Yoga Day is for universal peace, brotherhood: Spiritual leader Amma Sri Karunamayi

New York [US], June 21 : Spiritual leader Amma Sri Karunamayi on Wednesday said Yoga Day is for universal peace and brotherhood, adding that peace and harmony, and not war, was expected from the world.

"This is a very special day as it (the Yoga event at the UN headquarters) has entered the Guinness Book of World Records. We are very proud of Modi-ji. Yoga Day is for universal peace and brotherhood. Peace and harmony, not more wars, are expected from the world," the spiritual leader told ANI.

Earlier, on Wednesday, PM Modi led a special Yoga session on the lawns of the UN headquarters in New York City to mark the 9th edition of International Yoga Day.

The moderator of the Yoga Day event at the UN headquarters, Denise Scotto, said: "We are having a wonderful day here...I am so honoured to be able to introduce PM Modi. India feels like it's my spiritual home along with Italy where my family is from."

The special Yoga session led by PM Modi on the lawns of the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday entered the Guinness Book of World Records for drawing people of most nationalities performing Yoga together.

"Today, there was a Guinness World Records title attempt for most nationalities in a Yoga lesson. The mark to be was 140 nationalities. Today, in New York, at the UN, they had 135. It is a new Guinness world records title...," Michael Empric, official adjudicator, Guinness World Records, told ANI.

Addressing the special event, PM Modi said, "Yoga comes from India, it is a very old tradition. Yoga is free of copyrights, patents and royalty payments. Yoga is adaptable to your age, gender and fitness level. Yoga is portable and is truly universal."

He added that last year, the entire world came together to support India's proposal to celebrate 2023 as the 'International Year of Millets' and it was wonderful to see people, across nationalities, coming together again to mark Yoga Day.

"Let us use the power of Yoga not only to be healthy, and happy but also to be kind to ourselves and to each other. Let us use the power of Yoga to build bridges of friendship, a peaceful world and a cleaner, greener and sustainable future. Let us join hands together to realise the goal of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'," PM Modi added.