Monday, June 30, 2008

Spiritualism

Question: What do you have to say to Javed Akhtar, that he ridiculed spiritualism and called you a guru of the rich?
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar : I will just tell him, everybody has the right to be ignorant. And if they want to be ignorant, nobody can stop them

Sunday, June 29, 2008

What is Guru? What is spiritual path? How to follow it?

Sri Sri : If you see a man with a gun what happens to you? Fear comes out. Likewise a person with compassion, brings out the compassion. A guru is embodiment of living principles. Football, cricket all has coaches or guides.
Your mother is your first teacher, then there are friends, family, teachers for various things.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

What should you do if people don't respect you?

Sri Sri: Thank them. They have given you freedom. (Laughter and amazement)
When people respect you, they often take away your freedom. They expect you to smile at them, recognize them, behave in a certain way with them. If they don't respect you, you are not obliged to answer their questions and you can drop all the formalities. Either you will be naturally smiling or frowning.
So you will be complete.
When people love and respect you, you are obliged to return their courtesies because you don't want to hurt them. When they don't respect or love you, they will not be hurt by your actions and expressions. So they set you free. When you gain respect, you often do it at the cost of your freedom. Wisdom is to put the freedom first and not bother about respect.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Meaning of "Jai Gurudev"

Guruji : 'Jai' means Victory, 'Guru' means the biggest, the greatest. 'Dev' is the big mind the higher self in you.
Sometimes your small self wins and some times your higher self wins. When the small self wins over you, you are miserable.But when the bigger self, the wisdom in you wins, then it gives you comfort, joy, peace and love.
So may always the Big Mind in us win.
Jai Gurudev means let the greatness, biggest in me win over the small little chattering mind

Thursday, June 26, 2008

What is astrology?

Q: If astrology is telling the life of a human being, is there any chance we could change our karma in this present life? Thank you for being with us.

Guruji: Definitely. Astrology Indicates. It just gives you a road map. That's all. But there is freedom too. Always consider the past as Destiny. If you think the past was free-will you become guilty, you become regretful, you become morose.You are very upset thinking of the past "Oh, I could have it done this way. I could have done it that way. I could have could have..could have" It is useless. Past should be seen as destiny. Future should be seen as Free-Will. This is wisdom.Wise people do like that. Otherwise, you get caught in regretting the past, and do nothing for the future. You simply sit. We must reverse this tendency. Just doing this one thing will help you to a great extent. Past whatever happened was destiny. Whatever happened happened - finished. And the future is upto you.

Temples and Mosques

Q: Guruji, the number of temples and mosquesand churches are increasing everyday. We did not have so many 20 years back. With that number of Gurus, Spiritual reformers have also increased. Still there is so much of corruption! Adharma! Can you explain why?
Sri Sri:There were not many hospitals some 20 years back because there were not many diseased. But can you say the disease came because of the hospitals?!!?
No. You cannot.
The number of sick people have increased, the number of hospitals have increased likewise. You know some 50-60years back there used to be only one doctor in a huge area!! Because they had to literally wait the whole day for one patient! Our food habits have changed. Our lifestyles have undergone drastic change. Global warming is happening. People are cutting trees from everywhere to create houses. They are consuming antibiotics for petty health problems. We need to go back to the nature. Use natural remedies. You know farmers are committing suicide. This is because of the pesticides they have used and the chemicals they have used to get more yield in the past. They are paying for it now!!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Is someone watching us every moment?

Q: In our childhood we heard that there is someone named 'Chitragupta' who is talking note of all our actions and is responsible for counting our karma balances. Is that true? Is there really someone who is watching us every moment?

Guruji: 'Chitra' means photo, picture and 'Gupta' means secret, hidden. The self who is witnessing the actions, the conscious mind is referred here to as Chitragupta. You know there is this saying which says, 'Under the foot-print of an elephant, all other marks dissolve'. Therefore under the Guru when you are doing your Sadhana and Seva and Satsang then everything else dissolves.

Similarly Chitragupta is not the (Malik) God, he is the (Sevak) servant. But I tell you without self knowledgeeverything is false!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Calm your mind with Meditation

Q: Meditation calms the mind. It feels good. But in our daily life we have to handle paying bills, parking tickets and other mundane things. How can we do this with the same calm mind without getting irritated or perturbed?
Guruji: You take a shower in the morning to clean your body. After that you do all the daily activities. You don't have to keep on taking a shower throughout the day. It is like that. You meditate and calm your mind, then go on with other activities. It is not easy to keep yourselfundisturbed but it will happen as you keep doing the practices regularly. Then it will become easy.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Eliminate fear

Q: How to eliminate fear from our attitude, thinking and our living habits?
Guruji: The fear in you is because you feal alone, because you do not know that you are a part of the Divine or Creation and that you belong to everyone. Sometimes it is just the old pattern of boldily reaction of fear, which repaeats.
But don't worry, that's why you have the techniques, to come out of it, and the Master to make you feel and demostrate the fact that you are a part of the Divine and that you are one with the whole creation.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Jai Gurudev !

You have nothing to lose. All that you can lose is your tension and your worry, your little - mindedness, fear and anxiety.
And fear and anxiety, tension and worry in the small, little mind will keep the mind from becoming free, will keep the mind from experiencing its infinite potential, will keep the mind from becoming more powerful on this planet.

Bindi

Q:Why women put bindi on their forehead?
Guruji: Bindi and chandan is put to bring your attention to the forehead, to that point and center which controls your whole body. It represents your pineal gland that controls your entire system. It is to remind you that there is one more eye that helps you focus. Also women are more emotional than men, and chandan or bindi helps in overcoming those emotions.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

YOU

If You are loving, then you are welcomed everywhere in the world.
If you can feel and be one with people anywhere you go,
then people are ready to do anything for you.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Knowledge

Q: How do we know that our interpretation of knowledge is right or it is a misinterpretation?

Guruji: When you see something, you introspect first.. You see the means of knowledge. That’s why in India science and spirituality never contradict each other. Spirituality believes first and experiments later.
Science is experimenting first and believing later.
In ancient days a child is given ‘Brahma Upadesham’, the highest knowledge is initiated to the child , right at childhood.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Desire

Q: Guruji like I appreciate, the Sun and the Moon and the Nature, why cant God appreciate when I do something good?

Guruji: He doesn’t appreciate you, because he knows you can do better. If he starts appreciating you every moment, then you desire to perform better will not be there.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Path of Spirituality

Q: Guruji, I like this path of Spirituality, Sadana, Seva in the Satsang, but sometimes I get bored. Is it alright to get mischievious at times?

Guruji: Yes, yes, but not at someone’s cost . You know when you are happy, small things can make you laugh, that is when your mind is stress free. If your mind is stressed you cannot laugh even to a big joke. When I go to retreat programmes. And if I am going up and down in the lift, and in the Lift sometimes people come with me in the lift and they just simply start laughing.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Sixth sense

Q: What is a Sixth sense or it ok to follow it?

Guruji: Yes, It is ok to follow your intuition. That’s why when you do Pranama, meditation, you intuition become strong and that’s why you can take proper decisions

Friday, June 6, 2008

Pain

Q: Guruji why is Jesus on the cross ?

Guruji: Jesus Christ is love. And the cross is the pain. The first experience as a child is pain. When we are inside the mother’s womb, we are happily floating in the water and then after some time, we have to come out through a small passage that is painful. So we cry. Little children then twist, turn and yawn as though they have done a big job. After sometime, they open their eyes and look at the mother and smile that is the first experience of love. Body is made up of carbohydrate, amino acids,but the spirit is made up of love. Like many other prophets, Jesus said to go my father; you have to go through me. But unfortunately some people misinterpreted. ‘Mana Ekam Saranam Gacchami’ – Krishna said. Which means I am the only way, Likewise Buddha said the same thing.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Commitment

Q: I am not able to do seva and I don’t know why.
Guruji: You should know better!!

Q: Guruji, what should we focus on commitment towards family or seva.
Guruji: Commitment towards the family is the first thing .

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Decision

Q: What motivate someone to take decision?

Guruji: It is different in different cases, sometimes it is just a smile.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Devotion

Q: Guruji what is the significance of a symbol in devotion?
Guruji :Devotion is your inner feeling. What triggers is not important. Devotion is culmination of love. Someone asks me, that Guruji we go to Tirupati and stand in the que for 7-8 hours and then take a glimpse of the deity and then we go in front of the deity we close our eyes!! But I tell you one minute is also important. The prayer, the energy stay within us for several days. That is why the ancient rishis says., like the water, recycles from river to the sky and from sky to river and back to the ocean. “Sarva Deva Namaskara,Keshavam, prati gacchati”. Which means in whatever form you pray it all goes to keshava finally.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Success

Q: What is success?

Guruji: Success follows ability; ability comes when you have skill. And skill comes when you are quite.
Real success is when you have smile, and no one can take that from you.