New Delhi: On the occasion of first International Yoga Day celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that yoga reaches out to everyone and cuts across caste, creed and colour.
“Yoga cuts across differences of class, colour and creed. Solidarity shown by neighbouring country has brought us closer,” said PM Modi while addressing the first international conference on yoga for holistic health.
PM Modi said that yoga is a philosophy and a 'Yogi' is someone who is in harmony with oneself, his body, surroundings and nature.
He added that yoga is the key to living life to its full and evidence suggests that practising yoga helps combat stress.
Drawing attention to boards of "pure ghee" shops in the market, Modi said that 50 years back these were never seen but today they are because money is there.
"This is not a trade or organisation but a state of mind (vyapaar ya vyavastha nahin avastha hai),”he said.
"This (yoga) is the contribution from the soil of India for the good of human beings. People outside India have also worked on it. We have to acknowledge this. We should not seize it as our fiefdom (bapouti). This belongs to the whole world," the Prime Minister said addressing the inaugural session of the two-day conference being attended by delegates of 26 countries.
Under attack from Congress for "usurping" the traditional form, Modi stressed that yoga is "not the brainchild of a government" or the United Nations but a gift from generations and said that he is "indebted" to all the governments and all the countries across the world.
Modi said that though yoga originated in India, it is a collective gift to humanity.
He quoted profusely from scriptures, including Bhagvad Gita, saying India promises to reach out to all to foster a culture of inclusiveness and that of making one global family in which all are happy and disease free ('sarve bhavantu sukhin, sarve bhavantu niramaya').
The Prime Minister also released a Rs 5 rupee stamp and coins of Rs 10 and Rs 100 on IYD brought out by the Postal Department and the Finance Ministry.
Talking about today's event at Rajpath, he said that from from sunrise in far east to sunset to the farthest corners in the western hemisphere, people will join in celebrating the yoga day.
(With PTI Inputs)
