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Part 1: Welcoming Address and Valedictory Session on Yoga for Wellness A very good morning to everyone present here. Honourable Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shri Nitin Gadkari Ji. Honourable Minister of State with Independent Charge for Ayush, Shri Sripad Yeso Nayak Ji. Honourable Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ashwani Kumar Chaubey Ji. Professor Nāgendra, Ācārya Bālakṛṣṇa, Vaidya Rājeś Koṭecā jī, dignitaries in this auditorium, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the second day. We are today extremely honoured to have Shri Nitin Gadkarijī as our chief guest for the valedictory session, and on behalf of all of you, I welcome him. We have had two fruitful days, sir. Yesterday’s discussion was particularly productive, and we will continue with some unfinished agenda today. We are indeed happy to report that it looks like we will be able to accomplish what we set out to do in these two days. Yoga for wellness is this year’s subject, and as I mentioned yesterday, it is one of the most apt subjects. The reason is simple: it is not just about the practice of yoga, but about using it in the life of every human being to achieve better health and wellness. Earlier, yoga was practiced for generations by Indians. Recently, it has acquired an international presence and global acceptability, thanks largely to the great efforts and leadership of our Honourable Prime Minister. We also now have the International Yoga Day. With this global acceptability, I feel that India’s responsibility is far greater than ever before. This conference and the views expressed here will help us find policy parameters to guide us in the global arena. We are all aware that yoga is not just about a cure. It is about health, overall well-being, and wellness. In the two days of this conference, sir, two striking features have emerged. First, we have, in a holistic manner, talked about the integration of yoga. Second, we have had session after session discussing the specific impact of yoga on various disease profiles. Regarding integration, we need to leverage the wealth of knowledge we have in India’s traditional medicine field and integrate it with modern medicine. I say this also because I have the privilege of looking after both departments. That integration is extremely critical if we really want to build a happy, healthy nation. So far, our approach has been of co-locating. The approach must move from co-location to integration, where we actually cross-flow. Cross-referrals must happen; it is not just a matter of choice. Wherever the need arises, we should be able to send the patient to either side. But more important than that, we should use yoga to ensure that we have very few patients at the end of the day. That is the ultimate aim. The second aspect is the specific impact on diseases. We need to popularize yoga, which is very well said and accepted. But we also need to generate scientific evidence about the value of yoga if we want true acceptability. In today’s world of science, merely saying something does not mean much. It is conferences like this, with personalities like you who are so well-versed, that we need to take this forward. It is extremely heartening, sir, to see that in this hall today, we not only have great practitioners of Āyush of international level, but also extremely well-known personalities from modern medicine of the Indian stream who are well-recognized. This is the kind of integration we aim for, and I am so happy to welcome all the doctors here because they will now become part of this integration in the future. I am sure future events will address this, but let me today have the privilege—a proud privilege—of welcoming the Honourable Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Sir, we look forward to your speech today, largely as guidance on where we need to take this sector, and for your views on how we need to work on integration for a healthy India. On behalf of the Ministry and all of us present here, a very warm welcome, sir. We would also like to welcome our Minister of State for Āyuṣ, Śrī Śrīpāda Yesso Nāyakjī, who, as I mentioned yesterday, has been at the forefront of all developments in Āyuṣ. We are extremely happy to have him here and welcome him on behalf of everyone. We are also honoured by the presence of Śrī Aśvinī Kumār Caubeyjī, the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, who has kindly spared his time to join us. A very warm welcome to you, sir. I also have the privilege of welcoming Professor Nagendra, a doyen in the field of yoga; Shri Balakrishna jī, who has spread this message far and wide; and Swami Maheśvarānand jī, who is here with us. All have contributed to the spread of yoga, not just within India but across the globe. I welcome all of them on behalf of everyone here, and we hope you will contribute a lot to today’s deliberations and future guidance. I hope this half-day left for discussion will bring more scientific knowledge into our discourse, and we will be able to establish policy parameters which the government can use to shape its policies. A very warm welcome to all of you, ladies and gentlemen. I hope we have good deliberations today. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir, for highlighting the government’s perspective, not only towards promoting yoga and Ayurveda, but also integrating it with other medical sciences for the greater benefit of mankind. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to request Shri Nitin Gadkari jī for his valedictory address, as he has another pressing engagement but has taken time to be with us. Valedictory Address by Shri Nitin Gadkari After our government came, the Prime Minister decided we would pay special attention to promoting the science of yoga. Naturally, World Yoga Day started. When we go abroad, the kind of response we get from people there for yoga is a great achievement for the Indian government. One thing has been proven: this has not happened merely due to publicity. The improvement in health due to the experience of yoga is a natural reaction, which is why people support it. My weight was 130 kg. Now I am at 90 kg. I had surgery in between, but I was stagnant at 95 kg. Now, every day I go to a Kerala organization, and in the morning I do oil massage and a steam bath. I have done about ten to twelve sittings. My weight was stagnant at ninety-five, now it is ninety. By reducing weight, health parameters improve. In the morning, I do Vyāyam and Yogāsana. Then I felt a great improvement in my health, nature, and energy. That is why, despite having so many departments and so much work—I start work from 9 in the morning and keep meeting people till 1 in the evening—I can work until the end. My energy remains. Because of this exercise and yoga I do, my health is good. I feel there are no side effects of this. Nāgendra jī and Ācārya Bālakṛṣṇa jī are present here. They have proved that problems of different types of health can be improved by doing yoga regularly. Today, allopathy has its side effects. Yoga has no side effects. That is why Āyurveda and Yoga are our heritage. We can give our brothers and sisters from all over the world a happy and prosperous life. They can get a healthy life because of Yoga. People have understood this importance. But I have a few suggestions from my point of view. When I go abroad, there is a shortage of authentic yoga teachers who can teach all this. I should not say this, but if there are good yoga teachers who are perfect in all ways, then many people can get a job. So, this yoga teacher construction work can be done in India. I will request the department that a syllabus should also be prepared for this—first year, second year, third year. Ācārya Bālakṛṣṇa jī is sitting here, Swāmījī is sitting here, our respected Nāgendra jī from Bangalore is here. I feel we should do gradation, like we have done in our road construction for contractors who make national highways. Charitable trusts should be graded based on their work, experience, and education. These organizations can be given affiliation, and through them, if trained manpower is created from our courses, they will definitely be able to work in the world of yoga and get employment. The lives of many lakhs of people will be healthy and good. Different types of people are working on making the syllabus. To make the syllabus, what should be there in the primary form? What should be in the secondary form? What should be in the final form? What should be in the research? This should be done in the same scientific way as the academic council or the board of studies at a university. In a professional approach, we have been able to reach out to many people in the world. For example, knowledge is described as innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, and research. Along with that, there is science, and there is yoga. Nowadays, we say that conversion of knowledge into wealth and welfare is the mission for the government. Conversion of knowledge into wealth and welfare. The big meaning of welfare is the welfare of the world. Our Indian culture, history, and heritage show us that we pray for the welfare of the world, the welfare of everyone, tolerance... This is the specialty of our Indian culture. We never said that what we say is right, that it is the best. Our Lord is the best, and the rest of the best have never said this. We have only said that all the Lord is the best, and all the ways of worship are the best. And further, we have only said that, "Ākāśāt, Pṛthivī, Toyam, Yathā, Gacchati, Sāgaram, Sarva, Deva, Namaskāra, Keśavam, Prati, Gacchati." In the same way, the water of the rivers is given to the ocean while flowing. In the same way, if we worship any God, then ultimately he is given to God. So this exemplary perspective of ours is the specialty of our culture. But our culture, history, heritage, and our value-added lifestyle need to be described in coordination, communication, and cooperation, in professional language, in the age of today’s science, technology, and innovation. Because when we take anything in the world, there is a way to accept it in the countries and people there. To prepare that method, and through that method, our important things—so that societies, in their language, understand them in that form—through direct knowledge, and from the point of view of business, to reach them effectively, this work is going on for a long time. Our government’s Prime Minister has a lot of support for this, and it has a lot of potential. Taking this into consideration, the responsibility of the Āyush Mantrālaya is also very big. Today, in three to three and a half years, in popularizing Yoga Day all over the world, due to the initiative taken by our foreign ministry and Āyush Mantrālaya, India’s reputation has definitely increased. I feel that if the welfare of the world, if the people of the world get good health, "Sarvae pi sukhināḥ santu, sarvāḥ santu nirāmayāḥ," this is our culture. Then why not for all those people, we especially spread this and make their lives and their health good, and make their lives happy, prosperous, and successful. On the one hand, the things that have come from the past have been proven. People have accepted it after it has been proven over time. And along with this, new research is also being done. Ācārya Bālakṛṣṇa jī is here, and I would like to especially thank him. Research should be carried out continuously. The way the flow of the river flows, research should continue to flow. Research is the biggest capital for any country in the future. To do research, in many places, the organization working from the government’s side, which is a charitable trust working on this mission in particular, we should help them with various schemes by the government, so that it becomes more professional research. If this research is done, then what our saints have already told us is a very precious asset in the form of wealth. But along with that, if new research is done, then due to the computer, a bigger revolution has taken place. Today, if we put one thing on our website, then in a very short time, we can reach the world. So, about our yoga practice, yoga training, yoga research, various types of health problems, successful practices, successful experiments, by standardizing them by the Indian government, by recognizing them, by popularizing those practices, we will take them to the world. I feel we will be successful in improving the health of the world. I am happy that this effort is being made. But sometimes I am not saying professional, i.e., industrial. Professional means management-wise perfect. This arrangement is very important for the role of Āyuṣ in all languages, in all countries. By preparing all kinds of such teachers, by recognizing their courses in the right way, and by doing new research training based on that... In training also, as we say in handloom and handicrafts, the master is the trainer, who is the most important. Then his layer goes down. It is his responsibility to prepare the rest. Because one thing is true: the one who has been born, his death is certain. There is no such person among us. So, a person who studies so much, gets so much knowledge in life, after his death, that knowledge also goes away. That knowledge, through him, he will also educate the rest of the people of his opinion. On the basis of that knowledge, he will do a better job. The number of many dedicated people who will work like this will also increase. In the end, I would like to say that a philosopher has said that no philosophy can be taught to an empty stomach. Vivekānanda jī has said this. So, no material knowledge can be taught to an empty stomach. If we teach this knowledge to thousands of young people in the country, and they do it with their professional discipline and life approach, then we can do the same with the training. Training, education, and research and development. If we take forward this program based on these three principles, then the world will also be blessed, the name of Indian culture will also be high, the number of people who accept yoga will also increase. The most important thing I want to say, with a little courage, is that especially the allopathy disorder sometimes gives relief, but its side effects are also very much. Due to those side effects, many people’s lives have been disturbed in a way that has been seen closely. Our method of treatment does not have any side effects. That is why we should develop research about it, develop websites, develop programming, develop its videos, use its technology to prepare its presentations, use it in different languages, make its courses, academic council, board of studies, and notify it. Based on that, first year, second year, third year, training up to a minimum graduate level, then after that, training of postgraduate, then after that, training of research. This itself is a university. Now, Ramdev Baba jī and Bālakṛṣṇa jī want to open a very big research and university on Āyurveda. In that only, they can do the work of Yogic science. It is not a necessity; it is a necessity given by the government. If the government does a fast-track decision-making process to control it properly, keep transparency, keep the decision-making process fast, and to fulfill the objectives made by their advice, encourage such charitable trusts and organizations. Encourage them to cooperate with the government as much as necessary, give them recognition, give them respect, and reward the good workers once a year. I think this will also be a big celebration. Because once someone asked me, "What is the biggest problem of the government?" So I said that the good workers do not get respect, and the bad workers do not get punishment. So I think if we honor the good workers once a year on a national level, this will increase motivation and inspiration, and the number of people who will work will increase, who will move forward with this thought and work. This work will definitely move forward. The Ministry has established a very good base under the leadership of the Minister. There is complete support of the Prime Minister and the government. I am sure that in the world there is a responsibility to fulfill all these dreams. Today, everyone from the world has come. This dream will be fulfilled. This is my belief. I am leaving a little earlier because today at 12 o’clock there is a program on the Ganga. A very big program announcement is also going to take place there, and that is why I need to go. Thank you very much. Closing Remarks and Thanks Thank you very much, Minister, for sharing your experience and your message. I would like to present a small token of our gratitude and appreciation to you. May I request Śrī Śrīpāda Yesso Nāyak to kindly present the memento. Ladies and gentlemen, the Honourable Minister inspired everyone—people who are practising yoga—by sharing his own experiences since he has practiced yoga, the change he has experienced in himself. He inspired researchers and academicians to continue with research work, as their contribution will further promote yoga and take it to the world. He also brought many suggestions and recommendations regarding training, research, and effective communication to take yoga more global, and assured everyone of the hand-holding by the government, the support by the government towards encouraging people who are working in the field—not only by recognizing them through awards, but also whatever support in terms of funding or other support they require. Coming from the Honourable Minister, this definitely inspires and motivates everyone working in the field. Now I would like to request Professor H. R. Nāgendra jī, the Chancellor of S-VYASA. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, a very simple person who, with his renunciation and sevābhāva, is doing a human service to humanity. What a great delight it is to have great personalities with us in this valedictory program. Particularly, we are very happy that we have Ācārya Bālakṛṣṇa, who has been pioneering the field of Āyurveda and Yoga with such great measure. Each time he comes up with big books and encyclopedias, the tremendous amount of work he is doing is something most commendable in the whole country. I congratulate him and also his entire organization for being there, taking the time, coming all the way from Haridwar, driving here, and again after this program he is going back. We are so grateful to you, Bālakṛṣṇa jī, for your wonderful presence. I was wondering as to why we have to bring this dimension of yoga and Āyush into the health field, because allopathy has grown to such great heights. We have such skyscrapers, tertiary hospitals, specialists, super specialists, and such fantastic diagnostic tools and surgeries—5,000 types of surgeries which can replace every part of the body. We are racing ahead to even change our genes through gene therapy. With all this achievement, why do we need all other things like yoga, Āyurveda, Naturopathy, Siddha, Yūnānī? Why do we need that? That’s the question that often used to raise in my mind. Then, when you look at the scenario, what is happening? In the last century, allopathy had the greatest achievement. People were so enthused that the WHO announced, "We are going to bring health for all by 2000." But as we reached the end of the last century, new challenges emerged: the challenges of the modern NCDs that we call asthma, diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, epilepsy, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, and what not. It has beaten all imaginations to bring health for everybody. It has come to pass that once you are diabetic, you are diabetic. Once you have hypertension, it is for life. Once you have asthma, you must go on taking medicines for life. Once you have cancer, your days are numbered. Why? It is here. There is a fundamental reason as to why this has happened. Modern medical science, allopathy, is based on modern science. The modern science which started 400 years back in the West has brought a tremendous amount of achievement. Over 400 years we have understood everything about this physical world. You know that every object is made out of molecules, atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, fundamental particles. What are they made of? Everything is made of packets of energy, and everything is nothing but energy. You can calculate precisely how much energy is in a given matter: E equals mc². We also understood the laws that govern them: Newton’s laws of motion for normal speeds—the deterministic approach, classical mechanics. But when you go to extremely high speeds, like an electron spinning around the nucleus, Newtonian mechanics will not hold. We have to go to the higher laws: quantum mechanics, the special theory of relativity. All that we have done. Therefore, about our physical world, we know almost everything. Anything physical, we have been a big success: putting man on the moon, building skyscrapers, underwater tunnels, fantastic pharmacological intervention, and surgical interventions. We have had big success. But what is happening to science? Science is going beyond the physical to understand the subtle dimensions of our universe. Is there something like prāṇa? What is that we call as mind? Can mind exist even without the brain and the body? What is that we call as consciousness? The difference between the mind and the emotions and the intellect—what are the differences? Into this region of subtlety and causality, modern science is moving. Therefore, our knowledge base related to the entire subtler and causal dimensions of this universe is almost zero. We are in a very embryonic state. Therefore, any challenge that we face today, which is related to the prāṇa, mind, intellect, emotions, and others, we have no solution. And modern NCDs belong to this category. Stress belongs to this category. Stress is not merely physical. Mental restlessness, emotional upsurges, deep-rooted psychological conflict, all are at the base of the stress, and the stress induces the events. Part 2: The Multidimensional Challenge of NCDs and the Holistic Solution of Yoga and Ayurveda Modern Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are a sophisticated, multi-dimensional challenge. Our solution in modern science, however, is predominantly one-dimensional. How can a multi-dimensional problem be solved with a one-dimensional approach? It cannot. This is where India's ancient wisdom comes into the picture. Thousands of years ago, our ancient seers, spiritual masters, and yoga saints brought forth a complete understanding of creation. They understood that we are not merely a physical body. This physical sheath is called the Annamaya Kośa. Beyond it, we have four more layers or sheaths: the Prāṇamaya, Manomaya, Vijñānamaya, and Ānandamaya Kośa. Our ancestors understood that ailments often originate in the Manomaya Kośa, the mental sheath. The ādhi (mental/psychological stress) descends and manifests as vyādhi (physical disease) at the body level. Unless you tackle the ādhi, you have no lasting solution. Modern medical intervention operates essentially at the body level—perhaps at the gene or brain level—but what of the prāṇa (vital energy), the mind, the ādhi? We have no solution there. Our ancient wisdom, with its consciousness-based Āyuṣ approach, offers a complete solution because yoga is multidimensional. Its effects are not confined to the physical body; it works at the level of prāṇa, mind, emotions, intellect, and across all five kośas. Thus, we have a multidimensional challenge and a multidimensional solution. This is the fundamental basis upon which the Āyurvedic system can address the NCD crisis. However, we must provide evidence. We live in an age of research. If we claim Āyurveda can cure cancer or yoga can solve diabetes, the question is: "Where is the evidence?" We began this evidence-based approach nearly 40 years ago at our university. Pioneers like Swami Kaurananda initiated scientific research into this holistic approach as early as the 1920s. Today, there are thousands of papers demonstrating yoga's effectiveness, not only in managing ailments and reducing secondary effects but also as an effective adjunct to modern science. Now we must go a step further. As the Āyush Ministry advocates, we must mainstream Āyush. Can these dimensions become the mainstream, with modern medicine serving as a secondary, alternative adjunct? Dr. Gangadhar of NIMHANS often states that before modern medicine, we had yoga and Āyurveda as our primary solutions; therefore, they should be the mainstream, and the modern system that emerged 400 years ago should be the adjunct. This is the direction we are heading. We need more research, and conferences like this are vital for sharing new findings. I am pleased that modern medical experts and major institutions like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences are engaging with an open mind to examine yoga's utility. Gold-standard randomized controlled trials and mechanistic studies are underway. Scaled-up models are emerging. We have shown yoga's usefulness for diabetes in large populations. Our Prime Minister mandated nationwide diabetes control, leading to a major project. Through the Indian Yoga Association, we tracked 2.5 lakh people across 60 districts. A three-month study has yielded excellent data we are now publishing. I acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of AYUSH in funding this project. This year, we are taking the next major step: a cancer control program. I call on all yoga institutions to come forward. We must unearth the tremendous secrets in our ancient texts to see if we can substantially contribute to controlling cancer. Our university has collaborated with the MD Anderson Cancer Center and others for 35 years, publishing around 28 papers. We are advancing with randomized controlled trials, forming international and national research committees to guide this work. A large, scaled-up model is being developed, marking a new direction in cancer control. We will also focus on prevention, health promotion, and palliative care. With 13,000 AYUSH hospitals in the country, establishing palliative care centers in each could provide immense support. Currently, only 2-3% of metastatic cancer patients have access to palliative care. This dimension is now emerging. I am hopeful our entire research community—spanning homeopathy, Siddha, Unani, yoga, naturopathy, and Āyurveda—will contribute their wisdom to mitigate cancer's burden and give a new direction to the world. I congratulate all contributors to this conference for updating knowledge on cancer, depression, yoga for women, and other areas. I wish the Ministry of Health greater success and increased funding from the Health Ministry and PMO to undertake large-scale projects. Thank you.