Question: What is the purpose of the monuments that we have inaugurated?

Sri Chinmoy: The purpose is very simple. When we have something that is dedicated to the cause of peace, it is very significant in our life. The word ‘peace’ is very, very important in our life. You can say it is the most important thing in our life. Everything else we have in today’s world, but we do not have peace. If we want name and fame, prosperity and so forth, we can get them. But when it comes to peace, we do not easily get it. Peace is a most difficult thing to attain. But when there is a monument that mentions peace and people come and see it, they try to have peace in their own lives.

When we look at a flower, we try to be as beautiful and soulful as the flower. We want to be full of fragrance inside our heart. Similarly, the word ‘peace’ on these plaques and monuments reminds us of our inner peace.

I wish to offer love, joy and gratitude from the very depths of my heart to the owners of this bird park. They have been so kind to me. Each bird, according to me, symbolises the soul. The soul comes down from the highest Heaven and gives us the message of freedom, infinite freedom.

We believe in God, and we feel that each human being has a direct connection with God through the soul. A bird reminds us of our own inner existence. Again, we believe in the process of evolution. I take each bird, each animal, as our predecessor. They are our forebears; you can say they are our great-grandparents. It is our bounden duty to take care of our great-grandparents.