How is boredom related to memory

 

In an ocean, the waves keep coming non-stop, it doesn’t get boring! Birds sing the same song, every morning, all their life, they don’t get bored! It is only human beings who get bored! ‘Oh! Once again the same thing.’ And why do you get bored? It is because of memory. You remember whatever you have done before, so you get bored.

Memory is both a blessing and a curse. It is because you get bored that you feel the need to look for something different, something new, and that is how creativity comes 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! 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 centered and steady in one place. So your mind aimlessly keeps jumping from one place to another. Because you get bored of everything, you can’t enjoy anything.

There are two different paths that boredom leads you to. Boredom is a blessing when it leads you to wisdom. Boredom is a curse when it leads you to frustration and depression. Because you are bored, you can’t enjoy it, and when you can’t enjoy it you get depressed and frustrated. Or, because you are bored you wake up and begin with a quest.

When life feels dull, there’s this magical moment where everything becomes lively. You can repeat the same thing over and over, and it won’t bother you. It’s like finding a spring of life. Just let go of the past, be like a carefree child, and every moment becomes priceless.

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. So boredom is both a blessing and a 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 stabilise. People who are in love don’t get bored. The heart knows no boredom. The head knows boredom.

There will be no contentment through pleasure

 

God created humanity and the whole world with so many different varieties, so many good things. God made so many types of vegetables and fragrances, flowers and thorns, dragons and horrors, to please humans and to keep them entertained. But humanity became more and more depressed. 

Then God acted tough and humans had to start pleasing Him. So humans kept themselves busy pleasing God and they became happier since they had no time to get worried or depressed. When you have someone to please, it keeps you on your toes and you are happier. But if your goal is just to please yourself, depression is sure to follow. 

Pleasure simply brings more craving but the problem is that we try to get contentment through pleasure. True contentment can only come through service.

Why we worship

 

For a flame to rise up, you need space above it. In the same way, for a man to rise up in his life, he needs an ideal, something to adore and worship. In worship, love, honor, respect and a sense of belongingness all come together. However, without a sense of belongingness, worship or idealism can lead to low self-esteem. Ancient people knew this so they insisted that people should feel a part of what they worship. They encouraged people to worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, plants, animals and other people. 

Worship is the culmination of love and appreciation. Worship prevents love from turning into hatred or jealousy, and prevents appreciation from becoming low self-esteem. In life, if you do not adore or appreciate anything, you will be filled with negativity; a person who has nothing to worship or adore is sure to fall into depression. 

Lack of adoration has led to many emotional, psychological and social problems in society. If you have nothing to hold high in life, selfishness, arrogance and violence are sure to follow. Adoring and honoring each other in society eliminates stress and fosters compassion and love. 

In the previous century, it was thought that worshipping was an uncivilized and unintelligent thing to do. Worship was thought to rise from a slavish mentality. In fact, it is just the contrary. Worship can only happen through gratefulness and not through subservience. Worship in a true sense is a sign of maturity and not of weakness. 

So, if worship is the culmination of love, does worship also have a culmination? The culmination of worship is self-knowledge, samadhi.

An insight into "ego"

 

Ego is an impediment for a leader, a wise man, a merchant, or a servant, but it is required for a warrior and a competitor. A warrior takes on challenges and commitments and stands by them. 

Ego makes you sacrifice yourself for a cause. Ego gives strength and courage and brings valor to meet challenges with endurance and perseverance. A strong ego will counteract depression. 

Ego is often considered selfish, but it is the greatest motivating factor for creativity and generosity. Ego propels you to venture into the unknown. 

There are three types of ego – sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. Tamasic ego is barbaric, blind and self-destructive. Rajasic ego is self-centered and causes misery to oneself and others. Sattvic ego is creative and has protective tendencies. If you cannot surrender, at least have a sattvic ego, as a sattvic ego is always ready to sacrifice.

Waking up from depression

 

Lack of idealism is the main cause of depression among young people today. Life appears to be so meaningless to these children, who are either too scared of the competitive world or bogged down by heavy stimuli. They need inspiration, and spirituality is that inspiration that can keep the spirit up.

Depression sets in if there is a lack of zeal to fight. Aggression is the antidote to depression. Depression is lack of energy. Anger and aggression are bolts of energy. When Arjuna was depressed, Krishna inspired him to fight and thus reinstated life back into him. 

If you are depressed, do not take Prozac - just fight for any cause. If aggression crosses a certain limit, it leads you back into depression. That is what happened when King Ashoka won the Kalinga War - he became depressed. He had to take refuge in Buddha. 

Wise are those who do not fall either into aggression or depression. That is the golden rule of a yogi. Just wake up and acknowledge you are a yogi.

Nourishing your emotions

 

A person without emotions is like wood without any juice. You need to make yourself interesting to inspire people to 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?” Service leads to the dynamic experience of heart. It creates a sense of belongingness.

Lack of service can lead a person to 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 will be 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.

Meditation can help create a society free from stress and violence

 

People die by suicide because they feel like there is no escape from misery. In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and isolated. Whether you are young or old, navigating the uncertainties of the future, and grappling with the pressures of daily life, it is crucial to remember that you are not alone. 

The foundation of our society lies in compassion, and there are people who genuinely care and are there to support you through thick and thin. While we openly talk about physical health issues like diabetes, mental health concerns often remain hidden due to stigma. Breaking this barrier is crucial. We must create a safe and understanding environment where people feel comfortable discussing their mental health struggles without fear of judgment. Just as we openly talk about a physical ailment, it is equally important to speak openly about depression or any mental health issue. 

When energy levels or prana (life force) goes down you get low and when it goes further down it can lead to suicidal tendencies. When the energy is high, this thought is less likely to arise. You will not be violent to yourself or others when your energy is high. Through proper breathing exercises, some meditation and good company, energy can go up. Anyone with suicidal tendencies should be guided into meditation and some breathing exercises to raise their energy level. Every day, for ten minutes, meditate and become hollow and empty. 

We need to create a society free from stress and violence, and the way for it is through meditation. Ensure you get good sleep. Utilise free time to exercise, jog or run for better circulation. Engage in reading books that uplift your spirits like Bhagvad Gita and Upanishads. Stay busy with knowledge, music, and seva (service) to prevent recurring negative thoughts. 

Let us assure the younger generation, and everyone else that they are not alone in this journey of life. Let’s break the silence around mental health and embrace the power of social connection. Together, we can make a difference in each other’s lives, spreading hope, and lighting up the world with the warmth of human kindness.

Cultivate the joy of giving

 

There is a certain joy in getting something. That’s the joy children experience when they get things like toffees and toys. Parents and grandparents feel happy when they give. The joy in giving is much more fulfilling than the joy of receiving. Have you noticed how happy we feel when we share? When we see a good movie, for instance, we tell everybody about it, even recommending that they must see it. The moviemaker is not giving us any commission to do that! We just feel that our loved ones should have the same experience. Or an elderly lady who cooks different dishes for her grandchildren derives an enormous happiness from doing so. People who give, experience more happiness than people who receive. Graduating from the mindset of taking to that of giving purifies the mind and brings immense joy.

There are three ways to purify the mind. Yagna or collective action that purifies not just our minds and bodies but the environment as well. There are different kinds of yagnas – jnana yagna, dravya, japa and dhyana yagna, for example. Among these, dhyana yagna, a group of individuals that collect to sing and meditate, is considered the highest. When we sing, chant or listen to chants, the sound vibrations penetrate every cell of our being and purifies the whole system. Likewise, when many people meditate together, the impact multiples manifold.

When we do daana, charity, or help someone who is really in need, the sigh of relief from that soul brings positive vibrations to you. These good deeds bring you merit, which in turn helps you go deep in meditation and elevate your consciousness. If we think of how we can be useful to those around us, we can never get depressed. People who get depressed do not know this. They get depressed because they keep thinking only about themselves. If they start to give or serve they will notice that their depression has vanished.

Tapas is the endurance of discomfort or restraining the senses. The practice of knowledge, wisdom, meditation, yoga, pranayama, and fasting, all come under tapas. If you are unhappy, one way to get out of your sorrow is tapas. Tapas is being in total acceptance of the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant.

All three, yagna, daana and tapas, purify our minds, consciousness and actions. They are, however, not one-time actions, but are to be done repeatedly. Make it a habit. Whenever we get an opportunity to be useful, we should embrace it. If, despite our meditation and other practices, we feel discomfort, we should do something to bring happiness and comfort to others. Giving is essential for spiritual growth. Willingness to share what we have and to help others without expecting anything in return, is called seva. Seva connects us to others. It dissolves barriers that separate our happiness from their happiness. We can serve others in endless ways. Serving in whatever possible manner we can, whether by contributing our time, donating money or just by speaking about positive things, will change our consciousness.

Let’s ask ourselves, “How can we be useful to people around us, and to the whole world?” Then our hearts start to blossom. The best seva is helping someone to understand this eternal nature of life. Life is a journey, moving from the joy of taking, to the joy of giving.

Life is a continuous process of learning to "let go"

This is what we need to do, simply come in front of the table. If you are behind the table, you are half known; in front of the table you are fully there. Right?

Someone asked me, "How do you manage this huge organisation, 152 countries, how do you manage?" I said, ‘I don’t manage at all, it gets managed. I simply don’t meddle with anything, simply let it happen.’

The whole philosophy of the life is based on letting go. Are you with me? What’s happening in your mind right now? What’s next? Right? Suppose I don’t say anything would you still like to be here? I say nothing and I am going to just sit back. Now? See, watch the mind, when you are screening there is an expectation. There is something that you want to happen in next one hour, you want to know the secret of whole life or purpose of it or something, right? Something exciting, yes? Suppose I do nothing, I don’t say anything; would you still like to be here?

This is letting go. Letting go is what? You are stuck in a traffic jam and your car is behind fifty cars. There is no way you can go back or go forward and you are running out of time. What do you do? You are upset. You simply have to let go! Correct? You have gone to catch a flight, the flight is late. You are sitting in the flight and it is delayed. What do you do? Running your eyes up and down in the air, on the plane, it is not going to help.

Life is a continuous process of teaching you to ‘let go’. I wouldn’t say the word acceptance because acceptance has a little connotation of lethargy or what do you call ‘chalta hai’ (everything goes). When we hold on to them, then they become a reason for tension. If you allow the universe to work through you, you will find life takes you to another level of existence.

You know, for any success to happen what matters? First of all, it comes as a thought. Thought get translated into action. First a thought gets translated into will, if it becomes a will then it gets translated into action and action in turn brings success. See, you aspire success but you are not taking those steps, not attending to the steps behind success. We want success, we only make use of the aspect of action but not every action will lead to success. 

If you go to Karol Bagh (in New Delhi), one shop may be running at a loss while the adjacent shop might be making a profit. What is the reason? There is something behind the scenes, what that is? That is what we need to see. That same thing, if we can catch hold of it, is the secret to success. Before success, action is necessary and behind action intention is necessary. How to strengthen our intention? That is the skill. Intention will be strong only when we learn to let go. Are you listening?

Competitive world brings out the best in you. When you can attend to the core of talent, no competition is there. When inner strength comes, there is no competition. You excel in whatever you do. 

A successful businessman always believes that something more than his effort has gone into it. It is not his effort that is bringing him luck, there is more. Recharge yourself again and again. See, you have seen you are constantly changing; you are different than what you were 5 years ago. So much within you has changed; those who are with you have also changed within. Change is the phenomenon of the universe. If it’s changing and you are not, you are stuck; not letting go means you are stuck in a position. Then there is depression, frustration, etc. 

In Europe, thirty percent people are in depression and in the coming fifteen years it may go up to fifty percent. Every other person you name in Europe is depressed or will be on Prozac. Here also, in Indian cities, it has started now, ‘I am very depressed.’ Have you ever heard of this word ‘depression?’ At least I had not heard. Even in Delhi how much depression has risen, tension has increased, why? We forgot to look into the core of life. What is life? Who am I? What do I want? This spirit of self enquiry can trigger something inside you.

As human beings everyone has needs, everybody has some responsibilities also. Now if you make a list of your responsibilities and your needs, compare them, and if needs are more than responsibilities, then you will not be a very happy person. Your enthusiasm will become lesser and lesser. If you have few responsibilities and more desires, life will lose its flavour and become dry. If we want to be happy, what should we do? Reduce your needs and increase your responsibilities. 

So today, when you get home make a list - what are my responsibilities, what all responsibilities I would like to take in the future and what are my needs. You will see that it will bring a sudden shift in you. You will start realising, ‘What have I been doing all my life? I should wake up now; it’s high time I should take more responsibility.’ When you take more responsibility more power comes to you. Everything begins to happen by itself. As you take on more responsibilities and reduce your needs, you find your needs get fulfilled on their own.

Cause of depression

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 dear, 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 through 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 criticise you, so what? Those who criticise you are also going to die, so what? All finished! And you the one being criticised 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. One, 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 do they have time to think about you? 

You know, I remember a case of a very respectable lady in India. She was very proud of 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 family and it was not a match; her shape and look was very different from his. It was very different. 

So the mother got 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.

Honour killing that happens in many places; it’s horrible. Honour killing is not because God is going to be angry with 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 arise because of a person's inner anxiety. So be natural and be open.

I don’t find it is difficult, I find it’s the easiest.

What happens if one commits suicide?

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 for? These hankering are boiling desires and it’s creating this foolish idea inside you to commit suicide.


Dedicate your life for a social cause, for some higher cause. If you feel you have to commit suicide, I tell you I need you to do my work, 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.

How does one balance wisdom and emotions and avoid depression?

When you feel you are getting into depression it is wisdom that takes you out of it. It is emotion that sinks you into depression and it is wisdom which takes you out of the depression.

At least you had this intention to ask the question. Wanting to know the answer itself shows there is some wisdom there.

Often depressed people don’t talk at all. They don’t answer, they don’t ask questions and they don’t want to do anything. But this is good, you have this much wisdom that you wanted to ask this question. You wanted to get out of depression. You are already out of it, okay!

Do Sudarshan Kriya and some more advance courses and you will easily come out completely.

Avoiding depression

You are going into depression because you want too much, too quickly, too soon, and there is no energy to get it. That could be the reason for depression.

See life from a broader perspective. If you listen to knowledge and live the knowledge, then you cannot be depressed. Listen to the Ashtavakra Gita. Anyone who has a little bit of dispassion cannot go into depression. Lack of dispassion is the cause of depression.

Pranayama, kriya and meditation will get you out of this.

Seva is the 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.

Where to get the courage to face fears

Know that you are not alone, and there is a universal power that loves you, and is with you. When you remember that you are being loved very dearly, fear vanishes. All your troubles begin because you don’t believe you are being loved very dearly. That is where the whole problem starts, and you start behaving in ways that pushes everybody away. You create misery for yourself, because you doubt yourself. Am I good enough? Am I being loved? Does God love me or not? Do people love me or not? These sort of doubts.

Just take it for granted that you are loved and liked, even if you’re a buffoon. Even if you are a clown, you are loved and enjoyed. People like you however you are.
Just move on, don’t sit and spend too much time worrying about yourself, examining yourself, and re-examining. Just take up a commitment and do what you need to do, and take deep rest with dispassion. 

Three things are essential, Passion, Dispassion and Compassion.

When you have passion, you don’t worry. When you don’t have passion, that is when you sit and worry. Hesitation comes when you lack passion. Without passion, life loses all its charm and you slip into depression. Passion is essential; invoke the passion. 

Not only passion, dispassion is also essential. People tell you that you should be passionate, but I say you should also have dispassion. Dispassion is often thought to be a depressed state of affairs. People look very depressed and think this is dispassion. This is a completely wrong understanding. 

Dispassion makes you centered. It keeps your smile and equanimity. It keeps the intellect sane and emotions balanced. When you have dispassion you will stop complaining about anything to anybody. The world is the way it is, you won’t complain about people or situations, and you won’t complain about yourself. That is dispassion. 

Many times we complain about others, including the ones we love the most. We make the other person defensive, or make them give explanations. It is such a headache! 

Initially I used to get swayed by this. People would say, ‘You don’t look at me’, or ‘You don’t talk to me’, or ‘Are you angry with me’, my goodness! These days I do not answer such questions. If you think so, let it be. So be it. Never mind! When you get beaten up a little bit by your own emotions, that makes you strong somewhere. 

It’s all just a matter of wanting attention. You give attention and they are alright. Just like babies – if you don’t attend to them they throw tantrums just to draw your attention. Have you noticed this? When you have guests at home and you are busy talking to them, that is when the children want to show you their paintings. They have already shown it to you ten times. But when you are having an important discussion, they come and disturb you! You wonder that this child was quiet, what happened all of a sudden! 

We have not grown up from that stage, we always want attention from people. And for this attention we create tension for the others. 

So with dispassion, you neither have attention deficiency, nor do you have any tension. You won’t sit and crave for attention. Dispassion is essential. 

One more thing that is really beneficial is compassion. When you have compassion it propels you, it motivates you. When you have compassion for those who do wrong, you don’t feel hatred or bitterness towards them. Compassion greases passion and dispassion, and balances them out.

Don't hang on to the past

There is no way you are in satsang and you are depressed!

See sometimes this is what happens when you go to psychologists. They give you an idea that you are depressed. And then you put this idea into your mind, ‘Oh! I am depressed!’

So you are reaffirming something which is not a permanent thing. No mental state is a permanent state. So you are trying to reinforce and reaffirm, ‘I am depressed’ even when you are not.

You start saying ‘Yes, I am depressed’. 

This is the danger when people who do not know anything about the mind, about the psyche and about meditation or consciousness, give advice in the name of psychology. It is such a miserable thing.

I have seen relationships between parents and children get spoiled by psychologists and psychiatrists. A child had such a good relationship with his parents but after some consultation or counseling with the psychologists, something happened, and he started hating his own parents.

There was a businessman here at the ashram for the past one and a half months. He came all the way from Paris. This person had a sleeping disorder. He was given so many medications.

Usually for sleep doctors give a dose of ten milligrams; this man was taking a hundred and fifty milligrams. Ten times the normal dose of the medicine. He looked like a zombie and kept having panic attacks and his whole system was bad.

I told him, ‘now, I want to take away all your medications.’ We took away his medications and he said, ‘but, I don’t sleep’. Our doctors attended to him, all our teachers attended to him. He was snoring loudly and when you snore loudly, it means you are sleeping. After snoring for four hours he wakes up and says, ‘I did not sleep. I have a sleeping problem.’

The doctors who attended to him said, ‘Guruji, he snored so loudly!’

But this gentleman had this idea, I have sleeping disorder so I have to take this medication. Without this medication I cannot sleep.

Sometimes, you have this idea, whatever doctors say is absolute truth. Like the placebo effect. Doctor says, ‘Take this tablet and you’ll be fine’, and you take a sugar pill and say, ‘Ah! This is very effective’. A sugar pill can take away your headache.

If the doctor tells you, ‘you suffer from deep depression’, you take it in your mind and in your heart. You say, ‘I suffer from depression’.

Your mind is like a river, it is changing all the time. That is what Lord Buddha said, ‘your mind is like a river’.

All the ancient people who studied consciousness have said, ‘You can’t take a dip in the same river twice’. So, don’t believe you are the same person. Your mind is changing all the time.

Be in the present moment, now! Now! Now!

Bury the past and move on. Where is the depression? Your depression is because you are hanging onto the past or you are over-ambitious. You have the capability to manage a school but you want to become the Prime Minister of the country. Then depression comes when you feel you cannot achieve it.

Don’t hang on to the past or don’t be too feverish or over-ambitious about the future.

Finding the right balance through meditation

Today scientists say, if you meditate even for eight weeks at least once a day, the grey matter in the brain increases and the structure of the brain changes. That's what I have been saying for the last 35-40 years. Today scientists have said the same thing, they have authenticated it in some way – that meditation does so much good to your nervous system and it does so much good to your brain. It creates a positive energy around you, it uplifts your spirit and alters your behavior pattern.

World Health Organization says that the biggest challenge that mankind is facing today is depression, and by the year 2020 depression is going to be much more prevalent. If half the population are on anti-depressants, then that is going to be terrible. Even anti-depressants work for some time and then they stop working. So, we need to bring a lifestyle change in people by making them understand how they can handle their own mind, their energy and their vibrations.

We live in era of quantum physics and today quantum physics says this is all about vibration. The whole world is nothing but vibrations, and this is what spirituality also says – it's all vibration. So, we need to teach people how they can shake off all the stress that accumulates on a day-to-day basis.

30 years ago, when I would talk about yoga or meditation, people would say, “Wow, that's not the normal thing to do. Someone who is crazy would go for all this”. That was the paradigm, that was the assumption people had. Today it has changed. Today, big companies, like Daimler Chrysler Benz, show someone in a meditative pose to depict happiness in their advertising. Relaxation and happiness has become synonymous to meditation. I feel there's a big change in the mindset of the people.

Worship - A Sign of Maturity

For a flame to rise, you need space above it. In the same way, for a man to rise up in his life, he needs an ideal, he needs something to adore and worship.

What is Worship?

Worship is the culmination of love and appreciation. In worship, a sense of belongingness, love, honour, and respect, all come together.

Without a sense of belongingness, worship or idealism can bring low self-esteem. The ancient people knew this, and so they insisted that people should feel part of what they worship. They encouraged people to worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, plants, animals, and people.

Why is Worship Important?

Worship prevents love from turning into hatred or jealousy, and prevents appreciation from becoming low self-esteem. In life, if you do not adore or appreciate anything, you will be filled with negativity. And a person who has nothing to worship or adore is sure to fall into depression.

Lack of adoration has led to many emotional, psychological, and social problems in society. If you have nothing to hold up high in life, selfishness, arrogance, and violence are sure to follow. Adoring and honoring each other in society eliminates stress and fosters compassion and love.

In the previous century, it was thought that worshipping was an uncivilized and unintelligent thing to do. Worship was thought to rise from a slavish mentality. In fact, it is just the contrary. Worship can only happen through gratefulness and not through subservience. Worship in the true sense is a sign of maturity and not weakness.

Finding a balance in life through meditation

How does one find balance in life? Through meditation. Today scientists say, if you meditate even for eight weeks at least once a day, the grey matter in the brain increases and the structure of the brain changes. That's what I have been saying for the last 35-40 years. Today scientists have said the same thing, they have authenticated it in some way – that meditation does so much good to your nervous system and it does so much good to your brain. It creates a positive energy around you, it uplifts your spirit and alters your behavior pattern.

World Health Organization says that the biggest challenge that mankind is facing today is depression, and by the year 2020 depression is going to be much more prevalent. If half the population are on anti-depressants, then that is going to be terrible. Even anti-depressants work for some time and then they stop working. So, we need to bring a lifestyle change in people by making them understand how they can handle their own mind, their energy and their vibrations.

We live in era of quantum physics and today quantum physics says this is all about vibration. The whole world is nothing but vibrations, and this is what spirituality also says – it's all vibration. So, we need to teach people how they can shake off all the stress that accumulates on a day-to-day basis.

30 years ago, when I would talk about yoga or meditation, people would say, “Wow, that's not the normal thing to do. Someone who is crazy would go for all this”. That was the paradigm, that was the assumption people had. Today it has changed. Today, big companies like Daimler Chrysler, Benz, etc., show someone in a meditative pose to depict happiness in their advertising. Relaxation and happiness has become synonymous to meditation. I feel there's a big change in the mindset of the people.

Yoga - The best app for life!

Yoga is the way to realize the ultimate truth referred to in Vedanta and universal energy field in Quantum physics. The sublime and imperceptible truth of Vedanta is made more concrete through Yoga. It is the launching pad for one’s journey into inner space.

Yoga is the key that opens the floodgates of happiness ‑‑ for an individual as well as the community. It annihilates the personal and collective misery that comes through individualistic and egoistic tendencies.

Yoga not only brings mundane benefits such as health and vibrancy, but also uplifts the spirit and enhances intuitive ability which is much needed for governance. It brings skill in action, helping one manage challenging situations without getting stressed.

Every child is a born yogi. Till the age of three children all over the world naturally perform many yoga postures and mudras. The baby’s state of mind and breathing patterns are very similar to that of a yogi. Yoga brings up that child-like beauty and innocence in us.

It is a very well known fact that yoga has helped countless people recover from many illnesses. It can instantly bring about complete balance in one’s personality; it corrects extreme complexes and tendencies. In fact, yoga holds out the promise of many solutions that today’s behavior sciences are looking for.

When people have a glimpse of the meditative experience their life gets totally transformed. We have seen this in prisons also- when the inmates start with basic pranayama, they move into meditation easily and their character starts reflecting the yamas and niyamas (the social and personal codes of conduct as enunciated by Maharishi Patanjali). From militants and prisoners to monks and poets, yoga can radically transform the lives of people in ways inconceivable. It softens the heart, sharpens the intellect and clears confusion.

In this century, when depression is one of the biggest challenges the world faces, yoga is undoubtedly the best app that everyone must download in their life.

Like science, sports and culture, the philosophy & discipline of yoga also need state patronage to flourish. After so many years of being denied its true place in the guise of secularism, it is highly refreshing to see yoga receiving a big push from our Hon. Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi.

When people at the helm of affairs practise yoga, it brings greater harmony and less of one-upmanship and rhetoric. If heads of all nations start adhering to the wisdom of yoga, true world peace would soon be attainable.