President Droupadi Murmu was the guest of honour at the Isha Yoga Center's annual 12-hour nightlong cultural extravaganza, Mahashivaratri, on Friday in the presence of Sadhguru, the founder-Isha Foundation.
Tamil Nadu Governor Ravindra Narayana Ravi and Tamil Nadu IT minister Mano Thangaraj T were also present at the event.
Warmly welcomed by Sadhguru and by the tens of thousands gathered for the celebrations, President Murmu said, "I feel specially blessed today. I feel blessed to be here on the holy occasion of Mahashivaratri in the presence of Adiyogi."
Earlier, the President participated in the Pancha Bhutha Kriya (cleansing of the five elements) conducted by Sadhguru at Dhyanalinga, a powerful and unique energy form consecrated as a doorway to liberation. The President also lit the Mahayoga Yagna at Adiyogi to symbolize the spread of Yoga through the world.
Terming Lord Shiva as a "deity for all," and the night of Mahashivaratri as marking "the end of the darkness of ignorance", the President added that "for those in search of higher ideals of life, today is an especially significant occasion."
"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," she said.
Referring to Sadhguru as a "renowned Rishi of modern times" the President said, "Countless people, especially the young from India and abroad, have found in him the inspiration to make spiritual progress."
Underlining the importance of bringing physical and mental stability to individual human beings, Sadhguru said that the Mahayoga Yagna is a symbol of Isha's commitment to offer tools and technologies for wellbeing to humanity.
"In the next 24 months, we are committed to bringing a simple form of Yoga to at least 2 billion people on the planet. This needs to happen for the wellbeing of humanity," Sadhguru added.
Explaining the significance of Aum Namah Shivaya, Sadhguru said, "This is a fantastic geometry of sounds. If one learns to use this, it will unhinge you from all those things which keep you hanging in life go on a straight path towards inner development, towards a blissful existence so that the process of life is never burdensome in your experience."
With the iconic Adiyogi serving as the backdrop, a galaxy of musicians, dancers, singers and artists took centre stage before millions of participants.
Keeping with tradition, Sounds of Isha, Isha's homegrown music band, collaborated with several artists through the night including Ram Mirjala, Velmurugan, Kutle Khan, Mangli, Ananya Chakraborty, Meenal Jain, Nihar Shembekar and Kannada folk singers in a versatile rendering of music composition and genre.
Other popular performers included Mame Khan, Niladri Kumar, a troupe of Georgian dancers and the Theyyam fire dancers from Kerala.
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