00:00Today, with deep reverence and boundless joy, I join millions around the world in wishing His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, a most happy and joyful 98th birthday.
00:17Today, this is a celebration of a remarkable life dedicated to compassion, wisdom and non-violence.
00:26Your Holiness, you are more than a spiritual leader. You are a living bridge between ancient wisdom and the modern world.
00:37For over seven decades, you have carried the light of Buddha's teachings with humility and clarity, guiding not only followers of Tibetan Buddhism, but people of all faith and backgrounds towards a more compassionate and ethical way of life.
00:57In a world strife with conflict, your message, embodied in how you continue to lead your life, assume even greater and more urgent significance, it is a matter of pride and honor for India and Indians to have you in our midst.
01:17As we mark this milestone, it is important to honor the deep historical relationship between India and Tibet.
01:27When the great masters like Santa Rakshita and Padma Sambhava journeyed from India to Tibet in 8th century, they planted the seeds of dharma that would flourish in Tibetan soil.
01:42These teachings, rooted in profound Nalanda tradition, were preserved, practiced and expanded by generations of Tibetan scholars and yogis.
01:53On behalf of people of India and government of India, I bow down at his lotus feet and wish him a very happy birthday and a long life.
02:06So that he guides us all and suffering, the suffering humanity with this great compassion.
02:17Your Holiness is undoubtedly a visionary statesman and a spiritual master whose influence extends to global ethics.
02:27His teachings on compassion, his teachings on compassion, mindfulness and interdependence resonate with the people of all faiths and backgrounds.
02:38His application of bodhisattva ideas in modern leadership, combining wisdom, pragya and compassion, karuna, skill in the use of means in diplomacy,
02:52leading the example through Buddhist practical universal practices is unique.
03:01His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the most revered, admired and worshipped global spiritual leaders and the most honored guest of India.
03:12We feel blessed for his presence here in our country, which he regards as his Arya Bhumi.
03:22His Holiness the Dalai Lama profoundly calls himself the son of India and he is one of the greatest ambassadors of the ancient Indian knowledge.
03:32He has always held the view that India can make significant contributions towards world peace through inner peace by utilizing ancient Indian knowledge and combining it with modern education.
03:49He has time and again reiterated the need for India to revive its ancient knowledge.
03:56As a devotee myself and on behalf of all the millions of devotees across the world,
04:05I want to emphatically state that whatever decision taken by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,
04:14the established conventions and traditions,
04:17we will fully abide by it and we will follow the directions and the guidelines to be issued
