The 9th Utkal Yoga Sammelan organised by Satyananda Yoga Vidyalaya, Bhubaneshwar, was inaugurated today by Paramahams Swami Niranjanananda, the President of Munger Ashram, Bihar. Speaking on the occasion, Swamiji said. 'There are innumerable yoga centres in the country today where people are exposed to various kinds of yogic exercises. The yoga ashram is quite different from a yoga centre. An ashram takes care of the overall development of an individual. In an ashram, an atmosphere is created for an individual to generate the interest of self-awareness which helps one to quest for the inherent power within. And we shall have such an ashram here this year'.
'Today the man of science takes pride-in unprecedented achievements he has in science and technology. But in actuality the human civilisation is fast heading towards decadence'.
Looking into the demands of man, Swamiji said that 'Dry intellectual pursuits alone cannot sustain humanity. Yoga alone brings a balance between the spiritual and physical life of a person. It helps us to discover and identify the human quality in us. This in brief, forms what a yoga ashram should do', Swamiji asserted.
Quoting Patanjali, he said, 'Yoga is the method of self-discipline for today's man who suffers from dico-matic self and divided mind, divided by various problems of hopes and despair, reality and illusion, through sufferings from all kinds of complicated diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems, arthritis, insomnia, etc. He should practice yoga to regulate his life and bring about a balance. Yoga dots not mean only pranayama and asanas. It is a way to the power to purify our life at every stage. I do not blame the dying or modern man, but when under certain circumstances or situations, we make ourselves suffer from diseases, we should also have the power to cure ourselves'.
'Yoga in the past was done through the cult of bhakti (devotion) or prema (love). But today it is both a physical and psychological science, more ancient, though more efficient, to show you how to get out of your socio-political, economic, family and health problems. Hence it should be a household word for every one of us,' Swamiji concluded.
The meeting was presided over by K.Ramamurthi. The welcome address was given by Pratap Mohanty, chairman, reception committee. The vote of thanks was offered by Samarendra Patnaik.
The sammelan has been attended by about 500 devotees from all strata of society including professors and top government officials of the slate and some from Munger. The director of Satyananda Yoga Vidyalaya, Swami Swaroopananda Saraswati was present.