The relationship between India and Nepal cannot be understood simply through the border separating the two countries, Patanjali’s Acharya Balkrishna has said, adding that the two nations remain bound by centuries of shared culture.
“Since the tragedy that occurred yesterday, my mind has been very distressed and agitated. “My life grew and progressed on the food and water of India. But the values and thoughts we received… somewhere or other, this body also owes a great debt to the food and water of Nepal. “But apart from that, nothing else is separate. Be it culture, society, beliefs, people, emotions, or our thoughts — there is no difference in any way. “Everyone knows that Lord Gautam Buddha was from Lumbini. He took birth in Nepal but attained enlightenment in India. He gave his sermon in Sarnath.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit Anviksha , Balkrishna said he regarded the border between India and Nepal as the principal distinction between the two countries, while their social and cultural connections ran much deeper. My heart is crying from within,” Balkrishna said. He said that, in his view, India and Nepal could be considered separate countries politically but not in terms of their civilisational relationship. “I consider India and Nepal as separate only from a political standpoint, meaning our borders are different,” he said. He became Gautam Buddha in Gaya; Siddhartha became Gautam Buddha,” he said. “As far as Patanjali is concerned, I would like to respectfully inform you that we have more than 1,00,000 yoga teachers in about 77 districts in Nepal who are currently providing free health services and yoga services,” he said.
