Celebration and the Christmas Tree


Human life is a combination of body (matter) and spirit (vibration). Isn’t it?
Joy is forgetting that you are matter and becoming an intense vibration.
Carnal instincts also make you feel intense vibrations momentarily, and that’s how they give a glimpse of joy. But the thing is, this joy is short-lived and it makes you dense later on.
Pleasure that comes from Satsang is of a higher nature. Mantras and singing create vibrations in the spirit. That’s why when you sing, the ecstasy stays for a long time.
Pleasure from the gross is short-lived, tiring and binding. Pleasure in the subtle is long lasting, energizing, refreshing, and freeing.
When you know you are electricity (vibration/energy), then craving, greed, lust, and anger disappear. Then you become a true celebration.
Message for Christmas:
You are the Christmas tree that points upwards with branches on all sides. At the time of year when other trees are barren, you are green with many gifts to offer.

You bear gifts and lights — not for yourself, but for others. Remember that all the gifts you are carrying in your life are for others. Anyone who comes to you, offer them your gifts.
There were lots of presents around Sri Sri’s couch. John asked, “Are you going to open the gifts?” Sri Sri winked, pointed at the people and replied, “I am always opening the gifts.”

Your life is a gift. And you have come to unwrap this gift. In the process of unwrapping, remember to also save the wrapping papers. Your whole environment, situations, circumstances, and body are the wrapping papers.
Often when we unwrap, we tear the wrapping papers. At times we are in such a hurry that we even destroy the gifts. With patience and endurance, open your gifts – and save the wrappers!

Secret of the Puranas

Firstly, people should know about symbols. It is said that there are millions of Gods and Goddesses in India. In the Indian culture, we talk of families of Gods. A Goddess is depicted as riding a tiger, Gods have children and there are disputes amongst Gods and Goddesses. For an argumentative mind such depictions are difficult to accept.

God is Sat Chit Ananda (Truth, Consciousness and Bliss).

He has five karmas (actions) – Srishti (Creation), Sthiti (Preservation), Samhara (Destruction), Anugraha (Blessing) and Tirodhana (Veiling).

He is everywhere yet not visible - just like air is everywhere but we feel it only when the fan is switched on or when the wind blows.

Rishis (sages) say that there are many levels of creation. Gold is one but we can make so many different things out of it. With wheat, you can make bread, sweets, puris as well as chapatti. Just like that, One Divinity displays itself in many names and forms, as Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Operator) and Mahesh (Destroyer). When a single ray of sunlight falls on a drop of water, we see all the seven colors of a rainbow!
Before Creation, the Operator was there. Vishnu was present before Brahma. For instance, grass is present in creation and then the goat comes, a mother develops milk before she gives birth otherwise the creation won’t sustain! The Polar bear sleeps for six months and develops hunger only after the grass has sprung up.
Vishnu is depicted as resting in a lying down posture. The Master of the Creation is resting since the task of maintenance is so easy for him. This does not mean that man can afford to sleep all the time. Vishnu’s sleep is different- he is sleeping on a bed of a snake, which is symbolic of heightened awareness. When one rests in awareness it is called Yog Nidra (yogic sleep) or Samadhi (Meditation)
In a human body, the navel is the center of gravity. Brahma, the Creator, emerges from a lotus rising from Vishnu’s navel.

It was only when Newton and Einstein rested that they could make new inventions. Newton rested under a tree and he received the knowledge of gravity as an apple fell on his head. When Archimedes was in the bathtub, he got the idea that he was looking for since a long time. India knew about the Gurutvakarshan shakti (gravitational force) thousands of years before Newton discovered it.

The knowledge that the whole world is round was present in the ancient Khagoal Vigyan (orbital sciences including rotation, revolution). Our ancestors had this knowledge. That’s why they kept the Sun in the middle. In the most ancient temples, which are around 2,000 years old, you will find that the Sun God is in the middle looking towards the East and all the other planets are kept around Him. Nowadays, it is taught that Galileo discovered that the earth is round. That was just a few hundred years ago but our ancestors knew about this from thousands of years.

Today, the scientists say that in creative people the solar plexus inside the navel is bigger than usual. When the navel blossoms one becomes creative. In ancient India, they represented this as Brahma being born through Vishnu’s navel. Brahma, the Creator has four faces. This shows that he gains knowledge from all the four directions.

From just one anu (atom) different organs of the human body - nails, hair, ears etc are formed and even the texture of skin is different throughout. So that One has the intention and capability to be varied. Similarly, in one God many God and Goddesses can be formed. One human DNA has all the living beings in it right from a lizard to an elephant. This is the power in one chromosome. This itself is God. The whole creation is filled with God.

The Sanatana Dharma is very close to the modern science. When you listen to great scientists you feel as if you are listening to Vedanta. Even if one animal is missing from this universe, the balance of the creation will be disrupted. So we need all the beings. You cannot see the Devi Shakti (energy) but this devi shakti rides a tiger as its vehicle. The peacock has the vibrations of Kartikey Swami, who is depicted as having a peacock as His vehicle. Yet that does not mean that to worship Kartikey Swami, we need to get hold of a peacock. God is present in every atom of the creation, not just the outside world but within our body as well. That is why before worshipping, we start with invoking the energies within our own body.

Devo Bhuvata, Devo Bhuje – Be immersed in God and worship Him. The weapons in the Gods’ hands have a deeper meaning. It is very easy to simply say that the ancient man was a coward so he placed all the weapons in Gods’ hands. Such an interpretation is the imagination of a fearful man. This is wrong. Do some research, go deep in knowledge, then you will feel amazed at the minds of the people who created the Puranas. God-Goddesses are within us, are our very own so they showed human flaws of anger, jealousy etc in them as well so that you don’t feel guilty when such emotions arise in you.

The purpose of the Puranas was to bring you closer to God. Thus stories were created for the purpose of joy, entertainment, knowledge and science. In Hindi the word ‘Purana’ means old whereas in Sanskrit, it means completely new, modern.

Softness And Forcefulness


Certain types of people are soft and their softness comes out of lack of courage and forcefulness. There is yet another type of softness in people and this softness comes out of maturity, magnanimity, and the knowledge of the Self.
The people who are soft out of lack of courage suffer a lot. And sometime or other they become volatile.
Similarly there are two types of forcefulness in people: aggression or assertiveness. Some people are forceful in an aggressive manner out of weakness, lack of strength, or out of fear. Others are forceful out of care and love, out of compassion.
So look into yourself and become aware of what type of softness and what type of forcefulness you have.

Do You Have To Be Thankful And Feel Obliged?


When you are on a spiritual path, you are not thankful or obliged to anybody. In the Gita, Krishna says, "He is dear to Me who neither goes on thanking people nor hates anyone (Na abhinandati na dveshthi)." Thanking and feeling obliged indicates that you believe in some one else's existence rather than in the Divine who is ruling everything. When you feel obliged, then you are not honoring the principles of karma or the divine plan.
Appreciate people for what they are, do not thank them for what they do. Otherwise your thankfulness is centered around ego. You are grateful, but not for an act. You are grateful for what is. As every individual is nothing but a puppet of the ONE, thanking and being obliged is simply an exhibition of ignorance. Everything is ruled, controlled and managed by one Divinity, that consciousness has to shine forth in every act of yours; you do not have to make a mood of it.

Inside Out


Often people say, "Be the same inside as out". I ask you, how is this possible?
Inside you are a vast ocean, infinite sky; what you can show outside is only a tiny bit of it. Outside you are finite, just a small limited form, a normal stupid person!
All that you are, the love, the beauty, the compassion, the Divinity, doesn't show up fully. What shows up is the crust of behaviors. Ask yourself, "Are you really your behaviors? Are you just your behavioral patterns"? No.. Don't mistake this crust for your inside.
Neither take the limited body/mind complex as your inside nor show your Infinite Lordship outside, for Divinity is not easily understood. Let there be some mystery.
DON'T BE THE SAME INSIDE AND OUT!!

Conflict And Innocence


Fights can only happen among equals. When you fight with someone, you make them equal. But in reality there is no one at par with you. When you keep people either above or below you, then there is no fight. When they are above you, you respect them. When they are below you, you love them and you feel compassionate. Either submission or compassion can take you out of a fight in no time. This is one way to look at it when you are tired of fighting. When you are well rested, just fight and have fun.
The same is true of the mind. As long as the mind thinks it is equal to the senses, there is conflict. When it realizes that it is bigger than the senses, there is no conflict. And when the mind is smaller than the senses, like in animals, there is no conflict. When the mind is caught up in the senses, there is constant conflict. When it transcends the senses, it comes back to its true nature, which is innocence - in no sense.

Feel blessed


Break through all the barriers and feel that you Are Blessed. This Is The One And Only Step You Have To take - the rest will all happen.
This deep sense of feeling that "I am blessed" can help you overcome any obstacles in life. It gives you courage and confidence and it will open your lid for grace to be poured in.
Once you realize that you are blessed, then:
  • All the complaints disappear
  • All the grumbling disappears
  • All the insecurities disappear
  • A sense of feeling unloved disappears
  • Wanting love disappears.
If you don't realize you are blessed, then the doership begins. If you want to make a difference in your life, feel you are blessed. And especially for those on this path of knowledge, there is no reason for you to not feel blessed. So, feel you are blessed. This is the first step towards the Self.

Longing Itself Is Divine


Longing itself is Divine. Longing for worldly things makes you inert. Longing for Infinity fills you with life. When longing dies, inertia sets in. But longing also brings along a sense of pain. To avoid the pain, you try to push away the longing. The skill is to bear the pain of longing and move on. Don't try to find a shortcut to overcome longing. Don't make the longing short - that's why it's called loooonging :).
True longing in itself brings up spurts of bliss. That's why in ancient days longing was kept alive by singing and listening to kathas (stories). When longing transcends relationships, judgments, jealousy and all other negative feelings drop off. It is only with wisdom and self-knowledge that you can transcend relationships. People often think wisdom is devoid of longing - No! Such wisdom is dry. The longing that comes in true wisdom makes life juicier. Divine is certainly juicy! Longing gives you the power to bless. Bless the entire creation. For, the longing in you is God.

Sublimating Lust


Lust is one of the main botherations that many face. Lust grips the mind and tires the body, and dulls the intellect. Lust, when indulged, brings inertia, and when suppressed brings anger. Lust is nothing but primordial un-harnessed energy. The same when harnessed manifests as enthusiasm, sparkle, sharpness of intellect and love.
What are the factors which can sublimate or transform lust into love?

  • Playfulness: People who are in the grip of lust cannot be genuinely playful. When you are genuinely playful, then there is no lust there
  • Generosity: When you realize that you are here only to give and give, and you feel that you are very generous, lust is sublimated. Lust makes one possessive and not generous
  • Moderate to less intake of food
  • Remembrance of death
  • Divine Romance
  • Cold water baths
  • Undertaking creative challenges

Seva is savior


The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share others's sorrow and joy. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. When you expand in Knowledge with time, then depression is not possible. Your inner most source is joy.
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?" "what can I gain from this world?" think "what can I do for the world?" When everyone comes from the point of contributing to society, you have a Divine society. We have to educate and culture our individual consciousness in order to expand in time with the Knowledge . . . from "what about me?" to "what can I contribute?"
If you are not having good experiences in meditation, then do more seva -- you will gain merit and your meditation will be deeper. 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.

Confidence with Humility: The Rarest Combination


One of the rarest combinations in the human personality is the co-existence of confidence and humility. Often people who are confident are not humble and people with humility are not confident. Confidence blended with humility is most appreciated by everybody. Question: How can confidence be developed in one who is humble, and humility in one who is confident? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: 1. When you see your life from a bigger context of time and space, then you realize your life is nothing. 2. When you are humble, you need to see that you are unique and dear to the Divine, which brings confidence, and when you realize you are insignificant, that brings humility. 3. When you have a Guru, you cannot be arrogant. Your guru gives you confidence and also brings humility in you. The weakness in humility, and the arrogance in confidence are removed. You are left with confidence and humility!

Commitment and Convenience


A commitment can only be felt when it oversteps convenience. That which is convenient, you do not call commitment. If you just go on your convenience, your commitment falls apart causing more inconvenience! If you keep dropping your commitment because it is inconvenient, can you be comfortable? Often, what is convenient does not bring comfort, but gives an illusion of comfort. Also if you are too stuck in commitment, and it is too inconvenient too often, you will be unable to fulfill your commitment and it will only generate frustration. Wisdom is to strike a balance between convenience and commitment because both bring comfort to the body, mind and spirit.
A seeker of knowledge should forget about convenience, so should soldiers, rulers, students, seekers of wealth and all essential service providers. Those who want to be creative and adventurous transcend convenience. Those who are ambitious and have a passion for a goal do not care for convenience. To the wise their commitment is their comfort. Whenever their commitment is shaken, their comfort is also shaken. To the lazy, commitment is torture though it is the best remedy. Commitment will always bring comfort in the long run.
Are there any commitments that can be given up? Yes. Sometimes when you are committed without a vision, you feel stifled when your vision expands. Such commitments made with shortsightedness can be given up. A smaller less important commitment can be given up for a greater commitment. Commitment to the means can be given up for the sake of the commitment to the goals. When your commitment brings misery to many in the long run it can be given up.

Faith is your wealth

Faith is a wealth. If you think, by having faith in God you are doing a favour to God, you are mistaken. Faith gives you strength instantaneously. Faith brings you stability, centeredness, calmness and love. You’re having faith in the Guru or God does not do anything to Guru or God. Your Having Faith Gives You Immediate Strength. Faith is a great wealth; it is a blessing.
If you lack faith, you have to pray for faith. But to pray, you need faith. This is a paradox. (Laughter)
People have faith in the world - but the whole world is just a soap bubble. People have faith in themselves - but they don't know who they are. People think that they have faith in God - but they have no idea of God. If you want to doubt, you have to doubt everything
There are three types of faith: faith in yourself, faith in the world, and faith in God. You need to have faith in yourself -- without faith, you think, “I can't do this. This is not for me. I will never be liberated in this life”. You must have faith in the world. Without this, you can’t move an inch in the world. Banks give you loans having faith that you will pay it back. You deposit money in the bank having faith that it will be returned. If you doubt everything in the world, nothing will happen. The same is the case with faith in the Divine - have faith in the Divine and you will evolve. All these faiths are connected. You must have all three for each to be strong.
Bill : Atheists have faith in themselves and faith in the world, but not in God.          
Sri Sri: They don't have complete faith in themselves. Lack of faith in God, in the world or in the self brings fear. Faith in the world cannot be constant because there are always changes.
Faith makes you full - faithful. If you have faith, you are full.
Rajesh : What is the difference between faith and confidence ?
Sri Sri : Confidence is the result. Faith is the beginning.
Faith in yourself brings freedom.          
Faith in the world brings you peace of mind.
Faith in God evokes love in you.
You can be at peace by having faith in the world and without faith in God, but it is not complete peace. If you have love, there is automatically peace and freedom. People who are extremely disturbed should only have faith in God.

Faith and love


God does not wish you to have more faith because the more faith you have, the more work for God. God will have to run behind you; then you start controlling Him. He is the servant of faithful servants and He does not want too many servants telling Him what He should be doing.
Love is the highest strength, yet it makes you absolutely weak. So God/Enlightened One/Nature does not want you to have more faith or love. With too much faith and love, you make God weak.
So, it is better for God that you have less faith. Things go on as they are. Why transform? Be happy.
Meditation is seeing God in oneself.
Love is seeing God in the person next to you.
Knowledge is seeing God everywhere.
Expression of love is service.
Expression of joy is smile.
Expression of peace is meditation.
Expressing God is conscious action.

Divine Mother


The word Kala usually refers to the extent by which the moon waxes (or wanes) in one day. So by this understanding, the Moon possesses 16 different Kalas (different phases of the Moon). You can observe this from one Amavasya(No-moon day) to the next Purnima (Full moon day).
So if you count the number of days from one Amavasya to the next Purnima, it turns out to be 16. And the transition from No-Moon to the Full Moon also symbolizes moving from Zero (nothingness) to Fullness.
On the no-moon day you don’t see the moon at all, and on the full moon day you see the complete moon. This does not mean that the Moon is not there on the day of Amavasya. No, it is still there. So by this understanding, these are called the Solah Kalas. On the day of solar eclipse, for example, the Moon is there but it cannot be seen, that’s all.
So the word Kala is a unit of measure of one’s power, or by what degree one has blossomed or progressed. So, someone may be like a half-moon, someone else may have reached to three quarters of the moon and so on. This was a means of measurement in the ancient days.
In those days, it was said that the life or Prana in a stone is equal to one Kala, the water element is said to have two Kalas. Fire has three Kalas, Vayu (Air element) has four, and the Space or Akash has five. Plants and trees are said to have six Kalas. Animals have seven Kalas. Human beings have eight Kalas.
If it is an extraordinary human being then he is said to have nine Kalas. It is said that Lord Parashurama (one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu) had nine Kalas. They say Lord Rama has 12 Kalas. Lord Hanuman is greater than Him in this regard and is said to have 14 Kalas. That is why he could help Lord Rama. Only a person who is stronger than us can help us.
The Devi (Mother Divine) is called Shodashakala (The One with all 16 Divine qualities or attributes). It means that she possess all divine and noble qualities, and lacks nothing.
Lord Krishna too is said to have all 16 Kalas, which is why He is called as the Solah Kala sampurna or the Purna Avataar.
To have all 16 Kalas means to possess all the 16 qualities or signs attributed to the total blossoming and manifestation of Divinity.

Do Not Correct Your Mistakes!


Wanting to correct a mistake brings doership and doership is the foundation for mistakes. Often, those who are trying to correct mistakes get caught up in more mistakes. Those who recognize their are mistakes are freed from them.
Often, when one acknowledges a mistake, one tries to justify it, without taking responsibility for it. And sometimes one accepts that one made a mistake and starts justifying it or feeling guilty about it. Mistakes get dropped when one is troubled by ones conscience (viveka) or grief.
There may be flaws in any action, any situation or any person. Treat a flaw as you would treat a flower. Just as a flower has to wither away after sometime, so does a flaw.

God Particle



The scientists have discovered the God Particle; that is what they are saying – Higgs Boson. And they say that the entire universe is made up of this. It is a field, and this field is energy. It gives shape to the planets, stars and everything.

This sounds so familiar to someone who has studied Vedanta, or someone who has experienced deep meditation.

The whole universe is made up of consciousness. It is a play and display of one consciousness. The Vedic Rishis also said the same. They said first know the elements; they called even Brahman, the Ultimate, as a Tattva. Tattva means Principle. Like God Particle, they said Brahman Principle.

What is the first principle? They said the Elements; Earth element, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, and then the Mind, the Intellect – the subtler and subtler you go, you reach there.

Subtler than space is mind, subtler than that is intellect and knowledge is present there. And subtler than that is ego, and hundred times subtler than ego is the Mahat Tattva – The Principle called Mahat, field called Mahat.

Ego itself is an atom, but finer than the ego, beyond the ego, that point, that particle is a field called Mahat Tattva, and finer than that is Moola Prakurti – the primordial energy.

And beyond that primordial energy, is Brahman, of which everything is made, which is the substance of the whole creation. Brahman is infinity, it is neither born nor will it ever die.
In the Rig Veda, there is a Sukta called Nasadiya Sukta, in the 10th Mandala, 129th Adhyaya, there, around seven verses are written. In the seven verses of The Hymn of Creation, it is so striking how these aspects which we now know through quantum mechanics and through quantum physics were present then and there.

What scientists call as Dark Matter and Dark Energy which is everywhere, and which is what we are talking about, the Nasadiya Sukta says the same thing.
Nasadasinno sadasittadanim nasidrajo no vyom paro yat

Kimavarivah kuha kasya sharmannambhah kimasid gahanam gabhiram
Beyond the space, then, in the beginning, there was neither existence nor non-existence; neither birth nor death. It was all only energy. And it also talks about, ‘Darkness enveloped by darkness. ’ In the third verse it says, ‘Darkness was all wrapped around by darkness.’

So these verses strikingly indicate what today’s scientists talk about almost in the same language.
Let me read the translation:

At first was neither Being or Non-being. There was not air nor yet sky beyond. What was it wrapping? Where? In what protection?

Was water there, unfathomable and deep?

There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness; of night or day, there was not any sign.

The One breathed without breath, by its own impulse. Other than that was nothing else at all.

Darkness was there all wrapped around by darkness, and all was water indiscriminate. All was energy indiscriminate.

Then that which was hidden by the void, the one emerging, stirring, through power of Ardor, came to be.

In the beginning Love arose, which was the primal germ cell of the mind.

The seers, searching in their heart with wisdom, discovered the connection of Being in Non-being. A crosswise line cut Being from Non-being.

What was described above it, what below? Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces, thrust from below and forward move above.

Who really knows? Who can presume to tell it?

When was it born? Whence issued this creation? Even the Gods came after its emergence.

Then who can tell from whence it came to be?

That out of which creation has arisen, whether it held it from or it did not; He who surveys it in the highest heaven, He surely knows or maybe He does not! 
That is very interesting – He surely knows or maybe He does not – because even the knower is part of the phenomenon.
The three types of space are described. One is the space in which we see all the matter that exists; the outer space – Bhutakasha. Then there is the intermediate space or inner space, where all thoughts and emotions float. This is called Chittakasha - the space of the Chitta(consciousness). And then Chidakasha, the space of pure consciousness or energy, which here and there appears to have consolidated and appears to be matter. What appears to be matter is really not matter, it is all One energy, and that One field is called Brahman, and that is what everybody is, that is what everything is.

Doesn't it sound very similar to the Higgs Boson?

So the Brahman or God is not a He or She, they say it is a field. It is a field, it is a space, the basis of everything, and everything is just its own reflection. Everything forms of its own reflection. It is neither a thing, nor nothing.

And they also said this will be known by the scientist of the past and the scientist of the future.
Rishi means one who discovers. The scientists of the ancient times and the scientists of the modern times, in coming years will explore this. And even those, they may not know it. Who knows whether they will know it, or not know?

So further they go, they see it is unknowable.

It is very interesting – Higgs Boson, the concept of it, has come from the past.
Actually, these verses, when people use to say, ‘Darkness is enveloped with darkness’, it wouldn’t make much sense, and Sanskrit and Vedic scholars were struggling to give some meaning to it. It appeared to be completely a meaningless – neither this nor that; it exists or it doesn't exist.

These sorts of words are good enough to confuse a person. I think with the discovery of Higgs Boson, you are able to understand these verses better, because this itself is called The Hymn of Creation. And it is not very straight, like there was a man and a woman and they fell in love, and they brought forth a progeny – it was not like this. The Hymn of Creation here is so mystical and so mysterious.

The mysticism in it is that it is said in the beginning there was neither Being nor Non-being. Neither Matter or Non-matter, and everything was beyond the space.

So, first of all, you should know space, and then you can know beyond the space.

Always they have said that the Brahman is Parame Vyoman (beyond space). You have to go beyond the space. And space is permeating the entire creation.

They have also said about the three types of space – BhutakashaChittakasha and Chidakasha; dissecting the three types of space and then finding.

The scientists never conclude things as an ultimate thing but they will always leave room for further research. They keep the things open-ended and so do the Vedas. They leave it at that. Maybe somebody will discover, somebody knows or somebody doesn't know. It is absolutely fascinating and interesting.


So we need to look at these Vedas, not from a traditional point of view but with a scientific temper. You need to probe into it with a scientific mind. Perhaps you may get some more ideas from this, or maybe not.

Why do we have so many Gods in Hinduism?


Do you know how many chromosomes there are in your body in total? Have you ever wondered how one cell develops into this very complex body? It is because it is programmed to do so, but it is just one cell.
If you go to a pastry shop, how many types of pastries are available there? Many, or is there just one pastry? Why? It is because the nature of the spirit is to love diversity. If God wanted you to have only one kind of fruit, he would have made only bananas and asked everyone to eat and go bananas! But no, the Divine loves diversity. Consciousness loves diversity.
With the same wheat, we make so many types of pastries. Similarly, there are so many types of pizzas and pastas. With rice, we make rice cakes, dim sums, pulao, and so many things. Why? Because nature loves diversity!
Do you think God, who loves diversity, will come in just one form every day? That God would also love to express himself or herself in diverse ways. This is what the ancient people in the Vedic times, the Hindus, thought. God loves diversity, so he can express himself in as many forms as he could, so 108 names and 108 forms or 1008 names and 1008 forms were expressed, but there is only one material – Divinity.
So, just like that, is the sun's rays one or many? There is only one sun, but when its rays passes through the prism, it splits into seven colors – VIBGYOR. Similarly, they say, there is one Param Atma, or Para Brahman, one divinity, but it expresses itself in many different ways.

If you go to a Catholic church, there is an altar for mercy, and an altar for healing, isn’t it? It is the same Mother Mary and the same Jesus Christ, but are there not many altars? This is present in old churches. Why have they kept so many. For different purposes!
Similarly, in this room, the chairs, tables, doors, and podium are all made of wood. But you cannot use the podium as the floor and nor can you use the door as a chair. So, for functional usage, they are different. In the same way, in Hindu tradition, it is said, 'Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti' – there is only one God, but it is perceived in many forms for different purposes. So, if you find obstacles, you go to Ganesha, the elephant God. You know, elephants never change their route if there are any obstacles. It never deviates from its path – never walks like a chicken. It walks with strength, so if you have obstacles, you go to Ganesha because that energy will help you in the difficulty you are currently having.
You know, one single human DNA strand contains the genetic code of all the other animals on the planet. With one human DNA strand, you can create any animal on the planet, but not vice-versa (laughter). That means, inside you, all these vibes are already present.
So, our ancients, I tell you, were tremendously intelligent. I have made a small booklet on the symbolism of all these Gods and Goddesses. Just read it. It is mind-boggling and fascinating. How could they put such a big elephant on a small rat? (Lord Ganesha and his vahana – the mouse) Any child would ask this question. And what does a rat symbolize? It symbolizes logic. The job of a rat is to cut the net – this is logic. On logic rides the power of knowledge, which is the elephant.
Similarly, Mother Divine is riding on the tiger. The tiger is the most brutal animal, so its cruelty on one hand, and the softness of the Mother on the other hand that are seen together for us to appreciate how opposite values complement each other. When compassion reigns over cruelty—when compassion is in control of the beast tendency—what reigns is motherhood. You can conquer cruelty not with another cruelty but with motherhood, with patience, with love. That’s the symbolism of Mother Divine riding on the tiger or lion.
Lion is the most powerful. Whenever society seems powerful and cruel, remember there is a compassionate element that is much more powerful and which rides on top of it. This is what the goddess being carried by a lion or tiger signifies.
So, if you go to the depth of it, you find each of the symbolisms startling and greatly beneficial.

You Are Responsible For Your Own Happiness


If you are sensitive and your intention is not to hurt anybody, that is good enough. But sometimes in spite of you being so cautious, some people get hurt. There is nothing that you can do about it. Some people feel that anything you say will hurt them. You compliment them and they think you are taunting them. You give them an honest feedback and they think that you are cruel and rude.
So there are some people who are in that mindset, they may feel upset anyway.
If you invite them for a party, they are unhappy because they think you are showing off. If you don’t invite them then of course, they feel that you don’t care for them. What do you do! So, you don’t worry about it. They have to deal with their hurt.
From your side, you don’t use harsh words. From your side be courteous. From your side be caring. That is all you can do. Don’t worry about what is going on in their minds because there are millions of people around and their minds are all going in different directions. You have no say over it. You cannot make everybody happy.
If two people don’t like each other and you talk to one of them, the other becomes your enemy automatically! If you are simply talking to one person, that can irritate somebody else because you spoke to them. And that is what is happening in the world today.
What is happening in Gaza? If you show sympathy for Gaza, or say something about it like, 'Oh it is wrong, so many children are dying', then Israel will get upset with you. And if you say, 'Israel is right', then Gaza will get upset about you. What do you do? That is why in this world you can’t make everyone happy. You listen to your conscience and see that to the maximum extent, from your side you have no intention to hurt anybody. That is good enough. You cannot be a football of so many people’s emotions and feelings; what they feel, what they don’t feel.
There is a saying in Sanskrit, 'There is no giver of happiness of misery. You create your own happiness and you become miserable on your own, and nobody can stop you from being miserable'.

Simple or Complex?


Life is utterly simple and yet most complex. You have to simultaneously attend to both facets of life. When life appears most complex, turn to the simplicity. Simplicity brings peace. When you are peaceful, attend to the complexity within you. That will make you more skilful. If you are only with simplicity, it makes you lazy and dull. Being only with complexity makes you angry and frustrated. The intelligent ones balance them and rejoice in both. If you look only to simplicity, growth is not there. Looking only at the complexity, there is no life at all. All that you need is a skilful balance. If you recognize both simplicity and complexity of life, you will be skilfully peaceful! Colors are the complexity of life. White is the simplicity. When your heart is pure, your life becomes so colorful.