23 May 1995, General Assembly Hall Lobby, United Nations, New York, New York

(Performance by Sri Chinmoy on fifty instruments from various nations around the world)

Excerpt from a special message on the occasion of the Peace Concert at the United Nations sent on 23 May 1995 by His Excellency Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union and 1990 Nobel Peace Laureate:

It is not by chance that the United Nations has been giving increasing attention in its activities to the spiritual improvement of the human being, and Sri Chinmoy plays an enormous role in that noble work.

I wish to express the hope that the music you are going to hear today will strengthen your confidence that life and the world in which we are living are still beautiful, and that we are duty-bound to do all we can to make them even better.

Excerpt from welcoming remarks given at the Peace Concert by His Excellency Mr. Karel Kovanda, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations:

In this hectic life that we are all living here, and for some of us even more hectic than for others — those of us who have little babies and those of us who serve on the Security Council — Sri Chinmoy manages to bring a little slowness into life, manages to help us appreciate the minutes rather than just the days, and for this we are very grateful.

Excerpt from a statement on the occasion of the Peace Concert at the United Nations by His Excellency Dr. Jorge E. Illueca, Permanent Representative of Panama to the United Nations:

Sri Chinmoy has been a cherished friend for almost twenty years. During this time I have been privileged to participate in a number of activities of the Peace Meditation at the United Nations, and I have observed with growing satisfaction the growing impact of his message of universal harmony and understanding…. Sri Chinmoy has a pure vision of what the United Nations means inwardly and what it can become outwardly. The efforts of the United Nations for peace, justice and development need a solid spiritual foundation, and Sri Chinmoy has been working tirelessly for twenty-five years to strengthen that foundation.

Peace Concert dedication by Sri Chinmoy:

Prayerfully and soulfully I am offering today’s Peace Concert to the world-illumining soul of the United Nations.