A Guru is a mirror

February 15, 2012


Welcome back home everybody! You all have come from long distances, so rest well.

After many years we are having Shivarathri in the ashram. Usually Shivarathri program needs a bigger venue, but we thought somehow we will fit in and we will accommodate. We keep needing bigger places all the time. If there is place in the heart, there is place everywhere. But this means that you all will have to take a little bit of responsibility as well.

Q: Guruji, here in Russia some people say that they have found the Vedas in Russia too. Can you please comment on this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yeah, it is possible.

Once upon a time it was everywhere in the world, it was in South America, Mexico, in Peru. It was in all these places. The Mayan civilization in Peru went from Sri Lanka actually. So the whole world was connected at one point of time in history. That is why the Vedas are not to one particular country or language, it is universal.

If you listen to Russian language, the expert scholars say that the language has a lot of Sanskrit words. So does German.

Q: How to take a sankalpa and how to make one’s sankalpa strong and effective?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Being hollow and empty!

When sankalpa arises in your heart then take the sankalpa and expand your consciousness with the context of time and space in the vast universe. In this huge universe, in this huge time, I want this little sankalpa to happen and I am confident it will happen by God’s grace. This is what has to be done.

Take a desire and feel it will be heard.

Suppose you are asking a question to somebody and you have a doubt whether the question will be answered or not, you will not fully ask the question, right? You will hesitate to ask the question or somewhere you will make errors even in process of asking. So the right way of asking is first knowing that the person knows and is going to give the answer.

Suppose in a gas station you go and ask the person, how to go to this particular place. You do it with full confidence that the person knows it at the gas station. Otherwise you will not ask them, isn’t it?

That confidence you should have. I have this request and it will be granted to me.

Q: Guruji would you even consider writing your autobiography? Please share your stories which you have never shared with us. I am sure that you will answer this question.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sometime, yes!

Q: I have read about Goliwale baba in ’Stumbling Into Infinity’ by Michael Fischman. As per Michael, Goliwale baba got enlightened in an accident. He did not have any guru. Is it possible to get enlightened without Guru’s grace?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No, grace is needed. But life is so vast and so infinite. This is not just the only lifetime we have been here. It is not Goliwale, he is Gouwale Guruji.

There was a gentleman - Gauwale Guruji in Delhi, who used to sit in Kotla Mubarakpur. I was introduced to him. He used to stay in a small place. He also had a guru, not that he never had a guru. In those days I was only seventeen, eighteen or nineteen or something like that.

He used to say, ‘Yogiraj, come!’ He used to give me a lot of respect. First I thought he was making fun of me. I was only a small kid; even now I am only a child!

Q: Guruji can I live with full freedom? Many times my freedom becomes a problem for another.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, you should see that your freedom should not create trouble for someone else. You should take a middle path. If you always focus your attention on others, at some point you will feel frustrated, and if you think only of yourself, you will cause frustration to others. So somewhere along the line you need to take a middle path; take some and give some.

Suppose you feel like doing meditation and somebody else wants you do their work, it is okay to do their work if it is an emergency. But if it is not very important, it is just a daily routine thing, then do your meditation, take out time for yourself.

Q: Guruji, whenever we look at you, something happens. When you look at yourself in the mirror, does something happen to you as well?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: (Laughs) Oh really! Something happens?! I myself am a mirror. If you look at me, you see yourself. If you are loving, you will see love in me. A Guru is a mirror.

Q: Guruji, when we have accepted the Guru as everything then what is the purpose of worshiping all the other Gods?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No, there is no compulsion. It is only a tradition which has been continuing. There is only one Bramha, only one God; but sometimes we worship Him in the form of Ganesh, sometimes as Shiva, sometimes as Kartikeya and sometimes in the form of Divine Mother. So whenever you do pooja, see everything in that One. That is why, any mantra or any pooja begins with Guru pooja first ‘Gurubhyo Namah Harihi Om’ – this is how it starts. Guru is honored first and then God is worshipped.

There should be a feeling of oneness - first oneness with the Guru and God, and then oneness between the Self, Guru and God. There is no difference between God and myself. I, Guru and God are One. This is called Advaita knowledge. Repeating ‘everything is one’, realizing this and reposing in it is samadhi; meditation.

Q: Guruji, in Shiva Purana, Shivaji has been considered supreme, and in Devi Bhagvat, Devi has been considered supreme. So which Purana is supreme?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Whichever you are reading, at that time that is supreme. When you are reading Bhagavad, then Krishna is everything. There is nothing else other than that. When reading Devi Bhagvata, that alone is everything, that is supreme. That is what it is. Whatever is on my plate today is the best food for today.

Q: Guruji, these days, Ayurveda has changed all the definitions. If someone is angry, they say, ‘Today his pitta is very high.’ If work gets messed up, it is a problem of vata, and if someone does something bad towards me, it is a matter of tamas. Ayurveda has created a big problem, Guruji. Now one cannot say anything to anyone!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No! Ayurveda has made it very easy for you. It has made it so easy, that it has prevented anger and hatred from entering into you! You can understand the people, who have got what problem, and it has made it much easier for you to understand the situation better. You should be grateful, you should give thanks. Ayurveda has revealed such a perspective to you that you will stop finding fault in people.

Someone has so much hatred and hostility - it is because of ignorance, on account of tamo-guna and rajo-guna. He is immature and that is why he feels hate.

See, whatever one has, only that he can give. One who has only garbage in his mind can give only garbage; one who has anger will give anger; one who has abuse will give abuses.

When you see it from this perspective, you will not have any hatred towards that person. At least your mind will be at peace.

Q: Guruji, many psychologists say that love is just our imagination. I have also read that true love is born out of truth alone. Is there a relationship between love and truth?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Love is something which is present everywhere. Sometimes it can arise from imagination, sometimes it can arise spontaneously without any reason. Sometimes it can arise by just seeing someone or while resting it can arise. Sometimes, while taking a walk in the evening or while the sun is setting something might stir inside your mind, or it can also happen in meditation.

Love is your very nature; it is there within you, and around you, eternally. So when, what will become a reason for love to blossom, cannot be said.

Intuition means that which simply comes up beyond reason

January 09, 2012

Q: Dear Guruji, I find it difficult to be natural with everyone. You have said we are closer to the Divine when we are natural. How can I be natural?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What makes you unnatural is the fear that somebody may criticize you. 
Someone may think you are a fool. Why don’t you act like a fool for half a day? Then you will see that all the fear will disappear. Fear of committing mistakes makes you unnatural. Just see, it is okay to commit mistakes. If they are not big blunders, mistakes are okay. You should be afraid of committing blunders, but not small mistakes.

Q: Guruji, many times I promise you that I will never repeat the same mistake. I repeat it again, and I get very upset and I feel very bad after that.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is good. It is good to feel that pinch.
Once, twice, thrice or four times it happens, then the tenth time at least you will be aware of it and you will move away from it. Don’t worry, it is good to have that pinch, and keep promising me. 

Q: Can going deep in sadhana and making people meditate take care of the problems of today’s world, of corruption and terrorism? Or do we need to make an effort on the physical level as well?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both! We need to make effort on the physical level and with the inner and spiritual strength. Both are essential. 
They are like the eyes and ears when you are watching television. You need to see and you need to hear as well.

Q: Guruji, you said accept everybody and don’t leave them, just because they are not like you. But you have also said, if the company is affecting you, you can take yourself away from that company. Please throw some light as it seems like a contradiction.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, life is full of contradictions, and all the instructions will be contradictory. That is why it is the truth. That is where vivek (discrimination) is essential. You have to balance, see when, where, what!

Q: Dear Guruji, how to honor the Gunas and not indulge in them? Sometimes one is unable to resist the grip of indulgence. How to overcome this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The mind having an intention not to commit a mistake is like having a brake in the car. You are going somewhere and if there is a hand brake and it works well, then you put the brake anytime you want! And if there is no brake at all, you will be prone to accidents. 
Similarly, when the mind says, I don’t want to do this or I shouldn’t do this, that is because it just promises joy but it doesn’t really deliver and gives pain. 
Why something is bad? Because it gives pain to oneself and pain to someone else. That is the reason something is said as bad. It gives short term pleasure but long term pain to both you and to others.

Q: Guruji, when Krishna was there, the Gopas and Gopis were also there with Krishna. My heart knows who Krishna is now, but are we the same Gopas and Gopis?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What if you are someone new. Why do you have to be the same ones? Could be! You could be the same ones!
See, the knowledge is eternal and feelings are eternal too. Now don’t tell me, ‘Guruji, you said feelings are temporary, they come and go!’ 
It is temporary too and it is eternal too! 
Are you confused? Then my job is done. 
Who said my job is to convince people? No! My job is to confuse you! And every time you get confused, you go one step higher. 

Q: There is a lot of confusion and lack of decision making even with small things. Confusion is between the good as you said, but how do I make a choice between the good.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If I tell you something more, you will get even more confused. You think your confusion is not enough? I don’t want to add more. Too much confusion becomes a problem too. 
Be with your confusion and see where it leads you. 
Check the greed in you. If you are too greedy, check the greed and the right thing will fall on your lap. 

Q: I read in one of the knowledge books that ‘Fear is love standing upside down.’ Is love also fear standing upside down? 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you look at it from the other side, if you are upside down, then you will see it is upside down. Got it? 

Q: Many festivals are celebrated in Nepal by animal sacrifices. Do we have such practices mentioned in our sacred texts as well? How do we bring about a shift?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Education! You have to educate people. Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that you should kill an animal to please Gods and Goddesses. No! 
‘Ahimsa paramo dharma’. You should not sacrifice any animal.
You know what has happened in the world amongst all the religions and cultures? It has become like a mixture of sand and sugar. There are good things, but there are other things which are not in the scriptures but have been interpolated, or have come as a practice. And people think this is the religion and this is the tradition. This is unfortunate. Such practices need to be shunned and stopped. 
You should educate people not to kill animals!
The scriptures have said, let go of your animalistic tendencies. Let go of the inertia in you. 
You know in Sanskrit many words have two different meanings. Like ‘mahisha’ means inertia. It is not just buffalo. 
A buffalo is also called buffalo because it is inert. If you honk the car, it won’t move. You have to get down from the car and push it. If you show a stick, it doesn’t move. 
Cows are very sensitive, but buffalos are not that sensitive. So a buffalo is also called mahisha. 
So mahisha means the inertia should be killed inside you. Similarly, ’Aja’ does not just mean goat. It also means that which is neither born yesterday or tomorrow. ‘Ja’ means born. So, there are deeper meanings in all this. 
Usually ’Gau’ means cow. The word cow comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Gau’. And ’Gau’ also means knowledge, movement, attainment. 
There are four meaning for ‘Gau’: 
- Gyan (knowledge) 
- Gaman (assimilation)
- Prapthi (attainment)
- Moksh (liberation) 
Unfortunately the meanings have been distorted.

Q: Jai Gurudev, I don’t understand the knowledge point which says, ‘the best work comes out when you work without any motive’.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, this is intuitive work or a sudden sprout of thought. In intuition, you do not sit and calculate. Intuition means that which simply comes up beyond reason.
Did you get it? You have seen when Archimedes was thinking and thinking, it didn’t work. But, when he relaxed, suddenly he got the Archimedes principle. 
Like that, many scientists got something out of the sixth sense. That is intuition and that needs to be developed. So don’t’ depend only on your five senses or the intellect. Intuitive sense is also important. That is a deeper, closer to the truth, reality. Otherwise you see your judgments are often wrong. 
How many of you find your judgments were wrong? You judged people and a little later on you felt that is not the way it was. I thought something else, there was something else. Isn’t it? So, your intuition will not fail you because it is coming from a deeper space. 
If it is intuition and if it really comes!

Q: Guruji, for how long should a man make an effort to succeed. If after ten years of effort, one has not achieved success, then what should one do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, then you should change your strategy. If you have strength, then try a little longer, for as long as possible. Use your entire strength, and if it doesn't work out even then, then 'Haare ko Hari naam'; accept that it is not working out and move on. Relax! 
For a sankalpa or an intention to manifest, effort will definitely be needed, energy will be expended. However, the satisfaction that you get after accomplishing the task was there even before the desire to do the task; just remember this! 
This sankalpa arose ten years back - were you happy before that or not? And you will be happy afterwards also - this is what we need to keep in mind. 
We should not think that we will be happy only after fulfillment of our desires or sankalpa. Then the feverishness within us will subside. Once the feverishness is at rest, whatever is to happen will happen. This does not mean you should not work. One should apply effort, work, and relax.

Sri Sri in Germany

Q&A session with Sri Sri in Bad Antogast, Germany, 25 October, 2009

Wisdom from Sri Sri's updates

What Sri Sri said today (Oct 25th, 2009)