Ramdev to give 'Deeksha' to religious scholars tomorrow

Yoga Guru Ramdev will be giving 'Deeksha' (initiation ceremony into asceticism) to 85 religious scholars in Haridwar, on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, the scholars said the purpose of serving the country drove them to choose asceticism .

Mahila Patanjali Yoga Samiti National Chief Coordinator and a PhD scholar in Philosohpy Suman said, "I always knew I have to live for God and my country, but how to live was a question mark. I have been in touch with Swami ji for the last three years, so I came here without qualms."

"For India to reach where Swami ji has envisioned it to be, we need spirituality and a sense of service. We found a great platform for this here, so we connected with Patanjali Yogpeeth for serving others," she added.

Shruti, a student pursuing her Master of Arts (MA), said, "Asceticism is a path of service. As an ascetic, a person accepts the whole world as a family. People ask me why I am choosing this path when I can serve the society otherwise too. But, I say why not, it has been a tradition since antiquity."

Another scholar who will be taking 'Deeksha', Sumit, told ANI, " During the time I was in Australia, in 2010-11, Ramdev ji Maharaj was leading an anti-corruption movement in India. He was saying that if we are born in India, we have taken food and water of this soil, then our energy should be for India, so that thought convinced me. To be a part of that movement, I came back to India and joined Swami ji."

Sumit said he was pursuing Masters in IT from Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT), Australia, when he made the decision.

The yoga guru will give a mantra and initiate the scholars to meditate, fast, and live their life with discipline.

A village for these 85 sages is also under development so that they can spend their lives and dedicate themselves towards spirituality.