Knowledge sheet no 28

The contrast between the ups and downs in life is greater. On a white cloth, even a small dust particle is clearly seen. Similarly, when the mind becomes more pure, even small jealousy or anger is an irritant. It is unbearable and you have to get rid of it quickly. This is but quite natural.
At the same time, you get the inner strength to endure situations.

{Knowledge Sheet}Subject: 'When we are joyous with ourselves, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us'

Q. Why is it difficult to get focused on things that I don’t like to do?

Sri Sri: If you don’t like something, then your focus is all the more on it. If you like something, then you focus on it. When you’re neutral about something, when there is no aversion, then there is no focus.

Studying the nature of mind is itself is an amazing phenomena. You will be thrilled knowing and learning more and more about your own mind. When I say mind, I don’t mean just mind. I would rather say the consciousness because the mind is one function of the consciousness. The perception is what we call the mind. The perceptible aspect of the consciousness is called mind. The judgmental aspect, the intellect.

The study of consciousness is the most difficult. And with time and maturity, everybody gets it.

Q. Can we aspire for something higher like enlightenment at the age of twenty one?

Sri Sri: Definitely. You should aspire for enlightenment and enlightenment is unconditional happiness, unconditional love and a life in which you are in the driver’s seat. You must aspire for enlightenment. Right from when you recognize to aspire anything in life. Go to the highest first and all the good things will come along, you don’t have to make an effort for it.

When I say you don’t have to make an effort, I mean you don’t have to sit and worry about it. When you aspire for the highest, your action will be spontaneous and in the spontaneity you will see things have started falling into place.

Q. What is a self referral attitude?

Sri Sri: Being in touch with your very center. When you worry there is a tendency to lose that focus or centredness. It is the same when you are tired or too busy. Self referral means coming back to yourself, to your center again and again. The core value within you.

Q. Are there any plus points of doing a job other than earning money

Sri Sri: Money and experience. That’s all and some discipline. If you have to do a job you have to discipline your life in a certain fashion.

Q. Is there a gene for knowledge, any nadi (channel for energy flow) that has to be opened for creativity?

Sri Sri: Definitely and you all have it. And it opens whenever you listen to knowledge.

Q. How does it feel to be God?

Sri Sri: Absolutely natural.

Q. We are not supposed to marry in our own gotra (family tree). Scientifically, what does a gotra mean?

Sri Sri: Gotra is a family tree, like you know if you marry your own siblings, or cousins, they say the genes will not develop properly, children will not develop. The family trees go back to some rishis in the past. And they say that gotra means we belong to this (a particular) family. Today what the scientists say about blood groups was known to people thousands of years ago. Yet people from the same gotra have spread. If you marry in the same gotra the children will not be too healthy. That is the main thing. It’s better to avoid.

But those were the thoughts from some thousands of years ago but now since we have gone so far away and the population has spread so much, it has become so vast. I don’t know how relevant it is. But (marriage within) gotra is better to avoid.

Q. Many times parents out of over attachment, prejudiced opinions and being football of the relatives opinions stop us from doing seva. Can we make seva our career?

Sri Sri: Yes.

Q. What is beauty and how to enhance it within and around us?

Sri Sri: First of all you should know you have a beautiful mind. The mind is free, it is loving, beautiful, satisfied and not feverish. So when the spirit is centred or your mind is centred, that beauty shines through.

Q. Could you speak a little bit about Sanskrit and its greatness? I would like to take it as one of my Ph.d topics.

Sri Sri: Yes, do it. Sanskrit is the mother of all languages. Whether it is English, Russian, German or Italian, there is a lot of Sanskrit in it. Of course, Sanskrit is the base of all Indian languages.

Q. Every day, in different corners of the world, people ask you the same questions. Don’t you get bored? I am very inspired by your patience.

Sri Sri: My consciousness is nitnutan (new every moment). First we get bored with ourselves and then bore others or get bored from others. When we are joyous with ourself, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us.

Q. How do we gear up for enlightenment?

Sri Sri: Wanting it, itself is half done. The rest is a little discipline and you should know that you will get it. It will be given to you. That’s why you have the path, the guru. You will just get it. Shama jali hai tere liye, tujhko kuch nahi karna hai (The candle is lit for you, you don’t have to do anything). You don’t have to do anything just be hollow and empty from inside.

Q. I have a habit of recalling the pleasant memories of life again and again, as it gives a glimpse of the same pleasure as I felt in the past. Is it something to be cautious of, can it hinder my growth?

Sri Sri: It’s alright, don’t make an effort to sit and go on remembering the past. I think you have too much free time. Get busy and start working. There are so many things to do in the world. Where is the time to live in the past, recollect all the past. Right? The world is new every moment. Go with it. Don’t turn back and keep looking back. Move forward.

Q. Why does everyone not aspire to serve the society, in their youth?

Sri Sri: It must be there. There is no heart that does not get affected at the sight of misery. This we assume. At one time, everyone should desire to do seva. This we cannot say.

Q. What is the essence and secret of life?

Sri Sri: Essence and secret! It will be whispered into your ears when you go into meditation. Do (Sudarshan) Kriya and meditation.

Q. Why is that we are unable to understand the mind- which is the most powerful thing in the world?

Sri Sri Have you begun to understand it? (reply: No) then start from somewhere and then we will see whether it is fully understandable or not.

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 27

When your heart opens up tears come, it’s natural. Let it be. It is said in scriptures that tears of love are so precious that even angels run to collect them. Even on heaven, there are no tears of love. The most wonderful thing on the planet, on earth is to have tears of love, tears of gratitude. That indicates that our life is glorious. That makes our life rich and fulfilled. Fulfillment in life is when you have tears of gratitude and that comes by luck. You can’t manufacture tears of gratitude; you can’t put glycerin and have tears of gratitude coming in. When you realize what all you have received in life, your heart opens up.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: There is no caste for the spirit

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's address at “Indian Priests’ Congress” - Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health, Velanganni - 1000 Roman catholic priests attended.

Sri Sri : What a joy to speak to the lovers’of God! I am a child going to blabber in front of scholars. Let us discuss...

Lovers know the language of the heart-we are all lovers of God who want to unite with the spirit of the world. We all want to serve, ...see divinity in people around...

Three things are important for this:
Context (of life)
Commitment
Compassion

We have all the three. Apart from how to unite and connect, we have to know how to face challenges in life. When faith is shaken, how to rekindle it...
To know faith, we have to know doubt. Doubt is something about positive. We never doubt the negative.. we doubt whether we are really happy, but never doubt our misery!

God is the most positive thing in the universe! Doubt about God, doubt in Self...How to get over these?

The Upanishads tell about the experience of divinity in four stages for the Seekers:

Saameepya: feeling the proximity of the Divine
Sannidhya: feeling the Presence
Saaroopya: doing what the Divine is doing, imitating the Divine
Saayoojya: Merging with the Divine.

Another challenge is to arrive at the inner peace and calmness. Mind vacillates between the past and the future. How to bring the mind to the Present? Using our own breath, we can calm the mind, reunite with the Spirit...Simple breathing techniques can remove negative emotions and we can experience Freedom within. Mind can right away go into Prayer easily, effortlessly.

We all are made of a substance called Love...God has made man in His own image.. and God is love.. Then why all the negative emotions? How to meet these challenges?

Wisdom, Spiritual wisdom help overcome these hurdles.
We are all committed to Service: service to God, service to humanity. Still, if something is missing, something is broken, then breathing, meditation can connect us to our inner self. Meditation is Wordless Prayer...words are there and not there at the same time! Ability to connect to everybody.. “There is no Other”...is the Mantra of Love! All is part of One...

As lovers of God, our relationship is only one...All in One.. One in All.. This is Prayer.. We don’t lack anything. There is abundance ..For the one step we take, the Divine takes ten...!!!

Let us open the floor for questions!!

Q: I get some experiences of fellow suffering/happiness. But how to go beyond my individuality and identity and get a deeper experience?
Sri Sri : Do not leave that passion for God. Whatever experience we are getting is due to His Grace.. not through our efforts. If you are able to love everybody, it is a Blessing! We have to be grateful...the more grateful we are, the more we get. What do you say?

Three questions:
(a) how to sustain Prayer, when the faith seems lost (dark night of the soul)? (b) Is it possible to reach God without religion, through spirituality?
(c) why is it that you never speak anything about casteism?

Sri Sri : I will answer the last question first! Please go through my book “Heritage of Dalits”. If you see the thousand Rishis of ancient India, 90% of them were “Dalits”-Vyasa, Valmiki and so on. The Upanishads tell that “all are born Soodra and become Dwija by action”...

I unequivocally condemn casteism. There is no caste for the spirit. When we want to see a good doctor, we don’t ask his caste. When we want to see a good lawyer, we don’t ask his caste. It is of use only in Politics! I don’t know Politics. I speak from heart to heart. I love to be with people of God like you!.

For the second question, I never tell to drop religion. Do not forget the essence of religion is Spirituality. Do you feel that connectivity, calmness inside...We know that during Tsunami, the Basilica housed people of all religions, temples and mosques housed people of all religions.Only aim was rehabilitation of people.

Terrorism arises because some people feel their way is the only way to God and others do not have the right to follow their way..

For the dark night of the soul, Rishi Patanjali describes nine obstacles in the path of the seeker. These include Diseases, Doubt, Dullness (inertia, Disinterestedness, Unsustainability and so on. All these can be overcome by practice of Yoga.

Q: Even when we are doing good, lot of discouraging situations arise. Can you give some suggestions to get over these?
Sri Sri : When nothing is of help, Prayer helps! A genuine “help me God!”...Any challenge is a chance to reaffirm our commitment....

Q: What is the significance of pilgrimage in Hinduism? What is your experience of any Pilgrimage?
Sri Sri :Best pilgrimage is Inward Journey! A pilgrimage is an opportunity for people to come together and pray together. As you know, praying together generates more energy, you know, a synergy. But don’t think God is only in pilgrim centres! God is omnipresent and omniscient. Ancient Rishis meditated in some places and put all that energy in some idol there. The scriptures talk about God as having no name and no form. There is freedom to worship God in any form or any name. Wisdom from anywhere was acknowledged.

Q: As a religious leader, what is your opinion about the anti-Christian violence (with a pattern and agenda especially since early 90’s) for Political gains?
Sri Sri : I see violence in a bigger context. I am concerned about all violence. Violence in the red corridor (Maoist)...Even domestic violence. I am also concerned about the increasing suicidal tendency in the country. Suicide is violence against the self.. When mind is stressed, it leads to violence. Depression leads to suicide. We have to work together. We have to bring back the human values. Education about human values...
The world is undergoing an identity crisis!.. A reversal of identity is needed.. First of all, our identity is that we are all Divine.. then we are human beings, then our gender, religion, country and so on..
We have to educate the society about the ONE divinity.. When that shift happens, we can relate to anybody, whatever be our ideology. Fear will be eliminated. Inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help...what is troubling him?...He could have been a victim of ignorance or brain washing or violence...

This education is the only way to bring peace around us, to make this world a beautiful place to live in...Thank you.

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 26

The solar plexus is called the second brain or mid brain. For a yogi, the solar plexus is larger in size. Scientists have also said this. It is small in a person who doesn’t do yoga and meditation. A yogi who does meditation and yoga has a larger solar plexus. When solar plexus is larger, creativity dominates and generosity rises. When it is smaller, jealousy arises!

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: Our body is constantly emitting energy, vibrations!

You know, our body is constantly emitting energy, vibrations. You are emitting energy all the time. And when you know your vibrations is what makes things happen in the world, you will know that you are in control. So when you are thinking that things are going to be negative then that is what seed you are putting in the universe, and that is going to happen. So with your positive thinking, positive ideas, positive sankalpa… It is said, that let positive vibrations come out of you.

Negative thoughts arise in you, yet you tell, everything is positive. And how does that happen? Not by just thinking, but by relaxing. Cutting a thought with another thought is only superficial but cutting a thought by silence, by letting go, by devotion, by faith, by surrendering to God, it is deeper.
Maharishi Patanjali says that poise of mind happens when you offer all that you can’t handle yourself to God, to the universal spirit.

The universal spirit is all around you, all the time. It doesn’t have a form, a name but it is around you all the time and you surrender your desires to that universal spirit. Be sure and know that your problem is going to be solved. That is siddhi, perfection. You notice in your own life, be centered, relax and let go and you will see things are happening effortlessly, it has to happen that way and if you don’t find that way, then there is some screw in the mind that is loose, that needs to be fixed.

People ask for blessings and I give blessings in abundance, blank cheques of blessings but you should know how to fill it, encash it and the way to encash it is, ‘it is going to be done’, ‘my needs will be taken care of’, ‘best will be done’ without a question. Sometimes we don’t know what we desire, or we desire for something that we don’t deserve, or we desire for something much less than what we deserve. Ask and it will be given. When we deserve for more and desire for less, ask skillfully. So what is the way? Ask skillfully, and how: ‘I want this or anything better than this’. And have that positive frame of mind because it’s all neurons. One of the scientists says that our brain has different types of neurons, and there are certain neurons which create barriers.

When a person in front of you touches someone else, the brain says, ‘You are being touched’ but there are certain neurons in hand which sends a signal to the brain that says, ‘it is not you being touched’. If your hand is given anesthesia and then if someone touches someone else, you will also feel the touch. And he (the scientist) says, we all are nothing but neurons, we all are connected, everybody is connected. The subtler we go we find there are only vibrations, and there are no neutrons, protons, electrons but all that exists is – vibrations. And then he says numbers are very important.

In Rudrapooja we say ‘ekachame, trisraschame…’,yesterday only we understood why do we say that. We chant odd numbers first and then even numbers in the Rudrapooja. He said if numbers won’t be there, the whole universe will collapse. Everything exists on numbers, on figures and if one number goes missing, the whole universe will collapse. It’s like on a cell phone you want to make a call and if you dial one wrong digit the call never goes to the right person. One can’t argue saying, ‘If one digit is wrongly dialed, how come I can’t make a call?’ And if everything is right, then life gets connected, so numbers are so important. And it is all just vibration.

One of the greatest physicist who was in the team of creating first nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki says. ‘I studied matter for 35 years to find out it doesn’t exist. What exists is just vibration’. Everyone of us is emitting and absorbing vibrations. And chanting, singing creates such a positive vibrations, you become a source of energy.

What is the difference between a bulb which is lit and a bulb which is not? One is emitting energy and in the other, no energy movement is there. And all singing, chanting and meditating is like lighting the bulb. Have you noticed the difference between those who are doing all this with faith and someone who has never done this? It reflects on their face. If you haven’t started noticing you better start noticing! (laughter)

What happens when you are worrying all the time? Suddenly you find the brain, the upper part has become like a stone, the heart has become like a stone. Similarly what happens when you hear a negative comment about yourself from somebody, the whole body has become heavy. You can’t avoid people saying negative things about you. How many have this question? And how many have this experience? When someone says something negative about you or when a close friend of you is feeling very low, suddenly you also start feeling the same, your whole energy gets down. That is why satsang is that important, this knowledge is that important.

When you focus on someone who is depressed, you also feel the same and when you participate in a satsang your whole focus is shifted to knowledge. That’s why the Guru is important because when you think of Guru, when you shift your focus to the Guru in a few moments, your energy gets restored, you get back to your normal self. How many of you have experienced this?

There is an old proverb ‘Guru bina gati nahin’ means there is no progress without the Guru because there are so many people around you and you are being tossed and turned by everybody’s moods, emotions and blames, and you are stuck, you can’t notice that. But when a Guru is there nothing of this will matter to you and even if it does it is only for few minutes or hours and then you are able to push through it, move through it. Like you have a rain coat and if it is raining you can always protect yourself from rain. In this context ancient people in India, Korea, Japan even in China had said that spiritual teacher, master or a person who is on the path is so important, so that you don’t have to keep feeling this negative vibrations, heaviness for days together.

Secondly, if you find nobody is available, no commune is available then what you do? Chant, do pranayama, nature walk, Vedanta or this science that everything is just vibrations.

Numbers are very important, so we chant ‘Om NamahShivaya’ 108 times, in Islam also they put a number 786, right? In Rudra Abhishek we chant an odd and even sequence of numbers. That changes the vibrations. Even pundits don’t have answers of chanting numbers in Rudra Abhisheka. We have to listen to the scientists to understand. They say this whole space is curved. Space is also like water, like you put a ball in water it curls. Water is a medium, like that space is also a medium and this was also said thousands of years ago in Vedas and that is why, it is the fifth element. Space is where vibration travels, it is a medium like water, air, fire and earth. And the same thing, scientists are saying today. It is amazing to see how people 10,000 years ago knew that space has a curvature, it is a medium and there are not one but 10 dimensions, which is the spirit. These facts open your mind to a higher reality.

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 25

Against such knowledge, you will not be able to give me anything. If you really want to give me anything, give me your worries, your pain, leave it for me here as your Dakshina. And the other thing that you can do is seva. Spread smile to everyone you come across. But even that wont make 1/10 of what I have given you. And surrender every good thing that you do, know that you are offering a guru dakshina.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: ‘It’s not your doing, but your Being’

Sadguru Pariwar presented the Sadguru Bhushan award to Sri Sri in Pune, (India) on January 13.

While accepting the award, Sri Sri said – ‘Maharashtra has been a land of Saints and will continue to be so. In every household there is a saint. In every child there is a saint and in every saint, there is a child. The Sadguru group is doing a wonderful job of keeping alive the traditions and cultures among children.

This award is an excuse for us to sit together. There is only One doer. It not your doing, but your Being. You don't become a saint with what you have done, but with who you are. How much compassion, service, love one has in one's heart. The job gets done with the collective effort of so many people. But if we want our inner being to shine then your own intention is enough. The wave of devotion and karmyog in Maharashtra must be always kept alive. Our culture is to sing, dance and celebrate not to fight or dispute.

A girl from a village of Maharashtra - how she became a queen, she made 181 temples, created an army of women to preserve Indian heritage. Every child must know this story of Ahilyabai Holkar. Her life has been so well portrayed by a foreigner in India, Francois Gautier. This can be an inspiration for every child in India.

The Sadguru Parivar must take the light of knowledge everywhere and I hope that it never gets extinguished.

The inner light must always be kept alive.’

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 24

Krishna says One who acts without expecting fruit of action is a Yogi.

There are two attitudes while performing any action, one is to perform it expecting joy out of it, the other doing it as an expression of joy.

A Yogi is one whose actions are expressions of joy.

You care about the result, that is why you are performing the action, but you are not dependent on the result to give you joy. An action is fruitful in both cases, an action giving adverse result can help you in improving or enhancing some skills in yourself, while if result is of your choice it gives you satisfaction.

Intentions or sankalpas keep coming in our mind. This is natural. But holding on to them does not let us rest. Before sleeping you anyways drop all sankalpas, only then can you rest. To do this while awake is to have wakeful rest.

How to Meditate?

Sit comfortably to meditate.

The Golden Principals of meditation (wakeful rest) are:

For the next few minutes:

I want nothing

I will do nothing

I am nothing

This is mental renunciation, running away from the world does not make one a Yogi. Even a small desire, like i want a glass of water will not allow you to meditate. So just for a few minutes you say, i want nothing. Later you can have all the wants again. For now, for a few minutes, I want nothing.

For the one for whom the journey on the spiritual path has just begun, effort is the way. For example- If I have to take a train, I have to go to the station, buy a ticket, and sit in the right seat. This much action is needed. But once on the seat you need to relax, knowing that the train will take you where you need to go. Running around in the train will not help you get to where you need to get to any faster. Not catching the train in the first place is another mistake.

Generally people either do nothing right in the beginning or they don’t relax later, they don’t know when to stop doing.

Effort is required to do Pranayam and then effortlessly meditation happens. Once i have done my pranayamas, i will do nothing. Like when you are getting massaged, there is nothing for you to do. Just be there and the massage happens. Similarly do nothing (after doing your pranayamas, etc) and meditation will happen.

A person who feels he is someone cannot meditate. If you feel you are the greatest, you are rich or poor, you are useless or stupid. meditation will not happen. Let go of whatever identity you have. You are nothing. Just relax. Then meditation happens spontaneously and effortlessly.

What are the advantages of meditation?

Meditation purifies you removes toxins from the body, by wiping the past impressions. Otherwise life is only seen through glasses of the past. Eg if one servant stole something, you start thinking every servant is a thief. Yoga cleanses both the body and mind.

Meditation frees you from sorrow. From the childhood you keeps crying for one thing or other. When you are a child it’s a toy. Then as you grow it’s for friends, later for grades and jobs, then for partner… It is never ending. Meditation frees you from this.

Meditation brings skill in action and improves perception. Yoga takes you from being most unlucky to most lucky. Most unlucky is one who’s desires never get fulfilled. Luckier is one who desires and after sometime they get fulfilled. Luckier is one who desires and those desires immediately gets fulfilled, but luckiest is the one who even before he desires, finds that everything has already been provided. Regular consistent meditation will take you to this place.

Also meditation makes you become compassionate, get siddhis, enhances immunity, improves voice, makes you shine.

Meditation elevates the conscious mind.

Meditation brings success in ones endeavors, skill in action and happiness in ones being.

Love and Happiness are given as a gift to you. Its a gift for the merits you have earned. Merits are earned through good gestures, seva. This is the reason why charity has been an integral part of our tradition.

Make your mind your friend.

Your mind can be your friend or enemy. If mind is bombarded with multiple impressions it becomes your enemy. It is the mind which perceives through the senses. It is not the ears that hear, it’s the mind that hears through the ears. Similarly with the other senses.

Inward journey is Yoga, outward is Bhoga. Unless inward journey is taken you cannot even enjoy the outward. Nothing appeals to you. When union with inner being happens, mind becomes your friend, otherwise it will be your greatest enemy.

If the water is still, a clear reflection can be seen. In a mind that is still, the universal mind reflects. Then you are anchored within and the opposites do not touch you.

“Save the mind at any cost” is the message of the Bhagvad Geetha.

Don’t hate the sinner, hate the Sin. A yogi sees everyone with the same perception. Every one is playing an outer role inside they are same. For the director of a movie, hero and villain are exactly the same.

Focusing on the being gives inner strength.

Qualities of a Yogi.

A yogi is moderate in activity and rest. Every baby is a yogi. And every Yogi is a baby. He is united with the universal spirit.

Anyone who is an expert will not get perturbed or disturbed in his area of expertise. A chef in a kitchen will move with ease and grace while cooking. Never clumsy or careless.

A Yogi moves with ease through life. He is graceful doing anything, because he has attained proficiency at the root of everything. He feels at home everywhere. His intuition works. This is the spiritual connection. Having attained this there is nothing else the yogi wants to gain in life. He will not worry or feel feverish about getting more. Problems don’t move him who has attained the highest.

When he gets things or loses somethings he is not affected. A yogi does not get blown away by fleeting moments because he realizes all is maya, illusion.

Never rely on emotions. They are momentary. No one cares about them. Base life on wisdom, on that which is not changing. Hook onto that which does not change.

Some good comes out of every mistake. Greatest endurance (tapasya) is tolerating stupidity. Your patience increases by enduring stupidity. While dealing with stupid people your communication improves. You either become frustrated or gain patience.

That which you reject, you feel is not a part of you. And that you appreciate you feel is a part of you.

Yogi is one who see’s every one as one self. You don’t want any one to think bad about you, similarly why would any one want you to feel bad about them. Such a yogi who wants to live happily and wants every one to be happy is the best.

Mind Matters!

You cannot control wind you can only predict it, the mind is like that, so what should you do? How can you make your mind your friend?

By dispassion and practice.

Mind goes towards pleasure- how long can you see something? How much can you eat? How much music can you listen to? How much sex can you have? How much money, fame or power can you have? None of these outside things give you great pleasure.

Capacity to experience through senses is very limited, but the desire to enjoy is unlimited. The way out is Vairagya or dispassion. (Raga is craving and Vairagya means I am satisfied).

You need to cleanse the system and remove negative thoughts. For the intellect Knowledge and wisdom is needed, for emotions it is music and for the body ayurveda and some massage.

Anyone who does anything good will never suffer. As much good as you have done that much you will enjoy. If one doesn’t find perfection now he enjoys a comfortable position in the other world and is reborn in a well to do family or in a yogi’s family. Our karmas take us in those direction and at some point of time those impressions will carry them to finish the journey. There are many life times. Sadhana is the real currency!

Greatest role one can take is that of a yogi. He is better than someone who does a lot of work. Yogi is higher than a wise man, an ascetic or a scholar. A yogi knows intuitively, in his vibration there is love. With faith if you understand this, you are the greatest.

Jai Gurudeva!

As written by Bawa on his website: www.bawandinesh.name

Knowledge sheet no 23

There is a strange relationship between love and truth? If there is a competition between love and truth, it is the love that will win. It is the fear of losing love that makes someone tell lies to the most loved ones. They are afraid of losing their love if they tell the truth. So which is powerful? Love is powerful. And it should be that way. What is love? If you have not known, there is no way you will know. Even a single creature on this planet cannot say that it doesn’t know love. Because that is our second experience. Our first experience was pain.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: Harmony in sound is music; Harmony in movement is dance; Harmony in mind is meditation; Harmony in life is celebration

Love is the mother of all negative emotions. All those who lose their temper are perfectionists. They want everything perfect, they simply love perfection. They have high Pitta (a characteristic of the body as per the ancient science of Ayurveda). They seek perfection in everything. Jealousy is because of love. You love somebody so jealousy arises. Greed is when you love objects more than people. Arrogance is when you love yourself too much. Arrogance is to love oneself in a distorted manner. Not even a single object on this planet wants not to be loved or be away from love. Yet we don’t want any of the pain or suffering that comes along with love. How can one achieve this? Only through cleansing and uplifting our spirit which is possible through spirituality. We are made up of both matter and spirit. Our body needs vitamins. If any nutrient is missing, then we have a deficiency. Similarly, we are made up of spirit. Spirit is beauty, truth, joy, happiness, love, and peace. For me, spirituality is that which enhances all these qualities and removes the boundaries. We can bring up our children and youth in this spiritual way. Nowadays violence in college campuses is common. This is unfortunate. If there is violence, then there is something fundamentally wrong. There was so much pride attached to non-violence and equanimity when I was growing up. Schools and colleges will have to bring about peace, happiness, celebration and joy. But if we are miserable, we cannot bring happiness to anybody. First we need to attend to our misery. It’s a catch 22. If you are not happy, you can’t do anything to make others happy. So how can you be happy? Unless you think from a broader perspective, you cannot be happy.

There is a technique to get depressed. If you just sit and think about yourself all the time, “what about me, what about me?” you will get depressed. We need to engage ourselves in some service activities and spiritual practices that eliminate negative vibes and make our presence lighter, happier, more content and more intuitive. Intuition is essential. If you are a businessman, you need intuition to know which stocks to invest in. If you are poet or a literary person, you need intuition. If you are a doctor, you need intuition. Doctors don’t base the prescription just on observation. There is something else that also contributes to the prescription. All doctors here will agree with me. Intuition can come when we look deep inside. Without intuition and a spiritual connection, it is like using a cell phone without a sim card in it. We pray, but we are not connected at all. Then we wonder why our prayers are not answered. Because there is no spirituality and values inside, and hence no connectivity is there. This is how many people become atheists. An incident happens in their life, their prayers didn’t work, and they get illusioned.

Each one of us has enormous potential. Your thoughts are very powerful; you can create what you want. It’s not like you can go to the moon tomorrow, but for that to happen the vision has to come first. The intuitive power has to come. First, believe that it is possible for you to live in a state of unconditional love, peace and tranquility. As a child you have lived in this state. As children we all have done it. We were bubbling with enthusiasm.

Sri Sri then led the audience through a meditation

Q: Is little bit of ego ok?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you recognize that you have ego, for God's sake don’t try to get rid of it. If you get rid of your ego, that itself will become the cause of a bigger ego trip. So if you find that there is ego, just keep it in your pocket. You know the only antidote for ego is being natural, or naturalness. Why do you want to get rid of your ego? Because it bothers you. More than others, your ego is bothering you. You are constrained, restrained and uncomfortable. You feel others don’t respect you or you are better than others. You compare yourself with others. So I would say, if you find that there is ego in you, let it be. We will not meddle with it. If it comes, let it come.

Q: We hear a lot about corruption these days in governments and other situations around the world. How can we do something to reduce corruption?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Corruption starts when the sense of belongingness ends. When we have a sense of belongingness, we can’t be corrupt. When we expand our sense of belongingness, corruption will disappear. Does this make sense? Corruption begins outside the boundary of belongingness.

Q. How does one stay happy every day?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know, you need a reason to be unhappy. You don’t need a reason to be happy.

Q. When someone has an aversion towards you, and their presence makes you uncomfortable, how do we deal with that kind of situation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Just bless them. When your mind is calm and serene, it becomes like a laser beam. Then you get the power to bless. There is a tradition in India and China. Whenever there is a wedding or any ceremony in the house, you go to the eldest in the family and take their blessings. There is a scientific reason behind this. As you grow older, you are supposed to become more serene and contended. A contented mind has the power to bless. If you are not content, you don’t have the energy to bless, and then how can you bless someone else? When you are grateful for what life has offered you, when you have contentment within you, then you gain that ability to bless people. So serenity and contentment gives you the ability to bless others. First you become centered. If they are averse to you, so what? You be happy and then bless them that they get rid of their hatred. Often we try to correct somebody because their actions disturb us. But if your intention is to correct them because what they are doing is harming them, they get corrected. Do you see what I am saying?

Q. I am 63+ years. Can a good art of living lead to a decent art of dying?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You forget that you are 65. Wake up, it’s not late. There is something deep inside you which has not aged. It is pure and dynamic. Don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t think that you are useless. I tell you, you can sit and meditate, and you can bless the world. Things will happen much differently then. I am with you. You are not alone. If anyone anytime feels lonely, depressed, unhappy or sad, just remember that you are not alone. You are not alone at all. Ok?

Q. Can you comment on the shifts happening in the coming years, around the year 2012. What will it be afterwards?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I want to assure you that we will be able to see 2013. Just remember all the chaos that happened in 1999. Some people started storing food for six months in their basements. Even then I said things would be as usual. Things will be as usual in 2012 also. Actually spirituality will become more fashionable in the coming years; people will become more spiritual. Everyone will understand more about the consciousness. Right here, there are so many layers of the universe and existence. More and more of it will come to light. People will understand; science will also discover.

Q: What to do when we start doubting ourselves or our relationships?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Doubt is always about something that is positive. You know, if someone tells you that they love you, you say, "Really?” Isn't it so? But you take it for granted when someone expresses their hatred towards you. If someone asks you, "Are you happy?" you say, "Well, I am not sure". We doubt all that is positive. We doubt in love. We doubt in the goodness of people. We doubt honesty. We never doubt dishonesty. Isn't it so? We doubt our capabilities. We never doubt our weaknesses. You never doubt your depression, but you always doubt your happiness. So a doubt is always about something that is positive.

Q: First, how can we be of service. Second, how can I be a good human being of the society?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There are many ways. You can become a teacher or volunteer of the ‘Art of Living’. You can help in schools for rural children. Thousands of them are studying and thousands are waiting to get admission. You can participate in the ‘Dollar a Day’ project. One dollar a day can educate and provide medical, food and clothing for a child. We are 1000 people right here in this auditorium. If each one of us sponsors a child, 1000 more children will get access to education. These children are otherwise forced to work at a young age, and they get into violence without a value based education. If you want to take up any other projects, you are welcome. If you want to give your time, say six months or one year, you can go to places where you can bring peace to people. You are most welcome to come to India.

Q: Sometimes I don’t know whether I am doing the right thing. I lose courage. How do I handle such a situation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: At those moments, just relax. The right thing will happen to you.

Q: If each person on this earth would do one thing to make the world a better place, what would that one thing be?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Why are you limiting to only one thing? We are all so different. Each one can serve in their own area of expertise. But if you really insist on one thing, I would say, "Smile more". Do some service and see how much you can stretch. That much you can serve more. And I tell you, the more you serve, the more you will receive.

Sri Sri then suggested that everyone read Celebrating Silence, Celebrating Love, or An Intimate Note to a Sincere Seeker for answers to all other Qs!

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 22

How to free yourself from the grip of storms? This is the only basic problem in this universe. The first thing is to become aware of it and stop regretting it. Like waves come and go, storms in your life too will subside. No one storm can be there for ever. One storm comes and subsides, another comes and subsides and it goes on. As the storm subsides, you experience that inner cool, soft, delicate aspect of yourself. In that space of calm, all the anxiety, fear, feverishness lose their grip on you and you become yourself again. Love dawns.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: Humor and Humiliation

Humor is the buffer that saves you from humiliation. If you have a good sense of humor you can never be humiliated. And if you refuse to be humiliated you become invincible. Humor brings everyone together, while humiliation tears them apart. In a society torn with humiliation and insult, humor is like a breath of fresh air.

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 21

The effect of divine energy is such that it transforms all the negative tendencies in the mind. Whatever has been said in Yogasutras, “Tat sanidho vair tyaga”, is very true – One gets free from the feeling of animosity in the company of truth, in the company of those who practice meditation.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: Everybody has independence of karma as well as effects of previous karma in his/her life

whatever we do is in search of happiness, then why is there so much pain and misery in the world?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is a story of Mullah Nasurudin. His wife was pregnant and the time of delivery had come. But the baby was not coming out. When doctor told this to Mullah Nasurudin, he ran to the market, bought a toy, and kept that toy in front of her wife. He said, “After all this is my child, so he will surely come out with greed”. Whole our life we keep on running behind things with the hope of getting something. We keep on looking for some kind of profit. How would such person experience happiness? Neither does a greedy person get happiness nor does a person who is bombarded with too many desires. The one who relaxes in his consciousness is happy. One, who is centered, experiences the true happiness. I am not saying there is no happiness in the outer world, but the happiness you get when you go within is incomparable.

The world is running in search of happiness. The body gets baked, the mind gets baked, the intellect gets deluded but still we keep on getting stuck in the same repetitive cycle. When you meet Guru, you come to know that you are the source of happiness. Then the mind calms down, and you realize that you are the one in whose search you kept on running here and there.

Q: There has been life for so many centuries on this planet. I wish to know why is it that some creatures live a prosperous and extravagant life, and yet there are some creatures who do not even have enough to eat? What is the basis on which a creature gets birth?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is one of the five secrets – the secret of birth. Nature has been very kind that birth has been kept as a secret. Otherwise, you would be living a miserable life remembering all previous incidents that happened in the past lives. But a time will come in your life when your mind would be completely established in the present moment, memory would awake, and you will remember what you were and who you were in your previous births. It is alright if it does not happen with some people.

The whole world is made up of cause and effect. If somebody is rich, that has a reason. If somebody is poor, that also has a reason. But does that mean we don’t have any independence of Karma? You definitely have freedom. We have been given discrimination. So, we do have freedom of karma, and also we are bearing fruits of past actions also. It is like you get some capital from someone. Now, it is up to you what do you want to do with it. A poor man can become rich, and a rich can become poor. There are all possibilities. Your karma decided where you were born. But it depends on you where do you want to reach.

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 20

Once you are able to see the light, you see the entire past as a dream, move on. Wake up and see the present, you will find happiness is there, unconditional happiness. Then you are happy and not dependant on others for your happiness. Happiness depends only on your mind. When the mind is free of past impressions and future cravings, happiness is there.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: ‘Culmination of prayer is meditation’

Q: How can the Self be love, joy and peace? Aren’t they all different?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Can there be joy without peace? (No, said the audience). If you want to make a distinction, then peace is very mild and always connected to disturbances, love is more to the heart and could be hate or love. Then joy, you find small or big joy. But they are all your nature. Like you can see, you can hear, you can smell, you can taste, but it is all you. There is something deep inside you which unifies all. All emotions are part of you. Their functions and expressions are different but all are in you. All arise in your mind. In this sense, they all are one, in another sense they are all different. When you smile you are different, when you sleep you are different, when you eat you are different but all are you. In this sense, they all are one. When someone dies, people stand up and say, ‘Let’s have a moment of peace’. Certainly that is not a joyous occasion and nobody will say, ‘Let’s have a moment of joy, somebody has died’. In some joyful celebration, like marriage, people don’t say, ‘Let’s have a moment of peace’, that will always be called a moment of joy. My dear, all are part of you, all arise in you and in that sense all are one, all are linked.

Q: What is thought, Why it comes and from where it comes?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Is this a thought? It came in you? Why did it come? Now find out. As soon as you realize this, the question is, itself, a thought and it has come in you, you have answers for the first two questions. And why does it come? Because of a lack of any other questions.Now I want you find its source. When you start finding source of thought, you have started on a journey for which you are here. Our journey is to find the source, from where this thought has arisen. I want all of you to be scientists. Scientist goes on experimenting, asking questions. It’s a very good opportunity to find out where it comes from? What is its origin? Since it comes in you, you find its answer. If it doesn’t come in you and somebody else, then I’ll answer.

Q: There is so much conflict and violence in world in the name of religion. Is there a need of religion?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Communists opposed religion for 50 years. They didn’t get success. Communist people think religious people, especially in Russia and China are very authoritarian, they don’t give freedom. So they want to be done with religion but did they not unleash much more violence? In Stalin, Lenin and Mao Zedong, millions were massacred in the name of communism. Religion ruled with fear, fear of you being sent to hell. Religious leaders were authoritarian, trying to get hold of society by creating guilt and fear in people. Communist also did the same thing but not with guilt but with fear. They remove only guilt but they couldn’t remove fear, instead they instill more fear and violence in society. I don’t think communism did any better. It didn’t make people rich. After 50 years, people have come back. A big church in Moscow was demolished and a swimming pool was made instead of it.
Today that swimming pool is demolished and a church is made again. I think it is humanism which is most important. If humanism is there in religion, it does good. And when humanism disappears from religion, it becomes like a mafia. In the same way, communism also ignored humanism. So when humanism went away, violence and fear dominated even in communism. These Maoists party! Did it do any good in the country, in all 213 districts? It didn’t make anybody rich. So you can’t be done away with religion.

We need to have interreligious communication, inter-religion faith. Every child should know a little bit about other religions also. Yes, we don’t need religions if all become spiritual. If we can transform this world into a higher plane of religion, which is spirituality then it will really be an intelligent thing to do. But just opposing religion as communists do, can’t serve any purpose. It is like throwing the baby with the bath water. Because religion has some moral values, some human values, it gives some strength and solace, and if you also take solace without replacing it with spirituality then you are doing injustice in the society.

Q: Why are love marriages and arranged marriages increasingly leading to divorces?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, divorce is happening day by day while family values are eroding, the generation gap is widening and interdependence is being forgotten. Husband and wife forget that they are interdependent. They need each other and both look for independence. I haven’t done any research on this why this is happening. (laughter) but if some of you do that research and publish a paper it will be good. Atleast people will be aware of these pitfalls. Whether it is a love marriage or arranged marriage, marriage is always a chance, if it clicks it is a chance. Sometimes it may appear to have clicked for a short period of time but in the long run, it becomes a question mark. And vice versa also. Sometimes in the beginning it may appear to be completely incompatible but as time goes it becomes very compatible. It is like a chameleon – changing colors all the time. If someone can see this, they have a hope. And if it appears to be not so, then move on without guilt because there is no point in suffering life long. If you have given 100 percent then you better move on your path and let the other move on his/her path rather making the whole live of both, miserable. But the question is whether you have given your 100 percent, have you made all the effort to make it work? That is important.

Q: What is the importance of horoscope matching when it comes to marriage?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Astrology is a science but all astrologers are not scientists. (laughter) First of all, you don’t know whether the time of your birth and all other factors are right or not. Sometimes, we don’t keep records and there are various factors. There is probability in all those factors. So, if you find someone who is good, the astrologer says, ‘Good, it does have a value but it is always with a pinch of salt.’ It is said that there was a great astrologer of this country and he made all the horoscopes of his daughter. But his daughter’s marriage didn’t work. It was quoted as a probability factor.

In all scientific experiments, there is always a probability factor – may be, may not be.So we must take it with that probability and not as definite.

Q: What is the difference between God (Parmatma) and Devta?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Parmatma is the sun, devta is its ray. Without the sun, there is no ray and without the ray, there is no sun. A ray has all seven colors, these all different devtas. God is the combination of all the seven colors. God is certainly not made of one color. When all colors combine, white is obtained and that is Parmatma. You can understand this like different organs - eyes, ears, nose, all combine to form you. Your eyes are different from ears, your nose is different from tongue but all is part of you. The totality of the whole creation, with all the energies is given a name and it is called Parmatma, Parampita (supreme father). In ancient terminology, God is called Parmatma, Parampita.

Why only Parampita , He is also Parammata (Supreme mother).Why should God be called father only? God is also the mother. God is father, mother and God is also the Self. All Gods, goddesses are like rays of the sun, one sunlight and all the rays together is God but these are all different aspects of God. All are different aspects of the one Divine like in one human being, one cell somewhere becomes the eyes, somewhere the ears, somewhere the nose, and all this has happened from one fertilized cell, embryo. So, God is the sum total of all Divine elements and in the Vedic times, ancient rishis identified all these elements and called then devtas. They designated 33 types of Divine energy and called them devta and they tell how these are connected with the cosmos, like the eyes are connected with the sun. They established connection between the micro cosmos and macro cosmos. …It is very amazing analysis, amazing science of unity of the universe. It is not too many Gods, it is aspects of God. Though you are one, you have different functions. When you sleep you are different, when you smile you are different, when you eat, you are different. Crore means category, 33 crores means 33 categories of devas. Crore is also a number, 10 million but here it is not referred to as a number. 33 crore means 330 million and so people started taking that way.

Q: What is difference between prayer and meditation?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Prayer is asking, meditation is listening. In prayer, you ask, ‘Give me this, give me that’, giving instructions, demanding. In meditation, you say, ‘I am here to listen, what is it that you want to tell? Tell me, whenever you are free, I am here. Culmination of prayer is meditation. Prayer goes to the peak and that is meditation.

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 19

To begin a practice you have to put in effort. But once you are on the path, you have to relax. You won’t reach any faster if you keep running inside the train. Know that all is done for you. You don’t have to put effort. There is effort to light a candle. Once it is lit then no effort is required to pull the light out of the candle. Light is coming to you on its own. But you have to light the candle first. You have to put that much effort to switch on the lamp!

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: ‘There is a non-changing, eternal element in you’

As it was Sunday and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar usually talks in Kannada, there were many people in the ashram who didn’t understand Kannada. So Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, ‘If you don’t understand kannada it doesn’t matter. Just be a part of everything. Laugh when everybody laughs and clap when everybody claps’.

Q: I am little nervous in front of you and my heart beat is also rising. While doing the course I heard that our existence is eternal. I want to know what is connection of this incarnation with the eternal presence?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: To know that everything is changing you need to have a reference point. That reference point is the unchanging in you. There is a non-changing, eternal element in you because of which you can experience change.

Q: I am coming from Tamil Nadu. I took the course. After the course, I underwent lots of struggles. The more I do my sadhana, lots of challenges, problems are coming. What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is a saying in Tamil which means that ‘God created the tail of the goat according to its capacity’. Be bold and face the problems. Don’t worry, only that kind of problem will come in life which you can handle, which is within your capacity to handle. So handle it, go through it all boldly.

Q: I do seva for the society by organizing courses and I sometimes fail to do my home duties. In that case, my parents scold me saying, I am not taking care of home. Should I take care of the society or home? What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Your know, how to ride bicycle? How do you balance? Like that, you have to do both and balance the duties.

Q: I want to know the relationship between the conscious mind, sub-conscious mind and the infinite intelligence of the sub-conscious mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes! The sub-conscious mind has infinite intelligence. Whatever you put in the sub-conscious mind, it will manifest. If you put the thought that you are poor, that will start happening and if you put positive thoughts that everybody is good then that will start happening.

Q: In 2003, you came and started good work from the temple. All good work is happening till now. We request you to come again and bless the people.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, in Tamil Nadu, you have to do lots of work. There is a lot of problem regarding caste. You all have to do something, work for it.

Q: I am coming from Polachi. I was having a spinal cord problem before taking this course. I took the course and now I can sit and do all my work without anybody's help.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, what doctors can’t do, pranayama does. It can do wonders

Q: After solving one problem, one more comes up. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Have the faith that you will be helped and your problem will get solved.

Q: Guruji, I am physically handicapped. I was thinking, how can I contribute to society? Now I am working with the Divine Karnataka Project, presently, in the Sheshadripuram slum (in Bangalore). I am feeling very confident.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We have to work a lot in slums. We have to make them literate and we have to eradicate castism from slums. For that we all have to work together. In Bangalore alone there are 400 slums and Art of Living is working in 105 of those slums. People in slums are addicted to alcohol and we have to stop this. Those very places and countries have lost their culture where people were too much into alcohol. People in these areas earn good money but they spent more than half of that on alcohol. How can we stop them? By giving them an alternative source of intoxication, by bringing them to satsang and making them experience intoxication and the joy of meditation. Do you feel intoxication in meditation and satsang? (‘Yes’ from the audience) So, you feel change after doing all this. All DKP yuvacharyas (youth leaders) have to go to slums and work in these places. You may face some obstacles but walk ahead and keep working. A member of the audience shares an experience: “I did the basic course three months ago in Andhra Pradesh. The happiness I have experienced in the last three months, I didn’t experience in the last 26 years of my life. I am very thankful to you.”

Jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 18

Enjoy the world, without getting attached to it. You have to take a deep breath in. But you can’t hold onto it. You have to let go (of the breath) to enjoy the fresh air. In life, it is the same thing. Letting go is important.

{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: Balance & Discipline (with a riddle)

People who are free, regret that they don't have discipline. They keep promising that they will become disciplined.
People who are disciplined look for the end. (Discipline is not an end in itself, it is a means.)

Look at the people who have no discipline; they are miserable. Freedom without discipline is absolute misery.
Discipline without freedom is suffocating.

Orderliness is monotonous and chaos is stressful. We have to make the discipline free and the freedom disciplined.

People who are in company all the time, they look for the comforts of solitude. People who are in solitude,
feel so lonely and want to be in company.

People who are in a cold place want to be in a warm place. People who are in a warm place love something cool.

This is the dilemma of life: Everyone is looking for perfect balance. Perfect balance is like a razor's edge.
It can only be found in the self.

There is no road to this town and there are no steps to this house.

How do you get in? Figure it all out.

jai Gurudev!

Knowledge sheet no 17

The desire to have self realization - This is the highest desire, the only one worth pursuing. Whether you acknowledge this or not, everyone has come to this planet with this desire. If you have recognized this it’s very good.


{Knowledge Sheet} Subject: You are a child of nature & nature loves you

Q: Guruji, the way I feel so connected to you, do you feel the same?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: More than that. You know, connection means that there is a difference. I don’t feel connected for I don’t feel the difference. I feel you are a part of me.

Q: If truth is contradictory, how to find the truth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Truth is something you can’t avoid nor confront. There is no effort. Truth simply comes out. If you tell a lie, you have to manufacture. To tell a lie, a lot of effort is required. You’re feeling cold, you’re feeling hot, that is how you feel. No effort is needed.

Q: Even after surrendering problems, I worry about them. What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is to say, ‘I gave it away’ and even after giving you say, ‘I have it with me’. If even after giving it away again and again, it comes back to you like a ball you again and again keep giving it away. Don’t give up until you have totally given up!

Q: What are the characteristics of an ideal devotee?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: (After a little pause) You are One. You don’t doubt that. And whatever additional quality you want to have, you can always develop.
• Someone who has a calm and serene mind,
• Wants to live in knowledge, has some knowledge and a desire for knowledge,
• No grudges, no hatred towards anyone,
• Has compassion.

Q: What do you expect from us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A lot. You live in knowledge, you keep smiling, you keep serving, you keep connected. I don’t expect - I know you will do it. Only I am impatient. I want you to do it quickly.

Q: Guruji, telling the truth causes problems outside and telling lie creates problems inside (us)? What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Solve the problem. Problems are to be seen as challenges. Someone who is brave like challenges and you are brave, I tell you.

Q: Guruji, when we say Jai Gurudev to someone, are we referring to the Guru in the person in front or we are remembering the Guru in ourselves?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I leave it up to you, whatever you want. It has so many meanings – Hello, How are you, Good bye, Welcome, Thank you…So many words come in that Jai Gurudev. You want to say, ‘Oh my God’ you say Jai Gurudev, you want to say, ‘Oh I give up’ you say Jai Gurudev. It’s just become a habit. I don’t insist at all. You say whatever you want to say.

Q: Do I exist beyond body and soul? And if I do then in what form?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Nothing exists beyond the soul. Beyond the body? Yes. When you realize, you see you are not your body and you will realize that yourself.

Q: Guruji, there are moments when I am enthusiastic, when I am very confident but there are two problems: 1. I forget things. 2. I fear of what happens if this state continues. This is predominantly from my wife’s side. What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I remember in one course a gentleman with his wife participated. At each knowledge point, the husband would say, ‘Look, I have been also saying the same thing.’ Like I said, ‘Forgive and forget’ and she would say, ‘I told you the same thing, now Guruji is also saying same.’ (Laughter) I told him, these points are for you to apply and not to just pass on. Charity begins at home, Love begins at home. Start from where you are.

Q: I get physically attracted to many people. What to do? Is it ok to be physically attracted?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you see your mind, so many thoughts come. You can’t act on all the thoughts. If you try to act on all the thoughts, you end up in a mental hospital. Whether thoughts of attraction or repulsion come, you do not get attracted but you also feel repulsion for many people. For example, the mind says to strangle somebody, you have to act out of wisdom. You have to see what is right and what is wrong. You have to see what is evolutionary and what is not. You have to see what is giving you happiness in the long term and what is giving misery. You have to see what is permanent and what is temporary. That is discrimination, Viveka, is so important. Otherwise, it will be just senseless, thoughtless action leaving you in misery.

Q: We give so many botherations to you? To whom do you give all these botherations?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That you don’t worry. I have a processing unit where all garbage gets processed to manure.

Q: If atma (spirit) is neither created nor destroyed then from where do these new souls come? How is the population of the world increasing?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: My dear, so many animals are also getting extinct. Very few sparrows are left, many crocodiles are missing. Like this, many other species are missing. Just imagine. I think you will get the rest of your answer.

Q: Guruji, I do all practices when I am in problem but otherwise I stay away from path. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This you figure out. When misery comes, everyone thinks of God. But to one who thinks of God even when happy, why will misery touch him? There is an old proverb which says this Sukh mein simran sabh karein, dukh mein kare na koi, Sukh mein simran jo kare to dukh kahe ko hoye This applies to us also. When you are doing pranayama, Sudarshan kriya, when you are happy, then that happiness will continue. Today, there was an article in the paper which says that the only way to cure depression is by meditation. Anti-depression medicines will make the depression come back. There is a rebounding of depression with anti-depression medicines but with meditation there is no rebounding. Today millions of people are suffering from depression and they don’t know something like this exists. They don’t know there is a way which can make them free from depression. When you go back tell everyone about meditation. It takes one out of depression, suicidal tendencies.
Look at Rashid (pointing to a youth who has come from Kashmir), he is smiling after 12 years and is now doing wonderful service also.

Q: When I come here I find so much peace and harmony. How can I take this same peace and harmony back to Kashmir also?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You also come up with ideas, I will also think. More youth like you should come from Kashmir, experience this and go back and serve. We will start the Art of Living in Kashmir and make it big. If you all resolve, we will definitely do it. We can do organic farming there. We can train more teachers, all can heal and bless them, bring happiness in them. We already have a residential school there. We all need to do more and more.

Q: If something bad happens to a person we say that the previous birth karma is responsible. Will you please speak about that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Paap kya punya kyat tu bhulade’ Karam kar phal ki chinta tu mitade’ Forget what is sinful and what is noble. Be free from the desire of the fruit of action. Don’t sit and worry too much about all this. I have spoken more on this in Celebrating silence (a book written by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar).

Q: It is said in the Gita, do your duty and don’t expect for the result. How to live this knowledge in normal life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Live naturally. All Art of Living points are from life’s experience. There is no effort in it. Do some meditation, yoga you will see how life has transformed effortlessly and automatically.

Q: Guruji, is it true you have some super power. You have stopped rain so many times just looking at sky, you can read thoughts.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know love is the most super power in this world and that power is with everybody, not only with me. When mind is free from lust, greed, possessiveness, arrogance etc., when the mind is in the pure form with which we were all born with, then nature listens to you. You are a child of nature and nature loves you. When that manifests, when you are clear then two things happen - your wishes get fulfilled and you can fulfill others’ wishes also. When you are content, that is when blessing happens, Don’t think only Guruji can do it. This is no achievement and no effort is required. That is natural from our state of being, that state of innocence. Most of us have lost it but I still haven’t lost it.

Q: How do you speak so sweetly always?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It’s like asking jaggery, how can you taste so sweet? It’s the nature of the jaggery to be sweet. I don’t put any effort to speak sweetly. If I put in effort, it will turn to be salty. What I am, I speak the same. That’s why you find it sweet. And secondly, you are also sweet so you find me also sweet. If your mind is turbulent then even if I speak sweetly, you will find it salty. I also don’t know how to be otherwise. I am grateful that I never got an opportunity also to do something which is not in my nature. There was never a need to speak a lie or cheat someone. It has never happened that I pretend to be someone else which I am not. It doesn’t seem also I would be doing it in future. (laughter) But I don’t give any guarantee (more laughter). It hasn’t happened till now and God knows about future.

Q: Guruji I worked in a slum and I got so much happiness. I am feeling so blissful and life is so beautiful.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Life is beautiful but we don’t crave for happiness: ‘Oh, life is beautiful. I want joy.’ When you are happy – serve. When you are sad – give up, have the courage to give up your misery. Adveshta serva bhutanam maitra karuna evacah| Nirmamo Nirahankarah samah sukah dukkah kshami|| Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that one who is dear to me, who doesn’t hate anybody, who doesn’t have any ego – I, I, me. One who is calm in success or failure. Whatever he gets - sorrow or happiness - he takes it all with a smile. The Gita also talks about the three gunas – Rajas, Tamas and Sattva. What type of food you should eat, how the cosmos affects. Ayurveda, yoga, psychology, all these subjects are there. People from Tamil Nadu had come for the satsang.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar welcomed them and introduced the Pongal festival which was celebrated on January 14. Pongal is the biggest festival in Tamil Nadu. The flavor of Pongal is a little bit salty, little sweet and is prepared with rice, dal (pulses), and turmeric in a clay pot and celebrated.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said: The Intelligent celebrate everyday Fools fight everyday

Jai Gurudev!