19th of Nov 2013
Bangalore,
India·
Gurudev, there are two aspects
to the present moment. One is that it is vast and infinite, as well as deep.
There are so many things happening at the same instant. What is its other
dimension or dimensions? Can you please explain?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That
is correct. The present moment is not linear, it is spherical. It is both vast
and deep. There are infinite dimensions to the present moment. When you go deep
in meditation, you experience this and realize that everything is in this
moment only.
The depth of silence, the depth of visions, dreams, etc., is all here and now –
in the present moment. Our consciousness is so vast and deep.
Yesterday, we sang this song in
Satsang, 'Antaratmani Guruve'. It means, the Guru principle is
very deep within us. Then it says, 'Atma-tamo hari',
meaning it lifts the veil of ignorance from the Self.
The song says, 'O Guru! You are present deep within me as my spirit'.
And what does the Guru principle do? It removes the darkness of the soul. The
song then says, 'There are so many feelings arising in me; this forest of
feelings is so complex and complicated. Yet you somehow move through this dense
forest of complicated feelings'.
See,
when the poet would have written this, he must have had some very deep
experience. It is not so simple to comprehend the depth of this verse,
especially for an educated (logical) mind. For such a person, not just his
mind, even his heart is also like that. Feelings are so confusing and chaotic.
Yet the poet says, 'O Guru! You are moving through this complex forest. Just
like a ray of light (of hope) moving through the dark dense forest of feelings
in the mind'.
It is a very beautiful poem that the poet has written.
In the next verse, the poet says,
'Millions of lifetimes have passed, and there are countless samskaras (impressions) that have gathered; yet
your impression is the strongest and deepest. O Guru! Your impression has
become the ultimate impression upon my soul, because within this impression,
every other impression is getting dissolved. So, this one impression of yours
is the Parama-charama; the highest and the ultimate of all'.
It is the final impression of all. Just like how there can be many foot prints
on the ground, but when the elephant walks, the foot prints it makes are the
largest of all than any of the other animals, like the lion or the tiger. So
every other footprint gets done away with. The elephant’s foot is round and
large in size. No other animal has got such big footprints. So what the verse
says is, that the ultimate impression – that of the Guru – has come on my mind.
In the next verse, the poet says,
'Life is full of positive and negative aspects; merits and sins. It is all a Leela (a play of the Divine)'.
The poet calls it Lalita-Rudra Leela, which means, it
is a play of both the pleasant and the unpleasant or the terrible. Yet it is
all a play; it is either a pleasant entertaining one or a tragic and terrible
one. One experiences merits and demerits, good and bad experiences in life. But
in the end, it is all a play. And in this play, you (Guru) are sometimes in the
form and sometimes in the formless. So he says, 'O Guru! At times, you are with
me as form and at other times you come as the formless presence . And at all
times you are unveiling the darkness of the soul'.
·
Gurudev, for the first time,
scientists have been able to capture and record sounds from the depths of the
Universe. Those sounds resemble that of the birds chirping at dawn, and they
are mixed with the sounds from the Sun. It all seems very astonishing and
fascinating. Please tell us what secret this is.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Nature
is a gold mine of such secrets. So many kinds of secrets lay hidden in the lap
of Mother Nature.
A great scientist had visited the
Ashram just day before yesterday. He brought a titanium radar along with him to
measure the energy of the Ashram. He told me that the readings in the city were
around 3.5 for the entropy (a scientific term signifying
the degree of disorder or random movement of particles or objects in space).
When he came to the Ashram, the reading fell to 0.5 (indicating
a peaceful and stable environment). He also found that at the time
of Satsang and the Purnaahuti (the
peak moment of final offering to the sacrificial fire of a ritual), the reading
fell to zero for a few moments! A zero reading means coming into contact, or
being completely in the presence of God!
He
told me that he had never witnessed such a thing before in his whole life. He
said that the radar showed Zero entropy at those times. He was very fascinated
with this.
He conducted a thorough scientific study with the titanium radar for one whole
hour. He said that the atmosphere of the Ashram is so peaceful and has such
positive vibrations. He said that there is so much harmony here because the
entropy readings are so low (higher entropy values correspond to more chaos and
disorderly wave vibrations in the environment).
He said that where the entropy is
less, there is more orderliness and harmony. He said that in the city, the
entropy value is 3.5.
In the same way, scientists today are able to determine where there is a
greater presence of Divinity (positive vibrations and harmony). We anyway
experience this when we are here.
I have heard many people tell me that the moment they step foot in the Ashram,
their entire state of mind becomes so positive. How many people have had this
experience? (Many in the audience raise hands)
So, Nature is very mysterious.
Gurudev, why is it that I find
pleasure in misery, and an unwillingness in my mind to let go of it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This
is my question to you. It is not normal to find pleasure in misery. It does not
reflect a very normal state of mind, and it is not healthy. It is not difficult
to overcome this. Do not think that it is difficult to get rid of this state.
Gurudev, could you please guide
me on the path of what I need rather than the path of what I want?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You
should simply believe that whatever you need will surely be provided to you.
And you should chase the laziness out of your life. These are two things that
you need to do.
If you are lazy and say, 'What I need will be provided', that is not right. And
if you are afraid of not getting what you need, that also is no good. So, you
should not be lazy and you should have the faith that what you need will come
to you.
Gurudev, if I am enlightened,
would I still continue to do my work;?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes,
absolutely. You have to be very ordinary only. If you think that you are
someone very special, then that is not enlightenment.
Gurudev, what should one do
when one feels lonely despite being among people?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I would say that is very good. If
you feel lonely, just remember that everything is a dream. Then the next step
you take is one where you find that everything is yours (meaning: everything belongs to you). This feeling of loneliness
among people, is one step towards the expanded state of realization.
Gurudev, Sometimes, even after
doing one’s Sadhana and practices, the chattering mind does not stop. How to
make it stop? How to be at peace?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Dispassion (Vairagya) is the only way to make the mind stop
chattering. Just realize that everything is a dream. It will all soon come to
an end.
You know, the chattering (of the mind) is always with regards to a subject, a
topic, or with a want. Worries and wants are responsible for the chattering of
the mind. Drop your worries and your wants, that is what is called Vairagya.
Gurudev, in my life nowadays I
feel that I have forgotten everything that happened to me in the past. Even if
I try to remember certain events, I cannot remember them. My mind is at peace,
and I feel as if all my past has been erased. Is it alright?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is very good actually. You should forget things after
sometime (and not hold on to anything). Yes, do not forget your way back home;
or your keys to the car, etc.