The need for a balanced and compassionate life in harmony with mother nature and all its dear children was never felt so pressing as it does today, President Droupadi Murmu said as she joined the Mahashivaratri celebrations at Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore on Saturday night.
Terming Lord Shiva as a “deity for all”, Murmu said Mahashivaratri marks the end of darkness, ignorance and opens the path of enlightenment.
“For those in search of higher ideals of life, today is an especially significant occasion,” she said, addressing the devotees near the 112-foot tall Adiyogi statue. She wished that the Mahashivaratri dispel darkness inside us and lead us all to more fulfilling and progressive life.
"Lord Shiva is a deity for all. He is a householder and also a sanyasi. He is the first yogi and also the first Gnani. Lord Shiva is a benevolent deity. He is also the ultimate fearsome deity. He is the symbol of both kinds of energies, creative and destructive," she said.
Earlier, Murmu was welcomed by Sadhguru, the founder of Isha Foundation. Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, IT minister Mano Thangaraj were also present on the occasion.
The President participated in the Pancha Bhutha Kriya (cleansing of the five elements) conducted by Sadhguru at Dhyanalinga and also lit the Mahayoga Yagna at Adiyogi to symbolize the spread of Yoga through the world.
Murmu termed Sadhguru as a “renowned Rishi of modern times” and said, “countless people, especially the young from India and abroad, have found in him the inspiration to make spiritual progress.”
Sadhguru, in his address, underlined the importance of bringing physical and mental stability to individual human beings and said Mahayoga Yagna is a symbol of Isha’s commitment to offer tools and technologies of wellbeing to humanity.
“In the next 24 months, we are committed to bring a simple form of yoga to at least 2 billion people on the planet. This needs to happen for the wellbeing of humanity,” he said.
The 12-hour nightlong cultural extravaganza had meditation sessions, Sadhguru’s discourse and Q&A sessions. Several artists including Ram Mirjala, Velmurugan, Kutle Khan, Mangli, Ananya Chakraborty, Meenal Jain, Nihar Shembekar, Mame Khan and Niladri Kumar performed on the occasion, besides the Kannada folk singers, a troupe of Georgian dancers and the Theyyam fire dancers from Kerala.
