Row over the use of “OM” at International Yoga Day

Category : General advice, Philosophy 23rd May 2016

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Inside Yoga 168 (23/5/16)

There is a row brewing in India over the use of the word “Om” at the forthcoming International Yoga Day on June 21 with opposition political parties accusing the governing BJP party of having a Hindu agenda by forcing participants to chant “Om” at the event.

The Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari’s wife Salma Ansari said today, Monday, that there is nothing wrong in saying “Om”. She pointed out that chanting is good for the lungs, and added that there is “nothing wrong in saying ‘Om’, don’t you say Allah or God or Rab? What is the difference.”

Senior politicians such as KC Tyagi of Janata Dal United, Sandeep Dikshit of Indian Congress, and Vrinda Karat of CPI-M, have voiced their objections to the Yoga day’s organisers’ proposal for chanting “Om” and some Vedic mantras as part the 45-minute yoga session to be performed as part of the International Yoga Day.

The government ministry organising the event has said the “yogic practice shall start with a prayer or prayerful mood to enhance the benefits of practice.”
This has been prepared by a government-appointed panel of experts for those participating in the International Yoga Day and circulated through government departments, schools, colleges and universities across the country.

The 45-minute session, which begins with a two-minute prayer and includes a mantra taken from the Rigveda, will conclude with the 15-minute meditation session.

However, due to the criticism voiced by opposition parties, the organisers are now stating that chanting “Om” is not compulsory.

Before the meditation, participants are required to take a “samkalp” or a vow: “I commit myself to always be in a balanced state of mind. It is in this state that my highest self-development reaches its greatest possibility. I commit to do my duty to self, family, at work, to society, and to the world, for the promotion of peace, health and harmony.” This will be followed by chanting of a set of verses from the Upanishad to pray for happiness and peace to one and all.

The International Yoga day which takes place in Chandigarh, on June 21, will be attended by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.

Seen in context, although India is the source of Yoga where we might picture them all happily chanting “om” and sitting in yogic bliss it is also a huge country – in fact a sub-continent – where there are several religions, principally Hinduism and Islam, and where political factions are at each-others’ throats (metaphorically most of the time but in reality periodically) it is hardly surprising to read that a row has erupted over such a small word.

From a personal point of view, chanting is a beneficial practice in terms of meditation as it opens up the airways and the flow of prana (the energy within us) which does help to bring us to place of balance, stillness and clarity. The spiritual dimension is something I believe depends upon the individual and is private.

To read more about the event and the controversy see
http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/nothing-wrong-in-chanting-om-opposition-to-yoga-uncalled-for-salma-ansari_1888107.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-nothing-wrong-in-chanting-om-during-yoga-says-wife-of-vice-president-hamid-ansari-2215559
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-narendra-modi-to-attend-international-yoga-day-at-chandigarh/articleshow/52385374.cms
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