New Delhi, December 21
On World Meditation Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon everyone to make meditation a part of their lives and experience its transformative potential.
He called meditation a "powerful way" to bring peace and harmony to one's life and to society and planet Earth.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "Today, on World Meditation Day, I call upon everyone to make meditation a part of their daily lives and experience its transformative potential. Meditation is a powerful way to bring peace and harmony to one's life, as well as to our society and planet. In the age of technology, Apps and guided videos can be valuable tools to help incorporate meditation into our routines."
On December 6, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution, declaring 21st December as World Meditation Day. India was instrumental in the unanimous adoption of the said resolution.
Meanwhile, Spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emphasised the necessity of meditation during his address at the inaugural session of the first-ever World Meditation Day at United Nations headquarters in New York.
Gurudev Ravi Shankar called meditation "mental hygiene" and reflected on its importance in today's time when "mental health took a big toll" on the population.
"Today, meditation is not a luxury as it was thought, but it is a necessity. I would call it mental hygiene. Like you have dental hygiene, we have mental hygiene wherein meditation can help us to be more centred and away from aggression and depression. The mental health crisis has taken a big toll on our population. On one side, our young population is undergoing such aggressive behaviour. On the other side, there is depression," Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said.
He added that meditation brings sensitivity and sensibility to people and called it "two important factors of any civilized society." He advised people to be more sensitive towards themselves, towards fellow beings and also for the environment.
"We need to be sensitive towards ourselves, towards fellow beings and also for the environment. Meditation makes us more conscious about our environment, and conscious about the feelings of people around us. It helps us to stay away from those antisocial activities which would harm oneself and others," he said.
Gurudev Ravi Shankar also gave a special meditation session during the event to more than 600 enthusiastic participants. The event was attended by the UNGA President Philemon Yang, Under Secretary General Atul Khare and several other dignitaries.