Become a Soldier of Peace

We are proponents of peace, but we are also from the land of Guru Gobind Singh. Today, we need Sant-Sipahi. We don't need only saints, we don't need only soldiers, but people who are both. Every human here should be a Soldier of Peace. Soldiers of Peace are those who have dynamism, a will to expose wrong deeds and doers in the society. [on Guru Gobind Singh ji's birth anniversary]

Are we dependent or Independent?

When we were born we were dependent. When we grow old we will be dependent. In between, in these few years, we think that we are very independent. That is an illusion. On the other side, if you take a look at the spirit, the consciousness, it has been independent throughout. This is very subtle. We are a combination of both dependence and independence – body and spirit.

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

Stop and see, where is life going?

September 14, 2012

Lima, South America

So what should we discuss tonight?


I am playing the role of the speaker and you are all listeners. How nice it would be for me to know what is it that you want to know tonight.

You can think of topics.

You know, to discuss something which is very dear to our hearts, we need to be in an informal atmosphere.

A formal atmosphere is not congenial for wisdom; for authenticity.

I have a habit of doing everything in an informal way.

So let us begin by turning around and greeting the person in-front of you, next to you and behind you. Become familiar with everyone around you.

We spend half of our health in earning money, and then we spend half of our wealth to get the health back. Not so smart! We need to find where life is going? We keep working and we keep on doing things without knowing - What is the Purpose! Without even enjoying all that this nature has provided us.

I want to ask you a question.

Did you really greet the person or did you do it as a formality?

You don't have to tell that to the person next to you. You don't have to tell them, 'Hey, I just greeted you as a formality.'

I want you to ask yourself, did you really greet the person?

You know when you get off the plane, the air hostesses greet you saying, 'Have a nice day', but they don't mean it.

It is just coming from the lips.

But if the same words comes to you from your mother, or sister, or a close friend, it carries some vibration with it.

So we convey more through our vibrations.

Someone can stand and give you a talk about love for two hours, but that does not convey what a baby or dog conveys to you through vibrations.

You go into a place where people are depressed, you will see that for no reason you are also depressed. Similarly, you go to a place where people are happy and you feel the joy coming up within you.

The whole world is just vibrations; waves and waves.

Our mind is vibrations, our body is all vibrations, thoughts are vibrations and our emotions are all vibrations. But we don't do anything to improve the vibrations, the positivity in us, isn't it?!

That something, doing which, your vibrations become very joyful, positive and peaceful, is Meditation.

This happens very fast through the breathing techniques and meditation.

Usually when one says Meditation, you think, one has to leave everything and go to Machu Picchu, or somewhere in the Himalayas; no, it is not like that. You can experience it in your own home.

And what are the benefits of meditation? Why should we do it? As I said, our vibrations become positive.

Sometimes, when you meet someone, you feel some repulsion and you don't want to talk to that person. Have you experienced this?

And then, there are some people that you meet, and you feel like talking to them and engaging with them. Again, this is vibrations.

Similarly, you get some thoughts, and they are absolutely right. And at other times, you get thoughts that are completely wrong. Isn't that so?

So, we are like walking in the darkness without understanding our own consciousness. If you understand consciousness, a lot of things happen and your life becomes much happier. Our health becomes better, our relationships with people improves.

You must have heard from people, how the violent tendencies in life go down. And most important, our desires get fulfilled.

There are four kinds of people.

Some people have desires, and they desire and desire but nothing gets manifested.

There are others who desire and work so hard for it, and then after a long time, it gets manifested.

And the third one are those who desire, and immediately it gets done, without much hard work.

And the fourth one are those who don't even have to desire, even before the desire arises, things are already there.

So which category do you want to be in? Fourth one?

Yes, that is the luckiest. It is just like, you have not even felt thirst and already there is water.

There is a proverb in India which says, 'When you had teeth, you didn't get peanuts, and when you got peanuts, you didn't have teeth.'

Many people are in this situation. They work so hard all their life, make all the money, put it all in the bank and they die. And then the children fight over the money of the parents.

In the world, about 70% of the court cases are about inheritance.

Now, see nobody fights over the money they have earned. So what you have done is, you have made money, put it in the bank and then made your children fight with each other for the money. Is this an intelligent thing to do?

We spend half of our health in earning money, and then we spend half of our wealth to get the health back.

Not so smart! Not so economical.

See, when the mind is bitter, you can't find happiness anywhere in the world. When the mind is sweet, then you find sweetness everywhere. So meditation is all about finding sweetness deep inside.That something, doing which, your vibrations become very joyful, positive and peaceful, is Meditation.

We need to find where life is going?

There is a story of a wise fool!

A wise fool was sitting on a donkey, and the donkey was running. It went round and round the same streets many times. So someone asked this gentleman, 'I see you going up and down several times, where are you going?'

He says, 'I don't know, ask the donkey!'

Most of the time, our lives are that way. We keep working and we keep on doing things without knowing - What is the Purpose! Without even enjoying all that this nature has provided us.

See, when the mind is bitter you can't find happiness anywhere in the world. When the mind is sweet, then you find sweetness everywhere.

So meditation is all about finding sweetness deep inside us. And when you find it, do you know what you want to do? You want to give it to everybody.

People ask me, 'What is your motivation? What do you get? Why are you running around to all these places around the world all the time?'

I asked them one question, 'Suppose you see a very nice movie, what do you do? Do you just sit quiet in your room? Or do you pick up the phone, call your friends and tell them, 'Oh, it is a great movie, you must go and see this movie.' Now what do you get by doing that? Do the movie producers give you some commission? Or the actors give your some money? What do you get for making all those phone calls? You do it because the nature of joy is to share.'

The nature of joy is sharing.

There are two types of joy, one is the joy of grabbing. As kids we were born with this tendency. If you leave a child here, it will go and grab this flower, grab this sheet, pull that chair, turn everything around upside down, and hold on to things.

It will hold on to anything, even a knife. Without knowing it is going to hurt its hand, the child with grab a knife. But mothers are very clever, they will give the child something else to loosen the child's grip from the knife. Isn't that so?

When children catch on to something that is not good, you give them something else.

So this is one type of joy, the joy of getting, having. This is a childish joy; childish happiness. There is another type of happiness, joy, that comes from giving.

Many ladies here, when guests are coming home, or children are coming home, what do you do? You make many different types of food and decorate it and put it on the table. Your joy as a mother is in giving, isn't it!

Look at grandparents, they love to give gifts to the children, isn't it?! There is a joy in giving, and this is a mature joy.

We cannot live life by just having the joy of getting without understanding the joy in giving.

Once you have a little taste of the joy that comes from giving, you will find that life is worth living, life is fulfilling.

So, smile more!

You know a baby smiles 400 times a day, a adolescent smiles only 17 times and an adult rarely smiles. And if you become an officer or a politician, then forget about it. Your smile disappears, flies away.

A smile is not something artificial, it should come from within. That can only happen when the stress is gone, when we go deep in meditation.

If someone says, 'I am meditating', that means that they smile more; there is serenity, sensitivity and sensibility, and this is spirituality.

Spirituality means sensibility, sensitivity, sweetness, smile; all these put together.

Usually when one says Meditation, you think, one has to leave everything and go to Machu Picchu, or somewhere in the Himalayas; no, it is not like that. You can experience it in your own home. And what are the benefits of meditation? As I said, our vibrations become positive.

Q: What should I do if the stress factor is coming from outside. If it is something I do not control or it is beyond me. How do I transmit peace?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is why we need to educate people on how to handle their stress. If one person is not well in the family, does it not affect the whole family? Yes, it does affect. Similarly, if a few are mentally unwell in the society, crime increases in society.

There are people who are in prisons who say, 'Oh, now we don't want to be in violence', but there are so many more outside who are causing problems to society and that is why we need to give this spiritual education to people.

We need to educate people on how to be calm, how to handle their negative emotions and how to handle their mind, because neither at home, nor at school did anyone teach us how to handle our mind.

So then there is anger, jealousy and hatred, and when you live with these emotions then you act on them. You don't know how to get rid of it. You hold on to it and then you act from that and then you regret. This is the problem.

These practices and this knowledge here is the solution.

Our consciousness is very ancient

Bali, Indonesia

Wisdom from Sri Sri post

See the ocean, how non-stop the waves keep coming. It doesn't get bored.
Birds sing the same song, they don’t get bored. Every morning birds sing, all their life. They don’t get bored. It is human beings who get bored. ’Oh once again the same thing.’ And why do we get bored? It is because of memory.
You remember what you have done before and so you get bored. Memory is a blessing and also a curse. It is both. It is because you get bored that you feel the need to look for something different, something new, and that is how creativitycomes up; you look for the ultimate. Otherwise you could have remained like an animal doing the same thing every day. But you can’t do it because you get bored. Isn’t it?!
So in that sense boredom is a blessing. Because you get bored, you move on, you look forward, you become a seeker and you rise higher. At the same time, boredom is also a curse because it doesn’t allow you to be stabilized in one place; stabilized in yourself, and your mind keeps jumping from one place to another aimlessly. You get bored about everything and you can’t enjoy anything. Do you see what i am saying?
Boredom is a blessing when it leads you to wisdom. And boredom is a curse when it leads you to frustration and depression.
These are the two different paths that boredom leads you to.

You are bored and so you can’t enjoy, and when you can't enjoy you get depressed and frustrated. You go into that direction. Or, because you are bored you wake up and you start with a quest. You move ahead and you look into the self which is fresh all the time! The self is ever new. Because you are bored with the ephemeral, the surface, you go deep into the self.
Are you getting what I am saying?
So boredom is both a blessing and curse. A blessing because it takes you away from the routine monotonous life, makes you aware and brings life into you. And it is a curse because it doesn't let you stabilize; both!

People who are in love don’t get bored. Heart knows no boredom. Head knows boredom. But in life both are essential, the heart and the head. If you are only in the heart, it is no good. You become mushy mushy. And if you are only stuck in the head, that is also no good. Balancing both, that is yoga. Spirituality is balancing the heart and head together.

This is especially for those people who feel they are a failure in their life. Anyone who feels that they are a failure, just wake up! So what?! Life is so eternal.
We have 365 days in a year and there are so many years in your life. For one day or two days you feel you are wasted, life is a failure, never mind! Similarly, so many lifetimes we have come here; we have been here so many times and our consciousness is very ancient.

See, the full moon is there. So on one full moon, if it is cloudy and the light cannot shine on the earth, the moon does not get upset. Never mind if on one full moon you cannot see the moon rising, so what? The moon is still there. Like that, inside you there is potential, there is divinity which is so complete. If it has not come to the surface on one day, never mind!
You have all the great qualities. If some does not exhibit on some particular days, never mind.
Don’t blame yourself, don’t analyze yourself too much. Are you getting what I am saying? We start analyzing ourselves too much to the extent that we feel so upset and we go down. We are so hard on ourselves.
Never mind, in so many lifetimes, if one life is wasted, so what?! I am saying this only for those who are feeling very down. Don’t mis-quote me and take it for everybody and then say, ‘Guruji said waste this life time. Let me drink and make make merry and forget about any practices.’ No!
I am saying this to those who are desperate. Who are feeling so bad about themselves. I am telling them, never mind, wake up! These many years are wasted, never mind, don’t worry. Future days will be bright.
All regrets happen only when you are looking towards the past. If you are walking and your head is turned backwards, then that is called regret. Turn your head and look forward, then it is always bright. If your head is twisted, then you will regret, regret, and regret. Just drop it and move on.

Give me your troubles, live with a smile and engage yourself in seva, sadhana and satsang

January 22, 2012

The only purpose of my coming here is to tell you that the Divine exists and loves you very dearly. There is a couplet in Hindi: “Jo ichcha kariho manu maahi, prabhu prataap kachhu durlabh naahin”, which means that “With God’s grace, whatever you wish for will not be difficult to obtain”. This is a proven fact. However, you must first have the faith that the Divine exists. The Divine is omnipresent, which means that the Divine is within each one of us. The Divine is eternal, which means that it exists now, right this moment. We just need to have this faith and relax. There is no need to put any effort. Vivek (Discrimination), Vishwas (Faith) and Vishraam (Relaxation) - these three are important.

Whenever there is chaos, start a kirtan (devotional song) and the chaos will settle down. This is what happened when the country was trapped in turmoil. What did Mahatma Gandhi ji do then? He went to many places and started organising satsangs. Everyone started singing, “Ishwar Allah tero naam, sabko sanmati de Bhagwaan”, and the country was woven into one thread. The chaos and the turmoil were transformed into a revolution. Even today we require this. There is a need for a peaceful revolution in this country. Where there is ignorance, injustice, scarcity and lack of hygiene, that place requires a peaceful revolution so that the ignorance is wiped out, people stand against injustice, scarcity will end and cleanliness would reign over the place. Only kirtan can bring this revolution. Whenever this country was overcome by a problem, the sages, the intellectuals and the mahatmas (great souls) of this country came forward and gave the country a new hope.

Today, we are again standing at that crossroad, where the country essentially requires a wave of spirituality. What does spirituality mean? Sitting somewhere for a while and doing kirtan? No, my dear! Spirituality (Adhyatma) means the feeling of oneness. “Atmavat Sarva Bhuteshu Yah Pashyati Sa Panditah”. One who sees everyone in himself and himself in everyone will be called a spiritual person, a devotee. So, what does spirituality mean? It is a blossoming of this feeling of oneness. “Nobody is a stranger, all are my own”; if this feeling awakens in us, then it is spirituality.

Belongingness should increase. Where belongingness ends, corruption begins. Till this date, not a single person has been corrupt with his own people. He can’t do it. If corruption has increased so much, it means belongingness has ended. Misconduct, malpractice and corruption are not something one does with one’s own people. It is done with people who are not one’s own. Yes, we need a strict law for this, but I don’t think that law alone will remove it. I believe that law should be there, but the citizens should wake up. If we all wake up, we can remove corruption. Violence can be eradicated.

I read this morning that naxalites killed around thirteen to fourteen people. I had called out to them just yesterday. We had gone to the naxal-hit region yesterday, to the Aurangabad district. I was told that around four to five people will be surrendering today, but due to some unavoidable circumstances, they couldn’t. I congratulate those youth who, out of ignorance, had joined the naxalite movement and now understand that violence will not solve the problem. I want to tell you that these are brave boys, who are putting their lives at stake to perform penance in the forests. Their eyes are filled with tears and their hearts are pained only for the reason that they want poverty and caste discrimination to be wiped out from India and all enjoy equality. However, the path they have adopted is not right. That is why I keep telling them and also told them yesterday that they should forsake the path of violence and come forward; for we are with them. Even I want to see India at the top, the number one country. I want to see it as the mightiest and the best nation of this world.

The Art of Living has completed thirty years. Wherever you go, you will witness the spirituality of India. On 20th November, when I went to the last city of the North Pole, Tromso, I asked them when the sun will rise here. They said, ‘20th January’. It is dark for two whole months. The sun doesn’t rise during those two months. The population there is sixty thousand. Even in such a place, one thousand people sit together to chant ’Om Namah Shivaya’, meditate and do pranayama. They have experienced a change in their lives. Similarly, if you go to Tierra del Fuego, a city close to the South Pole, thousands of people are doing pranayama, meditation and sudarshan kriya. They are benefitting from this.

I am saying this for one reason- This spiritual knowledge is India’s gift to mankind. However, we don’t respect this knowledge. We need to do it now. We are not giving it the due respect it deserves. If we start giving it the due respect it deserves, this land where Buddha, Mahavira, Mother Sita, Janaka and Ashtavakra were born will once again regain its glory. There was a time when Magadha, Patliputra (now Patna) was the capital of India. However, it was lost somewhere during the motion of the wheel of time. Once again, the citizens of this place will awaken, reminisce its heritage, the youth will forsake the path of violence and achieve great heights.

I also wish that there will be hundred per cent literacy in Bihar. I congratulate the team of Nitish ji (Chief Minister of Bihar) and Modi ji (Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar), for I can see a remarkable change here as compared to the last time. People in the villages are happier than before. However, we still have a lot to do, and a lot of things to work on. Literacy level should increase and people should be able to walk fearlessly. There isn’t so much fear now but we have to work a lot to start walking on the path of progress. There have been many hardships and we have emerged out of those circumstances with courage. Don’t lose courage; march forward with courage and I am very sure that Bihar will emerge as a strong state in India.

All of us here will have to take a pledge: we will neither give nor take bribe. If somebody is into this habit of taking bribe, then I would like to request them to take a year’s break from it, just for me. Take this pledge for just one year that we will not accept bribe. No problem if you have to bear some losses. However, it will benefit you a lot in the sense that you will be bestowed with blessings. All the givers must take this pledge for a lifetime and all the acceptors, if they are a little hesitant, then they must take the pledge for at least a year. We will create this atmosphere in the society. Law is the cure for this illness. But it is the work of spirituality to prevent the illness from attacking us. We need to remove ignorance and then stand against injustice.

This caste discrimination that we practice is not mentioned anywhere in the scriptures. Lord Shiva was called an untouchable, a member of the Dalit group. Around a thousand rishi-munis (great saints) have been produced by this nation, and only a few were from the forward class. Many of them were from the backward classes, from the Dalit group. It has been said ‘Janmana jayate shudra, karmana jayate dwija’. Your caste is decided by your deeds (karma), not by birth. All the castes are equal and each has been respected in this country. We forgot that. When we need a good doctor, we don’t ask his caste or religion. This also happens in the case of lawyers. Only when politics comes into picture, we talk about caste. Also, when it is the matter of one’s means of livelihood and the marriage of one’s daughter, caste is discussed in villages. We should remove caste from these three fields; livelihood, daughter and politics. Then India will progress at a very fast pace and emerge as the topmost nation. And women should be respected. A country where women are subjected to atrocities will never progress. This is very important. Stand against injustice.

We should all contribute something for the environment, and also for the farmers. There is no proper planning in our country. The price of potatoes skyrocket sometimes and then come down drastically. The farmer is the most affected. They have to put in a lot of effort and yet they don’t have any hope. When I was in Gaya and also when I addressed a rally of farmers in Maharashtra, I was told that if a boy is engaged in farming, nobody wants to wed their daughter to a boy involved in farming. This is the condition as told by them. If the farmer is happy, then the crop that he reaps out of that happiness keeps us in good health. If the farmer is not happy then our health will deteriorate.

All those who haven’t read Gita must read it at least once. It has seven hundred shlokas. Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all times, said, ‘My life is transformed after reading Gita’. Mahatma Gandhi used to read it every day. I’ll share an instance with you, probably nobody knows it. My Guru, Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi had been with Mahatma Gandhi in Rewara Jail. He had been with him for forty years. He is the knower of the four Vedas (and hence conferred the title Chaturvedi). The day when Kasturba Gandhi died, Mahatma Gandhi came out, tears rolling down his eyes and spoke to Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi (who was known as ‘Bengaluri’ back then). Mahatma Gandhi ji said, ‘Bengaluri, read out the second chapter of Gita today. It is the day to test your Bapu (Gandhiji was fondly known as Bapu, which means Father), whether I am Stithapragya (Stable intellect) or not’. So he read out the second chapter; ‘stitha prajna shyaka bhasha samadhisthsya keshava, sthitadhih kim prabhasheta kimasita vrajet kim (chapter II Verse 54)’. With eyes closed, he listened to the verse, and tears started rolling down his eyes. He said, ‘Today is the testing day for me. And with the support of Gita, I am able to bear this grief’. All those who haven’t read it must read it once. It will take a week at the most.

Gita has discussed everything, about mind, about the different types of food: Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic; and about our nature. If you give some work to certain people they will procrastinate it. Others will say that they can’t do it. We can see the different types of mind-sets. One mind-set is that if you assign them some work, they’ll say, ‘Yes, it will be done!’ This is a sattvic attitude (Dhruti). Then there is a rajasic and tamasic attitude. You will be able to recognize as to which type of attitude you have. When you are assigned a work, whether you are excited to do it or you ignore it, is a test of your personality. This is called ‘swadhyaya’ (Introspection).

The Art of Living (Part 1) course is based on five principles. Opposite situations are natural in our lives. We must keep ourselves balanced in those circumstances. We must not get depressed in times of sorrow and too excited in times of happiness. We must make an effort to balance our mind. This is the first point. The second is, accept people as they are. We want everyone to abide by what we say. Does this happen? This is never possible. Every person has a different way of thinking. So this is the second point, accept people as they are and then make an effort to transform them. In the very first place, you dictate, ‘do what I say!’. This happens in every household. This results in tribulations in every household, between husband and wife, between brothers and sisters, between mothers-in-law and their daughters-in law, and between father and son. This struggle of not being able to understand the other person can be solved by spreading knowledge. Millions of households have recognized this fact and have witnessed transformation in their lives.

Thirdly, when we commit a mistake, we say, ‘what can be done? It just happened’. We feel helpless. However, when others commit a mistake, we see an intention behind it. This is not correct. We need to throw some light on this fact. The fourth point is that we shouldn’t be a football of others’ opinions. Let others say what they want to about you. There are people who criticise those who do great deeds and then there are also people who support those who do wrong deeds. We shouldn’t base our lives on the opinions of others. The fifth point emphasises on living in the present moment. Forget the past and plan for the future but live in the present moment. These are the five tattvas (principles). And with the help of these tattvas, we delve deeper into meditation and then realise that ‘I am a fountain of love’. In every particle of my being, it is that Om which is resonating. We realize this through experience.

I would request you to do one thing today. You should make two lists, the first list for your needs, and the other for how many responsibilities you undertake in life. If your responsibilities are lesser than your needs then you will lead an unhappy life. But if your needs are lesser than your responsibilities, then you will enjoy a happy life. Another secret that I have is that if you don’t want anything for yourself then a mystical power will arise from within you such that you will be capable of fulfilling others’ wishes as well. When you do not want anything for yourself and then if you bless someone, their work will be done. During Navratri, in our country, we worship little girls (referred to as kanyakas and the worship is called kanya pujan) on Ashtami. Do you know why we do this? This is because there is a glimpse of God in the mind of the child, in their innocence. Shakti (Energy, the feminine aspect of Divinity) resides there. Everyone has this Shakti, but our desires, wishes and tensions have enveloped it. If you ask kids as to what they want, they will effortlessly reply, ‘I don’t want anything’. It is a spontaneous reply from them. That state when you don’t want anything, then the blessings that flow out are bound to materialise. That is why you go to the elders and to the sages to seek blessings from them for they don’t want anything. ‘I don’t want anything for myself. May everyone be happy and well’. When people have this state of mind then their blessings will come true.

I have seen millions of people enjoying a scarcity free life as they take just one step in this direction. Ignorance, injustice and scarcity are washed away. Then comes cleanliness. We should be clean from inside, keeping our hearts clean and also keeping our environment clean. There are many people here who don’t even clean their wash basins regularly. Why doesn’t this thought of keeping our houses clean strike us? And even if people keep their houses clean, they will throw the trash on the roads. They will not keep the roads clean. If each one of us sitting here devotes two hours of our time every month in keeping Patna clean, then Patna will shine even more. Just devote two hours on the first Sunday of every month.

We started our first such campaign in the city of Jalna, Maharashtra. One person from every house came out with a broomstick in his hand, and within three hours, that city turned so beautiful that even the mayor was astonished. He said, ‘even such things can happen in society!’ And then, before the Commonwealth Games, when the government surrendered to not being able to clean Delhi, five thousand volunteers of The Art of Living came forward every day in different localities of Delhi to clean the city. The campaign, ‘Meri Dilli, Meri Jamuna’ (My Delhi, My Jamuna) made a lot of difference. I told them, if we take one step in this direction then nature will take ten steps. I said I want to see fish in the River Yamuna. It had become a river of garbage. In Mathura, as people drew water with their hands from the Yamuna, all they could see was insects. Five hundred trucks full of dirt were taken out from Yamuna. And who did this? It was done by us- satsangis (People who participate in Satsangs), sadhaks (People who do Sadhana). And after that, the flood that followed brought fish to River Yamuna. Nature cleaned it even more through the flood. I would say that if all Patnaites (residents of Patna city), as a seva, spare two hours every month for the society, we will be able to clean the city. This was the fourth point, removing filth. So these were the four points: ignorance, injustice, scarcity and filth which need to be removed. This is called satsang.

What is required for a cell phone to function properly? You need a SIM card, a charged battery, and within the network range. These are the three things; faith, intellect and relaxation. Sitting quietly and meditating for some time is relaxation. There is no delay in experiencing the Divine. If you have these three things, you will develop a link with the Divine.

Today, surrender all your problems to me. I want to see a smile on your face that never withers. Spend your entire life smiling. Give me your troubles and whole-heartedly engage yourself in seva, sadhana and satsang.

I was in America, a month and a half back. I met a scientist there who had researched on the word, ‘Om’. He said that he had recorded the chanting of Om and found that it has the same frequency as the rotation of the Earth around its axis. That is why from ancient times, whether it was Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism, or even Shinto and Taoism, respect is given to this word ‘Om’. It is called ‘Anahat Naad’ (Sound produced without contact). And if you meditate deeper, you will hear this ‘naad’ (Sound) automatically. Islam and Christianity have been using it as ‘Amin’ and ‘Amen’, in a slightly different way. Om has a very crucial role in keeping the mind silent.

I have always been saying, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, one world family! It was India that propounded this idea. When China first welcomed me, they said, ‘Guruji! No matter how our administration is now, India and China has had a very old relationship. Buddhism first spread to our country from India and philosophically we are very close to each other’. This is how they welcomed me. They said that human values were decreasing there and so they wanted me to come and open up our centres there as well.

When the Prime Minister of Iraq invited me, a journalist came along. He asked the prime minister as to what he wants from India. The first thing he said was that we want India’s spiritual force, spiritual knowledge from India. ‘How peacefully you live, people from different religions, different cultures and communities, that is your asset and that is what we want in our country also. We want that energy. Those people from our staff, who have done your pranayama, sudarshan kriya and meditation, always keep smiling. They are always happy and always ready to face challenges of all kinds. There is so much enthusiasm in them. I want to make everyone like this’. Secondly, he said that he wants the industrialists of India to come to Iraq and drill out oil. He wanted to give it to them instead of America. And thirdly he talked about IT (Information Technology). He wanted India to give training to people in IT. The youth of India are renowned for their IT skills and they wanted their youth to be the same. Then, he sent fifty youths from their country to Bengaluru to get them trained so that they become messengers of peace. They were trained for a month and a half. People from Morocco took training for three months. Then they started teaching people all over and now thousands of people are meditating, doing pranayama and yoga and are benefitting from it. Even you people should do yoga and asanas for short intervals.

Q: Guruji, today we have to compromise in our lives. How to protect human values in the storm of ambitions?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: With your faith. Our ambitions will be fulfilled, there is no hurry. And human values are, not doing unto others what we don’t want them to do with us. And we should behave with others in exactly the same way as we want them to behave with us. 

Q: Guruji, today everywhere we see people playing the game of Rajneeti (politics). Should spiritual people stay away from politics?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What does ‘Rajneeti’ mean? It means that which is essential for the citizens of a place, for instance, transportation, education, security. This is rajniti. Spirituality is different. It is the field for improvement of the masses. A ruler can never be a reformer and a reformer should never be a ruler. Both the roles should be played by different people, but with the support of each other. It would be better if a state is managed by taking suggestions from a spiritual guide. That is why this country has always seen people who have been providing unbiased suggestions, like a journalist and a spiritual leader. They don’t belong to a particular group. They belong to God and stand for truth. They keep forth that which is true and then suggest accordingly. This should be done. 

Q: Guruji, what should be one’s goal in life: money, fame, position or something else?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Contentment. 

Q: Guruji, there are many students from different colleges of Bihar. One of them has asked, ‘in Indian mythology, the Gods’ vehicles are very tiny animals, like Ganesha and his mouse. What does this signify’?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have made a cassette by the name of ‘Ganesha Rahasya’, you must listen to that. I have given the explanation of all the symbols- the significance of the elephant, the mouse and everything else. Now I cannot take it up, it is too long. It is all very symbolic. We say each God and Goddess go on a particular animal. Every animal brings down to the earth, certain vibrations, certain cosmic energy. So the scientists say that if even one animal is missing from this planet, the whole planet will collapse. 

Q: How to decide whether our decision is correct or not?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Time will tell you. Use your intellect. The gut feeling will tell you whether it is correct or not. If it is wrong it will pinch you and if it is not wrong, it will give you peace, tranquillity, relaxation and happiness.

Q: Guruji, it is said that we must always think positive but my mind always turns negative. How to handle this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Make your body pure. Take some ‘Triphala churna’ around two to three times a week. If your digestive system is clean, your mind will also work properly. If you have constipation, your mind goes haywire. Purity of the body, by taking triphala, atleast once a week will also do. Ayurvedic medicines purify the body. Pranayama purifies the ‘prana’, the life force. Bhajans and songs purify the mind. Knowledge purifies the intellect and makes it sharp. Charity purifies wealth. Two to three per cent of what we earn should be kept aside for social work. If you earn a thousand rupees and spend the entire income on yourself, that is not right. A minimum of two, three or even four per cent should be kept aside for social work. Islam propounds ‘zakat’, where you have to spend at least ten per cent of your income on the society. This has also been mentioned in our religious scriptures which states that twenty per cent of our income must be spent on social work. Now, twenty per cent becomes too much and too impractical for you. So, you must spare three per cent at least. In today’s world (kali yuga), if you do even this much, it would be good enough. Just like you purify wealth by charity, similarly you purify food by ghee (Clarified butter). The Maithili Brahmins used to say that pouring half/one spoon of ghee on rice will purify it. Some people think that this is a superstition that we are following. However, a cardiologist once said that if we eat rice without ghee, it converts into simple sugar very quickly. And then we face diseases like Diabetes and heart problems. If we add only one spoon of ghee to it, it is converted to complex carbohydrates, the digestion slows down and you will never face Diabetes or heart problems. This is what cardiologists say. So what our forefathers used to say is true. It is a similar case with turmeric or ‘haldi’. You can’t cook without it. People in all places, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, use turmeric. Thirty years ago, people in India used to say that turmeric is just a pigment and it has no value. America researched on it and proved that it is an anti-oxidant and has cancer prevention capabilities. And it is now that we have started using it again. In ancient times, there were no cases of cancer in our country. But now everywhere you find people suffering from cancer. Earlier, turmeric was used a lot. It was called a systematiser or ‘vyavasthapak’ in Ayurveda. So, we will have to revert to Ayurveda again. It has many such remedies that the world respects today. 

Q: Guruji, you say that we should definitely vote. But how should we find out as to who is better? We find all of them the same. 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: As per the spiritual knowledge, if you find all of them the same then it is okay. Otherwise you shouldn’t call all of them wrong. Every field has some people who are wrong. Some people dress in the garb of a saint, read a few books, spread knowledge but commit sins as well. There are such people amongst the doctors as well, who steal others’ kidneys. Even among lawyers, there are such people. Every profession has such people. But if you say that all the doctors are wrong, all saints are wrong, all politicians and all officers are wrong, then that is not right. All officers can’t be wrong. All policemen cannot be corrupt. There are some policemen who are very good. So, if we measure everyone from the same yardstick, then our decision will be wrong. So, find out the person whom you find most deserving. There is no criterion for it. You will have to ask your heart. It will tell you whether the concerned person is correct or not. 

Q: Guruji, between my mind and my heart, whom should I listen to? My mind says something and my heart says something else.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you have to do a business, listen to your mind. But if you have to live life, listen to what your heart says. You shouldn’t use your mind while living life and your heart while carrying out a business. You will fail miserably in both cases. 

Q: Guruji, what roles can a common man play in transforming the society?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The person who considers himself as a ‘common man’ only can bring about a change. One who thinks himself to be special can never bring about a change. And don’t think you cannot do anything just because you are a common man. You can do a lot. Whatever I have said till now is what you can do. 

Q: : Guruji, you say that God is in every being. I can see God in you, but how to see God in others?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The sun is visible through the window, but behind the wall, also, is the sun. Accept it. ‘Kuch jaan ke chalo, kuch maan ke chalo, prem se sabko gale lagate chalo. Jeevan chand dinon ki baat hai’. Know some things and accept the rest, and love everyone. Life is a matter of a few days. 

Q: Guruji, how to control anger? Despite taking resolutions many times, I am overcome by anger. 
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Perfection is very dear to you and that is why you get angry. You should leave some space for imperfection as well. See everything as a dream. All this is just a dream. Look at your own life and observe everything that happened so far. You went to school, then to college and then to work. You were caught in a traffic jam while coming here and were complaining all the time. But when you leave, leave with a smile. While coming, there was the same traffic and while leaving, you will find the same traffic. But while leaving, you must leave happily. It will be the same traffic again. Everything depends upon your state of mind. 

Q: Guruji, does bearing everything mean contentment and acceptance?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: No! I will not be able to tell you what contentment is. If you have never experienced contentment all your life, then you will not be able to experience it ever. You must have experienced it. You just need to silence your mind. What is the root cause of your problem? Bring it here. Come here; sit for ten minutes and surrender. When your mind relaxes, you will yourself know what contentment is. Everything will remain here and you will have to go. All those you have known in the past have left this planet. Don’t you remember? So many of us have left and similarly we will also have to go. If you are able to conceive only this much of knowledge, contentment will dawn upon you. 

Q: Guruji, should we protect our relationships at the stake of our self-respect?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Look, I am not going to be caught in this question. You are thinking something else, asking some other question, I will give an answer, you will apply it directly or indirectly and then you will say Guruji it was you who said it. No! Self-respect is one thing and egoism is another. Egoism gives rise to artificiality and self-respect is something that nobody can snatch from you. If you have self-respect, then you will keep smiling even if a million people verbally abuse you. Accept criticism. It is the other person’s choice to say what they want to say. Somebody told me something. I said that they have all the right to project their ignorance. Isn’t it? So why should we spoil our mind? Save it at any cost. 

Q: How to measure success in life? Why don’t we reap benefits even after putting a lot of hard work?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: For anything to be successful, you require five elements. Hard work alone will not pay. There should be hard work, blessings, luck, the instrument to do work, and the right frame of mind. If you have all this with you, only then will you be able to do it. 

Q: I know that what I am doing is wrong, yet I can’t stop myself! Why?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is because there is an iota of hope that you will find happiness in it. But when you will experience a greater happiness in meditation, then, you will automatically give it up. That is why you should do pranayama and meditation. Millions of people have got rid of their bad habits by doing this. Don’t worry, okay!

Q: Should we have faith in destiny?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We can build our own destiny. If you have faith you can construct your own destiny. 

Q: How should a person consider his life to be successful?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The more you smile, and when you smile even in times of distress then know that you are successful!

Q: Which is of these is more important: Karma (action) or Bhagya (destiny)?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Do you want to watch the television first or hear it first? Both of these go hand in hand. If there are two shops adjacent to each other, then one gains while the other loses. Why? There is something invisible. But we can build that something which is invisible. Don’t curse your destiny. You can change your destiny. The youth of India is so powerful that they can change their own destiny. There is no reason to lose hope. If any of you feel that there is no way left and that you are very depressed, then do contact our Art of Living teachers. If any of you feel like committing suicide then know that you first have to take my permission before you take any step in this direction. Otherwise, you will neither get an entry here nor an entry there. You will be stuck in between. And you know that I will not grant you the permission. 

Q: Students are committing more suicides. Why?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is because no one taught them spirituality. No one taught them how to do pranayama and meditation. We are ready to teach that. The YES+ course is held in every college, all of you must definitely do it. Here are the youth from IIT who are teaching YES+ in so many colleges. Your life will transform. Whenever your mind slips into depression, you might think of committing suicide but you should never do that. And if you are facing some other problem then mentally surrender it to me. And you will recover from it, immediately. 

Q: What is that one primary mantra to success?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The one primary mantra to success is to digest failure. 

Q: What should be the goal of our life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The one who knows will not tell and one who tells, does not know!

Q: Should we believe in astrology ?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Astrology is a science, but astrologers aren’t scientists. Often, they say something or the other. If there is something wrong with your Horoscope, it can be corrected by doing meditation, seva and satsang. You can change everything by doing all this. We must understand that past was destiny, and we can change our future.

Q: I don’t feel like studying.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Do some pranayama and meditation and you will be able to concentrate.

Q: India is ahead in spirituality yet so backward. Why?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Who said India is backward? Do you know, today, America is the worst debt-struck country in the world? Their financial condition is very bad and they are heavily indebted. 

TOI: Keep Patna clean, Sri Sri exhorts devotees

Times Of India: Keep Patna clean, Sri Sri exhorts devotees

Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you.

Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you. Wake up and see all pleasures are momentary. How long will it stay? 5 to 10 minutes you find joy and then it’s gone!

October 15, 2011

(Below is the transcript of Satsang with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.You can watch the Live webcast of future satsangs)

Q: Guruji, we have focused a lot on the solar plexus this week, the solar plexus is also known as our second brain. You said it’s usually the size of an almond but it grows in size as we meditate. Can you comment on the importance of the solar plexus?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Solar plexus is the center of gravity of the body. Your body can be balanced with a stick on your solar plexus. It will balance. And all the functions of the brain are done by the solar plexus, so it’s important. Your emotions get locked up there. And I heard from a doctor, a scientist he said that the solar plexus is small, but in those who do yoga and who are yogis who do a lot of meditation, it really becomes much bigger, almost 3 or 4 times the normal size. So then you have control over your parasympathetic nervous system and all those things. Also much more control over your body, your senses and your mind. That’s what a very well known doctor said, and it is also the experience of many people.

Q: Guruji, many of us who are surrounded everyday by electronic devices, TV, Internet, cell phones; do they leave an impression on us? Do the electronic emanations from all the devises have a harmful effect on our spiritual life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes you can’t avoid them. Use them but don’t use them too much. You can have one or two televisions at home, but having it in the bathrooms?! I don’t consider it a wise thing to do. At least in one place you should leave your mind to be free. Don’t keep newspapers and magazines in toilets and bathrooms. (Laughing) We should limit our use of electronic devices. These days you cannot avoid them. There is radiation everywhere, there are TV towers everywhere, and there are telephone towers everywhere. You hardly find a place where there is less electromagnetic radiation. In the ashram there is no cell phone, it doesn’t work, even for me. In a way it is good. So you come to ashram, there is no cell phone in the ashram, finished! No cell phone communication for ten days. But still internet and other things are there.

Q: Dearest Guruji, I’ve been noticing in the midst of the course that I’ve been getting emotions of love, which then change to fear, to hatred and then to love again changing from one to another constantly. What can I do to keep my consciousness coming out of love only?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Take life in its totality. Don’t try to choose, relax. Got it? That’s a trick. Because you always say I want only love. Suppose it doesn’t happen, you get angry. You’ll start blaming yourself, start blaming others. You will start blaming the technique, so the best way is to be hollow and empty. Allow things to come the way it is coming and move on further. Just be aware of it and then move on further. Only love should come is not possible, unless you are so detached from everything. If you have total detachment then nothing but love comes from you. And to grow into that level is natural on the path. Once you’re on the path, in this knowledge, you’ll suddenly see you are growing. ‘Oh wow! This is it, this is it’, that awareness just comes up, isn’t it? Tell me for how many of you it’s already happening? See look at that, so many.

Q: Guruji, can you please talk about who your Guru was or is? And also the tradition of teachers that you come from, thank you!
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have already spoken about it in a Guru Purnima talk, but another time we’ll talk about it.

Q: What is the significance of looking at the moon and then towards the beloved in the karva chauth offering?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See festivals are celebrated with significant events in the history. You celebrate Christmas because there is a significant event. People celebrate Eid because some day in the past something good happened on that day. So, like that we celebrate. So each festival has a story behind it or has an astrological significance. Like that, Karva Chauth is the 4th day after the full moon, where women fast the whole day for the well-being of their husbands and then they celebrate and eat. This is practiced and there are some stories behind that. Like Diwali, several stories are connected with Diwali, the festival of lights, one being the coming home of Lord Rama after 14 years of exile. Another story is how a wicked person who was bothering everyone was defeated and when he was defeated he was asked what your last wish is? He said that on this last day on which I am exiting this planet I want everyone to light lamp and get rid of darkness and celebrate my leaving this planet. See that’s a very good wish of someone who was like Hitler, who tortured people. Lord Krishna wife Satyabhama, she defeated him. He was so powerful that no man could defeat him, but when woman stood before him, he took it very lightly. What can this woman do? But really, the woman defeated him. Krishna’s first wife defeated him and Krishna was behind it. The name ‘Narakasura’, which means man of hell; this came because he created hell for everybody and he tortured people. So then he was asked, ‘what your last wish is now that you are dying?’ He said my exit should bring light into everyone’s life. So everybody should light a lamp, light as many lamps as possible, celebrate their life, forget all the bitterness and celebrate life and so Diwali came to be. So like that there are so many stories. Karva Chauth, there is one story. There was a King Satyavan and his wife was Savitri. He lost everything and he lost his life also. When death came to take him she prayed and her sankalpa was so strong that she brought him back to life. The soul which left the body came back to life again. So that is known for Karva Chauth. And there are so many mythological stories. She said sun will not come and sun did not come for that many hours, whatever. Something like that, there are many stories. So Karva Chauth is one other festival. Celebrate, doesn’t matter for what; fast and then feast. That’s all life is about. Isn’t it?

Q: Dear Guruji, I have had thoughts of suicide many times in my life. Please help me. What happens if one commits suicide?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Oh ho! Suicide is the most foolish thing a person can ever do. It’s like someone is shivering in the cold and they went out and removed their jackets. What do you call them? Foolish! You are already so cold. You are feeling cold in a heated auditorium, in a heated hall and you go out and say, ’I’m cold, I’m cold, I’m cold’, and remove all your jackets. Leather jackets, your t-shirts, and your inner garments, everything you are throwing out. Will the cold become any less? No! People who commit suicide find themselves there because they are so attached to life. They are so attached to some pleasure, so attached to some fun and joy that they want to kill themselves. So when they kill themselves they find themselves in a bigger soup. ‘Oh my God, this restlessness, these desires which has created such an intense agony inside has not gone. Body has gone but the agony has remained’. It’s only through the body that you can dispel the agony; you can get rid of misery. Instead you destroy the very instrument by which you can get rid of agony. That is why this knowledge is so important. If people do pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, meditation they will realize that, I’m not the body. So what? What is it that I’m hankering for in life? Hankering for love? Attention? Money? Pleasure? What is it that you are hankering? These hankering are boiling desires and it’s creating this foolish idea inside you to commit suicide. Dedicate your life for social cause, for some higher cause. If you feel you have to commit suicide, I tell you I need you to do my work, (clapping) so you better stay back. When you think only about yourself, me, me, me, me, what about me, then this is what happens. Depression comes in. Forget about yourself, you die for a cause but don’t kill yourself. It’s worth dedicating your life for something higher. I need you. You come here do work there is so much work to be done; help me out. Know that you are useful to me. At least if everyone else says you are useless remember, no I am here born at this time because I have to be, I have some use and Guruji needs me, so I’m not going to commit suicide. Got it?! So, do my work, if you cannot do yoga, meditation, then sweat and do my work. And I have lots of work that I can give you. I can give some work for the entire nations and entire population. I have plenty of work to do. So whatever you need, a square meal I will provide you. You need a roof above you, I’ll provide you. I guarantee you, but don’t kill yourself. The human body is so precious you know! After so many different lives and different bodies we get human body, human birth. Being a frog, a scorpion, and being a chicken somewhere, being a mouse somewhere in some hole, and after being a cat jumping around here and there and a dog somewhere, and a bird somewhere, and worm somewhere, then you get a human life after going through all those births. It’s so precious. Your hankering for pleasure is causing depression in you. Wake up and see all pleasures are momentary. How long will it stay? See they are so momentary, 5 to 10 minutes you find joy in them and it’s gone. Then what other things do you hanker about? Some people appreciating you? My dears it has no meaning. People may appreciate you in front of you; behind you they may feel jealous about you. That’s what happens. They praise criticize you today, tomorrow they criticize you. So what? Do you see what I’m saying? What are you hankering for? Appreciation from people? What is appreciation? Just a few thoughts that are passing their mind and you think they are going to do it forever? They have limitations. So what? Good comments come; some people have bad comments, so what. They criticize you, so what? Those who criticize you are also going to die, so what? All finished! And you the one being criticized will also die one day. Why are we so much bothered about adulations, somebody’s appreciation, or criticism? Why can’t we just be our self? You know it takes such a big load off our head, not being bothered by anybody’s criticism, anybody’s adulations we are just ourselves, natural. If you live so lightly where is the question of depression? Do you see what I’m saying? So those who get these thoughts of committing suicide, it is just your prana which is low, so do more pranayama and dedicate your life to a higher cause. There are millions of people who are suffering more than you, look at them. When your suffering becomes smaller you will never think that you want to commit suicide, number one. Second, you know that you are needed, you are useful. You have to do something in the world. Know that. Third is, forget about what people think about you. People commit suicide because they think they lose their prestige, their status. What status? What is prestige? Who has time? Everybody is entangled in their own problems, their own mind. They can’t step out of their own mind. Where they have time to think about you? You know I remember a case of a very respectable lady in India, she was very proud about her family and her children. Her son went and married a girl from a lower class, lower strata of society. They are from a higher class and much wealthier and he married a girl from a very poor area and it was not a match because her shape and look was very different than him. It was very different. So the mother got so upset, so upset she said how can I go meet anybody. I cannot see anybody. And she went into such depression. I called her one day and told her, ‘look, who has the time to think about you?’ The whole time she was like, ‘how can I show my face to others?’ ‘How can I go to others weddings? They will all make fun of me’. I said, ‘who has time for you? It’s all in your head.’ She would not go to any other party, anybody’s wedding, nothing. She would sit in her own house; blame herself or her daughter-in-law or son for being very miserable. I told her, ‘no! You get up and go.’ You know it just needs that little push. Once she started going she found suddenly, she realized that yes, I was just caught in my own maya of my own mind. Everyone welcomed her properly, there was no need to put her head down and melt in such shame. These types of tendencies come because you think others are going to disrespect you. Many people do this. Honor killing that happens in Pakistan and other places, it’s horrible. Honor killing is not because God is going to be angry at you. It is, ‘how to face the society, how to face people around you?’ This is what bothers many people and they commit suicide. I tell you it is worthless; what the society thinks of you is useless. Recently it did happen, that one monk, a Swami wanted to marry. I said, ‘yes, you can marry, no problem. I don’t mind what people think, don’t worry what people think. If you want to marry you marry.’ But I said, ‘you don’t remain a Swami. You should write a one line letter that I don’t want to be swami because this life, monastic life is very difficult for me. So I would like to renounce this and not be a swami’, and everyone will accept. There is no problem. It’s okay he couldn’t be a monk he married, so what? But he said, ‘no, no, I want to keep it secret. I want to be a Swami and also live somewhere else in Europe secretly, six months there and six months here.’ I said, ‘I won’t like that. I would not let anyone deceive anybody else. This is deception. On one hand you pose to be a Swami and on the other hand you want to keep it a secret.’ I said, ‘I will not talk about that. Why you are worried what people think about it? Do you see what I’m saying? These are the things that because a person inner anxiety so natural and be open.’ I don’t find it is difficult, I find it’s the easiest.

Q: What if somebody commits suicide not because they are upset but because their body is in a suffering state?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Someone commits suicide because the body is in a suffering state that is okay. Suppose somebody is in deep, deep coma or has incurable diseases or something where the body is a big, big botheration. Then I would say it is okay, that is my personal opinion. But even then it is not the best because anyway you have to finish that karma. Why not just prolong it, whatever another 6 months suffering. There’s no need even there to commit suicide. But those people who go like that they come for short period to experience that period you know. That is the aborted children or children who are born dead. Sometimes these people have those sort of karmas in which in a short period they come to the world and they go and then come back again. But mainly we must realize that suicide is the worst thing and we need to help people who have that mentality. That is one of the major reasons that we should conduct Art of Living programs as much as possible. Wherever we can conduct that we should do. At least now they have something to hold on to. Do you see what I’m saying? When it starts, the breathing (Guruji breathing) and couple of bhastrika, it’s all gone! (Clapping)

Q: Jai Gurudev, can a Guru change the karma of a disciple? Basically stop something from happening or change the course of one’s life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, knowledge and wisdom is that which change the karma. You should read Celebrating Silence, Intimate Notes to the Sincere Seeker. The very first one I spoke about karma. Seven years we did it every week. Once every week we did the knowledge for seven years. I would send it to all the satsang groups. There is so much knowledge. Three hundred and sixty five days of knowledge sheets. You must use that, you must read that. You see what I’m saying? One knowledge sheet per day, that’s profound.

Q: Dear Guruji, is there anything in reality called negative energy or negative vibes from other people that can affect us? I have a tendency to fear certain people whom I think pass on these negative energies to me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, in the absolute sense, no but in relative sense there is. You can feel those things but it is not a permanent thing. It is limited by time. Like smoke comes; smoke is not a permanent thing. Smoke you could find in somebody’s farm when they are burning the leaves then smoke comes. But it’s not going to be there forever, you are not going to live amidst smoke 24 hours. Smoke comes and it vanishes. When fog comes, planes wait for that little time. Once the fog is clear the planes take off. You think planes are worried about the fog? No. It’s just matter of time. Similarly some negative energy comes, you feel it, you feel upset, you feel something in the stomach, you feel something in the body but it’s only for a few minutes and it just goes away. See it goes even faster with a few pranayamas, bhastrika and mediation. All this will chase away those negative vibes. Why do you have to be worried about negative vibes? You should never be paranoid about negative vibes. Negative vibes are just like passing smoke or fog. You know of course in L.A. there is smog but the people don’t leave L.A. The city is not deserted. Millions of people live there. It just comes for a while and then disappears. And negative vibes don’t even come as regularly as the smog in L.A. They just are there for a few minutes, at the most few hours and then they go. And you have the key to get rid of them. Excellent! And one more thing is salt. Bathing in salt or putting salt in the bathtub can also take away any negativity. You know why people feel so happy in the ocean? Because there is salt in the water that cleanses the subtle and not just the gross. But when there is mantra chanting it’s even more powerful than the ozone or salt in water. That’s the strange thing in India. You will find the beaches are empty, nobody goes to the beach. Do you know this? Nobody goes. Even if you go to Bali, the Balinese people are not fond of the beach. They don’t go to. Only tourists go into beaches. Same in India, you will find local people do not go to beach. It’s not a favorite spot. Maybe in evening they may just take a walk. If you are in Chennai it gets very hot so you get little breeze. They are not fond of salt water, going into ocean. People seldom do because there is no inner craving, that it gives more than the inland. Are you getting what I’m saying? You already get so much energy so your system doesn’t crave to go near the ocean or take a swim in the ocean to feel better because on the land mantra chanting has been happening for millenniums, for ages. So it’s still vibrant. So prana is already high. It’s not especially high along the coast.

Q: Dear Guruji, is organizing more and more courses and growing the organization the main goal of Art of Living or is it being loving to other people? Some teachers get lost in advertising, PR, so much that they become so much like business people rather than exponents of your love. They don’t represent you well even an iota but they do represent Art of Living. What can be done to balance this out?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It’s good. In the TRM (Teacher’s Refresher Meet) let the teachers sit and brainstorm and see what they can do. This is good; you need to balance, yes. You need to speak the language of the society at the same time the essence should not be lost, isn’t it! You know what is very difficult is to put Art of Living in one category; very difficult. You know why? Because it is such a heterogeneous group, it is not a homogenous group. Not everybody is alike, not everybody is same. It is so heterogeneous that you find the most educated and the completely uneducated. You find the worst case and the best case also and you find people who have just come out of prison too. You find people of all strata here. People completely cuckoo will also be part of Art of Living. And if you see four or five of them who are cuckoo you can’t say, ‘oh Art of Living is all cuckoo’. And you can’t say, ‘Art of Living is full of executive like people.’ No! Here we have the cuckoos as well as executives. An executive is also here. We welcome everyone. And you know I am caught here because the first thing I said, ’Accept people as they are’. (Laughing) And we have all sorts of specimens. Sometimes people ask me, where did you get this bunch of nuts? Its assorted nuts, we have all of them and we are tied up with them, and that’s it, we can’t do anything about it. Because I’m tied up with my own first course point, ‘accept people’, you know. I’ve never preached anything that I’ve not practiced. This is a fundamental thing. One thing for sure is never say anything that is not in your experience or which you’ve not practiced, simple. So you can never ever put Art of Living in one category. You can’t say Art of Living is all good people. No there are crooks also. And I tolerate them so that they can become better. If I also send the crooks away, where will they go and become better. I don’t see a better place. If I see a better place it would be a great relief for me. But so far I have not found any. If you find somewhere, someplace, tell me. I can pick them all and then show them the way there. So there are crooks. In the name of Art of Living there are people who try to be selfish and do things. But fortunately their numbers are insignificant, minimal. There are a few here and there that there is no doubt. So there are all types of people. So we must acknowledge that this is most heterogeneous group or place. So anyone holding any such concept in their mind, tell them you are mistaken. Saying, ‘oh all are bad, you are mistaken in that’. It’s in your head. All are bad? Impossible! Same with the society, whatever is society is what we are. In the society, it’s not that everyone is bad or everyone is good. There are all types of people out there, right? There is a proverb you must remember it’s a very nice proverb. When we were in school we learned it, even before we were teens we learned these things. ‘Adore the wicked first, and then thank the good man for the wicked is teaching you at his own cost and the wise are only teaching you.’ So the wise that is teaching you is not teaching at his own cost, but the wicked is going down, falling into a pit and warning you, you better not fall. So you should first thank the wicked and then the wise. This was a couplet we used to learn in school. It is so, so good. It brings that acceptance inside you. It shields you from getting paranoid and angry. Do you see what I’m saying? Either you are paranoid about someone who is bad or you are angry. And then you become worse than someone whom you think is no good. But when you know that they are teaching you some lesson, warning you what you should not do. It is such a shield, such a relief for your spirit to glow in its splendor. What do you think? It keeps the mind so clean.

Q: Guruji is it alright to do Reiki or other healing techniques on yourself or other people? I’ve heard that some healing techniques pass on the healer’s karma or create a spiritual debt. Can you speak more about this? Thank you.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, it does. It’s okay, sometimes you can do Reiki, it doesn’t matter. But I would say just meditate and bless, that is better. Blessing doesn’t bring you any karma, it keeps you free.

Q: Guruji I’m waking up in the middle of this course and discovering that I have played the role of a victim throughout most of my life. How can I step out of this role and not fall into it again.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have already done it now. By not wanting to be a victim, you are already not a victim anymore. Got it? You know, when you go out to vote, you have already voted, so relax. You know, I’ve seen people ask, ’How? How? How? How?’, A student keeps asking and the teacher keep saying, ’Do! Do! Do! Do!’, and both the student is tired and teacher is tired. ’How? What I should do? What I should do?’ And teacher says, ‘Do this! This! This! This! This!’ So you have to do this and this and this and this but oh my God! But then, ’How? How? How? How? How?’ (Laughing). Relax. Don’t ask me how? (Laughing) Then I’ll be in trouble. You are in the train and train is moving. You are in the flight and the flight has taken off. No point in running in the flight from this end to that end, you are not going to reach any faster. Got it? Did you get the clue? Relax!

Q: You’ve said that many souls take bodies to cleanse themselves, to purify themselves for some other purpose of growth. Are there other reasons that people take bodies? And how did you choose this life or this body for this lifetime?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, one is you come to cleanse yourself. Another is you come to cleanse others. Two options; One is you’re a prisoner and you experience your sentence, whatever 6 months, 8 months, 2 years, 3 years or 20 years life imprisonment. Another is you are a jailer and take care of them and bring them out. These are the two options that I know of. And how you choose your parents depends on the energy field that you are. When someone leaves the body the last thought matters. If the last thought is about chicken you will find yourself in the poultry farm. So there are many stories in India about what your last thought should be. It should be of something wonderful, of service, of love, of compassion or something bigger. Think about God; think about some generous act or good people. And also first thing in the morning, there is a word in India which is very commonly used, ‘Pratha Smarana’. Pratha smarana means one who is worth remembering first thing in the morning. You know don’t remember your enemies in the morning, but remember the wise people. So you should aim at becoming pratha smarana. Everyone should become the one that could be remembered first thing in the morning so that everyone feels fresh and energetic the whole day. That’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?! That word is so beautifully called; people whom you can remember in the morning. And whomsoever you remember in the morning, the same person you’ll remember last in the night also. So whatever is your last thought in the night will be the first thought in the morning. I think this is in all traditions. Just before going to bed, mums tell the kids to pray, isn’t it? Pray before going to bed. It’s an ancient tradition all over the world I suppose. Just pray, think about nice things when you go to bed. And when you wake up first thing look at your hands and what do you say? ‘Oh let me do good things from my hands this morning’. You look at it feel let my luck be good, let my lines be favorable and let me do good things. Let there be knowledge, let there be good work happening, let there be good wealth coming to my hands; this is the Morning Prayer. The old ancient Vedic prayer is. ‘God of the wealth is in the beginning of my palm, residing in my palm. God of wisdom is residing in my palm. God’s valor is residing in my own palm. So let the good things happen through me’. This is how we are supposed to wake up and look at our hands.

25 Steps to Transform Yourself, Sri Sri's talk in an article from 'The Week'

Transform yourself - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Article from ‘The Week’)

Posted on December 24, 2006 by allaboutgoogle

In this era of science and technology, we can be creative and productive, and at the same time not lose the humanness that we are all born with. Just material things or comfort alone do not make you comfortable. You may have a good bed to sleep on, but unable to sleep because of insomnia or worry! You need to get a broad understanding about yourself and your priorities. Clarity in the mind makes things much easier-understanding your basic emotions like love, your interaction with people around you, knowing about your ego or what your intellect or mind is saying to you and introspection will give you a few minutes of relaxation which is very vital. So, what is most important is introspection about one’s own life and how to improve the quality of life-this intention itself will open many doors for you to feel better about yourself. First of all, find out for yourself whether you are healthy.

Health is…

a disease-free body.

a quiver-free breath.

a stress-free mind.

an inhibition-free intellect.

an obsession-free memory.

an ego that includes all.

a soul that is free from sorrow.

Have you ever thought ‘what is the purpose of your life?’, ‘What is the meaning of life?’, ‘What is life all about?’.

These questions are very, very precious. When these questions dawn in your mind, only then your life begins! But, when these questions come into your mind, don’t be in a hurry to get an answer. Those who know will not tell you and those who tell don’t know! You can plug your ears and walk off! These questions are the tools by which you can dig deeper and the answers come from within you. Once these questions come into your life then you start “living” life rather than just existing. To know for what you are in this planet, find out what you are not here for!

You are not here to be sad.

You are not here to blame.

You are not here to be miserable.

You are not here to worry.

You are not here to show off.

You are not here to get stressed out.

You are not here to get irritated and irritate others.

The list goes on.

All our struggles in life are to know more. You are trying your level-best to understand your feelings and emotions, and you get into more and more and more confusion. This is what has happened with psychology today. It tries to explain to you why you feel like the way you are feeling. The “why” arises always when you are unhappy. You ask “Why this problem to me of all the people?” Nobody ever asked, “Why am I so happy?” You want to understand, “why am I not feeling good?” or “why am I angry?”, or ”why is this not happening?” The more you try to understand and try to dig it; you seem to understand less and less. The mystery deepens, but an illusion comes as though “I know it”. But that is for a short while. We ourselves do not know and we try to explain to others! Stop your explanations; your explanations have put you into a soup and make other people also more confused. You don’t know what is happening in your mind. Mind is like a roller coaster-it’s a crowd. Just be in the simple and innocent state of “I don’t know!”. This life is a mystery-beautiful-live it.

Living the mystery of life so totally is joy.

Becoming the mystery is divine.

You are a mystery!

When you see life in this context, clarity dawns in your mind and your life improves.

1 Review the context of your life

Look at your own life in the light of time. Millions of years have passed and millions will come. What is your life? 60, 70 or 100 years? Span of life is insignificant. It is not even a drop in the ocean. In terms of space you simply don’t exist! This understanding dissolves the ego. Ego is ignorance of your reality, ignorance of your existence. Now, just to know this, do we have to do something else? Just open your eyes: “Who am I? How I am on this planet? What is my life time?” Awareness dawns in the mind, and you will stop worrying about little things like, “this person said this thing to me and that person broke away with me and this happened with that person and I am going to say this….” All smallness will simply drop away, and you will be able to live every moment of your life.

Your life reels around your context. You should be happy in life. All other businesses involve ups and downs which is very natural. If there is a body, then it will get cold, cough, fever or something else and it will go away. But take care to see that happiness is always established in you. That is known as purashaartha. Our love, faith and belief should be deep-rooted, then everything else moves on its own. How many events take place in life! Are you able to maintain your equanimity always? Not everything in the world is sweet. If you are grounded with faith, like the husk with grain, you will progress.

Take this decision: “Whatever happens I will be there. I will be grounded. God’s protection is there on me. Whatever happens, I will never go down. I always have God’s hand with me.” Keep your mind in peace in all situations. The rest will be taken care of. You have to take at least one step forward, which is to be in peace and equanimity. “Oh! Nothing happened. Nothing of my work happened.” If you are able to laugh in such a situation, then understand that you have protection with you! The world is filled with love. Everybody has love inside them. You have to see that in your mind.

Your head will be in the mud in a few years; don’t put mud in your head while you are still alive! If you review the context of your life, the quality of your life will improve.

2 Know life’s impermanence

See the impermanence in this life. That is the truth. Turn back and see that all that you did is like a dream. All have passed, the whole thing is finished. Tomorrow will pass. Now and then, a pinch of unpleasantness comes. It makes you aware of your pleasantness. Suppose you never had unpleasant moments in life, you would never have pleasant ones. Your life would stagnate in utter boredom and you would become like a stone. So, in order to keep you alive, now and then, here and there, nature gives you a little pinch. It makes life more lively. Accept it.

You don’t have to be afraid in life. There is always support. So, every pinch that you are having in life is for the best, to make your life more lively and enjoyable. Day and night you work so hard. The whole week is spent working, coming home tired, eating, going to bed. The same routine the next day. Weekends have become another routine.

If you’re awake, then you see there is so much foolishness! Just watch when four or five people get together and have a gossip session. In a gossip session, you can immediately change the topic of conversation. This is the thing with a crowd. If ten people are talking about the weather and you change the topic to stock markets, everybody will immediately talk stock markets, whether they know about them or not. It is great fun.

Being aware of this impermanent nature of our life, you find that there is something in you that has not changed. There is a reference point by which you can say things are changing. That reference point is the source of life. That is wisdom. With wisdom, your life improves.

3 Make your smile cheaper

A research done in England found that a baby smiles 400 times a day, an adolescent 17 times and an adult doesn’t smile at all! The more successful one keeps a very stiff face. Is roughness a sign of success? Is being stressed a sign of prosperity, growth or dignity?

You should smile more. Every day, every morning, look at the mirror and give a good smile to yourself. You know what happens when you smile? All the muscles in your face get relaxed. The nerves in your brain get relaxation, and you get the confidence, courage and energy to move on in life.

You know, your smile is so fragile! Just one telephone call is enough to take it away! But what is the big deal about your feelings? Bundle them up and throw them into the ocean! Once you are rid of your ‘feelings’ you can be happy. Just see why your spirits go down? Because somebody said something stupid to you. And why did they say a stupid thing? Because they had some garbage they needed to throw out and you were there, ready to catch it! And once you have caught it, you hold on to it so passionately! Come on! Wake up! Don’t let your smile be snatched away by anybody!

Usually, you give your anger freely and smile rarely as though a smile is costly. In ignorance, anger is cheaper and smile costly. In knowledge, a smile is free like sun, air, and water and anger is extremely expensive, like a diamond. Make your smile cheaper and anger expensive! You are here for a greater cause. Just remember that. Take a challenge: “Come what may, I am going to smile today and be happy!” Smile more.

4 Be enthusiastic and praise others

Enthusiasm is the nature of life. We often have a tendency to put cold water on other’s enthusiasm. Reverse this tendency. Take every opportunity to praise others and support their enthusiasm. If you put down other’s enthusiasm, the same may happen to you. As you sow, so shall you reap. Recollect how much enthusiasm and joy you had when you went to the primary school. Someone without enthusiasm is like a corpse. But as you mature, the enthusiasm curve declines. As enthusiasm declines, we stop communicating.

How would you like to see yourself? Happy and bubbling with enthusiasm or dull and difficult to please? Often, you like to be pleased, appeased and cajoled. So you put up a tough, upset face and act difficult to please. If a person has to appease and please ten people all the time, it will be so tiring. People who keep a long face and expect others to cajole and appease them make others run away. Lovers often do this. They expend a lot of energy in cajoling, and this brings down the joy and celebration of the moment.

If you feel down, appease and please yourself. Your need to be appeased by someone else is the sign of grossness. If you want attention, all you get is tension. It is not possible to attain Divine Love with a complaining face. Become one whose enthusiasm never dies.

5 Make meditation a part of your life

The higher goals in life can only be realised through a few minutes of meditation and introspection.

What is meditation?

Mind without agitation is meditation.

Mind in the present moment is meditation.

Mind that has no hesitation, no anticipation is meditation.

Mind that has come back home, to the source, is meditation.

Mind that becomes “no mind” is meditation.

Deeper you are able to rest, dynamic you will be in activity. Even though deep rest and dynamic activity are opposite values, they are complementary. Before the body leaves you, you learn to leave everything. That is freedom. What are you looking for? Are you looking for some great joy? YOU ARE JOY!

I will give you an example. Have you seen dogs biting bones? You know why they bite bones? Biting wounds their mouth. Its own blood comes out and the dog feels that the bone is very tasty! Poor dog spends the whole time chewing the bone but getting nothing out of it! Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of your self, when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down being centred in that space. That is called meditation. Actually, meditation is not an act; it is the art of doing nothing! The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can ever have because in meditation you transcend all desires.

Meditation is letting go of anger from the past and all the planning for the future. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Just this understanding, and a few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life. The best comparison of the three states of consciousness-waking, sleeping and dreaming-is with the nature. Nature sleeps, awakes and dreams! It happens in a magnificent scale in existence, and it is happening in a different scale in the human body. Wakefulness and sleep are like sunrise and darkness. Dream is like the twilight in between.

And meditation is like the flight to the outer space, where there is no sunset, no sunrise, nothing! I am sure that deep within, every one of you feel that you have not grown, meaning you have not changed, not grown old. This indicates the soul in you, the depth in you, the spirit in you doesn’t change, doesn’t grow old, it’s not aging. The body is aging but something in you is not aging. Getting in touch with that something that doesn’t age brings beauty in life. That is meditation.

6 Go to the most beautiful place

Only if there is alertness and presence of mind can your life improve. For this, you need to cultivate the habit of listening. Most of us are not good listeners. When you are listening to somebody, the speaker’s very first sentence triggers some conversation within you. You are constantly agreeing or disagreeing with the speaker. Have you ever wondered whether you can listen without any thoughts or pre-conceived notions? To cultivate the habit of listening, you have to “go” to a place where everything is beautiful!

Where is this place? That most beautiful place is within you! When you come to this place, then any place is beautiful. Then, wherever you go, you add beauty there.

Learning something about our breath is very important. Our breath has a great lesson to teach us: for every rhythm in the mind, there is a corresponding rhythm in the breath, for every rhythm in the breath, there is a corresponding emotion. So, when you cannot handle your mind directly, through breath you can handle the mind. Neither at school nor at home does anybody teach you what to do when you are upset or angry or depressed. The first thing we did when we came to this planet is that we took a deep breath and then we started to cry.

The last thing we’ll be doing: we’ll breathe out and make others cry! In between, the whole life, we are breathing in and out, but, we have learnt very little about our breath! No breath, no life… know breath, know life!

We need to learn a little bit about our breath. We need to know a little bit about all the layers of our existence-body, breath, mind, intellect, memory, ego and the self. This is what I call Art of Living, learning a little bit about ourselves, the seven layers of our life. And that makes you be in the present moment, and it helps us to maintain the innocence that we are all born with, and feel at home with everybody, anywhere. What I would suggest is, take one week off every year for yourself, like you take your car for servicing. During that time, align yourself with nature, wake up with the sunrise, do some exercise, eat proper food, just as much food as necessary, some exercises, yoga, and some breathing exercises, a few minutes of singing, and then some silent moments, enjoying the creation.

Book yourself on a trip to this most beautiful place in the universe. Then you find that every day is a vacation and a celebration!

7 Communicate effectively

Learning to communicate effectively with everyone is a skill worth possessing. Most of the time you find that you are out of place. Communicating without prejudice is vital for success.

If you are faced with someone who knows more than you, be like a child and keep your ears and eyes open for learning. If you are faced with someone who knows less than you, be humble and strive to make them as good as or better than you. Play with a small child as you played when you were a child. Talk with an elderly person remembering that one day you will be like that. Communicate with a person of your age group like you are his/her best friend.

This world is varied beyond our imagination, and there’s always something to share, learn and teach. When you are centered, you become a powerful communicator. And when your communication improves, your life improves.

8 Take out time for yourself

If for the whole day you are engaged in only gathering information, you do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect. A few quiet moments are sources for creativity.

Some time during the day, sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. But, during the day be 100 per cent attached to the work. Eventually, you will be able to be both attached and detached. This is the skill of living, the art of living.

Renunciation refills your energy. Creativity cannot happen only just through efforts. There is a beautiful story about Chhatrapati Shivaji. At one time Shivaji became so frustrated about ruling his kingdom that he went to his guru Samarth Ramdas and told him that he is fed up and that he just wants to renounce everything. Ramdas told him that he can renounce everything. Shivaji became so happy and relaxed at the very thought. Then Ramdas told him: “Now I am the king and you are my servant. Will you do whatever I ask you to do?” Shivaji replied: “For you I am ready to do anything.” Ramdas said: “Very good. Will you run this country for me?” Shivaji replied: “Yes, I will run the country for you!” Total renunciation had brought zeal and enthusiasm in him.

Creativity springs up when you are relaxed. You have to renounce all work you have done the whole day, only then can you rest in the night.

Though many times pain, struggle and frustration have brought out creativity in some people, these are not the only reasons for a person to be creative. Millions of people in the world are struggling or frustrated, but they are not creative. So, taking out some time for yourself improves the quality of your life.

9 Better the world around you

A river needs two bunks to flow. The difference between flood and a normal river is that water flow is regulated in a river. During floods, water has no direction. Similarly, the energy in our life needs some direction to flow. If you don’t give direction, it is all confusion. Today, most people are confused because there is no direction in life. When you are happy, there is so much of life-energy in you; but when this life-energy doesn’t know where to go, how to go, it gets stuck. When it stagnates, it rots. For life-energy to move in a direction, commitment is essential.

Life runs with commitment. If you observe every small thing or big thing in life, they go with certain commitment. A student takes admission in a school or college with a commitment. Needless to say, a family runs on commitment: mother is committed to the child, child is committed to the parents, husband is committed to wife, and wife is committed to husband. Greater the commitment you take, greater the energy/power you gain to fulfil that commitment. Greater the commitment, easier things are. Smaller the commitment, suffocating it is for you. Smaller commitments suffocate you because you have more capacity, but you are stuck in a small hole!

When you have ten things to do and if one thing goes wrong, you can keep doing the ten things; the thing that has gone wrong will set itself right! But if you have only one thing to do and that goes wrong, then you are stuck with it. Usually we think we should have resource and then we will commit. Greater the commitment you take, greater the resources will come to you automatically. Whatever you are committed to brings you strength. If you are committed to your family then your family supports you, if you are committed to society, you enjoy the support of society.

Commitment will always bring comfort in the long run. Make a commitment to make this world a better place to live.

10 Nourish your emotions

A person without emotions is like wood without any juice. You need to make your life interesting to make people be with you. This will happen when you nurture yourself with music, prayer and service.

The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share others’ sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. When you expand in knowledge with time, then depression is not possible. The way to overcome personal misery is to share universal misery! The way to expand personal joy is to share universal joy. Instead of thinking “what about me?” and “what can I gain from this world?”, think “what can I do for the world?”

Silence heals and rejuvenates. Silence gives you depth and stability and brings creativity. Service leads to the dynamic experience of heart. It creates a sense of belongingness. Lack of service can land a person in depression. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Pain is physical. Suffering is mental. If you are not sensitive to others’ pain, then you are not a human being. That is why you need to serve. Service alone can bring contentment in life, but service without silence tires you. Service without spirituality will be shallow, and cannot be sustained for a long period. The deeper the silence, the more dynamic the outer activity. Both are essential in life.

When you bring some relief or freedom to someone through seva, good vibrations and blessings come to you. Seva brings merit; merit allows you to go deep in meditation; meditation brings back your smile. When you sing and pray from your heart , your emotions are nourished and you become “lively”.

11 Plan short and long-term goals

At any given point of time, our mind is oscillating between the past and the future. Either it is angry or sad about the past or anxious about the future. Whatever actions you do in this state of mind, you regret after some time. This is how you get caught up in the same old cycle. Does it mean that you should not plan your future? No! You should plan your short and long-term goals. Then, and only then, life gets a channel, a direction to flow. When the mind is totally in the present, the right planning happens. Not only should you plan your goals, but plan the means and methods to work towards them. Where would you like to see yourself after three years? After 20 years? After 40 years? Don’t be feverish about the results. Give your 100 per cent. If you are feverish about the results, it will lead you to disappointment.

Do not make a list of all the things you want to achieve. Select few things that really matters. Once a teacher brought a glass jar to the class and a bag with some big stones, some small stones and some sand. He asked the students to put all the contents from the bag into the glass jar. Some students put the sand first, then small stones and by then there was no place for the big stones. The teacher later explained that had they put the bigger stones first, then the smaller stones, there was always space around the stones for all the sand in the bag. This example teaches us an important lesson in prioritising things. If we put things that will give us maximum fulfilment in the long term, smaller things will automatically fall into place.

Among all planets in the solar system, the earth is privileged to host life in its many forms, and, among all the species, humans are most privileged, for, they can host knowledge. Again and again you remember that you are peace, you are love, you are joy and that you are hosting the creator. If you do not realise that you are the host, you live like a ghost!

12 Prayer is a vital tool

Prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. It also nurtures values like integrity and honesty. Prayer happens in two situations, or in a combination of situations. When you feel grateful or when you feel utterly helpless. If you are not grateful and prayerful, you will be miserable. In either case your prayers will be answered.

What you can do, you do.

What you cannot do, you pray for!

It is said the divine dawns in you when you pray for it, when you cry for it, when you sing for it. The divine is only waiting for you to dig a little deeper into yourself. Because, it can then fill you with much more nectar! Divine wants you to create more space in you. Cry from your soul for help. This is for those seekers who are weak. Those seekers who are strong-with the power of knowledge-can sing with that joy of what they have achieved! The moment you sing in gratitude, in glory of the divine, it immediately dawns in you, and fills you up again. One type of people is grateful for all their growth. The other type is helpless and weak. Both will be helped.

Spirituality is not some ritual, or doing something. It’s a very pleasant, uplifted state of being and seeing that the whole world is all spirit or consciousness. Use prayer to bring integration in your personality. Whatever you do, know that the higher power has the final say and it will always be for the best.

13 Implement changes if needed

Sorrow simply means that viveka (discrimination) is overshadowed. Viveka means knowing that everything is changing. Your body, your emotions, the people around you and the world-everything is changing. Time and again you have to awaken to this reality. You are often fearful of change. Change is inevitable in many fronts though security is hooked on to stability. You know there is a need for change to improve your life, but you feel secure in the old pattern. You need the courage to implement changes whenever it is necessary. You have to evaluate the pros and the cons. You have to see whether that gives you short-term joy and misery in the long run or short-time pain and joy in the long run.

Life is a combination of both change and non-change. So, use your intelligence and courageously implement changes when you feel that there is a need for change.

14 Identify your limitations

Every time you are unhappy or miserable, you are just coming in touch with your own boundaries! And what can you do? You can just feel thankful: “Oh, I came in touch with my boundary, my limitation. This was my limitation.” You just turn the whole situation into a prayer: “Let there be peace, not just in me but in everybody.” Prayer is that moment when you come in touch with your limitations, your boundaries.

You are peaceful, you are joyful, you are happy as long as you have not come in contact with your boundaries. At that moment what can you do? You can just say, “My Lord, my God, You made me become aware of my boundaries. You bring peace. I am giving it all to You.” That very moment you will start smiling. However hopeless the situation is, you will walk through it, sing through it, dance through it! This is love.

In Hindi, love is written with two-and-a-half letters. They say, “Who is a master, who is a pundit, who is a wise person? Not one who has studied a lot of scriptures, but one who has studied the two-and-a-half letters.” And this two-an-a-half letters is at this moment. It is a test of the moment, when you come in touch with your limitations, your boundaries. You are happy, peaceful. Are you in the boundaries? Or are you maintaining your boundless and the innocent love in the heart? Is it remaining? If it is, then nothing can rob you of peace.

15 Do not lose your friends

Mistakes keep happening all the time. Often you want to correct them. How much can you correct? There are two situations when you correct others’ mistakes.

1 You correct someone’s mistake because it bothers you. But even if you correct it, this does not work.

2 You correct someone’s mistake not because it bothers you, but for their sake so that they can grow.

To correct mistakes you need authority and love. Authority and love seem to be contradictory, but in reality they are not. Authority without love is stifling. Love without authority is shallow. A friend needs to have both authority and love but they need to be in the right combination. This can happen if you are totally dispassionate and centred. When you allow room for mistakes, you can be both authoritative and sweet. That is how the Divine is, the right balance of both. Krishna and Jesus had both.

Don’t make a mistake by pointing out mistakes!

Once a lady came to me and said her husband had lied to her. She was very upset. I asked, “Why does your husband lie to you? Because he loves you, and is afraid to lose your love or hurt you. If he did not love you, he wouldn’t lie to you!”

Do not tell a person a mistake he knows he has committed. By doing this, you will only make him feel more guilty. A magnanimous person will not pick on the mistakes of others and make them feel guilty; he will correct them with compassion and care.

16 Don’t look for perfection

Many a time, you become angry or miserable because of the feverishness for perfection. If you are too much of a perfectionist, you are bound to be an angry person.

In a state of ignorance, imperfection is natural and perfection is an effort. In a state of wisdom or enlightenment, imperfection is an effort; perfection is a compulsion and is unavoidable! Perfection is taking total responsibility, and total responsibility means knowing that you are the only responsible person in the whole world. When you think that others are responsible, then your degree of responsibility diminishes. When you are in total vairagya (dispassion), you can take care of even insignificant things with such perfection. Perfection is the very nature of the enlightened one. When we are joyful, we don’t look for perfection. If you are looking for perfection then you are not at the source of joy. Joy is the realisation that there is no vacation from wisdom. The world appears imperfect on the surface but, underneath, all is perfect. Perfection hides; imperfection shows off.

The wise will not stay on the surface but will probe into the depth. Things are not blurred; your vision is blurred. Infinite actions prevail in the wholeness of consciousness, and yet the consciousness remains perfect, untouched. Realise this now and be natural.

In this world, everything cannot be perfect all the time. Even the best, the greatest of actions, performed with the noblest of intentions, will have some imperfections. It is but natural. Unfortunately, the tendency of our mind is to grab the imperfection and hold on to it. And, in the process, we end up making our moods, our minds imperfect and our souls reel with this nonsense. It is imperative to get out of these cycles, and to become strong and courageous from within.

17 Let us be unpredictable

We often behave like machines. A compliment makes us smile and an insult makes us frown. We don’t have to react in the same way always. You have the freedom to respond differently. You don’t have to answer all questions posed to you. As people have a right to question, you have the right whether to answer or not.

So, be unpredictable!

18 Have a sense of humor

You are endowed with certain naughtiness as a child. Keep it alive. Humour will grease all tough situations. One who has humor can sail through any conflict. Humour is the buffer that saves you from humiliation. If you refuse to be humiliated, you become invincible. Humour brings everyone together, while humiliation tears them apart. In a society torn with humiliation and insult, humour is like a breath of fresh air.

Humor should be coupled with care and concern. Humor can keep the spirit high, yet if overdone it leaves a bad taste. Humor without wisdom is shallow. Humor without sensitivity is satire-it comes back to you with more problems.

The wise use humor to bring wisdom and to lighten situations. The intelligent use humour as a shield against humiliation. The cruel use humor as a sword to insult others. The irresponsible use humor to escape from responsibility. And fools take humor too seriously!

How does one cultivate a sense of humor?

Humor is not just words, it is the lightness of your being. You do not have to read and repeat jokes.

Taking life not too seriously (because you will never come out of it alive)!

Having a sense of belongingness with everybody, including those who are not friendly.

Practicing yoga and meditation.

Having unshakable faith in the Divine and in the laws of karma.

Being in the company of those who live in knowledge and are humorous.

A willingness to be a clown.

19 Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Whenever a boundary is broken, it creates some fear. The fear creates dislike. This dislike puts us back in the boundary. And to keep yourself in the boundary you put forth defenses. When you try to defend your position, it is such a stress. Every time you try to defend your position, it makes you more and more weak. Drop all your defenses. When you are totally defenseless, that’s when you’ll be strong.

Your knowledge of a mistake comes to you when you are innocent! Whatever mistake has happened, do not consider yourself a sinner because in the present moment you are again new, pure and clear. Mistakes of the past are past. When this knowledge comes, you are again perfect. Often, mothers scold their children and afterwards feel so guilty. Okay, you got angry at your kid once or twice. Why? Because of a lack of awareness! Awareness was missing, so the anger came up. Knowledge of the self, truth and skills can bring out the best in you. So, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but not the same mistakes. You have got to be innovative even in your mistakes!

20 Overcome your prejudice

Your prejudice against gender, religion, caste and class does not allow you to mingle with everyone around you. Often, you don’t sit with people who are not economically or socially at par with you. You have to learn to break that barrier. Also, there is age prejudice. Teenagers don’t like to have fun with elderly people and vice versa. Gender prejudice is more prevalent in rural areas. Caste system is present even among the royalties of Europe, the UK and Japan.

Religious prejudice is well known. There are good people and bad people in every community, religion and every section of society. Don’t be prejudiced against them. At the same time don’t be shy about your identity. When you overcome prejudice, you will be very natural, and your quality of life will improve.

21 Feel that “I am blessed”

There is so much talk about success. Have you ever thought what success is? Success is simply ignorance about one’s capabilities. Success is ignorance about the power of the self. Because you assume you can do only this much. If there are obstacles, you are clear about your objective. With a calm and serene mind, think of many possibilities. Know that failures are stepping stones for greater success. Actually, there are no failures in life. All the seeming failures are only stepping stones for greater success. If you feel the obstacle is too much, deep prayer can work miracles.

The feeling that “I am blessed” can help you overcome any failure. Once you realise that you are blessed, then

all the complaints disappear.

all the grumbling disappears.

all the insecurities disappear.

a sense of not being loved disappears.

wanting love disappears.

Ego is always ambitious and wants to do tough jobs like climbing Mount Everest. Whereas in a simple act like watching a butterfly, watering the garden, watching the birds or the sky, can bring deep relaxation, and relaxation connects you with your source. Seemingly trivial actions open a new dimension and bring in immense peace and rest. Just come out of your little shell and feel free.

There is a saying: Behind every successful man is a woman. I will modify this: Behind every success there is the Divine saying “I am behind you”.

22 Do random acts of kindness

Abiding in the self you become the valentine for the whole world. Spirit is the valentine of matter, and matter is the valentine of spirit. They are made for each other. They uphold each other. If you do not respect the spirit, then matter is not pleased. If you honour the spirit then you will care for the world, and when you care for the world it will take care of you.

You are the Christmas tree. At the time of year when no tree bears anything, it has many gifts to offer. A Christmas tree bears the gifts and the lights not for itself. Similarly, all the gifts you are carrying in your life are for others. Anyone who comes to you, you offer them your gifts. When you show kindness, your true nature comes into play. Have you ever done acts of kindness without expecting anything out of it?

Our service should not be mechanical. Once some boy scouts were at a Sunday service, when the priest said, “You should serve.” They asked, “What is this service? Could you give us some example?” He said, “Suppose an old woman wants to cross a road, go and help her cross the road.”

So the boys went and looked for a whole week, but there was no old woman trying to cross a street. Finally, four of them found a woman walking on a footpath. One of the boys went and asked her, “Madam, would you like to cross the road?” She turned and said, “No.” He was disappointed. So another boy went and asked her again, thinking, perhaps, that the first boy hadn’t asked properly. The woman was now a little bit confused. She wondered why she was being asked this. So, she said, it was all right for him to take her across the road. Once they had reached the other side, a third boy came and asked her, “Would you like to cross the road?” Now it really bothered her. When the fourth one approached her, she almost screamed and ran away!

You don’t have to plan acts of kindness. Just do something spontaneously. When you do random acts of kindness, you come in touch with your true nature.

23 Be a student, always

Know that you are a student forever. Do not underestimate anybody. Knowledge may come to you from any corner. Remember the ancient saying “let knowledge flow to me from all sides”. Each occasion teaches you and each person teaches you. The world is your teacher. When you are always looking to learn, you will stop underestimating others. Humility will dawn in your life.

There is a nice story. A man earned a lot of money and then gave all his property to his son. The son then built a small house behind his big house and told his parents: “Now you have to stay there.”

So the old couple stayed there, while the son and his family lived in the bungalow. One day, while playing, the grandchild came to his grandfather’s home, where everything was in pathetic condition. The grandchild said, “Grandpa, be careful with your plate and chair. Don’t break them.” When he asked why, the child said, “Because tomorrow, my father will need them.” One does not realise this fact. You are also going to be old one day.

24 Dream the impossible

Unless you have a dream, you cannot realise it. Every invention has come out of a dream. Dream the impossible. Obviously, dreaming employs something which is beyond your perceived capacity. Consider the faculty which is the preceptor of the dream. Some dreams have impacted your daily living and others have not. Some dreams you remember, and others you have forgotten.

We are all born in this world to do something wonderful and unique; don’t let this opportunity pass by. Give yourself the freedom to dream and think big. Have the courage and determination to achieve those dreams that are dear to you. Many a time people who dreamt big were ridiculed, but they remained strong to achieve their goals.

Do something creative. Not a year should pass without doing something creative.

25 Compare your performance

As we flip the calendar, we need to keep flipping our mind as well. Often, our diaries are full with memories. See that you don’t fill your future dates with past events. Allow the space for creativity to dawn. Celebration of the New Year allows you to be wise. Learn and unlearn from the past, and move on.

In the past year, how many days were you in sanyas? How many days were you struggling, being caught in maya? Turn back and remember the whole year. Do not run away from anything. Do not reject anything. Do not go away from anything. At the same time, let your attention be on the self. This is a delicate balance. That balance is yoga.

A poor man celebrates the New Year once a year. A rich man celebrates each day. But the richest man celebrates every moment.

How rich are you? If you celebrate every moment, you are the Lord of Creation. Review the year while you celebrate. This is your homework. Compare your performance in the year before last and smile.

The year 2007 is fortunate because you are living at this time!!! When you are living for the sake of the world, the world is fortunate. Let time celebrate your presence. You keep smiling as ever.

When you let time celebrate you, you are a witness amid celebration. The heart always longs for the old, the mind for the new. Life is a combination of both. Let the New Year bring into our life ancient wisdom and modernity, as life is incomplete without either of them. Don’t feel shy to speak about human and spiritual values. The time has come now to call the whole world!

Be ever new, happy you!!!!