New Delhi: When asked about his journey and experiences in the Himalayas by US-based podcaster and AI researcher Lex Fridman, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I don’t usually talk much about this, but I can share a few external aspects of it.”
‘I would often do experiments with my body’
“I grew up in a very small town. We lived among people, surrounded by them, that was just how life was. There was a library in the village, and I used to go there often to read books. When I used to read about Swami Vivekananda or read about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, I would often wonder: how did they live their life? How did they build such remarkable lives? And for that, I constantly experimented on myself. Most of my experiments were physical in nature, testing my body’s limits. So, sometimes, I would decide to sleep outside in the open, with nothing to cover myself, just to see how my body endures the biting cold. So, from a very young age, I would often do experiments with my body, and this became a regular thing for me,” PM Modi revealed.
PM Modi explained how Swami Vivekananda’s spirit of giving left a lasting impression on him. He said that there was always a strong feeling inside him to do something meaningful. “I didn’t fully understand what it would be, and I didn’t have a roadmap. There was a hunger within me, a deep longing to understand life, to explore its meaning. During my time in the mission (Ram Krishna Mission), I came across remarkable saints. They showered me with love and blessings. Among them, I formed a special bond with Swami Atmasthananda Ji. He said, ‘You are meant to serve others.’ So I…..”
‘My mind remained restless’
PM Modi added, “So, I continued on my journey, wandering from place to place. I spent time in the Himalayas, experienced a lot while embracing the solitude of the mountains. I met many remarkable individuals along the way, some were great ascetics, people who had renounced everything. But still, my mind remained restless. Perhaps it was my age of curiosity, of wanting to learn, to understand. It was a new experience, a world shaped by the mountains, by ice, by the towering snow-covered peaks. But all of this played a huge role in shaping me. It empowered me from within and enabled me to discover my inner power. Practicing meditation, waking up in the sacred pre-dawn hours, bathing in the cold, serving people with devotion, and naturally tending to elderly saints, became a seamless part of who I was.”
PM Modi said that once a natural calamity hit the region, and he immediately jumped into helping the villagers. He said that he stayed with saints and spiritual masters from time to time. “I never remained in one place for long. I kept moving, constantly wandering.”
