This morning Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji reached Bathinda on the second day of his Punjab tour where he first inaugurated the Art of Living Gyan Mandir. This Gyan Mandir will be a centre of mental peace, physical health and emotional balance for thousands of people through effective techniques like yoga, pranayama, meditation and Sudarshan Kriya. Hundreds of devotees and many dignitaries were present at the inauguration ceremony.
After this, a grand satsang 'Umang' was organized in the holy presence of Gurudev at 5 pm in the famous sports stadium of Bathinda in which about 20,000 people participated and experienced songs, knowledge and deep meditation in the presence of Gurudev.
In the satsang, Gurudev told the devotees about the 1000-year-old Pindas of Somnath Jyotirlinga which were preserved by the previous generations of Agnihotri Brahmin Shri Sitaram Shastri Ji of South India. Now, as per the orders of Shankaracharya of Kanchi, he had brought them to Gurudev's Art of Living Bangalore Ashram for the purpose of getting the Pindas of Somnath reinstalled. This year, in the month of Kartik, in the presence of all the saints, the original parts of the Jyotirlinga are planned to be reinstalled in the Somnath temple.
Life is dull and dry without meditation
Addressing the satsang, Gurudev said, "Everyone should meditate every day. Life is dull and dry without meditation. Only meditation brings interest in life. Sit for a while and calm the mind, watch your breath. Realize that you have come to this world for a short time. When we repeatedly look at life from a broad perspective, then even big problems will start looking small."
Gurudev explained the importance of company and said, "If our problems seem light while sitting with someone, then that is good company, but if you start feeling your problems heavy in their company, then that company is not good." He said, "Today one-third of the world is suffering from depression, we should keep India away from it. Meditation, yoga and breathing techniques work a lot for this."
Talking about intuition, Gurudev said that today, through the Art of Living program, children and adults are helping people a lot with the help of intuition. Children are also helping the police in solving their cases. Many people who came to the satsang meeting also asked Gurudev their questions.
Governor Kataria also attended the ceremony
The Honorable Governor of Punjab, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria was present in this ceremony. The Governor praised Gurudev's global humanitarian efforts. He said that "Gurudev has taught the Art of Living not only to people in India but also to people in most countries of the world." He said, "People of the world know India through meditation and yoga. Gurudev has made an important contribution in the World Meditation Day declared by the United Nations on 21 December this year." The Governor also urged Gurudev to start a mass movement to make Punjab drug-free. The Honorable Governor especially praised the natural farming campaign being run by the Art of Living.
In the presence of Gurudev, 24 schools including Chandigarh University and Lovely University signed MoU with Art of Living. 30,000 youth and children in these universities and schools will be taught Happiness Course for Youth, Art Excel and YES courses, through which children will be taught meditation, breathing techniques and stress management methods. This will help in increasing their concentration and reducing stress. Apart from this, it will also develop the insight ability of children, which will enable them to make better decisions.