The Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari has said that the change for the better is, in essence, the spiritual message that Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru gave to the world and the change comes from introspection and by placing the welfare and benefit of others before self. He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the Navapoojitham (90th Birthday) Celebrations of Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru at Santhigiri Ashram, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala today. The Governor of Kerala, Justice (Retd.) P. Sathasivam, the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Prof. P.J. Kurien and the Minister for Forests, Animal Husbandry and Zoos, Kerala, Shri K. Raju were present on the occasion.The Vice President said that the Ashram is now known the world over as a spiritual center taking forward the teachings of Karunakara Guru, who exhorted his followers to lead a life at peace with God and Nature. The Ashram promotes transcendental spiritual values and ideals of the Guru like universal love, world peace and religious harmony, he added. The Vice President said that spirituality is a universal human experience - something that touches us all.
He further said that like your sense of purpose, your personal definition of spirituality may change throughout your life, adapting to your own experiences and relationships. Karunakara Guru also challenged his followers to change their present way of thinking and move into a grander and larger experience - be meditation, prayer and service to others, he added.The Vice President said that there is growing acceptance that spiritual and contemplative practices are associated with better health and wellbeing. It is an interesting, and fascinating, aspect of the human spiritual experience that all systems of faith or belief have within them the practice of meditation, he added.The Vice President said that the systematic practice of yoga has been found to reduce stress, decrease depression and anxiety, regulate blood pressure, and increase feelings of wellbeing. He further said that beyond the essentially physical aspects of the science of yoga, lies its metaphysical dimension that, as Patanjali put it, focuses on the art of concentration and on the method of control of the modification or fluctuation of the mind. Similarly, Prayer may also elicit a relaxation response, along with feelings of hope, gratitude, and compassion - all of which have a positive effect on overall wellbeing of the individual, and by extension, the society, he added.