09/11/2015 Bangalore, India
In the Upanishads there is a verse, “Om krato smara kritam smara” (Vedic Prayer, Ishavasya Upanishad). What does this mean? What is it that we should remember?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It means you must recollect whatever you have done till now. When you remember and bring it into your awareness, all the good deeds that you have done till now, or whatever good results have come from your actions till now, then you are able to become a witness to all of it. And if there have been some wrong deeds also that have happened, then also just by remembering them, you are able to become a witness and overcome them all (meaning one overcomes the attachment or bondage to one’s actions or the results).
The verse is, " "Vayur anilam amritam athedam bhasmantam shariram. Om krato smara kritam smara krato smara kritam smara". (V.17, Ishavasya Upanishad) It means you become a witness to all that you have done, or that which you will do in the future.
Gurudev, in one of your books it is written that all sins get washed away when one bathes in a sacred river like the Ganges. Can the worst of sins be washed away by simply bathing in a sacred river?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, the real meaning here is that it is not our true nature to sin or do wrong deeds. It is like dirt that has come from the outside. You can separate yourself from this. This does not mean that if you have done some wrong deeds, then you go and take a dip in the holy Ganges and think that you have got the license to do more wrong deeds now (laughter). It is not like this. Sin is anything that leaves an impression on your consciousness, and you undergo misery and suffering because of sin. That is what sin is.
Gurudev, often we get both happiness and grief from our closest friends and relatives. How can we rid ourselves of this grief?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes. You should love your friends and relatives but do not demand anything from them, or get attached to them. You should serve them in whatever way possible. When you set out with a sincere intention to serve then you will never face any misery or sorrow. But if you act towards others with an intention to gain something from them, then you will have to face sorrow and pain.
What is Karma and how can one enhance the ability to understand Karma?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Everything that you have done till now is Karma. All that you are doing at present is also Karma. And everything that you are going to do in the future; or the inspiration for every action that you are going to do in the future – that is also Karma. Everything that is happening in the World is Karma.
I trust people but often have to pay the price for it as well and get harmed. So should I trust people or not?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Three kinds of trust are important in life.
1. Self-confidence or trust in the self. You must have complete faith in yourself. When you have total faith and yourself and firmly believe that 'everything good shall happen to me', then the same starts happening in life.
2. You must have trust in the goodness of people in society and the world. This trust is also important. If you look at everyone around you with an eye of suspicion, if you keep thinking, "This person is a thief”, then I tell you, you will not be able to take even one step forward in society. Suppose you are waiting at the railway station with your luggage, and suddenly you need to go to the restroom. If you are travelling alone, then you would naturally look around you and ask someone to keep an eye on your luggage until you return from the restroom, isn’t it so? Does this not happen often at a bus stand as well?
We have to have faith in others; life does not work without it. You have to trust a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. If you have to purchase or rent a house, then you have to trust the builder or the owner when you pay the advance rent and deposit that your money will be safe. Similarly, you have to trust the milkman who comes to your house daily. He delivers milk to you every day with this trust that you will pay him the due amount by the end of the month. You get electric supply with this faith that you will pay the bill regularly every month. Suppose the State Electricity Board started doubting you whether you will pay the bill or not, and decides to first take the payment in advance before supplying electricity, will this work? It does not happen this way at all. First they supply the electric power to you and at the end of the month they give you the bill for the amount consumed.
Society cannot work without trust, it simply cannot. So you need to have this trust that there are many good-natured people in the society. If you do not have this trust in society or its framework, then you will have no choice but to retreat to the jungles.
1. Self-confidence or trust in the self. You must have complete faith in yourself. When you have total faith and yourself and firmly believe that 'everything good shall happen to me', then the same starts happening in life.
2. You must have trust in the goodness of people in society and the world. This trust is also important. If you look at everyone around you with an eye of suspicion, if you keep thinking, "This person is a thief”, then I tell you, you will not be able to take even one step forward in society. Suppose you are waiting at the railway station with your luggage, and suddenly you need to go to the restroom. If you are travelling alone, then you would naturally look around you and ask someone to keep an eye on your luggage until you return from the restroom, isn’t it so? Does this not happen often at a bus stand as well?
We have to have faith in others; life does not work without it. You have to trust a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. If you have to purchase or rent a house, then you have to trust the builder or the owner when you pay the advance rent and deposit that your money will be safe. Similarly, you have to trust the milkman who comes to your house daily. He delivers milk to you every day with this trust that you will pay him the due amount by the end of the month. You get electric supply with this faith that you will pay the bill regularly every month. Suppose the State Electricity Board started doubting you whether you will pay the bill or not, and decides to first take the payment in advance before supplying electricity, will this work? It does not happen this way at all. First they supply the electric power to you and at the end of the month they give you the bill for the amount consumed.
Society cannot work without trust, it simply cannot. So you need to have this trust that there are many good-natured people in the society. If you do not have this trust in society or its framework, then you will have no choice but to retreat to the jungles.
3. You must have trust in the divine. You must trust that there is some supreme power by which all of life is run, by which everything in this society functions. This divine power or consciousness is all-powerful, vast and encompasses everything. You may call it by any name – whether God, or Ishwara, or Allah. Without having this trust in the divine power, you cannot experience that totality or wholeness of life.
So, without having faith in oneself you cannot move a step forward in life. Second, without having faith in society, you will not be able to live and co-exist in society. And thirdly, without having faith in the Divine, life can never be complete. It is important to have all these three kinds of faith in life.
Now this does not mean that you remain foolish or blissfully ignorant and let others fool you. You should keep your intellect alert and have awareness. Do not get stuck in ignorance or false beliefs.
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