The 1969 Woodstock festival began with a performance by Richie Havens followed by a simple and practical message delivered by Sri Swami Satchidananda to over 400,000 people.
The Swami began by talking about the importance of music in achieving harmony, as the energy of sound controls the universe. He also spoke about peace and how we should stop striving to achieve it and simply seek it within ourselves.
He returned to the idea of the energy of sound to talk about seed words, or mantras, and invited the entire audience to chant two mantras: Hari Om and Ram. And, in this way, he inaugurated the most important music festival in history.
Since then, adherence to Eastern spirituality has only strengthened, changing the way we understand and practice religion, how we care for our minds and bodies, and how we contemplate our place in the cosmos.
