Depressed? Here is a solution

Q: How do we balance our material and spiritual lives?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Do you know how to ride a bicycle? How do you balance it? Balance your life in the same way. Take both of them together in life. 

When the focus is too much on spirituality, I will say that you need to take care of the responsibilities at home. If you drown yourself in material activities and neglect your health, I will tell you not to get stuck in this mud and to start doing your spiritual practices.

 

 

When the mind is full of
doubts or is depressed,
it means that the level of
prana has come down.
When the level of prana
goes down, doubts arise
and we become sad.
So, the remedy is to
increase the prana level,
through pranayama,
proper food, exercise,
singing and fasting.

 

 

When you watch television, can you say, ‘I will first see and then listen?’
Some people say, ‘I will finish all my worldly activities and then come to spirituality.’
I tell you, it never happens. Both should go together. Both are needed in life.
We need peace of mind, love and joy, and we also need to take care of our responsibilities in life.

Q: When the mind is full of doubts or depressed, how do I convince myself that the fears that come up are not true?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When the mind is full of doubts or is depressed, it means that the level of prana has come down. When the level of prana goes down, doubts arise and we become sad. So, the remedy is to increase the prana level, through pranayama, proper food, exercise, singing and fasting.
Go on a fruit diet for a few days. We keep on stuffing ourselves with food, even if we are not hungry.

Q: My twenty four year old son went into depression and committed suicide three months ago. The thought that I could have understood him better and saved him is haunting me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There are so many such youth who are committing suicide in Karnataka and in our country. His life span was only this much. Do not spoil your health by worrying about it.
Work towards bringing youth to this path where there is singing (Gaan), knowledge (Gyan) and meditation (Dhyan), and bring a new light in their lives.

Q: My husband has been diagnosed with a tumor in his lung. Doctors are saying that it could be cancerous. 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Let him do pranayama, and also use the Shakti drops. Shakti drops improve the immune system.

Yesterday, an oncologist mentioned that they had done research on three to four patients, and observed that with the use of Shakti drops, the cancer cells dropped by forty percent in just forty-eight hours.
They are going to do further research. We cannot claim it right away, but they were so encouraged to take up this research.
Many people have been benefitted with Shakti drops. You all should use it.

Q: Gurudev, according to you, what are the basic priorities in a student life, other than studying?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The basic priority is to be studious and study well.
Second, have one vision for yourself, and one vision for the country.

Q: Gurudev, can you please throw some light on the recently discovered God particle?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In the discovery of the God particle, the scientists say that the entire universe is made up of one substance, one thing, and the one thing then became many.

Vedanta also says the same thing. In the olden days, they said that the whole universe is made up of one consciousness. One consciousness manifests itself into many.
It is similar to how you prepare bread, roti, samosa and halwa from the same wheat.

The universe is so diverse, but yet, it is made up of one vibration, one consciousness, and that is what they call the God particle.
It is that one thing from which all these multitudes of creation has come up.

 

 

When the focus is too
much on spirituality,
I will say that you need
to take care of the
responsibilities at home.
If you drown yourself in
material activities, I will
tell you not to get stuck in
this mud and to start doing
your spiritual practices.

 

 

Q: In olden days, sages used to sit on animal skins for meditation. However, when we do the Sudarshan Kriya, we are told to take out all leather articles. Why is it so?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In olden days, they used only the skin of deer. Also, they used the skin from deer that died natural deaths.
They did not have cushions earlier, so they used the skin of deer.
There are other reasons for not using dead skin. You will get to know them if you do the Teachers Training Course.

Q: Can we talk to souls who have departed from earth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: First, connect with those who are alive! This in itself is a big task!
There are so many languages in India which makes communication so difficult.
Yes, there are ways to connect with departed souls. Meditate, and that channel will open up too.

Q: The Vishalakshi Mantap is very beautiful. I feel very happy to see it. Can you please tell us a little more about it? Is the building in conformation with Vaastu Shastra?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I just prepared a sketch of how it should look like. There is no big architect for this building.
Yes, when the Vaastu experts checked the building, they said that the building has been designed well, and conforms to the rules of Vaastu Shastra

No Explanations and No Complaints

 We need to create waves of happiness in Holland. Don’t you think so?

Do you know, if we think only about ourselves then our life shrinks. But when we think for the whole society, for everybody then there is more joy. Yes, there are challenges in it.

Everyone wants to be happy, right? Is there anyone who doesn’t want to be happy here? Every human being, every animal, every creature wants to be happy. Now, what is the way to be happy? It is by sharing happiness. When you spread happiness, it grows. When you don’t spread it and keep it to yourself, it starts to dwindle and then finishes. This is what people don’t know. They want to be happy, but they don’t know how to share it with everybody and to expand their family. And that is what The Art of Living is. It is the education to expand one’s happiness and to expand one’s family. So, are we all committed to do this?

We need many centers where the Sudarshan Kriya can happen; many places where people can congregate. I would say, as many places as there are McDonalds, we need that many centers. That would make a big difference.

There is an old Sanskrit proverb, which says, ‘The real worship, the real prayer to God is to create happiness in others.’ It has challenges, no doubt about it. All individuals have challenges. One may have challenges about their job, husband, wife, children, brother, sister, mother, father, family, health, etc. All these challenges surround us, right? There has never been a time in anybody’s life that challenges don’t come. If not yours, you are bothered about your friend’s challenges. If not your friend’s, you are bothered about your relatives’ challenges. If nothing, you have the world to bother about!

Greece is going for election today. Everybody is in tenterhooks, thinking, ‘Oh! We don’t know what will happen.’ If Greece sinks, it will have a huge impact on the Euro and Europe. This fear is there. So, everybody has something or the other to be bothered about, right?

Now, in spite of all these tough situations, if we surge ahead, move ahead, open our arms, open our wings, and start working for a happy world, I tell you, we will be successful. Got it?

You know, when I first came to Holland in 1988, I gave a talk in a small room. There were about fifteen people. Among those people, there were about five or six Suriname Indians. They said, ‘Holland is very tough. They don’t like to do anything with spirituality. Please don’t waste your time’.

I just smiled and listened to them. Then, I was taken to a small temple in the Suriname community. They requested me to give a talk there. The next day, they said that there is another temple, where they wanted me to come.

I said, ‘Okay, I will come there, but I want to reach out to everybody, the whole population.’

They said, ‘You know, the people here are not interested in anything related with India, the people will not like it; prejudice is there’.

I said, ‘No, it does not matter.’ I just smiled through, and said, ‘The whole world is my family and every community belongs to me, not just one. Not just the Dutch, or the Suriname, or the Indian community.’ Here, there were separate temples, one for the Indian community, the expatriate Indians, and one for the Suriname community. I went to both the temples and then I went to a church. There was a small gathering in the church. They also enjoyed meditation. So, I just taught a little bit of meditation, a little bit of Sudarshan Kriya, and said, ‘One day, there will be a lot of people in Holland who will learn the Sudarshan Kriya.’

And I kept moving from then on. If I had stayed in the comfort of Bangalore, nice weather, beautiful place, all types of comfort, I would have remained in my comfort zone.

In those days, it was very difficult to travel outside India. It was very expensive. It was very cold in those days when I came here. It was dark and cold. I was in a small apartment with just one room. And from that room, once you come down through a small little staircase, you are in front of a canal.

I am used to sleeping with the window open. I don’t like the window closed. So, when I opened the window, there was a cold breeze coming through it all night. But I enjoyed it all, because I had a mission to reach out to the people of Holland. I wanted them all to gain the benefits out of this and enjoy this beautiful gift.

Afterwards, I came here several times and many others joined later. But still, we are not going at the pace we should go. Don’t you think so? We are going in a very slow car, in the last lane. We have to shift our lane to the fast lane and reach out to people throughout Holland and create a wave of happiness in the country.

We can ask people to gather and we can give them a little bit of bhastrika and a little meditation, just a small sample of it.

Come on, let us sing, dance and share with each other. Life is so short! We came into the planet crying but we don’t want to go back from here crying. At least when we go from this place, let us be smiling. Yes, this body gets sick.

Sickness has been part of this world since ages. Take care of the body. We should provide food, shelter, and whatever we need (for the body). But, sitting and worrying about it, is unwarranted. Do you get it? Worrying is unnecessary.

Q: Dear Guruji, people sometimes give me the feeling of being invisible. What to do about that? Please give my family a blessing.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Invisible, meaning people don’t recognize you? Never mind. That is even better. When nobody recognizes you, nobody has any demands from you. You know, being a Guru is a very big job. So many demands are there! You have to be watchful and alert every minute, and be available every minute. It is good that you are invisible. Happy-go-lucky! Never mind.

To improve family relations you need two things - No Explanations and No Complaints. Asking explanation from others is a foolish thing. And explaining to others thinking they would understand is another foolish thing.

Q: Can you explain how it is possible that all people in my country Holland create beautiful things? We are materialistic, but there is no awareness of consciousness. How is this possible?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I don’t think so. There is consciousness in people. There is so much kindness in people. People in Holland have lot of values and they are very much willing to support and do service. You simply need to give them a chance and channel them, that is all.

Wherever there is a disaster, aid from Holland goes there first. When there was tsunami, people from Holland supported them. A big load of clothes arrived, and our people distributed them. A lot of help comes from Holland. People from Holland have very big hearts. Don’t under estimate them. They are like tulips.

Q: Dearest Guruji, I am a yoga teacher and I work hard. I keep myself busy but I know I could do a lot more. I would like some advice.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I need more volunteers. We have four centers here. We need a lot of volunteers to work in these centers. So, sign up as volunteers. Even if you give two days in a month, that would be very good.

You come for two days in a month, for three to four hours. Do whatever work we need. How many of you would like to volunteer like this? You know, volunteering is doing what you can. All that you need to do is to come and spend three to four hours and go. Just come to the center for a few hours, answer a few phone calls, say a few nice words to people who come to the centers and help them out.

Can we not do this?

You know, five centers are not enough for a country this big.

Do you know how many satsang groups are in New Delhi? 280 satsang groups. Sudarshan Kriya happens in all these places.

In Bangalore, though the ashram is there, there are 195 centers, where people from every locality have a place to do the Sudarshan Kriya, meditate, share, sing and eat together. You know, for places like Amsterdam and Hague, we need many places where the Sudarshan Kriya can happen; many places where people can congregate. I would say, as many places as there are McDonalds, we need that many centers. That would make a big difference in the country.

Q: How do I improve family ties?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: To improve family ties, don’t try to improve it. Don’t try to get over the misunderstanding. If there is a misunderstanding, just overlook that.

Educate and ignore. Move forward. Don’t do postmortem, i.e., sit and dig, ‘Why did you say that?’, ‘You don’t love me’, all this garbage is such a waste of time. We dwell into so much emotional garbage. We should throw them all out and have bubbling enthusiasm. You should move with enthusiasm.

If someone lacks enthusiasm, push them into enthusiasm, and do not go on complaining or asking for explanation from people.

To improve family relations you need two things - No Explanations and No Complaints. That’s it. Got it?

Asking explanation from others is a foolish thing. And explaining to others thinking they would understand is another foolish thing. It doesn’t work both ways. The best is to just move forward.

To become successful you need three things...

April 29, 2012
Norway

See one thing I want to tell you, don’t judge yourself too much.
We have this tendency, we judge our self too much, or we judge others.
Either you start blaming yourself, or you blame somebody else. Either you find you are not right, or you find someone else is not okay. You should wake up and stop judging.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. You are part of a phenomenon that is happening. Like there are trees, there are rivers, there are birds; like that you also are here.
So many birds are born, so many birds are dying. Isn’t it? So many trees are coming up and they all vanish. Like this, so many people, so many bodies have come and they will all vanish. And then new people will come and they will vanish.

This planet has been there for billions of years. See your life from a bigger context then you will stop blaming yourself. The first rule on the spiritual path is to stop blaming yourself, because whom so ever you blame, do you like to be with them? Do you like to be with someone you are unhappy with? No! So, if you blame yourself, you can’t be with yourself.

The first rule on the
spiritual path is to stop
blaming yourself. That does
not mean that you justify
all the mistakes you do.
It is not to justify
your mistake but recognize
your mistake and at the same
time, not blaming yourself.

Spirituality is an appointment with yourself.
If you keep blaming yourself, you can never keep an appointment with yourself. So the first law on the spiritual journey or path is to stop blaming yourself.
Now, don’t say, ’Oh! That means now I can blame others.’ No! Every time you have blamed somebody, when you see what you blamed them for, from a broader perspective, you will find that it was wrong and it was futile.
Now, when you found that your judgments were wrong, then very quickly you can start blaming yourself.
So, why I say don’t blame others is because if you blame others, it is going to re-bounce on you. You should not blame anybody.
I have not said one bad word to anybody all these 56 years. The worst that has come out of my mouth is ‘You stupid.’ Sometimes, when I was angry or upset, all that I said is, ’You stupid’, nothing more than this.
I have never blamed anyone or never said any bad words. It has not come out of me at all. I didn’t do anything to make it happen; it was naturally like that from the very beginning. I could never abuse anybody; verbal abuse or any other abuse.
When you pay attention to this, when you stop using bad words, your words gain the power to bless. And your blessings will work. Do you see what I am saying?

So, stop blaming yourself and stop blaming others. Things are the way they are, just move on and that is it. You know, sometimes people say, ’Oh! This person is a fraud. He is not genuine.’
But one should have some criteria to say, what is genuine and what is fraud. Many times, you don’t even have a criteria to judge somebody, you simply blame somebody, ’Oh! He is a fraud.’ And that’s it, finished.
This is an unconscious tendency that has developed in society to blame others, and to blame oneself and then feel guilty about it. And the spiritual journey is to remove this and reverse it.
It is such a delicate thing.
That does not mean that you justify all the mistakes you do. When you make some mistake, they you say, ‘Oh I am on the spiritual path, I cannot accept my mistake and I cannot blame myself. So whatever I did is right.’ No!
It is such a delicate balance. It is not to justify your mistake but recognize your mistake and at the same time, not blaming yourself.
If you don’t accept and recognize your mistakes you will never improve. That’s the end of the story. At the same time, if you recognize your mistake and you feel so guilty, and you keep blaming yourself, then also, it is a hopeless case. So, you need that very delicate balance. Walk on the razor’s edge, neither this side nor that side.

Q: If we are insignificant, then why are we using so much money, time, resources and energy on ourselves here at this course? Why should we become spiritual and all that if each one of us doesn’t even matter? Who are we helping by being good if they don’t matter either! 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Do you need the answer for this question? It doesn’t matter either! Why are you bothered about this question? It doesn’t matter!

Listen; there are many levels of existence, but two levels of knowledge.
One is the applied knowledge, and the other is the pure knowledge.
Pure Science and Applied Science.
Pure science is what? In this room, everything is made up of wood. The sofa is wood, the table is wood, and the door is wood. So this is all wood. Everything is atoms, to be even more precise!
What is it? Everything is atoms!
So, everything is made up of wood, or everything is atoms – This is pure science.
But you can’t use the sofa as the door or the door as the sofa, even though everything is made up of atoms. Do you understand?

See, diamond and charcoal, they are made up of the same material. It is virtually the same. But, you can’t hang charcoal on your ears, and you can’t put diamonds in the stove, correct?!
So, they are different at one level. It is like saying that ice and water is the same, it is only H2O. But you can make tea out of water. You can’t make tea out of ice. Ice has to become water, only then you can make tea out of it. Isn’t it? So that is applied knowledge.

So, in pure knowledge, it is said that you are insignificant. Why? It is because suddenly you see your life in context with the universe.
That doesn’t mean you should not eat. If you are insignificant, then why exist? Why eat? Why sleep? Why do anything? Right?! You need to do all that, and so you need to be in the course also. Got it?

Being here what happens? The mind gets energized, the body gets energized and the knowledge gets lodged in you. So many things happen.

Q: Is it okay to cry during meditation and while resting? 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is okay to cry. Once or twice it is okay but don’t encourage that habit all the time. Especially, when everyone is meditating and when there is stillness, it is better to observe those sensations and let it pass.

Q: Is it ok to take a little nap during day-time?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you have crossed 45 then yes, but not before.

Q: What if I don’t feel anything at all?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You feel emptiness? That is something!
You know, sometimes you want to feel. You hear about others’ experiences and you sit and you want to feel it, and that is when it doesn’t happen. Just let go of wanting to feel something. Are you with me?

See, an expectation or too much alertness puts you in the frontal lobe of the brain, and you are too alert. At that time, you can’t sleep, you can’t relax, and you can’t even go deep and experience something. So, that is one possibility.

Second, many of you have asked, ’What do I do, all the time I fall asleep.’
We must have deprived our system of sleep that was needed and so the body takes it. You will fall asleep very often if your sugar level is low or high, this is number one.
Second, if there is not enough prana in the system, then also you will fall asleep. So some pranayama will help. Just before meditation, a few deep breaths will help. And definitely look into the minerals and sugar levels in the body. Sometimes when you lack them then also you feel that dullness and you fall asleep.
Then another possibility is the body is so tired. There are times when you are tired and you feel sleepy, and sometimes you are tired and you can’t sleep.
How many of you have this experience? You are tired but you can’t sleep.
So in meditation these things get reversed, and that is one reason why you may just fall asleep during meditation. But never mind.

Q: Why is my head always singing?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Don’t say always. I don’t think it is always singing. You must have used that part of your brain more, i.e., the right side of your brain, and so music comes to you naturally.

Life is a combination of
a fixed destiny and an
amount of free will also.
It is a combination of both.

Another alternative is to spend some time solving puzzles. Like crosswords, then you use the other side of the brain. You can sit down and count numbers; do some mathematics, or count money. Do those activities that will the balance the other side of the brain. Or read something, or listen to knowledge. 
Now you are listening to knowledge and your mind is not singing. So, reading, listening, counting, all this will help you to activate the left brain as well.

Q: We are all born with the breath and with all the knowledge inside. So, why is everybody not a Guru like you? Using the knowledge why have you become a Guru? 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know in the grand design we all have come here with some grand plan. It is like – you do this, you do this and you do that.
See, when this building was built, all the material was kept somewhere. But, then the architect said, ‘The window will be here, and that will be the door, and that will be the roof.’ The architect planned everything and put it all there, right?
Similarly, that is how all our lives are!
A grand plan has said, ‘You will be born there, and you will be born there, and you will be born here.’
So, we all take birth in different parts of the world and at some particular time, we all come together here.
I tell you, it is so fascinating peeping into the reality. It is much more than what we consider here in this world. What we see here is only the tip of the iceberg, and we think this is what the whole world is.
We are like a frog that sits in a well and thinks this is the whole ocean. We live life very similar to that. If we wake up and see that the world is beyond the well, then many things open up to you and many things make sense.
So, in the subtle world all the plans are already done. If someone has to be a doctor, it is already done.
Now, you may ask me, ‘Then there is no free-will at all?’
I say, yes, there is! Life is a combination of a fixed destiny and an amount of free will also. It is a combination of both.

Q: My sister is mentally ill. She is really good at pulling our energy down and making us upset. I stay away from her, as much as I can. But she is very lonely. How to find the balance between responsibility for others and for yourself? 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you know someone is a patient, don’t listen to them. Be with them with ear-plugs.
You get upset because you take their words and behavior inside your head. You should make your head foolproof so that you don’t absorb things from others, and help them whenever possible.
There is an ancient saying that says, ‘There is no giver of pleasure or pain.’
If you are suffering pain, it is your own doing; it is not that somebody has given it to you. And if you are enjoying, if you are joyful, that is also your own merits that is bringing you joy.
When you know this, you don’t blame someone else for your happiness or unhappiness. Because you get happiness from somebody, you tend to blame them for not giving it as often as you want. Are you getting what I am saying?
Why love turns into hatred? It is because you love somebody and they gave you so much pleasure, and then you are angry at them because you have become sort of a slave to that sensation. So when they don’t give you that pleasure you blame them, you are angry at them, you hate them, and the whole relationship goes away. Isn’t it? So, know that your joy and your happiness come to you on your own merit. Others are there only as postmen to deliver it to you. Thank them! Then you will always have a good relation with everybody around.

Q: Please bless me to find my way in life.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You are already on your path! You are in the right place. I tell you. Relax!
See you only need to make an effort till you catch a train or a plane. Once you are in the plane, there is no point in running up and down the aisle. The plane is not going to reach any faster.
Just imagine, someone got into the train and they are running with the luggage saying, ‘I want to reach before everybody else.’
Just relax! Put your luggage down. You are on the path, you are into meditation.
If you have not learnt Sahaj Samadhi Meditation then learn it. Listen to Ashtavakra Gita.
How many of you have heard Ashtavakra here? Has it made a difference in your life? The others, who have not heard it, listen to it. You must hear it, and discuss it and dwell on it. Spending a few minutes in knowledge everyday is very useful.
You have the books, Celebrating Silence and Intimate note to a Sincere Seeker, take these books in your hands and keep flipping them around. It just changes your way of thinking, and your way of dealing with problems. This will definitely help you.

Q: If I don’t wish to keep contact with a person, how do I cut contact or let them know that I don’t wish to have contact with them anymore, without hurting them, but still being clear, loving and caring? 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If you are suffering pain,
it is your own doing;
it is not that somebody
has given it to you.
And if you are enjoying, if
you are joyful, that is
also your own merits that
is bringing you joy.

You can always do that when you want to. It is not a big issue. 
You can very gently say this. 
You don’t have to say everything verbally. Life moves so fast, why do you have to yap, yap, yap? 
I feel like this today; I felt like that yesterday. Who cares about your feelings? Who cares about your joy? Life is moving at such a fast pace. The Earth is revolving so fast, it is going around the sun so fast. 
Everything is changing, leaves are falling and new leaves are coming. Who is counting how many leaves have fallen from a tree? So, why do you worry about how you feel or how you don’t feel? 
You should bundle all your feelings and throw them in the ocean, and relax. Who cares?! Your feelings change all the time. Isn’t that so? How many times have your feelings changed? How often have they changed? So what is the big deal about it? We make such a big issue of our feelings. 
I feel this, I feel that. Who cares? Just stand up! What you want to do in this world, just do it and just finish it. That’s it. Time runs like that. 
30 years of the Art of Living is done. We started Art of Living in 1982, but we started our organization a few months earlier. We registered our Ved Vigyan Maha Vidhya Peeth, Bangalore Ashram on 13 November 1981. 
What has happened? Already 30 years are over. In March 1982 we started the first basic course. We have already stepped into the 30th year. Time has gone! 
I think this is my 14th stop in this month. I have visited 14 cities around the globe, from 1st April to now. I see everywhere there is so much joy and enthusiasm.

There is no time to express our love or to express life, where is the time to sit and think how we feel, how we don’t feel. There is so much to do in the world and yet nothing to do. They go together. There is so much to do, and yet there is nothing you need to do. It’s all done; total fulfillment.

Q: Can the self exist without the other six layers of existence?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes. Definitely! All other six layers are its own projection. Like the spider, it weaves the whole web from its own saliva. But, the spider can also exist without its web.
A consciousness has created all the layers, yet it can exist without any of those layers.

Q: I know the silence is about filling my batteries, but why do I get this lonely feeling? There is so much to share with so many people! 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This lonely feeling is only a temporary in-between phase.
You never felt lonely when you came to this world. You came alone. Even if you had come as twins, even then, it is as good as coming to this world alone. And when we go, we go alone from here.
If you sit and say, ‘I feel lonely, I feel lonely’, no! Drop that. Go deep into the feeling that there is no other.

Q: Guruji, how can I become successful and happy?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: To become successful you need three things.
1. Skill
2. Energy, and
3. Dynamism
If you have skill, you have energy and you don’t do anything, then you can’t be successful. And you simply doing things without having skill, then also it doesn’t work.
Also, if you have skill and dynamism, but don’t have the energy then also success will not come.
For success to come what is needed are skill, energy, and then dynamism. You have to be dynamic. You have to work hard. All three things are needed!
There are people who sit and plan and plan and plan. They spend all their life planning but don’t do anything.
Around 15 to 20 years ago, a youth used to come to our satsangs in Bangalore. And he would buy every month about 25 magazines on How to be successful and How to make money. And he would go on reading them, and go on planning, and every time he would come and say, ‘I have this great magazine, I got this great idea, please bless me.’ I said, ‘Okay! Go do it.’
The next week he would come with another magazine and ask the same type of blessing. One year passed by; I also had patience and thought one day he would start something. But he never started anything. He would only keep buying magazines, keep asking me for advice, and keep making big plans, typing it all on the computer and that is it. 

You should bundle all your
feelings and throw them in
the ocean, and relax! Who
cares?! Your feelings change
all the time. Isn’t that so?

We have 100 acres of land for agriculture at the Bangalore Ashram, and this other gentleman, he would sit on the computer and make all these plans of where he will sow which seed, and how he will cultivate. He was the Head of Department for Agriculture.
All other people at the Ashram would say, ‘He does agriculture only on the computer.’ 
He would sit in the room and plan. Never went to the field to sow the seeds. 

Similarly, this man was buying all these magazines and reading. One day, I called him and said, ‘Look, no more blessings. I do not want my blessings to go waste. Blessings will work only when you make an effort. So, you keep all these magazines aside. Don’t read or buy anymore magazines. Take up one thing and work on it, and you will be successful.’
Why I said this is because sometimes people with great idea don’t bring it into the practical field. And there are others who do a lot of hard work without thinking and without planning. They also can’t be successful. So you have to do both. 
Without blessings things don’t move, I know. Blessings are essential, but blessings alone will not work, because somebody has to do work as well. Yes! 
Work along with blessings, will make you successful. 
I would say, even after you do your hard work and you find success, the real success is in your confidence. The real success is how confident you are, how much you keep smiling, and how boldly you can walk. That indicates your success.

Q: I have done the Part 1 Course and the Art of Silence Program two times. I am doing seva from the last one year in my area. My area has no teacher, so can I become one? 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Definitely! I want more and more teachers now. As many teachers as is possible because we need to cover a large population. How many of you here want to become teachers? Yes, you should all become teachers. You can do so much for people around. Very Good!

Repose in the self

September 21, 2011

Anandautsav with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at Goa

Q: Guruji, if someone criticizes us, how should we deal with them?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Give that person a surprise. Tell them, ‘wow, you said such wonderful things! How did you figure out these facts?’ Try this and see what happens. If someone criticizes you, you counter it with four criticisms of your own and the chain continues. Instead thank them for their kind words, and see what happens. The day you drop your defences that person will hang their head out of shame and embarrassment. They will not know how to respond. This is how we should confuse those who criticize. Have some fun in this situation. What is the fun in finding fault? Our life should not become a football of others’ opinions. Repose in the self!

Q: Guruji, when will inflation cease?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When corruption ends. Inflation is related to corruption. You would be surprised to know that we sell our sugar to the world for Rs.12 per kilo and in the domestic market for Rs.35 per kilo. Some employees of Air India came up to me in Frankfurt and shared that Air India used to operate a highly successful sector between Birmingham and New Delhi which was usually fully booked. This sector was responsible for bringing in considerable profits for Air India. But one day a minister came and terminated the flight services, why? So that he can allot this sector to another airline. The airline that was allotted this sector was unsuccessful in making this route profitable and went into a loss and now our national airline is also going into a loss. It is very unfortunate. Other countries are operating their flights within our country and turning in profits. Then why is our national airline incurring losses? We need to ask this question, don’t we? Our voices should be heard. This country has been ruined not because of bad people but because good people like us keep quiet.

Q: Can one begin the fight to curb corruption on one’s own effort?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The fight against corruption should begin on one’s own effort. First you stop giving bribes. Do you know when we started this drive against corruption and against terrorism? On 1 March 2009 in Delhi. Then we went to fourteen states and in all the satsangs we asked everyone to take an oath, ‘I will not give bribe’. So it starts with us, by our not giving bribes.

Q: Guruji, can you reveal the secret power by which you grant a fresh lease of life to someone, such as me, who has been suffering from a terminal illness and is reaching the very end of their life journey?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See there is will power and power behind a blessing. You can also do it. Those who have done the Blessings Course raise your hands. Are your blessings working for others? When we don’t want anything for ourselves, there is a power that can allow us to fulfil others’ desires. The main thing is one should not desire anything for oneself. One should be hollow and empty. The desire for moksha is enough, it will be attained.

Q: Guruji, how should one become an ideal (not idol!) husband or wife?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Idol husband and wife are Lord Ram and Sita and they are in the temple. I am inexperienced in answering this question. I can only provide an answer to a question in which I have experience. But on the basis of what I have heard from people, I can say that a wife should never hurt the ego of her husband. It may be that the husband is not using his intellect and the wife is thinking, ‘oh he is so stupid!’ Instead she should say, ‘the world might consider you stupid, but I know how intelligent you are. You are the most capable person in this world.’ This is how you should flatter your husband. This is what wives have to do. The moment the husband enters the home, shower him with praise, strengthen his ego. Now a secret for men never hurt the feelings of your wife. A wife is sentimental. It is possible that she may complain about her parents, but you should never join in. You should stay quiet. Who knows when she might switch sides, and you will be stuck in the middle. It can be very dangerous. You need to be safe. Never say anything about the in-laws. Your wife may complain, but you should never say anything. Secondly, if she needs to go for satsang, shopping or to the temple, never stop her. Don’t ask her why she goes to shop every day. Just give her your credit card. Then there will be peace at home.

Q: Guruji, what is the difference between atma (soul) and param-atma (God)? Can we see God?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: God is not an object who will appear in front of you and say, ‘My dear, I am very pleased with you, with your tapasya (penance)’. That will only happen in TV serials. God is that which is beyond the soul. First bring your awareness to your soul, ‘who am I’. Everything is driven by the power of God. Have faith and surrender, meditate. When we are in a state of restful awareness, our channel opens up.

Q: Guruji, forgiving someone’s mistake is a noble thing. But is it okay for someone to commit the same mistake again and again?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Twist their ears, and if the same mistake is repeated, give them a slap. Sama (equality), daan (concession), bheda (disagreement), dand (punishment) are the four types of solutions to consider if mistakes are repeated. If nothing works, then pray sincerely for wisdom to dawn on that person.

Q: They say the world will come to an end in 2012. What are your thoughts?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In 2012 everything will come to an end - only in movies. No, no, everything will go on as usual. People will become more spiritual, more humane, things will be better, don’t worry!

Q: (A member of the audience asked a question and it was inaudible)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is not even one person in this world who has not experienced joy. If there was only sorrow, one wouldn’t be aware of it. To experience sorrow there has to be an occasional experience of joy. You experienced a little bit of joy that is why you are able to experience sadness. But we tend to eternalize our difficulties; ‘I always have problems’, ‘I am always sick, everyone is sick.’ If ten or fifteen people around you fall sick, what do you say, ‘Oh everyone in Goa is sick.’ Everyone being sick is impossible! In the same way sometimes you say, ‘I always make mistakes’. I say, that is not true. Do not eternalize or generalize problems. Take a sankalpa (resolution) today that only good things will happen to me. As you sow so shall you reap; so have faith in yourself that you will be successful in whatever you do, okay!

Q: Guruji, how do you find an ideal Guru in the physical form?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have no idea! Ideal disciple I can say but I don’t know what an ideal Guru is. Ideal disciple is one who does sadhana, seva and satsang, and does not dig wells in several different places and does not engage in spiritual shopping. One who honours everyone, and stays in knowledge. Guru is one who does not want anything for himself, one who shows the path to anyone he meets.

Q: Guruji, so many people from around the world love you very much. What is the secret?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The secret is we are all humans. Won’t humans love humans? And when I go anywhere, I do not feel I am in a foreign land. All countries appear to be my very own and I feel a sense of belongingness with everyone.

Q: Guruji, is there an end to birth and death or does it go on infinitely? When will the present Kaliyug end?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, present Kaliyug is there only for five hundred years, and another twenty thousand years in the big cycle. But in the small cycle the good period has started. Now is the transition period and good period has started. Good people’s voice will be heard so don’t worry about having bad times. Kaliyug is not all that bad, you should remember. Even in Satyug there were four raakshasas (demons). They wouldn’t even allow you to do ‘Om Namo Narayana’ jaap at home. They would come with a ‘talvaar’ (sword) and cut your head. You have heard all that. So don’t glorify Satyug as though there was no crime then. I don’t think Kaliyug is so bad that all crime will be here now. So don’t sit down doing nothing but blaming the time. This is wrong, we shouldn’t blame the time.

Deep inside, you are simply the most adorable and most lovable person

Wisdom from Sri Sri: Deep inside, you are simply the most adorable and most lovable person

Vedas on Leprosy

According to the Vedas, Leprosy has been a prevalent disease since the ancient times.
Here is an interesting article which talks about it.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/527/1