book or some magazine, unfortunately, in the part of the government’s yoga, that yoga is 5,000 years old. I think we have to give some definition to it. Maybe Patañjali was 5,000 years ago, and he modified the yoga. Second, they said Ayurveda is 5,000 years old. I asked the question when Lakṣmaṇ got a boon. At that time in Sri Lanka, more than 1.6 thousand million years ago. That time was the age of Āyurveda. So which Ayurveda are we accepting? The 5000 years or the time of the Bhagavān Śiva? Ayurveda comes from that time which we call the Samudra Manthan, when Bhagavān Dhanvantari brought the amṛta kalaśa. Kyā vo 5000 years only? This is going to be noted in the other books of the different countries, different cultures, and different regions. And they said, "Your government said that it is only 5,000 years." I see how they are saying that. Yes, so I think I should look at it. Yoga, ethics, morals, the culture. The culture. Every country has its culture, the best culture. But someone said, "Every culture is the best culture, but the good culture is agriculture." And in agriculture, we have to avoid and finish all these pesticides, which are poison. First is the first thing. Second, the vegetarian diet. Jīva jīva bhakṣate, but not for the humans. Humans should not eat what we call eggs, meat, this, that, all. In the last 47 years, around the world, millions of people, through the practice of yoga in their lives, have given up even eggs. You will not believe, maybe, but my disciples, if they have to go for an operation, they tell the doctor first, "Do not give me any kind of remedy, any medicine where there is egg or some animal in it." No animal fats, no eggs, even I die. And number two, they said, "Put my mala under my head. Even if I die, don’t remove my mala." So the millions of people understood what a human life is and how humans should live. And how the yoga is practiced. Next point, "Mātṛ Devo Bhava": the first god is the mother. The Upaniṣad said, "Mātṛ Devo Bhava, Pitṛ Devo Bhava." We are talking today about the subject of morals. This subject, this point is very, very important. But this can only be given by a mother’s lap and a father’s lap. Sūtan ko wah śikṣā mil saktī hai jo hum cāhte hai ki caritratā kā mūlya jo hai wo mātā pitā hī de saktī hai. Only mother and father can give us that knowledge, that śikṣā. When you put your child to what calls now, they call their kindergarten or nursery school. Or, here, I don’t know what they say, so if a child goes to a nursery, a peer group is forming for the child. Well, it doesn’t matter what language, as your child is going to the kindergarten, you have lost your child. Now the child will not listen to what you are telling. They will have a different education now, but the education in the lap of the mother—the mother, when she becomes pregnant, that time she knows, and for nine months she is talking and giving knowledge to the child when the child is in the womb. And when the child is born, the mother talks first, then the father talks. So knowledge, this is what we call spirituality, ethics, and moral education; only parents can give it. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam... I can be the swarga more than this. So, in yoga, there are many techniques, many, many techniques: āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, haṭha yoga. Now, one point I wanted to tell you, I don’t know how much time they gave me, but people now put all, "I want to practice haṭha yoga." When I went to Europe in the very beginning, on the 1st of January 1970, in England, people always said, "We want to practice Haṭha Yoga, we want to practice Haṭha Yoga." I said, "Okay." So I brought the neti, basti, dhoti, hatha yoga. They said, "No, no, āsanas." Āsanas are not haṭha yoga. Haṭha yoga is netī, dhotī, bastī, naulī, trāṭaka, and kapālabhātī. That is haṭha yoga. So even people, our yoga teachers teach them wrong techniques. So Haṭha Yoga is different, Rāja Yoga is different, Karma Yoga is different, Jñāna Yoga is different. And after that, there is the Swara Yoga, there is Bhakti Yoga, there is Prāṇāyāma Yoga, there are many different parts, Kriya Yoga, many, many different parts of the yoga. So, I think we have to modify again, clearly. Here, you are practicing Haṭha Yoga, and you are practicing Yoga, and you are practicing Āyurveda. The bird has two wings to fly, and that is Yoga and Āyurveda for this ātmā to fly towards Brahmaloka. So, what I want to say is that the love, language, and education that mothers and fathers give in life cannot be obtained anywhere else, and therefore we say, "Mātṛ Devo Bhava, Pitṛ Devo Bhava, Ācārya Devo Bhava," etc. And those people from this country here, from this part of India, what language is here? Kannada language. Now, all people who are going to Europe, America, etc., you can ask them. They speak very good English, they speak very good French, they speak all different languages. But when they are dreaming, they will dream only in the Kannada language. When I dream, wherever I am, I travel around the world 47 times, but when I dream, I dream in the Rajasthani language. So that culture is with us. So, my dear brothers and sisters, I would say the practice of yoga is the best remedy, and Āyurveda is the best way, the diet we are eating. So, I am very thankful for this invitation that I am here. I pray to the Almighty, especially for our His Holiness and our Bari Divine Mother, Hemavati, and Ayush Minister Sahib, Agarwal Sahib, everyone. I pray to the Almighty for their good health, happiness, and long, long life, as well as for the brothers and sisters who come. From different parts of the world, I welcome you. We say in India, "Vasudhaiva kuṭumbakam," the whole world is one family. We welcome you, we invite you, we are with you because you are like our family. Doesn’t matter from which country you are, we love you, we respect you, we like you, and we would like to give you the science of yoga. We don’t want to convert you. In Bishad, I always say to the people when they ask me in other countries, "Are you converting the people to another religion?" I say no, no... No, we don’t convert, we convince. With this, thank you, wish you all the best, and God, prayer to God for your good health. Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. One sentence I would like to say. In New York, there was one elderly mother, 103 years old. And she said that one yogī came from India to America, and he taught her yoga. And then he taught her one mantra. You have yoga, use it or lose it. So use it or lose it. So he gave us yoga, so now you should use it, don’t lose it. Hari Om Tat Sat. Thank you very much for your wise and caring words, Swāmījī. Śrī Śrīpād Yaśod Nāik is a Minister of State for the Department of Āyush and the Government of India, and is also a member of the Parliament of the State of Goa. He is also the Chief Patron of this International Yoga Festival 2017. He is a keen devotee of Śrī Kṣetra Dharmasthala and Dr. D. Virendra Hegdejī. He has worked tirelessly for the upliftment of the system of Āyush. He has also ensured the proper central registration for BNYS graduates for the first time in the country and has played a key role in granting the Center of Excellence for this institution. As a part of this inauguration of this event, I would like to request Shri Shripad Yashwanaikjī, Minister of State, to release the souvenir. Thank you very much, sir. I now request Śrī Śrīpād Yaśvanāikjī to address the gathering. Dignitaries on the dais for this International Yoga Festival and Second Federation of Yoga Sports Cup: His Holiness Vishwaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara Paramahaṃswāmī Maheśvarānandajī, Swāmī Mahārāj, Ādhāraṇī Dr. Sri Ashok Kumār Agarwaljī, Śrīmatī Indu Agarwaljī, Śrī Gaṅgādhar Nappā Jī, other dignitaries on the dais, members of the press and electronic media, my brothers and sisters. At the outset, I welcome you all to this mega International Yoga Festival 2017. It is a matter of great pleasure to me to be here with you today. This International Yoga Festival is a unique program. What I am witnessing today, Hegdejī, along with several other social reformers and reforming programmers, also has a great faith and commitment to the Indian system of medicine, especially yoga and naturopathy. The efforts made by Adran Hegreji for the promotion and development of this system are highly commendable and laudable, and he deserves a big round of applause from all of you. As I learned, SGM College of Naturopathy and Yogic Science happened to be one of the leading educational institutions in the field of this traditional science in the country and contributed a lot to the growth and development of this system. It has traveled a long way during the last more than 25 years, updated itself from time to time, and become a model for other institutions. The continuous support and vision of Śrī Ādarṇe Hegrejī and his commitment and dedication to this system have made this institution reach new heights. The growing demand for the system of yoga and naturopathy in the recent past has leveraged this institution’s demand. As I learned, the institution has added one more feather in its cap by being the first institution to start an MD course in Yoga and Naturopathy. I am sure this will continue to flourish and become a milestone in the history of Naturopathy and Yoga. I learned that the Dharmasthala Manjuna Devaṣṭhāna Yoga and Moral Education Project was established in the year 1991 under the Śāntivana Trust to generate healthy and efficient youth through yoga and moral education. Today, this project has grown to the extent of training over 3 lakh school children within 9 districts every year. Dr. Adar Nehegdejī also holds the prestige of achieving the Guinness World Record for conducting the largest yoga classes in multiple locations in 2013. On the eve of this silver jubilee celebration of the SDM Yoga and Moral Education Project, this international yoga festival is being organized to inspire people across the world in yoga practice. Delegates from India and abroad are participating in this mega event. I also learned that 25 years ago, the Moral Education and Yoga Project started with the aim of providing moral and spiritual values among school-going students, which has yielded good results in molding the overall personality of the students through many programs. As we all know, yoga and naturopathy are not new to this country. Since time immemorial, these systems have been in practice. The people of this country used to adopt many of these practices as a part of their lifestyle. It may not be for health purposes, but as part of tradition and culture. Lifestyle and behavioral patterns of people are changing rapidly, leading to a sharp increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases like diabetes. In the treatment of many lifestyle-related and psychosomatic disorders, Naturopathy also advocates a change in lifestyle and educates people to follow a natural regime so that many of these diseases could be prevented and others could be managed. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam. And becoming more popular nowadays may be because of increasing lifestyle-related disorders and non-communicable diseases. Some of the non-communicable diseases are growing like epidemics, and there is an urgent need to check their growth. Yoga and naturopathy, which are drugless and cost-effective in nature, are probably the only answer for preventing such epidemics. The facility of this system is that it can get along with any other system of health care. Even the modern medical system has started realizing the need for lifestyle intervention in the management of many disease conditions effectively through yoga and naturopathy. Therefore, it is a good time to integrate this best medicine and the best medical system to provide better health care to our fellow countrymen. It is a matter of great pride and honor for every person in the country. Especially for the people who are directly involved in yoga, the UN has announced June 21st as the International Day of Yoga with the support of 177 countries. It is a great achievement on the part of our government and the field of yoga. The system of yoga has also now been inscribed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. All these have also enhanced the responsibility of the professionals in this field. And I would urge that all the professionals of yoga and naturopathy must be more proactive, responsible, and committed to this system. Only when we will be able to place this system on a new pedestal and give a new direction to its promotion and propagation. Our government, under the dynamic leadership of Śrī Nārāyaṇ Dābāī Modījī, is the first government in history to make a separate ministry for Āyush. With the separate ministry of Ayush, we are committed to the development of Ayush, including Yoga and Naturopathy. Already, several actions have been initiated on several issues related to the growth and development of this system, which were pending for a long time. My government will not look back to take any measure for the betterment of this system and the health of the people of this country through yoga and naturopathy. The Ministry of Ayush, through its flagship program, is trying to establish yoga and naturopathy wellness centers across the country. The Ministry had organized the International Day of Yoga across the country in a very grand manner for the last three years. And now the entire country is aware of yoga, even at the village level. The response was so good that a few villages have been declared as yoga villages in the country. The Ministry is trying to have this model of a yoga village and replicate it in other states as well. We will also focus on revamping the activities of the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy and the National Institute for Yoga and Naturopathy in the days to come. The National Institute will be developed as a center of excellence in its respective field in the years to come. May Ministry will take all these measures for this to happen. And I am definitely announced that the first center of excellence in our Ayush Ministry for Yoga and Naturopathy will be given to this institution in Dharmasthala. As you know, the second phase construction of the postgraduate institution of Yoga and Naturopathy, with a 200-bedded hospital, is at Nagamangala, Mandar district, in Jhajjar, Haryana. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhu Dīp... Karatā Mahāprabhu Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā. I wish the program all success, and the participants will be greatly benefited by this deliberation, which is going to be held here in the next three to four days. I extend my heartfelt thanks to Śrī Adarne Hegadejī for inviting me here for this great festival. Thank you very much. Jai Hind. Bhārat Mātā Kī Jai. Thank you very much for your inspiring words, sir.