Meeting with Indian Prime Minister Desai 1978 Jun 12

During his visit to the United Nations for the special session on disarmament, Indian Prime Minister Desai received members of the Meditation Group in a private meeting on 12 June 1978.

Shraddha

The Group sang a Bengali song composed by Sri Chinmoy in honour of the Prime Minister, and Sri Chinmoy presented him with a plaque of appreciation with an inscription of the song. Sri Chinmoy and

Prime Minister Desai spoke about the Bhagavad-Gita and the need for spiritual discipline in man’s efforts toward world peace.

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Sri Chinmoy: Dear Prime Minister, with you India is great and good; in you India is safe and happy.

Prime Minister Desai: India can ‘t be saved by one man. India can be saved only if people do their thing properly.

1978-06-12jun-Prime-Minister-Desai-India-sit-with-sri-chinmoy-crp-scaled.j

Prime Minister Desi: I have written a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita because I could not find the meaning of some verses satisfactorily in all the commentaries that I read. Therefore, only when I committed the Gita to memory, when I was in jail in 1934, and I began to recite it every day and apply it to myself, did the meaning become very clear, because I had complete confidence and faith in the Gita, that what it says is right. The Gita gives a solution to every problem. At any rate, when there is a conflict of duty, it gives the right answer. One must accept the Gita’s guidance. The gist of it is that you must be at peace with yourself. There should be no tension, no excitement no anger.

Sri Chinmoy: And for that you have all along taught us to lead a disciplined life.

Prime Minister Desai : To have discipline is not enough. It must be self-discipline.

Sri Chinmoy: That is what you have been teaching us for so many years. A life of discipline is of paramount importance.

Prime Minister Desai: Without that you can get nothing.

Fuller text as appeared in “Meditation at the UN” Jun 1978

A MEETING WITH IND IAN PRIME MINISTER DESAI

During his visit to the United Nations for the special session on disarmament, Indian Prime Minister Desai received members of the Meditation Group in a private meeting on 12 June 1978.

The Group sang a Bengali song composed by Sri Chinmoy in honour of the Prime Minister, and Sri Chinmoy presented him with a plaque of appreciation with an inscription of the song. Sri Chinmoy and Prime Minister Desai spoke about the Bhagavad-Gita and the need for spiritual discipline in man’s efforts toward world peace.

Sri Chinmoy:

Dear Prime Minister, with you India is great and good; in you India is safe and happy.

Prime Minister Desai:

India can’t be saved by one man. India can be saved only if people do their thing properly.

Prime Minister Desai:

All of you work at the United Nations? So I hope you will unite the United Nations. The United Nations is called ‘United Nations’, but they are not yet united. So you have to unite them.

Prime Minister Desai:

I have written a commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita because I could not find the meaning of some verses satisfactorily in all the commentaries that I read. Therefore, only when I committed the Gita to memory, when I was in jail in 1934, and I began to recite it every day and applying it to myself, then the meaning be-came very clear, because I had complete confidence and faith in the Gita, that what it says is right.

If I don’t understand it, it is my fault. And that is why I wrote the commentary, because when a friend asked me questions about two or three verses, I couldn’t give him a satisfactory reply. I thought I would put down on paper what I under-stand. That is my sole writing.

The Gita gives a solution to every problem. At any rate, when there is a conflict of duty, it gives the right answer.

Sri Chinmoy:

Right at the very beginning Arjuna had that problem.

Prime Minister Desai:

It is a problem every-where. In everyone there is a problem of good and evil. It goes on all the time. So one must accept the Gita’s guidance. The gist of it is that you must be at peace with yourself. There should be no tension, no excitement, no anger.

Sri Chinmoy:

And for that you have all along taught us to lead a disciplined life.

Prime Minister Desai:

To have discipline is not enough. It must be self-discipline.

Sri Chinmoy:

That is what you have been teaching us for so many years. A life of discipline is of paramount importance.

Prime Minister Desai:

Without that you can get nothing

Pranam Pradhan Mantri Desai Composed on Sep. 22nd, 1977

Lyrics:

Pranam pradhan mantri Desai
Bharata basir paraner bhai
Satya pujari shanti adhar
Bharata tarir he karnadhar
Pranam pradhan mantri Desai
Bharata basir paraner bhai
Chaliche bharat druta ati druta
Purna haibe manoratha puta
Shuna taba joy chira nirbhoi
Tyagi bhaskar anandamoy

Translation:

Salutation, Prime Minister Desai!
You are the Brother of Indian hearts.
O worshipper of Truth,
O embodiment of Peace,
You are the Pilot Supreme of Indian Boat.
Your Bharat is running fast, very fast.
Your hallowed longing
Shall ere long be fulfilled.
Hearken your victory,
O eternally dauntless one,
O manifestation-sun of infinite Delight!