Saving the nation, together

The job is not just mine. We all will do it together. 

Bring about a wave in the nation of happiness, joy, sincerity, this is very necessary. A wave of spirituality should definitely come up. And those youngsters who are willing to work with me, I need them to do work in the society. We will go to each area and we will do work to reform the society. 

Two years ago we had started ‘Save Yamuna’ project and it is not done yet. More people should join that movement. There are 18 streams that are flowing into it. Those who are interested should come together and pressurize the government to clean it.

Read Celebrating Silence, meditate and do Sudarshan Kriya. Each one of you is a treasure of knowledge and love. I want to tell you about pravriti and nivriti. A satvik intellect will know pravriti and nivriti. 

When you are going to do a job, you need to identify the problems in it and make it alright. When we are doing meditation, we need to accept that everything is fine. God has made everything fine. Then the meditation will be deep.  

But we do the opposite. When we work, we think, this will be like this only, what we can do and we become lazy. But when we are doing meditation all the complaints come up in the mind. Then both rest and work are not happening properly. 

So when work has to happen, see the problems and with enthusiasm do the work. When you are meditating, have the feeling that everything is alright; God will make everything alright, I am just a tool. 

When you are resting deeply, you will be successful in your work. So this is a satvik intellect that recognizes pravriti and nivriti.

Same way, accept the past as destiny. Whatever has happened, it has happened. Think of the future as free will and be in the present moment. It is foolishness thinking that past was free will and future as destiny. 

An intelligent person thinks that past is destiny, future is free will and is in the present moment.

I want all the youth to make a commitment with me that we will bring a transformation in society and in ourselves as well. In a country where the youth has awakened, the country also has awakened. I am so pleased that so many youth are so connected and so joyful.

Who is an Youth?

Where there is victory, the joyous cry or sound one makes for victory is called Jayakara. In the same way, Chitkara means the place where one’s spirit awakens and is uplifted. Chitta also means spirit in Hindi. There are diverse meanings of the word Chitta.

Once I was conducting an event in a large stadium in Pune. The event went on for one whole week. Initially my plan was to return after visiting Solan in Himachal Pradesh. But then quite suddenly my travel plans changed and it got decided that we would also be visiting Chandigarh before returning back. In the same way, the Pune event too was decided in a very short span of time – the plan was made in roughly 10 days.

After the program ended, one of the youth volunteers from the event told me, “Gurudev, the entire event happened so smoothly. There were no troubles or obstacles of any kind”. Hearing this I thought, is it a youth or an old person who is driving the car? You know, a youth is one who is always ready to take on challenges as they come. If one expects or waits for everything to be smooth and hassle-free, then that person is not a youth. When the person heard what I said, he was quite astonished. I explained that it is in old age that one expects everything to be smooth and free from difficulty. If one has to go from here to Delhi, one can very easily catch a bus or a train to travel. But when someone makes the same trip an adventure, then that person is a Youth.

Signs of a youth:

1. Being ready to take on challenges
2. Undying enthusiasm!

When you light a candle and turn it upside down, the flame still burns upwards. That is how our life should also be – regardless of which direction life goes, the spirit should always move upwards. One who is able to maintain his sense of enthusiasm regardless of the situation in life is a youth in the true sense. Enthusiasm is a sign of youth.

What do you think are the challenges that come to you in life? One of them is when you think, “Oh, how will my life be in the future? Will I get a job? Will I be able to make it as an entrepreneur? Will my business thrive?”

There is some kind of insecurity in your mind about yourself. Or you worry by thinking, “Oh, will I pass my exams? What marks will I score? Will I get a seat while applying to colleges for higher studies?” These kinds of insecurities suppress your potential. This is where you need a firm foundation, or an anchor to which you can place all your faith in; which makes you believe that you can overcome and progress forward.

I want to share a story of Shivaji Maharaj with you. After a long battle, Shivaji Maharaj grew very tired, and felt that he could not continue fighting any further. He grew dejected and began to feel very insecure. You know, whenever one feels insecure, the Guru appears in life to take care. Samarth Ramdas Maharaj was Shivaji’s Guru. So, Samarth Ramdas Ji came to the Shivaji’s court to meet him. He said to Shivaji, “My dear, I have come to ask something from you”.

It is said that, if your Guru asks you for your head, know that even that is too little a price he is asking from you. 
Shivaji replied, “Gurudev, my entire life is yours. I am ready to lay my head at your feet. Please ask what you seek and it is yours.”
Samarth Ramdasji said, “I want your kingdom.”
Without thinking for even a second, Shivaji Maharaj took off his royal turban, and sword and surrendered them at the feet of his Guru. He said, “Gurudev, you have freed me so totally today from all my worries and concerns. You have taken away such a heavy burden, for which I am grateful. I bow to you again and again.”
Saying this, Shivaji rose and turned to walk away. At that moment, Samarth Ramdasji stopped him and said, “My dear, stop! Indeed from this day on I am the King of the Kingdom. Now, you shall fight for me as my trusted warrior to protect my kingdom. Now wear this crown again for namesake, take up your sword and fight your enemies bravely without any concerns.”
It is said, since that day, Shivaji Maharaj never experienced any sense of insecurity ever again. He never lost courage and kept on moving forward in his activities and conquests. He became invincible in battle.

So from this story, you should know that there is a Supreme power which is with you, and is taking care of you at all times. We may call that power as Waheguru, Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman, or as the all-encompassing syllable Om. Just knowing this gives you great inner strength.

Even the tenth Guru of the Sikh tradition said, “Chant the name of the Divine; it brings you great strength of mind and equanimity in life”. A strong and steady mind can pull through even if the body is weak. But if the mind is weak and entangled in negativity, then it cannot move even a physically strong body forward. That is why it is so vital to have a strong and steady mind. Remember to keep insecurities from overwhelming the mind.

Now, you may have a good business which your parents would have set up over the years, and after your studies, you may plan to take up the family business forward. In such case you may not have any insecurity about your future. But even then, do you know what you may fear? You may succumb to fearing humiliation. Many of us have this feeling that no one should criticize or insult us. I tell you, this is the biggest stumbling block in your path to progress. Many great people are troubled with this fear of humiliation.

A person could be the Prime Minister of a country, or a Chief Minister, or a Mayor of a city. But when there is a constant fear of humiliation in the mind, then your spirit cannot blossom totally from within as long as you are stuck with this fear.

In life, we run away from every possible where we fear being humiliated. This fear prevents you from blossoming from within, from being so natural. I tell you, just stand tall with your head held high and have this firm belief, “I do not fear criticism and insult, regardless of who may do so”. That’s it. When you challenge humiliation itself and stand tall before it, then no one can diminish your self-confidence and your talents. No one can make you unhappy in the world then.

You should have this approach in life, “At most, what will the other person call me? That I am a fool? Let them do so freely, I will not fear that”. We need to strive to overcome this fear of humiliation. 

Alright, I want to ask one more thing from you all – Are you all naughty? (Many in the audience shout “Yes!” as Gurudev asks). Good, you better be naughty I tell you. Otherwise you will lose your qualification to be called as a Youth. If you are not being mischievous in life, I tell you, you have certainly grown old in life.

My dear, what is the use of getting so troubled with small trivial issues in life? Just relax and be happy. This is the time to be happy and playful. Laugh and make others laugh, neither get entangled nor entangle others in life. That’s it!

When you take science and spirituality together, then you will progress in life

Bangalore, India, Nov. 15:

Q. When everything is God’s will, why is there a need for spirituality?
Sri Sri: We are made up of both, matter and spirit. The spirit needs spirituality, the body (matter) has some material needs and our spirit is nourished by spirituality. You cannot live life without spirituality. Do you want peace? Do you want joy? Do you want happiness? We think spirituality means going to a temple, church or a mosque.  Spirituality is human values. Without human values, life is meaningless. If someone asks, why do you need human values, you would say, it is a silly question. There is no point in living like an animal, when you are a human being. Living with human values is being human.

Man has some needs and takes responsibilities. When needs are less and responsibilities are more, life is good. When needs are more and responsibilities are few, life is not so good. Some needs could be there but if you take very few responsibilities, then you are unhappy. It is not a spiritual life. Bharathiyaar, Kamraj and Gandhi took responsibility for the whole country and see the way they lived - their needs were minimum.

Take more responsibility. If the father does not take responsibility for the children and their needs, will they listen to him? Only those who take responsibility, gain authority. People in politics ought to take responsibility for the whole nation. But if they rise in power by corrupt means, the fall is certain.
When we take more responsibility, how do we manage them? The ability to take responsibility beyond our capacity and manage it comes from spirituality.

Q. Why is it that even when I follow good things, bad things follow me?
Sri Sri: If you sow a neem tree, will mangoes grow in it? You have to be intelligent. You may be a good person, yet are you intelligent? If you’re good and you put your hand in fire, you will still get burnt. You have to be good and intelligent. Use your buddhi (intelligence) and use it well. We use our intelligence only for corruption and not to be a good person. We think we are good, others are bad. It’s not like that. There is some goodness in everybody. Spirituality increases it. Even when problems are there, they teach us something – we get a depth. Happiness brings expansion, Difficulties bring depth.

Q. What is your advice for our youth?
Sri Sri: Take both, the modern and the ancient, and move ahead. The roots are spirituality, our tradition and culture. The leaves and branches are science. When you take science and spirituality together, then you will progress in life.
Sometimes in the name of spirituality, we follow superstitions or thinking we are scientific, we ignore our traditions. That is not the way. You must take the middle path. Honor and respect our traditions, have a scientific outlook and whatever good we can do for others, keep doing.

Q. What is man’s highest duty?
Sri Sri: If you think something is your duty, there is no love in it. Sometimes you even get headaches because you feel burdened by the duty. When you do something with love, that is the best. When you take responsibility with love, then it is not a burden to you. It becomes like a puja and that is the best. If you think that doing puja itself is a duty, then there is no benefit in doing it at all.

If a father thinks, ‘I have to get my daughter married somehow and get rid of my responsibilities’ then it becomes a burden. But if he thinks of her marriage with love, then the whole event is a celebration and there is joy for everybody.  So, take responsibility with love and take responsibility for the whole world. Start with small steps. First your family, then neighbors, society, village - nobody should be sad in your village! This attitude will make your heart blossom. When the heart blossoms, there is happiness. Divinity resides in a blossomed heart. You don’t have to go anywhere and search for the Divine. His home will be in your heart.

Q. Why do disasters and natural calamities happen?
Sri Sri: We are exploiting the planet, using atom bombs, bursting them under water - so many nuclear weapons are being tested secretly under the water like this. The earth cannot bear it. Trees are being cut, so many toxins are being pumped into the ground, the earth is being mined and all the minerals are being removed – all this has to change. We must promote chemical-free farming methods. Our country’s corn is small. Imported corn is bigger. Our rice grains are small, imported grains are larger. But our grains are much more healthy. We must protect our indigenous seeds. Our cow’s dung and urine has medicinal properties. Protect desi cows and seeds. Imported hybrid seeds give good yield for the first two or three years but deplete the soil completely. Thousands of farmers in Maharashtra committed suicide because of this. We must encourage natural methods of farming.


Q. What do I do so that everything I wish for comes true?
Sri Sri: Think carefully! If everything you wish for comes true, you will be asking ‘why!’ very soon! A king prayed to God to grant him a boon – that everything he touched should turn to gold. God granted his wish and he was very happy - but only for a few minutes. He was thirsty and wanted water. It turned to gold as he touched it. His food turned into gold and even his little daughter, when he touched her. The king became very disturbed and prayed that the boon be taken away.

Just look back and see – as a child, what did you want to become? An engine driver? Nowadays children have many toys. Around 3—40 years ago, the only thing a child wanted to be was an engine-driver or a pilot. Many things that you desired, you have stopped liking them now. The Divine will give what is best for you. Move ahead with that faith. If you have a desire, don’t think that you should not pray for it. Just think – Let me get this, or something better.

Q. Why is communism opposed to spirituality?
Sri Sri: Whichever direction you take, you will meet at some point as the earth is spherical. Communism and spirituality may seem to be opposing to each other but they will meet eventually.
Did you know that the Chinese government has added the need for spirituality in the Chinese Constitution? Prosperity, development and spirituality must be made available to every person in China.
You know, very few people hate spirituality. Look into the depth of your heart. Either there is faith or fear in the Divine. What is the most important principle of communism? That everybody should get everything. Spirituality also says the same thing. See others as yourself. See the same good in all.

Q. If all are God’s children, why is there a difference between people?
Sri Sri: We make the difference. Some get ‘A’ grades or ‘B’ grades in school. We may have different talents and qualities. Some can lift 100 kilograms, some ten and some cannot even lift two.
Each person is unique in what they can do but at another level, everyone is the same. The blood in every person is red. Whatever breed a cow may be, the milk will be the same color.
No two people will have the same fingerprints. If you look at our qualities and talents, we are all unique. At the level of love, we are all the same. There is no difference.
A small child will not eat ten idlis. If you give an adult, a small cup and spoon, will it do? Capacities are different, yet everyone is the same.

Q. Can yagyas and mantras burn karma?
Sri Sri: Meditation and pranayam will burn karma. Yagyas also do it. However without being in a meditative space, yagyas do not give the same benefits.

Q. What makes a person an achiever: science or spirituality?
Sri Sri: While watching television, what is more important? Seeing or hearing? You need both.
In the same way, in life too, we need both.

Q. Why are spiritual leaders mostly men?
Sri Sri: Spirituality transcends gender. Men and women are equal. There are many vacancies here for women who would like to become swamis also! They should come to the forefront as well.

Q. What is the difference between mind and intellect?
Sri Sri: This is like asking me, what is the difference between a jack fruit and a banana? If they are the same, you would not ask. The mind is not in one place, it surrounds the body.

Q. Will seva help to destroy the ego?
Sri Sri: If you have ego, keep it in your pocket. Don’t try to destroy it because that effort will only increase it. Be natural like a child. If it’s there, doesn’t matter. When you feel a separation or distance between yourself and others, then ego arises. We don’t have ego with our family or those who are closest with us. Similarly we don't have an ego issues with people whom we don’t know at all. It happens only with people we know a little. We develop an ego. If everybody belongs to you, or nobody belongs to you, then there is no ego.

It is important to have child-like naturalness. When we are worried about what other people are saying about us, then there is ego. Even when you are doing good, there will be some people who will find fault with it. Similarly, there will be people to praise even if the person is corrupt. So, don't worry about it. If you make a mistake, accept it. That is intelligence. In the same way, others can also make mistakes. Don’t wait for them to ask for forgiveness. You forgive and move on. A mistake happened. Drop it. Don’t keep thinking of past mistakes and chewing on it like gum. It is like churning up a pile of garbage. You must save your mind at all costs.

If you save your mind, then you can be free from desires and needs. When you can bless others, even their needs are fulfilled. That’s why people take blessings from the elders of the house. As you grow older, you become more content. But that is not the case all the time. As people grow older, they collect worries and desires. Only when you are free from worries and desires, you gain the capacity to bless. At some point, you have to say, ‘I am content’. That strength comes from spirituality.
When you realize who you are, all your needs are fulfilled. Your biggest enemy is your mind. That is why we do so many things to calm the mind. Take blessings and be happy.
Many millions have benefitted from the Sudarshan Kriya. Many, many are waiting. Take a sankalpa – ‘Let the whole world also get the joy that I have got.’

Q. Should I listen to my wife or Guru?
Sri Sri: This is a trick question but I am not going to get caught!(Laughs) If your wife says something, you will say, ‘Let me listen to my Guru’ and if your Guru says something, you will say, ‘What to do, my wife does not agree!’ Finally you will do only what you want! This has been the case with man always! So I say, "Choice is yours, blessings mine!’

Q. Sometimes, doing seva, I get tired and frustrated.
Sri Sri: That can happen. When you’re in activity, there will be fatigue in the body, the energy levels can go down. Sometimes this happens due of the effect of time as well. However, we must simply continue and not stop. A little pranayam and meditation can restore your energy levels and refresh you. This is where satsang is so important. We are recharged when we sit in satsang and can do seva with renewed energy.


© The Art of Living Foundation

"Love with wisdom leads you to bliss."

Continued from the last post..

Q: A lot of spirituality text talks about controlling our mind and channelising our thoughts. But practically for most of us that’s a difficult job to do. Request you to give us practical tips on this.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Ya, that’s exactly what we are going to do now. Meditation. You will know then how we will deal with the thoughts.

Q: How does one drop a tendency to judge people? How do you drop judgment?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Oh!(laughs) it can stop by itself. Once you know you are judging, you only come out of it. See, you cannot do anything about the past. The moment you become aware I was judging, I was judgemental, you are already out of it. You simply see, when you turn back and see how many times you had judgements about people, and they all proved to be wrong more or less, most of them. So with your own experience, you grow into wisdom. It cannot be induced from outside. You have to have this from inside. You have to look back and see how was it. What did I do?

Q: You talked about the village. What changed them? What was done in that village practically?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Meditation, breathing, just educating them and singing together. Everyone comes together in the evening and starts singing, everyday. Once a week they have this preeti bhoj when everybody eats together. An inspirational programme called Youth Leadership Training programme gave them the inspiration.

Q: Can we try one in Gurgaon villages?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We can, definitely.

Q: Can I be a part of that?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Definitely. Most welcome.

Q: Will you sing with us today?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Well, we will do meditation of course.

Q: An India specific question - Can business and ethics in contemporary India be reconciled?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know, this notion that ‘only by doing wrong things you can prosper’ is wrong. It is not true. You see there are so many businesses in this country where they are flourishing doing ethical business. But they have to be highlighted. Many people don’t know.

The small businesses don’t understand that some of the big businesses are doing totally ethical work like the Tatas, Infosys or Wipro...they are all doing totally ethical business to the core. They are not cheating or doing things which are not ethical. We have to highlight this to the public. That work needs to be done. There are so many small business people who are so value based. Unfortunately they don’t make news. Only Satyam made news (laughter). It is so interesting to see that media captures those news more than the good ones.

Q: People in India are getting more and more inspired to do ethical business and take on responsibility for the society. Can you talk about this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I think this is also true in US, everywhere. Today in the globalized world, how we can turn back to the ethics? In European parliament, every year ‘Art of living’ conducts a seminar – ‘Corporate culture and spirituality’. Business people from around the world come. And those who are doing ethical business present how they are doing, what all corporate responsibility they have undertaken, and how we can inculcate spirituality in the business. This happens every year somewhere in October or November.

Q: could you please comment a little bit on your concept of love. Love for parents, sex, children, your surroundings, friends etc.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I tell you, love..you are made up of love. You are made up of a substance called love. Your spirit is all love. And there are various types of love. Parental love, love of the siblings. Then love for the children, love for the spouse. They are little flavors. Different, but underneath that, I don’t see love as only an emotion, it is our very existence. Because all the atoms in your body love each other and that’s why you are a human being. That’s why there is a boss. You know the moment the love that is the bond, binding force between the atoms is gone, our body disintegrates. So, I see love more as the very existence not just as an emotion. I would say Love with wisdom leads you to bliss.

Love without wisdom or with ignorance leads you to jealousy, greed, anger, frustration and everything else. All these negative emotions are just an offspring of love. See you can’t be jealous of somebody if there is no love. Right? Greed is because you love certain things more than people, that is called greed. You love somebody more than you should and that is called possessiveness. And you love perfection so much that you can’t stand imperfection, and you show it as anger. Right? Love needs to be harnessed with a little wisdom.

There are around 20 CD's on Bhakti sutra - The aphorisms of love. You can just go into that. I have discussed different types of love and how they all affect our lives.

Q: We have a small group of youth belonging to a church. We have social work going on. We find our youth group lacks leaders. We find we lack leaders among youth. Nobody is coming forward to take responsibility. So what is your idea about how a leader should be and what could be done to take the youth forward towards leadership?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: First of all, I feel that leaders should create leaders. And also leaders should not be imposing, they should be in the background, and they should be caring and compassionate. Why someone is not doing some service activity? Maybe they are stressed, they are tensed. So, if you are unhappy yourself, you won’t be motivated to do something for someone else. So, first you have to find the peace.

That’s why I would say smile and then serve. If there is no smile in your service, it will be short-lived. You may do it 2-3 days, 5 days and then you can’t do anymore because you don’t have energy. So, that inner peace and a sense of belonging in people. When that dawns in you then you can’t but serve. Service becomes your natural..your second nature.

Q: What do you find a source of inspiration?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I see every child is inspiring.

Q: What is the meaning of life? If we see in jungles, we see predators eating other animals. Birth and death seems so mechanical. No big meaning, whereas our pursuit of humanity is focused on stretching life and living longer. Is it really necessary?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Ya, animals don’t violate their nature. They don’t violate the laws of nature. Their life is all programmed. They don’t have freedom. But human beings do have that freedom. It is because you have the intelligence that you have the freedom to violate.

That’s what makes us different from animals. Isn’t it? And so we have the ability to know more than what animals can grasp or comprehend. We know about the whole universe, we know about galaxies, the milky ways, we know about the atoms, we know about macrocosm. This ability to know, ability to create, ability to change is all embedded in our system. That is what is called as Viveka, the sense of discretion.

Q: In one's spiritual pursuit, if he goes after form, is it possible that in the long run he might learn that he went on the wrong track and miss the formless? For example in meditation, if one goes for mantra based meditation or form based meditation, is it possible that he might get the essence which might come through Vipassana or something else? He may waste his time or spend more time reaching there.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, there are all possibilities. It is not that people who go in through form never attain. We have instances of millions of people. Thousands of saints in this country, who went through form to formless. If you see Tulsi Ramayana, what Tulsidas says..he wouldn’t have written that without experience. 'Rama niranjan, arupa,' he said all that.

First he sees Rama as an individual person. But then he saw that the spirit behind Rama is formless. Same way Saint Francis of Assissi, he went through form and he became formless. Meera went into form and got to the formless. Guru Nanak Dev. We have many many examples in this country that when there is true seeking, you will never go wrong. That’s my contention. Because nature will guide you. Because, see the Intelligence, the Cosmic Being is such, it doesn’t let you down. So, it guides you into the right path. I don’t think it would be a waste of time or it is wrong. But you have to do that with proper viveka, wisdom.

So, should we do a short meditation now. How many of you think meditation is concentration? Nobody thinks it's concentration? That’s very good. So, you’ve passed the first thing. Often people think meditation is concentration, focusing the mind or controlling the thoughts. It is not. Meditation is deep relaxation. OK.

Three things are important for meditation. First is that for the next 10 minutes, we will be mediating. You have to know that we want nothing for the next ten minutes. Is it ok with everyone of you? Can you say I want nothing for the next 10 minutes. No you don’t have to say it loud (laughter). See, if you say, 'Oh! I have to drink a cup of water, I’m thirsty,' then your mind is stuck. Next 10 minutes I want nothing. Shall we take all our mobiles and press the red button. This is an essential ritual for meditation. So, you’ll all be here for next 10mins. You can’t get up in the middle and go and disturb others. So, first thing is I want nothing for next 10 minutes.

Second important thing that we need to do is ‘I do nothing’. We will say Om 3 times. Om is vibration. Om means love, unconditional love that is eternal. We’ll say Om 3 times. All the eastern religions, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism - they all have taken Om as sound that they’ve heard in the meditation. So, it is very much connected with yoga. So we say 3 times Om.

Third is ‘I am nothing’. If you think you are very intelligent forget about it, you can’t meditate. If you think you are a fool then also, impossible. If you think you are very rich, remember that quote in Bible? Rich men cannot pass..What is it? So, if you think you are rich, no way you will have meditation. If you think you are very poor then also no. If you think you are a sinner, impossible to meditate. If you think you are the holiest person then also no meditation. So, what you should be. I am nothing.

I want nothing. I do nothing. I am nothing. Can we take these 3 things? I’m not very intelligent nor I’m stupid person. I am neither rich nor poor. Not sinner nor holy saint. So, I am nothing. Nobody. OK. So we will have these 3 ideas. We don’t have to go on repeating these in our mind. Just an idea. Right? Idea is like that.

“That which you cannot express is Love.
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”

~ Sri Sri Ravishankar

© The Art of Living Foundation

The more sattva/ purity rises in your life, the more easily your tasks get accomplished

Bangalore Ashram, Feb. 7:
Swami Ramdev paid his respects to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the evening satsang at the International Art of Living Center. In his welcome to Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri said ‘The progress of India is always done by saints, sanyasis/renunciates. Swami Ramdev has contributed a lot to spread yoga and Ayurveda in different regions of India, including many villages’. Swami Ramdev shared his vision of an India free from hunger, poverty, corruption and all other social evils. He expressed gratitude towards Sri Sri for Art of Living's contribution towards social progress.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The more sattva/purity rises in your life, the more easily your tasks get accomplished. The amount of sattva/ purity in us decides the productivity of our input. If you put in a lot of effort and the result turns out to be less or below your expectations, it means that there is a lack of sattva/ purity in life. When we meditate, then our work happens easily. How many of you have noticed this? (Audience raises their hands). People are unaware of this secret. They think why to spend 20 – 30 minutes meditating, when that time can be spent to earn them money. It is very important to meditate whenever we get time, so that you accomplish your tasks more efficiently and with ease

Q: Will you please talk about animal sacrifice?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Animal sacrifice (bali pratha) needs to be stopped. It is not written in any scripture to kill helpless animals. It means to surrender any animal tendencies that you find within yourself. You can explain this and make others understand too.

Q: Guruji, in Jharkand many efforts are being made by saints to do away with the problem of Naxalism but no solution is working.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Naxalites are good people. They need to be given a little understanding and direction. This is because of the lack of religious and spiritual education. If the educational institute includes even a little bit of religious education no one from that institute will turn out to be a Naxalite. In the name of secularism, religious education has been abandoned.

Q: Guruji when I meditate on you many other Guru’s also come into mind. What is the solution?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Good. Greet them all.

Q: Everyday people make requests to you that can be directly requested to God. Is it that God pays more attention to you than to us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I leave that question with you to wonder about. You should have something to wonder about. Besides, why do want to know all the trade secrets! (Laughter)

Q: What is your advice to youth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If they want advice, they can take it. Usually I don’t give advice that is not taken. If advice is not taken, it remains as orphans in the air. The youth know that they have a responsibility towards their elders. I am always for joint families where all the generations live together but it has both advantages and disadvantages.

“That which you cannot express is Love.
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”
~ Sri Sri Ravishankar


© The Art of Living Foundation
For Global Spirituality

'Love is the magic which binds everything together'

Orissa, Feb. 2:
Q: Guruji, the atmosphere in this satsang is so beautiful. What is the magic behind?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I know only one magic – love. It is the magic which binds everything together.
Q: Guruji, why are people moving away from religion and culture?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, the enthusiastic crowd here. I am not feeling the same after looking at this crowd. If we walk on the path of religion, others will also do the same. The youth is moving away from religion because of the way religion is presented to them. The people who present religion have no smile on their faces, no joy flows out of them.
At the same time any religion should be practical which can be integrated into our lives.
Q: How does one know who his true Guru is?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I suggest that you don't bother too much on who is true and who is not. You see what is it that you need. You take knowledge and then continue to move on. There are so many Gurus today and you should move ahead thinking yourself to be one of them. You are not less than any of them. But we need to adopt a balanced approach. There should neither be guilt or self blame nor arrogance or pride. On the spiritual path, both of these attitudes must not be there. There is only loss involved either way. And hence one should move on that middle path.
Q: Guruji, the youth is getting disappointed today because of chaos in society and corruption in politics. What is your message to youth?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: All the youth should stand up now and start moving ahead together. When you all work in group then there is no such task that can’t be accomplished.
Q: Guruji in Orissa, the Sri Sri University is going to be established. How can we connect to it and get benefitted?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Bhubaneshwar is not that far from this place. You should all join in and contribute. I invite all of you there. You send your children to study there and you also visit the place. It’s not my university but yours.
Q: This question is also related to education. Can you please talk about primary education?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Work for primary education is going on and it will continue. We are providing training to teachers as well students in all schools. Parents will also be involved in yoga, pranayama and meditation.
Q: I'm confused – should I take Ayurvedic medicines?  
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We definitely need to adopt certain things from Ayurveda. When there is a stomach disorder, lots of thoughts disturb us. When vatta or pitta in the body gets imbalanced, too many thoughts arise in mind. There is Triphala (an Ayurvedic tablet) which balances the three imbalances in body. It is good to take Triphala for one– two months. You can take one–two tablets or one spoon of Triphala churna before going to bed. It increases energy levels in the body. Vitamin C also provides you immunity. Sometimes allopathic doctors prescribe medicines for 15 – 20 days for stomach disorders and that adversely affects the liver and body. There is Devati which you can take. It is very effective in curing fever also. Ayurveda has this specialty of correcting disorders and diseases without any side effects. And hence we should adopt Ayurveda. All these are home remedies and one should keep this with oneself. And if at some time some disease prolongs then one should definitely consult doctor.
“That which you cannot express is Love.
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”
~ Sri Sri Ravishankar


© The Art of Living Foundation
For Global Spirituality

Wise ones celebrate diversity, fools fight over it

Melbourne, December 4, 2009:
Below are excerpts of an interaction between Sri Sri and youth from Australia
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is an ancient saying: the first sign of intelligence is not to open your mouth! Having lost that opportunity, then you should not say anything unless you are asked a question.
I would like to open the floor, and ask you to ask anything - then we will take the thread from there.
Q. Why are there differences between religions?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Religion has three components: symbols, customs and traditions, and values. As far as values are concerned, there is no difference, because all talk about oneness. Customs and symbols are all very different; they have to be, this is what makes the world beautiful, because God doesn’t like uniforms! Nature has been created with such diversity- so many flowers, animals, people. Diversity is the language of God. In India, God can have any number of names and forms, and they all point to one Divinity.
So in one sense, there is difference, and in another sense there is unity.
Wise ones celebrate diversity, fools fight over it.
Q: What are the three most important values?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You want to limit it to three?!
A sense of belongingness with the whole world. You have to take this stand, feel that you are part of the whole world and all are part of you.
Commitment to whatever you take up, and an integrity inside of you which says you are going to see your commitments through.
The third value is living in the present moment, not holding onto the past and getting into trouble in your own mind. Do you know how many problems we can create for others when we hold onto the past?
Q: How does a youth handle the ups and downs of life?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I am a youth myself! Life is a mixture of everything: failure & success - they complement each other. If you fail, then you know the value of success, it is a stepping stone.
You need to move forward: ask yourself, what did I learn from the past, and then what is my vision for the future? This will keep you going. For this, you need presence of mind, and for this, you need to get rid of stress.
You are the player, not the pawn. If you are a pawn, someone else is moving you, and you have no control. You have to be the player, empower yourself, and that’s how these Art of Living programs can help you.
Q: How do you detach yourself from the past, after learning whatever lessons it has to offer?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Lessons are an automatic phenomena, what you have experienced is the past. Living in the past means cribbing about the past. Life has much more to offer you.
Q: What’s the role of pain and suffering in life?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional
Q: I find the past very painful.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The past should be viewed as destiny. If you think you had a choice in the past, the present will be spoiled because you regret the past. Continued regret about the past creates a lot of toxins in the body, the future is not bright.
Past is destiny, done. And future is your freedom. In our teachings, we have karma and purushata - what you need to do. See the past as destiny, the future as free will, and live in the present moment.
Or make the past as free will, the future as destiny, and crib in the present moment! (Audience laughs)
Q: How to practice compassion and impartiality?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you are unbiased in your mind, compassion simply flows. When you have belongingness with everyone, irrespective of their class, economic background, intellect, if you can connect, then compassion flows.
You could be anybody - Chinese, African - put yourself in different shoes, playing different roles, then suddenly you find that you are stuck as being somebody, and then you will see it is much more universal.
Q. How to be selfless?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What is the purpose of selfishness? Wanting to be happy.
How can you be happy when your own family is not happy?
For you to be happy, you need the people around you to be happy. If your happiness includes everyone else, then you can be selfish! Be selfish, but expand your selfishness as much as you can! Don’t go to extremes - just see your capacity to expand your family.
Imagine if your neighbor behaves very selfishly. Would you like to be around him, does it solve anything? He plays loud music, then you play loud music. It will not bring calm. You expect consideration, cooperation, but how can you expect someone to deliver to you what you do not want to deliver to them.
Q: How do I do charity?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Three quarters can be given to your children, and one quarter to the child next door. Your first duty is to feed your children. As they say, there is enough for the need of the world today, but not enough for one’s greed.
Our centre in Bangalore is surrounded by villages. Unless the villages are kept clean, we cannot keep the centre clean and pure. So I said we need to build individual toilets for each family, and help to clean up the villages. Our center administration said we are always short of rooms in our center, we should build rooms in our centre rather than spend resources on cleaning the surrounding villages. And I said, the number of rooms will never be enough, the number of people visiting our center is always growing. We cannot wait for our needs to be fulfilled, and then one day start working in the village.
You cannot wait until all the needs of your family are met, and then do service. It has to be simultaneous.
Q: Can the common man attain spirituality?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Only the common man can attain spirituality! If someone thinks they are very special, they cannot!
Q: What are the three main things which have led to the success of the Art of Living?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sincerity of purpose, inclusive attitude (all inclusiveness, no one is outside of us, sense of belongingness), and God’s grace!
Q: What was your purpose in beginning this organization?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: To see a smile on every face. I couldn’t stand tears running down anyone’s face.
Q: The decisions which world leaders make have a great impact on us while the work that we do on an individual basis impacts only other individuals...
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: First, you should not think that politicians are a special species, they are one among us. Many times, they feel helpless. They want to change the society, turn around the economy, but find themselves helpless. Any sane politician wants to have violence out of society, but they feel their hands are tied. It has to come from society. You may think the other is powerful, in fact it’s a collective effort of everyone that make the society move - and NGOs, religious leaders, faith-based organizations, play an important part in bringing inspiration, inner strength.
The four pillars of society - politics, business, civil society and faith-based organizations - have to work in unison. The World Economic Forum has recognized the need for everyone to come together, so has the UN, and that is why they have made a caucus for religious leaders. A role has to be played by everyone, and we have to play in rhythm.
We need to spiritualize politics, to lessen corruption. We need to secularize religion, to lessen extremism and terrorism. Many think only they are going to heaven - I tell, you they make life for everyone a hell!
This is what spirituality is about - when you see the whole world as part of you, and you as part of everybody. There is that sense of sacrifice. Gandhi is a perfect example of being spiritual in politics. He was deeply spiritual, believed in truth and non-violence.
Finally, we need to socialize business, take up CSR (corporate social responsibility).
With these things, society will find a new level of understanding.
Q: Bomb dropped in Hiroshima, etc... All the major atrocities result from decisions made by politicians...
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Politicians need to be spiritual. When you have compassion and caring you would not do that. Gandhi would never have done such things. Sometimes people are blind to any reason, but they would not turn to extreme measures unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
There is a saying in Sanskrit - first with peace, then with forgiveness, then with compassion. If nothing works, finally, take the stick.
“That which you cannot express is Love.
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”
~ H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar



© The Art of Living Foundation for Globalizing Spirituality