More than 5,000 people attend Maha Satsang in Vijayawada

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar delivers spiritual discourse at Art of Living event in Vijayawada, emphasizing meditation and community involvement.

Abut 5,000 people from the two Telugu States attended the Art of Living Foundation’s ‘Maha Satsang’ programme organised at Babburi Grounds near the Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

“Courage, self confidence and faith in God are important in moments of distress. It is good that during the floods in Vijayawada, all, irrespective of their caste and creed, came together to help each other. It is necessary to protect the environment and take measures to prevent drying up of water bodies and take up de-silting work. The administration should involve the public in keeping the city clean, since it is our responsibility,” said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living.

He delivered a spiritual discourse at the event, being held in the city after a gap of 13 years. He laid importance on meditation to remove stress from one’s life.

A woman, Manasa, who came from Hyderabad to attend the event, said it was an eventful evening. “I am happy to have attended the event. It was a combination of knowledge, music and meditation. We sang bhajans, meditated and had prasadam before leaving,” she said, adding that there were discourses about spiritual health and how to stay happy.

“Mr. Ravi Shankar said he only wants to see a smile on our faces and asked us to leave our worries here, and so we did,” said Manasa.

The one-day event, starting at 6 p.m., went on for three hours. It is estimated that over a million people watched it online.