Ayurveda Initiative for Global Health

Tag: Ayurvedic Treatment

  • The subtle obstacles are to be conquered by resolving them into their causal state.

    Verse 2.9
    स्वरस्वाहि विदुषोऽपि समारूढोऽभिनिवेशः ॥९॥
    svarasvāhi viduṣo-‘pi samārūḍho-‘bhiniveśaḥ ॥9॥
    Flowing through its own nature, and established even in the learned, is the clinging to life.
    Verse 2.10
    ते प्रतिप्रसवहेयाः सूक्ष्माः ॥१०॥
    te pratiprasava-heyāḥ sūkṣmāḥ ॥10॥
    The subtle obstacles are to be conquered by resolving them into their causal state.
    Love of life is sustained by life’s own force. This urge for self-perpetuation
    is so strong that it does not spare even the wise, and is an affliction for them
    and the ignorant alike. 
    Patanjali indicates that each human being has had a taste of death, This imprint is the seed of fear.
    Abhinivesa is an instinctive defect which can be transformed into intuitive
    knowledge and insight by practising yoga.
    While practising asana, pranamaya or dhyana, the sadhaka penetrates deep within himself. 
    He experiences unity in the flow of intelligence, and the current of self-energy. In this state, he perceives that there is no difference between life and death, that they are simply two sides of the same coin.
    He understands that the current of self, the life-force, active while he is alive, merges with the universe when it leaves his body at death. 
    Through this understanding, he loses his attachment to life and conquers the fear of death.
     This frees him from afflictions and sorrows and leads him towards moksha.
    Suffering or pain may be gross or subtle; both must be counteracted and eliminated, silenced at their very source.
    The five afflictions – ignorance, egoism, lust, malice and attachment to life appear gross (sthula) on the surface, but their subtle nature may be either dormant or highly active.
    The subtle Suffering begin with attachment to life, move in the reverse order, Against to spiritual evolution and end with the gross affliction, ignorance.
    Subtle pain, ignorance should be overcome before they lead to worse trouble.
    How does one overcome them? The source of subtle afflictions is the mind, whose movements should be directed towards the seer by the yogic practice.
    In this way, subtle Suffering, ignorance, are defeated and an light of pure knowledge is attained.
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  • Pain, sorrow and misery trigger a chain of hate or aversion.

    Verse 2.7
    सुखानुशयी रागः ॥७॥
    sukha-anuśayī rāgaḥ ॥7॥
    Attachment is that which dwells upon pleasure.
    Verse 2.8
    दुःखानुशयी द्वेषः ॥८॥
    duḥkha-anuśayī dveṣaḥ ॥8॥
    Aversion is that which dwells on pain.
    Dwelling on pleasurable experiences ignites desire and a sense of attraction,
    which creates attachment. Pleasurable experiences generate greed and lust,
    which strengthen attachment and stimulate a greater craving, as one always wants more and more. 
    One becomes absorbed by the pursuit of pleasure, and addicted to gratification of the senses. The aspirant may thus forget his chosen path and allow himself to be caught up in sorrow and sickness.
    Pain, sorrow and misery trigger a chain of hate or aversion. Recollecting lost pleasures, tormented by desires unfulfilled, man is led to sorrow. 
    In extreme distress he comes to hate himself, his family, neighbours and surroundings, and feels a sense of worthlessness.
    A discriminating person strives to acquire knowledge so that he may strike a balance between sukha and dukha and live at the mercy of neither
    pleasure nor pain.
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  • The seer is really the Self, the pure one, the ever holy, the infinite, the immortal. That is the Self of man.

    Verse 2.5
    अनित्याअशुचिदुःखानात्मसु नित्यशुचिसुखाअत्मख्यातिरविद्या ॥५॥
    anityā-aśuci-duḥkha-anātmasu nitya-śuci-sukha-ātmakhyātir-avidyā ॥5॥
    Mistaking the transient for the permanent, the impure for the pure, pain for pleasure, and that which is not the self for the self: all this is called lack of spiritual knowledge, avidya.
    Verse 2.6
    दृग्दर्शनशक्त्योरेकात्मतैवास्मिता ॥६॥
    dr̥g-darśana-śaktyor-ekātmata-iva-asmitā ॥6॥
    Egoism is the identification of the seer with the instrumental power of seeing.
    All these various sorts of impression have one source: ignorance. We have first to learn what ignorance is. All of us think that “I am the body,” and not the Self, the pure, the effulgent, the ever blissful, and that is ignorance. 
    We think of Unreal as Real, Real as Unreal and this is ignorance.
    The seer is really the Self, the pure one, the ever holy, the infinite, the immortal. 
    That is the Self of man. 
    And what are the instruments? The Chitta, or mind-stuff, the Buddhi, intellect, the Manas, or mind, and the Indriyas, or sense organs.
    These are the instruments for him to see the external world, and the identification of the Self with the instruments is what is called the ignorance.
    We say “I am the mind, I am thought; I am angry, or I am happy.”
    How can we be angry, and how can we hate? Because of identifying with our body thus see Duality.
    We should identify ourselves with the Self; that cannot change.
     If it is unchangeable, how can it be one moment happy, and one moment unhappy?
    It is formless, infinite, omnipresent. What can change it? Beyond all law. 
    What can affect it? Nothing in to the universe can produce an effect on it, yet, through ignorance, we identify ourselves with the mind-stuff, and think we feel pleasure or pain.
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  • Avidya, spiritual ignorance, is the source of all the other obstacles: arrogance, desire, aversion and thirst to survive.

    Verse 2.3
    अविद्याअस्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशः क्लेशाः ॥३॥
    avidyā-asmitā-rāga-dveṣa-abhiniveśaḥ kleśāḥ ॥3॥
    Ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and clinging to life – are the five Klesas ( Obstacles)
    Verse 2.4
    अविद्या क्षेत्रमुत्तरेषाम् प्रसुप्ततनुविच्छिन्नोदाराणाम् ॥४॥
    avidyā kṣetram-uttareṣām prasupta-tanu-vicchinn-odārāṇām ॥4॥
    A lack of Knowledge (avidya) is the source of most kleshas (obstacles) and can be latent, incipient, full fledged or overwhelming. ||4||
    Suffering are of three levels, intellectual, emotional and instinctive.
     Avidya belong to the field of intelligence; here lack of spiritual knowledge combined with pride or arrogance inflates the ego, causing conceit and the loss of one’s sense of balance.
    Raga and dvesha belong to emotions and feelings. 
    Raga is desire and attachment, Dvesha is hatred and aversion. 
    Succumbing to excessive desires and attachments or allowing oneself to be carried away by expressions of hatred, creates disharmony between body and mind, which may lead to pain. 
    Abhinivesa is instinctive:
    Concern for one’s own survival.
    Clinging to life makes one suspicious in dealings with others, and causes one to become selfish and self-centred.
    The root causes of these five suffering are the functions and thoughts of the mind.
    The ‘I’ thought arises from the mind which is the root of all the cause of the pain and suffering.
    Avidya, spiritual ignorance, is the source of all the other obstacles: arrogance, desire, aversion and thirst to survive. 
    These suffering whether dormant, thin, or fully active, are obstacles to enlightenment. 
    Patanjali classify avidya as the “breeding-ground” of all Suffering, whatever its nature.
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  • The purpose of yoga is to minimize all obstacles to meditation and thus bring the intelligence to full, vibrant life

    The second Chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras – Sadhana Pada – About the Practice 
    Verse 1
    तपः स्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि क्रियायोगः ॥१॥
    tapaḥ svādhyāy-eśvarapraṇidhānāni kriyā-yogaḥ ॥1॥
    Austerity, study of scared literature and surrendering fruits of work to God are called Kriya-Yoga (Yoga in the form of action).
    Verse 2.2
    समाधिभावनार्थः क्लेश तनूकरणार्थश्च ॥२॥
    samādhi-bhāvana-arthaḥ kleśa tanū-karaṇa-arthaś-ca ॥2॥
    (It is for) the practice of Samadhi and minimize obstacles.
    For Patanjali’s, the practice of yoga is the ‘yoga of action’, kriya-yoga composed of tapas, self-discipline, svadhyaya, self-study and lSvara pranidhana, surrender to God.
    Tapas is the blazing desire to burn away the impurities of body, senses and mind.
    Svadhyaya is the repetition of sacred mantras and the study of spiritual texts in order to comprehend one’s own self.
     lsvara pranidhana is surrender of one’s body, mind and soul to lord through love for Him.
    By reducing pains to a minimum or even destroying them. 
    kriya-yoga promotes profound meditation, which is a prior to samadhi. 
    The purpose of this yoga is to minimize all obstacles to meditation and thus bring the intelligence to full, vibrant life.
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  • Atman alone manifests and shines without form, in pristine clarity

    Verse 51
    तस्यापि निरोधे सर्वनिरोधान्निर्बीजः समाधिः ॥५१॥
    tasyāpi nirodhe sarva-nirodhān-nirbījaḥ samādhiḥ ॥51॥
    By the restraint of even this (impression, which obstructs all other impressions), everything is restraint, comes the Nirbija (seedless) Samadhi.
    The sadhaka must learn to restrain even this new impression of truth-bearing light. 
    When both old and new impressions are dissolved, a state of seedless enlightenment arises, in which all illusions and delusions has come to an end
    This is nirbija samadhi: the state of absolute identity with the seer.
    Just as a flame is extinguished when the wood is burnt out, or as rivers lose their existence on joining the sea, all impressions of the unconscious, subconscious, conscious mind cease to exist. 
    All these rivers of consciousness merge in the ocean of the seer.
    Nirbija samadhi is the conquest of the chitta wherein the root mind is one with the seer.
    As all thoughts are brought to an end by practice and detachment, the Jiva is freed from the shackles of earthly
    vehicles: the body, senses, mind, intelligence.
    When chitta is dependent upon an object, idea or symbol, the state is called sabija samadhi.
    In nirbija samadhi, chitta dissolves and no residue of impressions remains. All residual impressions, the thinking faculty and the feelings of ‘I’ are extinguished without trace and become universal. 
    Then the Atman alone manifests and shines without form, in pristine clarity.
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  • knowledge and wisdom is distinct from and beyond the knowledge obtained from books, testimony, or inference.

    Verse 49
    श्रुतानुमानप्रज्ञाअभ्यामन्यविषया विशेषार्थत्वात् ॥४९॥
    śruta-anumāna-prajñā-abhyām-anya-viṣayā viśeṣa-arthatvāt ॥49॥
    This truth-bearing knowledge and wisdom is distinct from and beyond the knowledge obtained from books, testimony, or inference.
    Verse 50
    तज्जस्संस्कारोऽन्यसंस्कार प्रतिबन्धी ॥५०॥
    tajjas-saṁskāro-‘nya-saṁskāra pratibandhī ॥50॥
    The resulting impression from this Samadhi prevents all other impressions.
    Truth-bearing knowledge is first-hand, intuitive knowledge.
    This wisdom is gained through insight. It is a special, direct knowledge arising from the Atman not from the perception of the senses or from the
    ordinary intellect. 
    The knowledge that springs from one’s inner self is intuitive knowledge.
    When the power of the intellect springs from insight, that insight prevents all previous residues of action, movement and impression.
     New samskaras may continue to emerge due to the oscillations of the mind, and this may impede real knowledge. 
    These mental impressions must be subdued by the power of discrimination, and then all doubts dissolve. 
    When doubts are cleared, the sadhaka has to discard even this discriminative knowledge. The new illuminating wisdom is free from doubts and discriminations; it shines forth, a glowing light of knowledge.
    Truth which is obtained from experience of samadhi is beyond and distinct from bookish knowledge. Words can point to truth but never be truth itself. Logical mind has limitations as you do inference. Truth from direct perception is ultimate experience wherein the Oness is realised.
    This experience of Samadhi leaves telling impression that no other icha can enter in mind again
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  • In Samadhi, knowledge is called "filled with truth".

    Verse 47
    निर्विचारवैशारद्येऽध्यात्मप्रसादः ॥४७॥
    nirvicāra-vaiśāradye-‘dhyātma-prasādaḥ ॥47॥
    In reaching nirvichara samadhi the mind becomes pure, the Chitta becomes firmly fixed.
    Verse 48
    ऋतंभरा तत्र प्रज्ञा ॥४८॥
    r̥taṁbharā tatra prajñā ॥48॥
    In that samadhi, knowledge is called “filled with truth”.
    When intelligence and consciousness, the essence of Jiva, remain nonreflective, profound and unconditioned, the body, the organs of action, the senses of perception, the mind, intelligence and consciousness – are illumined. 
    Knowledge and understanding of the real state of the Atman manifest in luminosity.
    When consciousness dwells in wisdom, a truth-bearing state of direct spiritual perception dawns.
    This earned spiritual illumination is filled with unalloyed wisdom, glowing
    with truth and reality.
    This luminosity of the Atman manifests, shining with full fragrance.
    Ritambara Prajna is a wisdom which is beyond the sense organs, mind and intellect. Can acquire this Prajna only through yoga sadhana.
    Devoid of veiling contamination of any impurites of Rajas and tamas, the mind which is still, like a ripple less water reflects the atman thereby revealing it’s true nature that is light of knowledge which can distinguish atman and anatman. It’s a progressively clearer stage.
    The vidhya which appears in the clearness of mind in this stage of Samadhi, it brings truth alone and there is no trace of avidhya, which is born out of discrimination. The first is, to follow the instructions of the scriptures and the teachers; the second is mainly concerned with removing, by reason (yukti) and inference, objections to the authoritative teaching which is being studied, and so rightly establishing it; but the third is eagerness for constant practice of meditation on what has thus been established by the scriptures and by inferences from them. Perfecting his knowledge in these three ways, the yogin attains yoga.
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  • That is why contemplation of the seer is seedless or supportless samadhi.

    Verse 45
    सूक्ष्मविषयत्वम्चालिण्ग पर्यवसानम् ॥४५॥
    sūkṣma-viṣayatvam-ca-aliṇga paryavasānam ॥45॥
    The subtle objects end in Alingga – the unmanifested Prakriti.
    Verse 46
    ता एव सबीजस्समाधिः ॥४६॥
    tā eva sabījas-samādhiḥ ॥46॥
    The states of samadhi described in the previous sutras are dependent upon
    a support or seed, and are termed sabija.
    The gross objects are only the elements, and everything
    manufactured out of them. The fine objects begin with the Tanmatras or fine particles. The organs, the mind , egoism, the mind-stuff (the cause of all manifestion) the equilibrium
    state of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas materials—called Pradhana (chief), Prakrti (nature), or Avyakta (unmanifest), are all included within the category of fine objects.
    The savitarka, nirvitarka, savicara, nirvicara, sananda and sasmita samadhis are known as sabija (seeded or with seed) samadhis.
    All the states of samapatti described are seeded samadhis. All these samadhis are dependent upon an object which includes the intelligence (buddhi) and the ‘I’ principle. Their seed is the core of the being, the only seedless seat in each individual.
    Through the disciplines of yoga, the sadhaka transforms his attention from the gross to the subtle. When he reaches the apex of nature, the mind being a part of nature, he attains perfection in controlling the modes of consciousness. He is able to stop all functions of the mind deliberate and non-deliberate, at will. That is why it is termed samadhi with seed.
    Whatever is dependent on nature for contemplation is seeded samapatti.
    The contemplation of the seer, who is the source of all seeds, is without support. Though both seer and nature are eternal, nature is changeable while the seer remains the same, immutable, not dependent on any support except his own self. That is why contemplation of the seer is seedless or supportless (nirbija) samadhi.
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  • Samadhi comes when the memory is purified, or devoid of qualities

    Verse 43
    स्मृतिपरिशुद्धौ स्वरूपशून्येवार्थमात्रनिर्भासा निर्वितर्का ॥४३॥
    smr‌ti-pariśuddhau svarūpa-śūnyeva-arthamātra-nirbhāsā nirvitarkā ॥43॥
    The Samadhi called without reasoning (comes) when the memory is purified, or devoid of qualities, expressing only the meaning (of the meditated object).
    Verse 44
    एतयैव सविचारा निर्विचारा च सूक्ष्मविषय व्याख्याता ॥४४॥
    etayaiva savicārā nirvicārā ca sūkṣma-viṣaya vyākhyātā ॥44॥
    By this process (the concentrations) with discrimination and without discrimination, whose objects are finer, are (also) explained.
    When memory is completely cleansed and purified, mind too is purified.
    Both cease to function as distinct entites ; a no-mind state is experienced, and consciousness alone manifests itself, shining unblemished without reflection of external objects. This is called nirvitarka samapatti.
    Memory is the recollection of past thoughts and experiences. It is the storehouse of past impressions. Its knowledge is reflected knowledge. The sadhaka should be aware that memory has tremendous impact on intelligence. By perseverance in yoga practices and persistent self-discipline, new experiences surface.
    These new experiences, free from the memories of the past, are fresh, direct and subjective. 
    It either merges with consciousness or takes a back seat, giving predominance to new experiences and bringing
    clarity in intelligence. 
    For the average person memory is a past mind. For the enlightened man, memory is a present mind. As memory is purified, intelligence becomes illuminative and moves closer to the seer, losing its identity. This is nirvitarka samapatti.
    Transformation of the consciousness by contemplation on subtle objects such as the ego (ahamkara) , intelligence (buddhi) or the elements.(sound, touch, sight, taste and smell) , or the qualities of luminosity, vibrancy and dormancy of nature, conditioned by space, time and causation, is savicara samapatti. 
    Without these reflections it becomes nirvicara samapatti.
    In nirvicara samapatti, the sadhaka experiences a state without verbal deliberation.
    All the subtle objects reflected in savicara are extinguished. 
    He is free from memory, free from past experiences, devoid of all past impressions.
    This new state of contemplation is without cause and effect, place or time.
    The inexpressible states of pure bliss (ananda) and pure self (Atman) rise to the surface and are experienced by the sadhaka
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  • The Yogi’s mind meditating, becomes un-obstructed from the atomic to the Infinite.

    Verse 39
    यथाअभिमतध्यानाद्वा ॥३९॥
    yathā-abhimata-dhyānād-vā ॥39॥
    Or by meditation on anything that appeals to one as
    good.
    Verse 40
    ऩयभाि ऩयभभहत्त्वान्तोऽस्य वशीकाय् ॥ ४०॥ 
    paramanu paramamahattvantosya vashikarah
    The Yogi’s mind thus meditating, becomes
    un-obstructed from the atomic to the Infinite.
    The final method is to choose an object conducive to meditation: not one which is externally pleasing, but auspicious and spiritually uplifting.
    Practising this simple method of one-pointed attention, the sadhaka gradually develops the art of contemplation. Later, when a degree of mental stability is attained, he will be able to meditate on any object at will.
    The perfect practice of an asana is pleasing, and through it, too, one can gain serenity.
    On the face of it this sutra is simple: it describes meditation on a pleasing object. Its deeper, hidden meaning is harder to comprehend. Having explained various methods of meditation Patanjali now comes to subjective meditation. 
    The most ‘pleasing’ object of meditation is in fact one’s very existence, the core of the being. Patanjali advises us to trace the.seed of that core, the living Atman that pervades everything from the most infinitesimal particle to the infinitely greatest. This is the most difficult subject to meditate upon.
    This is the last of the six alternative methods of stilling the mind.
    Mastery of contemplation brings the power to extend from the finest particle to the greatest.
    By following the various alternative methods of contemplation described
    above, the sadhaka develops the power to penetrate from the most infinitesimal particles to infinity.
    The sadhaka is not only freed from all disturbances of the mind; he has also subjugated his consciousness.
    His consciousness reaches a height of purity in which it develops the power of penetrating objects from the minutest atoms to the mighty cosmos.
    This sutra describes how the ordinary mind is transformed into a supermind, able to penetrate the boundless regions of space, and the deepest regions within.
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  • Meditating on the knowledge that comes insleep.

    Verse 37
    वीतराग विषयम् वा चित्तम् ॥३७॥
    vītarāga viṣayam vā cittam ॥37॥
    Or (by meditation on) the heart that has given up all
    attachment to sense objects.
    Verse 38
    स्वप्ननिद्रा ज्ञानाअलम्बनम् वा ॥३८॥
    svapna-nidrā jñāna-ālambanam vā ॥38॥
    Or by meditating on the knowledge that comes in
    sleep.
    VedaVyasa, Suka, Ramanuja, Madhvacharya, Vallabhacharya, Chaitanya MahaPrabhu, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi and Sri Ramakrishna, are examples of Self Realised Beings
    If the sadhaka reflects on the serene, pure state of such divine persons and emulates their practices, he gains confidence, attains stability and
    develops a desireless state of mind.
    In the same way, one can also contemplate each stage of an each movement of breath in order to bring the chitta to a state of desirelessness. 
    If consciousness is kept free from desire, it becomes pure. Mere withdrawal from the world does not in itself achieve this aim.
    Citta has four planes: the unconscious, subconscious, conscious and superconscious.
    The unconscious plane is the state of dreamless sleep (nidra/sushupti). 
    The subconscious plane is the dream-filled (svapna) state. The conscious plane is the waking ( jagrata) state. 
    The superconscious plane is the fourth state known as turiya. 
    Turya is samadhi, the final state wherein the individual soul (jivatman) is merged with the Universal Soul (Paramatman).
    By close examination of dream-filled and dreamless sleep, the sadhaka
    comes to distinguish the various levels of consciousness, and learns to transform them into a single state of consciousness.
    The sadhaka should also contemplate on the thought of the soul before going to sleep, so that the same thought flows uninterruptedly whether he
    is awake, dreaming or asleep.
    Normally, declining thoughts lead to quietness; but strong rising thoughts keep one awake. A yogi maintains passive alertness without
    allowing thoughts to spring forth, or strives to restrain them. This is reflective contemplation
    The sadhaka begins his sadhana dreaming of the pros and cons of each
    Asana. This is a svapna state. He stabilizes his ideas and rests on them. 
    This is nidra state. 
    Later he learns to distinguish the subtle points and perform
    them with awareness. This is the state of jnana.
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  • Concentration that bring extraordinary sense perceptions encourage steadiness of the mind.

    Verse 35
    विषयवती वा प्रवृत्तिरुत्पन्ना मनसः स्थिति निबन्धिनी ॥३५॥
    viṣayavatī vā pravr‌tti-rutpannā manasaḥ sthiti nibandhinī ॥35॥
    Those forms of concentration that bring extraordinary sense perceptions encourage steadiness of the mind.
    Verse 36
    विशोका वा ज्योतिष्मती ॥३६॥
    viśokā vā jyotiṣmatī ॥36॥
    Or ( by meditation on) the the Effulgent one which is beyond all sorrow.
    This naturally comes with Dharana, concentration; the Yogis say, if the mind becomes concentrated on the tip of the nose one begins to smell, after a few days, wonderful perfumes. 
    If it becomes concentrated at the root of the tongue one begins to here sounds; if on the tip of the tongue one begins to taste wonderful flavours; if on the middle of the tongue, one feels as if he were coming in contact with something. 
    If one concentrates his mind on the palate he begins to see peculiar things. If a man whose mind is disturbed wants to take up some of these practices of Yoga, yet doubts the truth of them, he will have his doubts set at rest, when, after a little practice, these things come to him, and he will persevere.
    This is another sort of concentration. Think of the lotus of the heart, with petals downwards, and running through it the Sushumna; take in the breath, and while throwing the breath out imagine that the lotus is turned with the petals upwards, and inside that lotus is an effulgent light. Meditate on that.
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  • The mind becomes purified by cultivation of feelings of friendship, mercy, gladness and indifference respectively towards happy, unhappy, good and evil creatures.

    Verse 33
    मैत्री करुणा मुदितोपेक्षाणांसुखदुःख पुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातः चित्तप्रसादनम् ॥३३॥
    maitrī karuṇā mudito-pekṣāṇāṁ-sukha-duḥkha puṇya-apuṇya-viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaḥ citta-prasādanam ॥33॥
    The mind becomes purified by cultivation of feelings of friendship, mercy, gladness and indifference respectively towards happy, unhappy, good and evil creatures.
    Verse 34
    प्रच्छर्दनविधारणाअभ्यां वा प्राणस्य ॥३४॥
    pracchardana-vidhāraṇa-ābhyāṁ vā prāṇasya ॥34॥
    By throwing out and restraining the Breath the mind may also be calmed.
    Mind becomes happy and clear by being friendly, compassionate, delighted and ignorant towards happy, sad, holy spirits and sinners respectively.
    On daily basis we deal with four types of people in this world.
    Happy
    Sad
    Sadhus/Saints
    Sinners
    Dealing with them a man unknowingly becomes happy or unhappy. Behaviour also has its own science and first of all the Maharshi has shared this science in this sutra. This science is called sarvbhaumik/universal and is equally applicable to all.
    Whenever the topic ‘how to attain happiness of mind’ will be discussed, this sutra of Maharshi’s will be mentioned first of all. According to this Sutra you will be faced with four types of people in this world and you have to behave in a specific way with each type.
    👉🏻Friendly behaviour with happy looking people
    👉🏻Feeling of kindness for miserable looking people
    👉🏻Feeling of delight for Sadhus
    👉🏻Feeling of indifference for wicked people who are involved in wickedness.
    The word used in this verse is, Prana. Prana is not exactly breath. It is the name for the energy that is in the universe. Whatever you see in the universe, whatever moves or works, or has life, is a manifestation of this Prana. the sum-total of the energy
    displayed in the universe is called Prana. 
    This Prana, before a cycle begins, remains in an almost motionless state, and when the cycle begins this Prana begins to manifest itself. It is this Prana that is manifested as motion, as the nervous motion in human beings or animals, and the same Prana is manifesting as thought, and so on. 
    The whole universe is a
    combination of Prana and Akasa; so is the human body. Out of Akasa you get the different materials that you feel, and see, and out of Prana all the various forces.
     Now this throwing out and restraining the Prana is what is called pranayama. 
    He means that you simply throw the air out, and draw it in, and hold it for some time, that is all, and by that, the mind will become a little calmner.
    The Chitta, the mind-stuff, is the engine which draws in the Prana from the surroundings, and manufactures out of this Prana the various vital forces.
    First of all the forces that keep the body in preservation, and lastly thought, will, and all other powers. 
    By this process of breathing we can control all the various motions in the body, and the various nerve currents that are running through the body. 
    First we begin to recognise them, and then we slowly get control over them. 
    Now these later Yogis consider that there are three main currents of this Prana in the human body. 
    One they call Ida, another Pingala, and the third Susumna. Pingala, according to them, is on the right side of the spinal column, and the Ida is on the left side, and in the middle of this spinal column is the Susumna.
    Verse 34 says the thread of breath and mind. Fluctuation of mind is related to change in rate of breath … when breath turns into sushumna nadi mind is made to calm and establish in tranquility  
    Flow of breath when in ida and pingala = samsara.
    When directed to sushumna, mind turns inward and self is realized
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  • They can be removed by the practice of one subject.

     Verse 32


    तत्प्रतिषेधार्थमेकतत्त्वाभ्यासः ॥३२॥

    tat-pratiṣedha-artham-eka-tattva-abhyāsaḥ ॥32॥

    They can be removed by the practice of one subject.

    In previous sutra the Maharshi has spoken about all the 9 obstacles on the path of Yoga. The consequent results of these impediments are bad which themselves act as obstructions. This gives rise to four more adverse obstructions, making them 13 in number.

    Those four obstructions are:

    Pain
    Mental Agitation
    Tremor of limbs
    Irregular breathing

    Mental Agitation – When a man’s desires are not fulfilled, a kind of distress is born in his mind.
    This distress brings in hopelessness, idleness and disinterest in performing yoga sadhana. Therefore, flawless action is the only way to avoid this. 

    Tremor of body — Disorganized life style, dietary habits, too much involvement in materialistic things leads to a tremor in body parts which makes it unnatural. This is a huge road block in the path of Yoga.
    This kind of tremour in body parts does not let a person move on the path of Yoga.

    Irregular Breathing – Irraegular and uncontrolled inhaling and exhaling is also a problem which is the side effect of 9 obstacles. Unstability instead of stability in mind for any reason has a direct impact on our life force/energy and diverts it towards irregular speed. This situation is an obstacle in Yoga as Yoga is attained with single mindedness and no distraction.

    Thus these irregularities distract the mind and are obstacles in the path of Yoga.

    one element should be practised to remove these deflections.

    Now the question here is: Which element and how should it be practised to remove all 9 major obstacles and 4 minor obstacles?

    There are many ways and practices to remove these impediments but these obstacles can never be completely removed by using different means. Therefore, the Maharshi has emphasized on the practice of ekatatva/ one element to overcome these obstacles and enjoy benefits of samadhi.

    Concentration is achieved by practicing ekatatva which will help you to move forward on the path of Yoga by converting the deranged mind into a focussed one.

    According to Sutra samkhya 23, Ishvar pranidhan/surrender to Ishvar is the best and easy way for Samadhi. And according to this sutra, practice of ishta ekatatva is the best way to remove obstacles for concentration of mind.

    What is this ekatatva? – Meaningful chanting of Omkara is ekatatva. The meditator achieves concentration of mind with its uninterrupted continuous practice and thus destroys all grief.

    Patanjali yoga sutras verse here talks of the four obstacle mental distress irregular breathing pain and limbs.

    Unhealthy life habits impact body vasanas tendencies worries create fear in mind as a result irregular breathing happens.

    Overcome all these by surrendering to Ishvara. 

    Focus your mind on Ishvara. Do not think of anything else you ll attain samadhi if this is practices long time

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  • These distractions are accompanied by – sorrow, mental distress, tremor of the body, irregular breathing.

     Verse 31


    दुःखदौर्मनस्याङ्गमेजयत्वश्वासप्रश्वासाः विक्षेप सहभुवः ॥३१॥

    duḥkha-daurmanasya-aṅgamejayatva-śvāsapraśvāsāḥ vikṣepa sahabhuvaḥ ॥31॥

    These distractions are accompanied by – sorrow, mental distress, tremor of the body, irregular breathing.


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  • Don't give knowledge to those who argue

    A person who argues should not be given knowledge. An argumentative mind is not receptive to knowledge. When someone is in an argumentative mood, then giving knowledge or advice is in vain. In an argumentative mood you feel you know it all. Then you are not ready for knowledge. That is why wise people do not give advice when they are in an argumentative environment.

    Argument has a purpose. It can bring out the truth if there is no emotion or sense of “I” attached to it. Argument can also have a disadvantage. It can make untruth appear to be truth.
    A wise man will not take arguments seriously; he will just have fun with them. Wisdom is beyond all arguments.
    Both a worldly person and a spiritual person will tell you not to do wrong, though the reasons they give are totally different. A worldly person will tell you not to do wrong because it hurts or causes him pain. A spiritual person will tell you not to do wrong because it would only harm you more.
    – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • Keys to build strong friendships

    Not demanding anything from friends, and telling them I’m here to support you is the key. Just believe in one thing: what you need you will get. The giver is somebody else, so don’t demand love. When you demand love you are destroying love. So you should never demand love or attention from people. If you are there only to give love and attention, then anyone will feel comfortable with you. But if you are expecting something then you are putting people in a very uncomfortable position. You can’t say this to everybody, but intelligent people who understand this can make their way.

    Tell your friends, ‘I’m here for you’, I don’t want anything from you other than friendship. That will make your friendship long-lasting. When you come from that space, you think your friend will not help you? They will help you when you need help. Not one but ten will come to help you. Also when you do something good for them, don’t keep on talking about it. Don’t keep reminding them of it. How do you feel when someone helps you and keeps on telling you about it all the time? You feel nauseated, isn’t it? You want to get away from them. Nobody wants to be under obligation, so don’t make people feel obligated.
    Don’t make people feel small. Suppose you have done a lot of good to somebody, then sometimes ask them for something, a little help like taking you to the railway station or airport. Some small things, so that you maintain the self-respect of the other person as well. There are people who do a lot of charity but they rob the other person of self-respect. That is no good.
    One gentleman came to me and said, “I have not taken a dime from anybody, I have only given to all my brothers and friends. I have done so much but nobody wants to be with me, nobody wants to meet up with me, nobody wants to talk to me. This is strange, I never wanted anything from anybody.”
    I asked him, ‘Did you anytime ask them to do something for you?’
    He replied, ‘Never, and I asserted that I wanted nothing from anybody’.
    What happened? He put down the self-respect of people. When the self-respect is in danger, nobody wants to be with that person.
    Friendship has two things. You may feel it is very confusing. On one hand, I am saying I don’t want anything from them, and on the other hand, I am telling you to ask them for something to keep their self-respect intact. That is the skill. These are completely two opposite positions. Keeping the self-respect of the other person is number one and second, not demanding anything from them.
    Just keep these two things in your mind – firmness with humility. Do not assert your own ego by saying you have never taken anything from anybody or don’t want anything from anybody. It may be true, but you should not come out like that. So, first firmness, then humility.
    What is humility? Saying, “Oh, I am so humble”, is not humility. Dignity with cordiality is. Many people who are very dignified keep aloof. They are not warm and cordial. People who are warm and cordial, don’t have dignity. They just look so mushy and wiggly, like noodles. Just imagine noodles all joined together, you can’t even take it in a fork, it’s like paste. That is of no use. Noodle is a good example. They are soft, yet separate, not mushy nor hard. That middle path, cordiality with dignity, this is the secret of friendship.
    Whenever a person is down, uplift him or her. When you go to a true friend with a problem you feel lighter when you walk away from them that is a good company. However, if you have a problem and you go to a friend but you come away with your problem appearing much bigger than you ever thought, then that is not a good friend.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Celebrate your Uniqueness

    “A plum once said, ‘just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know who I am.  How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover.’

    Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate.  Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest Glory – your uniqueness, for momentary validation. Even Gandhi was not accepted by many people. The group that does not accept you as YOU is not Your world.
    There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king /queen by just being yourself. Find that world… In fact, that world will find You.
    What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold cannot.  The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity of the tree enables it to stay rooted. Everything and everybody has been designed with a Proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose that we can fulfill only by being our unique self. You as you alone can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose.  You are here to be you… Just YOU.
    There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and he was sent; A time when a Christ was required and he was sent; a time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent;  There came a time when you were required on this planet and hence you were sent. Let us be the best we can be.
    In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you and to the infinity of time to come, there will be no one like you.  Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the mould after making you, so that another of your kind will never get repeated.
    You are original. You are rare. You are unique. You are a wonder. You are a masterpiece. .. Your  Master’s piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness.”
    -Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • Every helpless moment is a golden opportunity to pray

    Every person is faced with this true situation. At certain times you feel great because you have achieved something. You say, “Yes, I have done this.” At other times all your efforts fail and you don’t get the result that you wanted. Then there are two choices for you. Either you can brood over it, feel upset, depressed, unhappy, or you can make use of the same situation to pray. Become aware of your insignificance and turn the same situation into a prayer. Every helpless moment is a golden opportunity to pray.

    -Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • What is the meaning of ‘Annadata Sukhi Bhava’?

    Q: What is the meaning of ‘Annadata Sukhi Bhava’?

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Annadata sukhi bhava’ means ‘those who are providing me with this food, let them be happy’. Will you all say this one mantra every day before your meals?
    When you say this, you are wishing prosperity for three people. One is to the farmer; the second is to the trader who buys from the farmers and sells the produce, and the third is to the woman who cooks the food and serves it to you.
    First, we wish well for the farmers. When the farmers are happy, then the ones who eat the food will also be happy. But, if the farmers are unhappy, and they are shedding tears and giving us food, then when we eat that food, we become sick. So, you must wish the farmers good health and happiness.
    In this country we are ignoring the farmers. Farmers are committing suicide because they are sad and unhappy. When they are sad, then the food they produce brings us only misery. So, all of you should wish them happiness.
    Second, we should wish well for the traders. If the merchants do their business properly, by not being greedy and not hoarding things, then there will be no dearth of food in the country. If there is a problem in our country, it is because of wrong government policies and the hoarding attitude of businessmen. As a result of this, it is the farmers who suffer the most. Can you imagine, three years ago, food companies were making 300 per cent profit, while the farmers were going bankrupt? This shows that there is a serious flaw in our system; we need to look into it. Hoarding is the biggest crime.
    Third, we should wish well for the women at home who cook the food and serves it to us. There should be no tears in the eyes of the lady of the house who is cooking the food. It is not going to do you any good. So, when you say Annadata Sukhi Bhava every day, you are praying for the lady of the house to be happy; you are praying for the merchant to conduct his business in a fair and just manner (not out of greed), and you are wishing the farmer a happy life. If these three people are happy, then the society is happy.
    If you really look at it, the true Annadaata (the Giver of Food) is none other than God himself. And God is always happy and content. Does God ever become unhappy? No! Yet, at the level of this gross material world that we are in, we pray to God who is the ultimate nurturer, for the happiness and well-being of these three people who help to provide us with food. We all should chant this every day, both before and after our meals. Bless them before and after you have had your food.
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  • Unknown Lessons from the Mahatma

    Gandhi Jayanti is an occasion to reflect on what we can learn from Gandhiji. Everyone’s life teaches us both what to do and what not to do. The ideals that Gandhiji set are an inspiration for generations – a sense of sacrifice, acceptance for everyone, an unbroken faith in satsang and dedication to the higher cause of the country and the welfare of people. But there were aspects of his life that teach us what not to do as well.

    My teacher, Pt. Sudhakar Chaturvedi, who is still alive at 118 years stayed with Gandhiji for a long time. Bangalori, as Gandhiji would call him since he hailed from Bangalore, used to teach him the Bhagavad Gita. They were together on the day Kasturba passed away in Yerawada Jail. Watching her in the throes of death, Gandhiji said, “Bangalori, your Bapu has to face the test of fire (agni-pariksha) today.” Panditji saw tears in Bapu’s eyes for the first time. As he read the second chapter of the Gita for Kasturba, she breathed her last. Gandhiji remarked, “I realize that I gave her a lot of pain and no happiness.” Kasturba supported him in his mission till the end. Perhaps he would not have been so remorseful had he honored and agreed to some of her wishes once in a while.
    Gandhiji was also deeply pained when his son converted to another religion. He spoke a lot against conversion and admitted his regret that he could not give his children an education of values and respect for their own religion. He came to be regarded as the Father of the Nation but could not be a good father to his own sons. While aspiring to bring freedom to an entire country, he gave none to his own wife. Due to his rigidity, Gandhiji put his family through a lot of distress and his own children rebelled against him. Approaching every aspect of life with a fixed attitude is not practical. One needs to have different yardsticks for dealing with different people and situations.
    During the partition, Gandhiji received news of riots in Pakistan, but refused to believe such violence was going on there. To take stock of the situation, he sent Bangalori who was attacked no less than seven times with knives in Pakistan. On one occasion, he was captured and buried in sand up to the neck. The mullah was to come and strike him with the first stone before the mob finished him. Somehow the army reached on time and he was able to escape. When he shared his experience showing his wounds, Gandhiji accused him, “You are saying all this because you are a Hindu yourself. My Muslim brothers can never do anything like this.” Bangalori was taken aback on being suspected and left Gandhiji in dismay. The Mahatma was assassinated three days later. Panditji used to tell me, “I left that old man in the last three days of his life”, a fact that always pained him.
    My grandfather also spent twenty years with Gandhiji in Sevashram. One of the rules observed there was to have bitter neem chutney with everything, even sweets like kheer. On one hand, such an austere practice, though strange, can help people overcome their small attachments like taste etc. and is good for a sannyasi, but it is undue to force everyone, including children, to follow it.
    Gandhiji was quite uncompromising about his opinions often compelling everyone to accept his verdict. Considering everyone’s viewpoint and weighing the pros and cons of a situation did not feature in his style of functioning. On several occasions, he would unreasonably go on a fast to put pressure and prevail over others. When the issue of who the first Prime Minister of India was going to be was put to vote in the Congress, all the votes favoured Sardar Patel, except one. Disregarding this outcome, Mahatma Gandhi declared that Nehru would be Prime Minister. The man who laid the foundation of our democracy was very undemocratic in his ways.
    Mahatma Gandhi had an indelible impact on the world. He remained committed to non-violence at a time when world wars were raging and rose to command a nation while living as a renunciant. His life will remain a lesson for all in more ways than one.
    -Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • Wake up and see nothing is yours

    You will just see the body out there. Once you come out of the body, you will see your whole life flashing like a movie in a few minutes.

    These will be the two questions that will stand.
    1. How much love you gave? Not how much love you received, and
    2. How much knowledge you gained?
    This question will come and you will say, ‘I will do better next time’, and that is it. Then there is peace.
    What happens after death is the mind gets freed from the body, the spirit. The mind has memory and intelligence, so these two things become like a balloon. The karma, the deepest impressions form a balloon.It is like in sleep .
    Death is nothing but a long sleep. Before going to sleep, you review what all work you have to do the next day,see the last thought that you get, You say, ‘This all as to be done tomorrow. Okay, I will do it’, and then you go to bed, And as soon as you wake up, see what is the first thought that comes. Have you noticed? It will variably be the same though.
    Isn’t it! Same thing happens after death.
    Then that intention of what you will do in the next life will bring the next body and the next birth to us. Then we choose our parents, the place, and everything else and then we come to this world!
    So the physical body decays and the pranic body with all the impressions forms a balloon and leaves the body and hangs around.
    Don’t imagine a balloon hanging around! It is a light; an energy.
    I will give you the best example. In a television station, they conduct a program and then they transmit it through the dish and the program remains in the atmosphere – it is the same way.
    When you send an email from the computer, you type all the letters and then you press the send button. What happens? It goes into the space. Does your email remain in the space till it is downloaded? Even after several days you can download your email. Even one year later or ten years later you can download an email. There is no expiry date, isn’t that so. It is not like those greeting cards which sometimes people send you that expire in 24 hours.
    The messages or letters you send don’t hang as letters in the space, it remains in the space as energy.
    Like that every soul is a particular frequency and every thumb is different because a thumb is like a particular cell phone chip.
    So after death, every individual energy stays, and the impressions it has taken, accordingly to that it experiences those stages there. But then after sometime that soul comes back.
    The soul enters the body at three times – this is all a secret. It is called the birth secret and death secret.
    So the soul enters at the moment of conception, or it enters in the fifth month, or at the time of birth. So the three sections are there, but there is no way to determine when it enters. The soul also chooses where to be born, the place to come. According to its wish it will just come there.
    So if at conception time it comes then what one should do to care for that?
    Keep yourself happy. Usually pregnant women are kept very happy in India. Whatever she wants is provided to her.
    I would say, don’t watch all these violent movies, and scary songs, and scary things. Generally light flute music would be good because it is soothing. It is good to listen to music, knowledge and wisdom. All these things would be preferable.
    Knowledge of death makes you immortal. It’s wrong to even say, “makes you immortal.” The knowledge makes you aware that you are immortal.
    Do you see there is a difference? You are already immortal. So nothing to be worries about death!
    Have you noticed that something in you is not changing or not ageing?Something in you never dies. We fail to notice it. We are so busy that we take no time to notice or observe the truth that we are.
    You might have noticed that when you look at people you feel they have all gotten
    older, but you don’t feel you have aged, does anyone feel they have become old? If you are in the normal state of mind, even though you may be eighty-years old, you never feel that you have become old. To others, you may look very old, but de
    ep inside you, you never feel that you are old, because there is something in
    you that never ages.
    “In one minute, death will rob all of what you have. Before death robs you, let go. Wake up and see nothing is yours. It is such freedom, I tell you! Such freedom!”
    – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • Where does one seek the do’s and don'ts on karma?

    Gurudev, where does one seek the do’s and don’ts on karma?

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: 
    You should listen to your own conscience, your inner gut feeling. Don’t do anything which you don’t want others to do to you. That is the criteria.
    We should do that which brings long term benefit, even if it is at the cost of some short term unpleasant situations. We should not do that which gives short term pleasure but problems in the long run. This is the criteria for karma.
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  • Meditation is seeing God in oneself

    God does not wish you to have more faith because the more faith you have, the more work for God. God will have to run behind you; then you start controlling Him. He is the servant of faithful servants and He does not want too many servants telling Him what He should be doing.

    Love is the highest strength, yet it makes you absolutely weak. So God/Enlightened One/Nature does not want you to have more faith or love. With too much faith and love, you make God weak.
    So, it is better for God that you have less faith. Things go on as they are. Why transform? Be happy.
    Meditation is seeing God in oneself.
    Love is seeing God in the person next to you.
    Knowledge is seeing God everywhere.
    Expression of love is service.
    Expression of joy is smile.
    Expression of peace is meditation.
    Expressing God is conscious action.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Never doubt anyone’s love for you

    You should never doubt anyone’s love for you, take it for granted that everyone loves you, that’s it! 

    Sometimes some people don’t express love. Some may express every now and then, some others may express in another life time! Sometimes, someone who is rude and rough and does not behave nicely, they do have love for us, but they have reserved it for the future years or for future lifetimes. When you look at it from this perspective, then from your side you will feel secure, complete, accepted, and you will feel that oneness with this whole universe.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • How to change someone’s nature

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: 

    Why do you want to change someone else’s nature? If you want to change someone’s nature because what they are doing is troubling you, then it is never going to change! However, if we wish that they change their nature because it will harm them, if this is our perspective, then there definitely is a possibility of change.
    Why is it that people are unable to bring about a change in another person’s behavior? This is because they are caught up with themselves. If you say, ‘Change for me’ then nobody is going to change.
    Why or how is it that only a Guru can bring about a change in a person? It is because a Guru never wants anything for himself. A Guru wants transformation in someone only because what the person is doing is harming himself or herself. A Guru looks at people with this compassionate perspective which is why people transform when they come to Him.
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  • Don’t leave the rose because of the thorns

    Don’t leave the rose because of the thorns! Even the thorns have a purpose, else the rose cannot exist! So, a rose cannot exist without thorns. If you keep looking only at the thorns then you will lose the beauty of the rose. If you go to the garden, and look only at the thorns without enjoying the flower, then you will become unhappy. Small things are enough to make the mind lose it’s center. Just become aware of it, then you will win over it. So there is beauty in every person. Look at that, not at the thorn, look at the flower. This is important to understand. Nobody is less or more.

    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • When we fail, who is the doer?

    When we fail, who is the doer? When I’m successful, I say it’s God’s grace or that Gurudev did it but when I fail, then God does not seem to be around me to take the responsibility! 

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: 
    Look back and reflect on the many times you have failed. Don’t you now feel that those failures were good for you. How many of you feel this way? (Many in the audience raise their hands)
    When you look back at your failures, you will see that you have learnt something from them, and they have been stepping stones for you to move ahead.
    I tell you, when you are on the path, when your heart is clean and when you are meditating, there is no way that you will fail, or go down. It will appear as though you are failing but that little failure is only to get you towards higher success. This is for sure.
    In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna promised the world that ‘My devotee will never perish’. It is impossible for a devotee to perish!
    A devotee is the one who has a pure heart. If you are cunning which is why you got failure, then you have to bear the cost. But if you are doing good things and failing, never bother about it. You are only going to go up.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • NIMIT – INSTRUMENT OF THE DIVINE

    When you are neither clear nor confused, only then can you be a perfect instrument of the Divine! How would an instrument know what is going to be, and when? How can an instrument be confused, and how can an instrument be clear!

    This state is called Nimit – just being an instrument of the Divine. Being very clear means not opening to new possibilities and can lead to limitations. Unlimited possibilities are open to one who is not clear and not confused.
    Your mind swings from clarity to confusion and confusion to clarity but the state in which there is no doership nor inertia is the most creative and progressive state.
    Sharmila: Will this not lead to lethargy?
    Sri Sri: No. A sharp instrument does its job perfectly, effortlessly.
    Sharmila: What about focus?
    Sri Sri: Focus is natural to a dynamic consciousness.
    Confusion arises when new information flows in and clarity is lost. Then confusion again seeks clarity. Clarity constricts the possibility of new information. A confused consciousness seeks clarity and every confusion is breaking away from clarity.
    If there is only confusion, there is frustration. If there is only clarity, there is rigidity.
    After giving contradictory knowledge, Krishna tells Arjuna, “Just be Nimit!” And to be an instrument, the prerequisite is to be madly in love! That’s why in love there is neither confusion nor clarity; or there is both – confusion and clarity!
    Nazreen: Is truth more important than love?
    Sri Sri: I’m confused! Is it clear? (laughter)
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  • Faith and Alertness

    Faith and alertness appear to be completely opposite in nature. When you are alert, usually there is no faith and you feel restless and insecure. When there is faith, the mind is secure and rested and you are not alert.

    There are three types of faith:
    Tamasic faith which is because of dullness. Like when you do not want to take responsibility or action and you say, “Oh it doesn’t matter, anyway God will take care of all these things!” (laughter)
    Rajasic faith which is brought on by intense compulsion of desires and ambition. The ambition keeps the faith alive.
    Satvic faith is innocent and is born out of fullness of consciousness.
    Faith and alertness, though apparently opposite in nature, are actually complementary to each other. In the absence of faith, there can be no growth, and there can be no correct understanding without alertness. Faith can make you complacent. Alertness makes you tense.
    If there is no faith, there is fear. And when there is no alertness, one cannot perceive or express properly. A combination of both is essential.
    In Gyana (state of wisdom) there is alertness without tension and faith without complacency. The purpose of education should be to remove the element of dullness from faith and the element of fear from alertness. This is a unique and rare combination. If you have faith and alertness at the same time, then you will become a true Gyani (the Wise One)!
    Be like water. When there are stones on the path of water, what does it do? It rises above the stones and flows. Similarly, obstacles are there in life. Rise above obstacles and move through them. Have patience and flow over them.
    -Sri Sri
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  • Don't Be Disturbed by Foolishness

    Don’t Be Disturbed by Foolishness

    What really perturbs you? Isn’t it the foolishness that goes on around you?
    It is foolish to be perturbed by the foolishness. Foolishness cannot overpower or annihilate wisdom nor does the foolishness stay all the time.
    When you are not well-founded in wisdom, then foolishness perturbs you, throws you out of balance. When you create space for foolishness you do not get perturbed by it, rather you will laugh and move on. Otherwise you hate, get angry or become stressed by foolish acts.
    When you know that truth is eternal and invincible you take foolishness as a joke and remain unmoved by it. Those who are averse to foolishness or get irritated by it are members of the fools club.
    Beware! Do not sign up. 
    – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • How to overcome negative thoughts affecting the mind

    Q: How to overcome negative thoughts affecting the mind. 

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Time and life is such, it comes like a storm and swabs your mind. Let me put it this way: the negativity comes like a storm and takes over your mind and swabs you out. Hasn’t this happened to you? It does happen. Negativity just comes and takes over your mind.
    When you are under the influence of a negative cloud, you will find everybody is wrong. You will find mistakes in the best person. You will find fault with everybody including yourself. First you will blame others, you will say, “This person is wrong, that person is wrong”, because you don’t see your fault. And if you see your fault, you will start blaming yourself also. And then the next step is getting into depression. This is the mechanics; this is the way it happens. Just being aware that this is happening itself is a big step. It is like an airplane having the facility to takeoff in spite of all the dark clouds. The airplane pierces through the dark clouds and starts flying above clouds. Do you see what I am saying? We need to put such a mechanism in our mind (of being aware). When negative clouds come and takes over, you should be able to soar high above them. What helps you to soar above them is wisdom. And what is wisdom? It is knowledge and experience, together. Wisdom is not just knowledge, it is not just experience. It is both – knowledge and experience that this is all temporary, everything and everybody is going to die. Now, you have to get over this with wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge and experience. Knowledge is knowing that everything is temporary. Experience is remembering that these situations come and go. When you realize this, the smile comes back on your face. Then even if you get a little disturbed, you will not mind it.
    You are pure space my dear! Nothing can ever touch you!
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  • Move ahead with a feeling of gratitude in life.

    Wisdom from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

    There are some people who believe that they are always right. They somehow convince themselves that whatever they do is always right, and so they don’t learn anything from their experiences and repeat the same mistakes.
    There are also some people who think that they are always wrong. They feel everything that they do including their sadhana is incorrect.
    Both these attitudes are not good. You should take the middle path. Learn from mistakes made and go ahead with the conviction that God is on my side and will not allow me to fail. Have this faith.
    Have faith that there is success behind every failure, that there is a reason for every difficulty that comes your way; that these are steps for you to climb up and reach higher. Move ahead with this type of strength and conviction.
    Life has given us a lot of good things, and of course there have been some difficult times, but those are faced by everyone. And whenever difficult times came our way, an invisible hand was also always present that lifted us up. Isn’t that true? Didn’t you always get help when you needed it? So always move ahead with a feeling of gratitude in life.
    Review the past and learn, revive the spirit in the present and resolve to work for a one world family.
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  • Finding Our Mission in Life

    The mission in your life is to leave a better world behind than what you inherited. Don’t you want to leave a better world for the coming generations than what you inherited? Look back and see, how the world was ten years ago, or fifty years ago – wasn’t it better? If it was better, then we should leave a better world in the future. If you feel today is better than before, then you should strive to give an even better world for the coming generation. This is a broad outline. From this broad vision, you can choose what you want to do – you want to bring peace in society, you want to see a stress-free and violence-free society, you want to see a happy society around you. These are the things we should strive for. According to your tendency or your taste, you should choose the field. Some of you may want to be a doctor, some of you may want to be a social activist, some of you may want to work in the social field, some of you may want to go into politics, some of you want to do business and bring prosperity to society – these are all your own calling. You choose what you want to do, but the one common goal is that we want to make the society a better society – free from violence, stress, mistrust, and misery. Isn’t it so? Anybody has a second opinion on this? I don’t think so! Everyone wants to see a happy society, not a miserable one. 

    – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • The signs of good health

    What is health? Health is having all these – a disease-free body; a quiver-free breath; a stress-free mind; an inhibition-free intellect; an obsession-free memory; an ego that includes all, and a soul that is free from sorrow.

    Only a healthy bud can blossom into a beautiful flower. In the same way, only a healthy being can achieve the goal they want to achieve. The Sankrit word for health is ‘swastha’, which means to be established in one’s self. The ancient scriptures mention that our body has five levels of existence – the environment or the atmosphere: our physical body; life force or prana; mind, which includes our thoughts, ideas, memories and emotions; and the intuitive body, which subtler.
    Illnesses manifest in the body either when you violate a natural law, or as a release of past impressions or karma. Karma is nothing but the impressions in the consciousness that can get released through some illness. Another cause of illnesses is violation of the laws of nature. For example, you know you should not eat something at certain time and yet you do. Or, you know you should not let stress collect in your system and yet you overwork.
    The capacity of our senses to enjoy or experience objects is limited. When we overdo it, then sickness manifests. When there is an imbalance between the food intake, exercise, and rest, then also chances are we might get sick.
    An often overlooked aspect of health is the connection between breath, life force, and wellbeing. Breath is synonymous with life. The primary aim of practices like meditation and pranayama is to enhance prana, the subtle life force energy. Our life force is subtler than emotions. By focusing on the subtlest aspects, you also take care of the gross ones. When you manage your breath and life force, your body also gains strength.
    Ninety percent of the impurities in the body are released through the breath, yet we typically utilise only 30 percent of our lung capacity. The breath holds profound and transformative secrets for staying healthy. For instance, each emotion corresponds to a particular rhythm in the breath, which directly impacts specific parts of the body.
    By simply observing, you can understand this connection. When we are happy, there is a sense of expansion, and when we are miserable, there is a sense of contraction. Although we experience these emotions and sensations, we often overlook this correlation. When you find it challenging to manage your mind directly, you can do so indirectly through your breath.
    You receive energy primarily from four sources: food, sleep and rest, breath (which can be learned through specific exercises), techniques like sudarshan kriya that can energise every cell of the body, and a pleasant state of mind that is achievable through meditation. All these are crucial for our overall wellbeing. Presently, there is research showing how sudarshan kriya and pranayama influence the immune system, indicating that attending to the breath and mind can boost immunity.
    Food is a key source of energy for the body and mind. Like breathing, we also need to look at what we are putting in our body. We have a prayer – “annadata sukhi bhava” which means, may the one growing our food; one who is bringing it to our homes and one cooking it be healthy and prosperous. If the farmer is unhappy and unhealthy, then the country cannot be happy and healthy. Jaisa ann waisa mann – we become as the food we eat. Healthy food is not just a commodity but a prescription for a healthy life. Natural farming is not just a way to grow food, but a way to respect and nurture the Earth. Our over 22 lakh farmers, trained in natural chemical-free farming, have proved that natural farming can be just as profitable; reduce the input costs for the farmers, produces healthy crops, and keep the farmer as well as consumer healthy too.
    The fourth source of energy is rest. Allocate one week every year for yourself, just how you would service your car. During this time, align yourself with nature, rise with the sun, practice yoga and breathing techniques mindfully, eat moderately, chant, observe silence, and witness creation. Sit for a silence programme. This practice rejuvenates our entire system and fills us with enthusiasm and clarity. It brings a smile from within.
    Understanding a bit about our mind, consciousness, and the root of distortions is helpful. Each individual is inherently good; these virtues are simply obscured by stress and misunderstanding. All we need to do is uncover these virtues – much like a room that has been dark for years can be illuminated in an instant with a lamp.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Grace

    How To Attract Grace Into My Life?

    Whenever there is victory, it is due to some grace. Whether it is victory in sports, in a lottery, in studies, in a competition, or in politics – all of it happens through grace alone. When a person forgets that and gets into ego, then it results in their downfall. So always remember that whenever and wherever there is victory, it is through grace.
    What is Grace?
    There is a commonly-used phrase – “God’s Grace”. What does this mean?
    Whenever you achieve something very significant that felt like it was beyond your capacity, which was worth having, but came to you not by your doing alone, that is Grace.
    You feel, “I am not capable or qualified for this, yet I got this”.
    When you recognize the Grace in your life, you feel very grateful, because you feel you have been bestowed with things that you were not worthy of. And this is the language of a wise person. A wise person never says, “Oh, I earned it. This is my right”. When you think it is your right, you are getting what you got because of your right – there is no gratitude. Gratefulness is there when you feel that you got this not by your effort but because it was bestowed on you by Grace, as a gift. That brings gratefulness.
    What is the Cause of Grace?
    Grace is causeless and unmerited. It is not obtained through some merit or cause. Grace is received without any conditions. It is not that only after doing something you will receive Grace. If so, then that is not Grace – that is business. You are blessed with Grace just like that – without any conditions whatsoever. Grace is always there, just become aware of it and know that you are being showered with Grace.
    Grace is something that can go inside even a closed purse. You don’t need to pay money to receive Grace. And if someone tells you that Grace will come to you only by opening your purse and giving money, then know that something is wrong for sure. God always blesses you in abundance. You need not pay money to receive it.
    How Do I Attract More Grace in My Life?
    The more grateful we become, the more we experience Grace in life. A mind that is complaining all the time cannot experience Grace. But one who is thankful and contented experiences more Grace in life.
     
    We say that we want blessings and Grace. Blessings are available in plenty, but if your vessel is small, then what to do?
    If you bring a tea cup and say, “Give me two liters of milk in this”, how can two liters of milk fit in the little cup? The cup is small and you are asking for too much. You need to bring a vessel with the capacity of three liters and then I can give you two liter or three liter, whatever you want.
    So, you must remember that whatever you get is your capacity, and if you want to get more, then you must expand your capacity. When your capacity increases, more will definitely come to you.
    How Do I Expand My Capacity to Receive More Grace?
    Just having the intention to increase one’s capacity itself does half the job.
    Be natural, simple, and humble. Humility from within naturally increases one’s capacity.
    Meditation, spiritual practices, service to society and knowledge.
    Shatt Sampatti (the Six Wealths or Six-fold Virtues)
    Sama (calmness of mind) 
    Dama (self-control or restraint of the senses) 
    Uparati (satiety) 
    Titiksha (power of endurance) 
    Shraddha (faith) 
    Samadhana (equanimity or one-pointedness of the mind)
    This is what you must focus on increasing more in your life. By enhancing these virtues, your capacity to receive blessings will increase.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Why do we seek attention and how to overcome it?

    After food and sleep, what kids really look for is attention. They will be playing at home, but the moment some guest comes, and the parents start talking to the guests children will start their tactics to draw the attention of their parents. Because the parents’ attention is somewhere else and children are unable to tolerate that; they want to draw the attention towards themselves. This hunger for attention is there in every child.

    Wherever you’ve already got attention, the mind doesn’t stay there. It looks at places where you are not getting attention.
    Sometimes when people give you too much attention also, you are unable to take it, digest it, handle it. This is also an issue. Many marriages break because of this. Not because of some dispute, but because they feel stifled. Husband loves the wife so much, or wife loves the husband so much, that they start policing each other. Then at times you feel it’s so suffocating and break up.
    Similarly, with parents, where mother or father give too much attention to their children. I have seen many kids coming here, saying: “I just want to get out of my parents home. I love them, they are too good, but I can’t stay with them” Why? They are unable to take the attention and digest it. It feels overwhelming.
    In one’s old age, people become even more miserable because they feel that they are not getting attention. They think, “Now that I have become old, nobody takes care of me, nobody asks for me, nobody talks to me.”
    This hunger for seeking attention remains until death. Liberation means getting rid of this hunger. If we are content, then we become liberated or free. As long as we continue to seek the attention of others, this hunger will not get satisfied. Until the hunger is gone, there is no contentment. If there is no contentment, there is no freedom. If there is no freedom, then there is no happiness. How can one be happy when a person is stuck in bondage? How can one be blissful? There is no chance at all. That’s why, we should first of all identify if whatever we are doing, we are doing it to seek the attention of others or not. We have to ask ourselves this question.
    We should see that there is an energy (shakti) which is looking at us every day with thousands of eyes. That is why this shakti is called Virupaksha. One of the names of Lord Shiva is Virupaksh, which means the one who has eyes but no form, just like our mind.
    Mind is seeing,listening, but does the mind have any form? There is no form. Whatever the eyes see, it is only the mind that perceives it. If the mind is elsewhere, then even if the eyes are open you don’t perceive anything. When this realization-that there is somebody who is giving us attention and taking care of us all 24 hours, whether we like it or not and that they are our very own-dawns on us, then we see no meaning in seeking attention from others. There is no desire in seeking attention from others. This habit of seeking attention from others will appear very foolish and it disappears. Maturity in life comes when you don’t crave attention from anybody.
    When you don’t crave attention from others, then you are so fulfilled, then you are so centered and then you start becoming a giver. Till then we are beggars and want attention from people. But when we are centered and settled, then we say, “I am here to give. Come on,take what you want to take.”
    We should not think that others do not love us. If they do not love us, then it is their stupidity. In this world,if someone does not love the other then it’s his/her stupidity.
    Just like the air outside you is connected to the air inside of you,the mind inside you is connected to the mind in the cosmos. The cosmos has a mind of its own. Just recognize-this little mind of mine is part of the one mind-gives enormous strength. It gives you such confidence. It gives you such satisfaction that nothing whatsoever can give. It gives you such immense dignity, strength. Words fails to describe what it is.
    You don’t have to do anything, you only have to recognise it.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Purpose of fear

    Nature has built a little fear into all living beings. This fear makes life defend itself, protect itself. Like salt in food, a little fear is essential for people to be righteous.Fear of hurting someone makes you more conscious. Fear of failure makes you more keen and dynamic. Fear moves you from carelessness to taking care. Fear moves you from being insensitive to being sensitive. Fear moves you from dullness to alertness. Total lack of fear may lead to destructive tendencies – a distorted ego knows no fear. Nor does one with expanded consciousness.

    While the ego dismisses fear and acts in a destructive manner, the wise one acknowledges fear and takes refuge in the Divine. When you are in love, when you are surrendered, there is no fear. Ego, too, knows no fear. But there is a difference – like the difference between heaven and earth – between these two types of fearless states. Fear makes you righteous; fear brings you close to surrender; fear keeps you on the path; fear keeps you from being destructive. Peace and law are maintained on the planet because of fear. A newborn child knows no fear – the baby relies totally on its mother. When a child, a kitten, or a bird start becoming independent, they experience fear and this makes them run back to their mothers. This is inbuilt by nature to sustain life. The purpose of fear is to bring you back to the source.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Secret of Love, Fear, Hatred and Surrender

    Surrender means an unshakeable confidence. Surrender simply means unconditional love. When there is love, there is no fear, know it is one energy that functions in three forms, either love, fear or hatred. When there is hatred there is no fear. When there is fear, there is no love or hate.

    With all these three, the sensations in the body are at a particular place, the heart, whether you are in fear, in deep love or in hatred. And they are interchangeable. One changes into the other. You love somebody and that love slowly changes into hatred or you love something very dearly and the fear rises, thinking, “Oh, I may lose it.”
    Whatever you love most you hold onto. So, the same love has changed itself to fear. 
    So, true surrender happens. You cannot do anything about it. If you love something, very deep, true surrender. Surrender is not a burden, not a fear, not something which comes out of force. It is a spontaneous happening. Only the strong can surrender, the weak can never surrender.
    We seem to understand it the other way. We feel that if someone is weak they will surrender. I am powerful. How can I surrender? No. To surrender it takes great courage and power, strength and confidence. Only then can you surrender. 
    Surrender is always unconditional. It’s not that “I will surrender, so I can have peace of mind or bliss or whatever”. That is not surrender. If you love someone, because of what they have, then you don’t love them, you love the quality.
    Love is a very deep, intimate phenomenon in your consciousness. It just flowers. It cannot but flower. There is no way you can meddle with it. You go near love, you dissolve, you simply don’t exist. That is the definition of love. Either you are there or there is love. You can never meet love or you can never love. Either you remain as love or you remain as somebody.
    See, in conversation we say, “See, I love that because…” It is the most stupid thing. You love something and say “because”? “I love you because you are very good? I love you because you are honest?”
    You are not loving that person, you love those qualities. And there is nothing great in you loving those qualities. And I tell you, you seem to love those qualities which you don’t have. That’s how people make ideals and they remain far away from ideals.
    When we remain as a small pond, a stone will create a big ripple. If somebody says something, that can blow your peace off. So the peace is thrown off by people around you. But when you become an ocean, even a big mountain falling into it, does not affect it. Being an ocean, we behave like a pond – that is the wonder. The greatest wonder is man who is an ocean of peace and joy, behaves as though he is a little pond when he is disturbed by any little small thing.
    You go crazy over little insignificant things and that worries you over and over again, day and night, for several years. Once you have surrendered, there comes a depth in you and nothing whatsoever can throw you off.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Dance in life.

    Two things make you dance in your life.

    One is your desire, another is love.
    Your desires keeps you on your toes, makes you dance all your life. A desire gets fulfilled and gives rise to ten more, and you run all your life to fulfill them one after another. It makes you go on a merry go around(misery-go-around). If you look into it and become aware of the dance that your desires make you do, you will be amazed. It may be a very subtle desire and they get in to your heart and make you dance.
    Then there is another type of dance that comes out joy, that comes out of love.
    That deep love makes you dance. In this dance, you do not get tired. Shradha(faith) grows when a desire is fulfilled but when one desire does not get fulfilled the faith gets shaken. In love you don’t get shaken. You shake the whole world. Not just the world, but the entire universe. You make the angels and the Gods dance.
    You are supposed to dance after Chandi Homa, in the evening. Usually when people do yagyas they force themselves to dance or hire some professionals to dance. But here in our ashram – how spontaneously everyone get an impulse to get on their feet and dance! That is sattva, the positive energy. That is the truth. Here everything is authentically done and the dance happens automatically as a spontaneous natural phenomenon.
    You have everything you want, so just be and radiate.
    When you are contented you automatically radiate peace.
    Move on in life with the confidence that you will be given everything in abundance, and that you are being protected by the Divine. There is a divine armor around you that is protecting you; you have nothing to worry about. 
    Know this and keep walking ahead in life with satisfaction, confidence, joy, patience, fullness and faith.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • When and how many times should I meditate?A. To the extent that even if you

    Q. Dear Gurudev, when and how many times should I meditate?

    A. To the extent that even if you had to forsake food, then do so…but do not leave meditation!!
    The more regular you are with meditation, the greater the depths you will achieve.
    Meditation is such a subtle phenomenon that… it takes months to become strong, but neglect it and within a few days it will wilt like a delicate flower!
    Meditation requires a lot of discipline and consistency. If you sleep a little less for one day, you don’t lose much. Anyone can be without sleep for 5 to 7 days. If you miss one meal it is still ok, a human being can survive without food for upto three months. You can survive without food and water for many days. Your important work…???? They cannot be that important that you do not get any time to meditate, but your mind tells you that this work is extremely important. Usually people give importance only to these trivial things. And they think that even I don’t meditate for one or two days what’s the problem?
    But remember this, that in your daily routine even if you postpone the big and small tasks for some time or for a few days, then nothing is going to be lost. You are not going to lose as much as you think. But through meditation you will know such golden heights of consciousness, that are beyond your imagination right now. The dilemma is that till you meditate, you will not realize what it is that you have lost in your life upto now. You will really not know what you have lost. The greatest misfortune that people have is that they do not even come to know what it is that they have lost. Apart from losing this, people never get to know what it is that they wanted from life, they have no awareness of this.
    Meditation should be your first priority.
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  • Importance of Religion before a Guru

    Having said all that He had to, at the end of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, ‘Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja, Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shucah’ (V 18.66).

    Drop your religion or any other belief you have, and take total surrender in me. O Arjuna. I shall liberate you of all your sins and sufferings.
    Religion is like soap. But just because you have washed you clothes with an expensive soap worth 100 Rupees, you will not say that ‘Oh, I am going to keep the soap on my clothes because it is such an expensive soap’. You have to wash it off.
    There comes a stage when one moves above such attachments and entanglements in life (here referring to religion), and becomesSharanagat – surrendering totally to the Lord, with this deep feeling of devotion that ‘O Lord! I am yours and yours alone’. This is what has been explained in this verse.
    Lord Krishna had to say this to Arjuna, otherwise, no matter what knowledge He gave to Arjuna, he would just get stuck with it and not let go.
    If Lord Krishna would advise Arjuna by saying, ‘Do it this way’, then he would simply follow and do only that much. So that Arjuna does not get stuck, in the end, Lord Krishna said to him,‘Drop every religion or belief and simply come take refuge in Me. You cannot liberate yourself from your sins. I shall free you from all your sins and sufferings, so simply come to Me’.
    Suppose you commit a wrong deed and you go on repenting saying, ‘Oh! I have committed such a wrong deed. How can I be free from it? What do I do?’ You cannot liberate yourself from your sins by making efforts. This is why Lord Krishna says, ‘I am ready to bear all your sins and sufferings, so just drop everything and come and take refuge in Me’.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • If Shiva is so pure then why do we perform Rudra Abhishekam?

    Abhishekam is a process to get into meditation, the way the water flows, similarly, knowledge flows into the mind. This is not done for Shiva, this is done for ourselves; to meditate. When we do Rudra Abhishekam everybody gets a good meditative experience. Shiva exists in the five elements, would he get happy when you pour water? No! But when we do it with reverence and feeling, an environment is created and when we chant, its vibration gets absorbed into the water. It is scientifically proven that chanting this Mantra restructures and improves the crystalline sequence of water.

    When Om Namah Shivaya is chanted it changes the structural nature of the water crystals, manifesting an incredibly beautiful sequence.
    When we use bad language, the structure gets distorted. You should check out the website, “Secrets of water”, it shows how water absorbs our feelings. Doing Abhishekam is like a tradition The chants are so beautiful; we pray that our bodies be strengthened, our minds be strong; there should be mellowness in the environment, water, ocean, thoughts, villages and everywhere. We should sit for Abhishekam with this desire and thought. It is not even important to do all this, just sitting and listening to the mantra is enough. The point is turning inwards, listening to the Japas and mantras. Meditating is a lot more important than doing the Abhishekam. Doing is not important but going within us is.
    Doing the Abhishekam creates an environment. For example on Diwali we feel different because we light lamps, clean the house, which creates an environment. So this is similar to how we celebrate festivals a few times a year.
    Don’t waste food after offering it to God, don’t let it go down the drain. Milk, honey, curd, grains can be collected separately and used. It’s not okay if you waste food when it can feed people.
    This ancient practice of the Rudrabhishekam, with the chanting of mantras, has been happening since thousands of years. It creates such a deep resonance in our consciousness, because our consciousness is very ancient. The chanting and the pooja creates a very positive environment, and its purpose is to cleanse any negativity in the atmosphere.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Being an Inspiration…You Already Are

    As an individual, we are inspired by many people. Whether through their actions or words, inspiring and helpful figures in our lives guide us. When we are lost or are battling the tough times, these people rekindle our faith and reassure us that everything will be alright. Such inspiring people are precious stones who leave an indelible mark on us.

    We, for a moment or more, witness ordinary beings transform into our guides or gurus. Spiritual teacher, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, explains, “A Guru is simply someone who is there with unconditional love and support.”
    While we have many such ordinary folks around us who guide us during the trying times of our life, there are also people who guide us to understand life better. These learned people are the ones who know more about life, its mysteries and the unknown realms of consciousness. They are identified as spiritual gurus or sadhgurus, referring to the ancient Indian tradition of paying homage to learned people. A sadhguru helps one find God in oneself and everyone.
    Expressing gratitude to the sadhgurus and also those who have guided us in life not only makes us humble but fills our being with happiness.
    The day of Guru Purnima is marked for expressing this wonder-filled emotion of gratitude to the gurus in our lives.
    A city without streets, a king without a treasury, a merchant without a business, a face without a nose, a life without wisdom, and a life without a Guru are all considered the same.
    – Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
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  • A few moments of such deep love makes life worth living…

    When you have been in love with someone, what happens to you? Nothing comes to your mind, nothing other than just how to impress the one whom you love. You are always thinking about them. Even if you think about yourself, you are thinking in terms of them. You like to wear the clothes that your beloved likes. You like to do things that they like. You like to see that they are comfortable, that they are not hurt, and that they are happy. In a subtle way you are dissolving.

    Look at yourself. What is happening when you experience that deep love. You start dissolving, disappearing. If you are really in love with somebody, are you there for them? Or are you thinking or making them as an object for you? That is the difference. The beloved says, “I am here for your joy, for your happiness, for your comfort. What is it you want?” That is love. “What is it I can do? I breathe for you, I live for you, I exist for you. Nothing other than that is important for me in this world.”
    That intense giving, that intense dropping for the Divine, is the love of the beloved. 
    This body is made up of five elements.
     Let the earth element in this body be one with the earth element on which you walk.
    Let the water element in this body be one with that water in which you bathe.
    Let this air element mix with that air which would give you a cool breeze in the hot summer.
    Let the fire element in this body make food for you and give warmth and comfort to you.
    Let this ether that is in this body mix with that ether where you live, where you exist.
    I want nothing.
    That song rises from the heart of that person. That love is worth living, even if you live for five minutes on this planet, even if you live for five days, five months, five years. A few moments of that love makes life worth living. A few moments of that love brings joy, not only to you but to the entire creation around you.
    Such one-pointed love, one-pointed devotion is prime. In that light, the entire creation rejoices. Nature rejoices. Stones rejoice such love which has flowered in you. Trees rejoice. The angels rejoice. Gods rejoice. Even hearing about such deep love, such devotion, tears roll in your eyes. Your whole body becomes vibrant. Your whole being becomes vibrant. Tears of gratitude flow.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • 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 vibrance, 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. In an instant, it can 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 strong thrust 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.​
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • If you have whatever you wanted, then are you happy?

    Patanjali Yoga Sutras

    Vitrushnasya vashikara sanjna vairagyam
    The mind that gallops is an obstruction. An expectation in meditation is an obstruction. You have heard somebody’s experience that light appears, somebody comes from heaven and takes them by hand and you see it with your eyes closed. All these ideas are the construction of fiction. 
    Your desire for pleasure or happiness makes you unhappy. You examine that whenever you are unhappy or miserable, behind that is your wanting to be happy. You got it? Craving for happiness brings misery. If you do not even crave for happiness, then you are happy. You crave for happiness and you invite misery. When you do not care for happiness, you are liberated and when you do not even care for liberation, you attain love. The first step is when you do not care for happiness. The second step is param vairagya (supreme dispassion). When you do not even care for liberation, then you are free. You are liberated.
    If you have whatever you wanted, then are you happy?
    Happiness is just a mere idea in the mind. You think that if you have this you are happy. If you have whatever you wanted, then are you happy? Vairagya is putting a stop to craving for happiness.
    That does not mean you must be miserable. It is not that. It does not mean you should not enjoy yourself, but the craving for joy, only when you retrieve your mind from it, only then can you meditate. Then yoga happens.
    Your dreams and fantasies, just shatter them. All your dreams and fantasies, offer them to the fire. Burn them. What great happiness do you want to have? How long can you have it? You are going to be finished. It is all going to end. Before this earth eats you up, become free.
    Free yourself from this feverishness that is gripping your mind.
    Free yourself from this craving for happiness
    Look into every craving you have closely and remember you are going to die. Your craving for sweets, sugar, food. Ask yourself if you want to keep eating them. Ok, eat for as long as you like. See consciously, what can they do? Nothing. What else do you crave for? Beautiful views? Keep on looking at the view. How long you can go on looking?
    Sex. How much sex can you have? Then you will see that there is nothing in it. How long? Few moments later, the body looks like styrofoam, that which was so attractive before.
    What other thing? All these substances you see have limitations, but your mind is not ready for limitations. It wants unlimited pleasure, which the five senses cannot give you. It is impossible. You simply get burnt down, over and over again.
    Skillfully handling the objects of senses and bringing it to the Self is dispassion or vairagya.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • How to Handle Office Politics

    “Water is never scared of mud. If something is muddy, assume you are water – and you can wash it all off. Just remember this!

    #1
    Wherever there are people, politics is bound to be there. Don’t shy away from it and don’t worry about it – you be rock solid. What appears to be politics will find its own way out. Have faith that only the best will happen to you and you will be able to do only the best! Keep these aphorisms with you like a treasure.
    #2
    When you resist politics, then you get deeper into politics. Your perception becomes political and you will get paranoid about it. All those who are paranoid about politics get deeper into it. You should not mind it and then it will never bother you.
    What is politics?
    Different people have different mindsets, and they air their opinions. For a while, these opinions remain and then it all changes. Some people praise you and the same people will make nasty remarks about you – all this is very common. You should take this for granted or you will become uptight. And when you are uptight, you are not aware of how you behave.
    It is better to keep oneself on a higher pedestal – smiling, laughing, accommodating, and accepting that there is politics. Let politics be there, so what? You have to create this confidence that you will move through it.
    How to rise above politics?
    Our trouble is that we expect everyone to be Mr. or Ms. Perfect! We expect everyone’s behavior and dealings to be perfect. We expect everyone to be saints, but they are not. This expectation is the trouble. And when anybody does anything different, we say, “Oh, there is politics!” People’s actions are nothing but politics – it doesn’t have to be dirty all the time, though sometimes it is. So let it be! It takes quite a bit to rise above all this and keep your mind on the infinite, and that is enlightenment! You rise above it all.
    Water is never scared of mud. So, if something is muddy, assume you are water – and you can wash it all off! Just remember this, politics is mud and I am water, I will run over it.
    There is a beautiful poem in Kannada, “If someone builds a home in the forest and is afraid of animals, what can I tell them? If someone has built a home on the sea shore and is scared of the waves, what can I tell them? And if someone has built a home in the middle of a market place and is complaining about the noise, what can I tell them?”
    Similarly, when you live on this planet, people will give you compliments and people will give you derogatory remarks – they will create politics. How can you be afraid of politics when you are on this planet? Never complain about people playing politics – that is what they have been doing and will continue to do.
    Lord Krishna never complained to anyone about the politics played by the families. He didn’t say, “Don’t play politics, I will not come to you.” No! He was right there! Even during the time of Jesus and Buddha, there was politics.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Ways of Dealing With Challenging People

    When someone does something wrong or misbehaves with us, what do we do?

    In our day-to-day lives, we come across challenging situations or exchanges with people where we aren’t sure what the right approach to deal with the situation is. The following four techniques, in this particular order, have been prescribed by the Ancient Seers to deal with challenging people.
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    #1 Saam – Gentle Persuasion
    When someone is making a mistake, the first step is to gently make them understand where they are going wrong. Many people commit mistakes unknowingly. Most of them will not repeat it the next time once they understand that they are making a mistake. Therefore, the first step is gentle communication. If you start off with a stick, it is not right. You cannot blame someone for a mistake that they have made unknowingly. So Saam means to explain to the other person the mistake he or she has committed and to make them aware of it.
    #2 Daam – Earnest Request
    Now, even after explaining a mistake, if a person goes on repeating it, the next approach would be to forgive them and request them not to do it again. This is Daam.
    So, at first, you make them aware without making them feel like a culprit. If they repeat it, then you make them feel responsible for the mistake, and forgive them.
    You should never make a person feel like a culprit if they are committing a mistake unknowingly for the first time. See, if you create guilt within them by blaming them at the very first instance, then they will not improve their ways. They will never be able to gain awareness and overcome their wrong ways. So, the first approach is Saam and then comes Daam.
    #3 Bheda – Indifference
    Suppose even after doing all this, they continue to repeat their mistakes, then you need to adopt the approach of Bheda – having an attitude of indifference towards that person.
    Then you tell them, “Okay, since you continue to repeat this mistake even after my telling you so many times, I am not going to behave the same way with you anymore.”
    This will make them feel a pinch of guilt about what they have done, and they will understand their mistake.
    #4 Danda – Punishment
    Danda is the last measure one needs to adopt. When someone does not listen even after doing everything else, then you need to pick up a stick to make them understand. Someone who does not improve their ways even after explaining, requesting, and being treated indifferently, will only understand through punishment.
    You must first take the harmonious path, then give a chance, then discriminate, and finally when nothing works then take firm action. These are the four skillful ways to handle any situation.
    If none of these four works, then pray for wisdom to dawn on that person!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Chintamani in the center of the brain, and the tip of the nose, where the subtle body is connected to the physical body?

    Q: Gurudev, can you please talk about the chintamani in the center of the brain, and the tip of the nose, where the subtle body is connected to the physical body?

     
    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
    Scientists say that the tip of the nose has a lot of information; we have not yet been able to process all of it. Any knowledge that you get, should pass through the test of scientific methodology, and that includes spirituality too. Scientific methodology simply means going through a logical, sequential understanding, and then coming to a conclusion. Once you get to the conclusion, you still have to keep an open mind because there are many possibilities.
    Where is chintamani? The ancient scriptures have said that there is a point in the center of the skull, perhaps, just below the hypothalamus. Hypothalamus is a point that controls the entire body; all the voluntary and involuntary activities in our system. This is what they meant by chintamani, the spot which scientists have called hypothalamus in the skull. You can draw parallels because there is such a huge gap of time and language, which has almost made it impossible to say this is it. For e.g., all the chakras that have been described in the Yogic texts somewhere correspond to our endocrine system. Hence, you can say it is very similar.
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  • There is no success or failure in Love

    Love is not a business. Love is not a career. love is not even an act. So there is no success or failure in love. Love is your nature my dear!

    Whether you express it or not, it is there. If you realize that love is your very nature, you will not think of it as success or failure.
    Some people may understand you and some may not. When someone loves you, you cannot say that they will be in love with you forever. People who have lived together for 20 years, and had said at one point of time that they were made for each other, suddenly find that they were never compatible, and that they never got along.
    Suddenly people feel suffocated and want to go their own ways.
    Love is not an act, love is not even a situation, it is our very nature. If you are in love with somebody don’t think that it will be forever, unless and until there is knowledge or wisdom in it.
    Love with wisdom is eternal bliss. Love with selfishness or love for individual pleasure, sooner or later will bring misery and heart break. If your love is there to help others, nobody can destroy it, but if your love is to get something from the other, sooner or later, it will be broken into pieces.
    Find out what you think love is. Is love only a name for getting pleasure from others? If yes, then it is going to bring you pain.
    But if your love is there only to care and you cannot be without it, then that is your true nature. That is what is true love.
    You should always feel that you are not worthy of the love that you receive. Think that the love you receive is much more than what you deserve. If you come from this space of humility, then you will behave with magnanimity and dignity in all your dealings. You won’t chew on the past, you will live in the present moment, you will honor the other’s opinions, you will understand the other’s predicaments; that magnanimity will come from within.
    If you keep this in mind, that I don’t deserve this love, you will not demand love. And when you don’t demand love in your life, it keeps on increasing.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Astonishing Tendencies of the Mind -This Will Change What You Think You Know About Your Own Mind

    When the mind dies, love dawns.

    Whenever there is love, the mind dies and this is painful. That is why love always brings pain with it. Something in you is dissolving – the ego, the mind – and this dissolving is painful. The mind does not want to dissolve. It wants to emphasize its existence. It doesn’t want to bear the pain of dissolution, the pain is unbearable. You often find people who love each other fighting, and you really don’t understand why they should fight when there is so much love. These are the mechanics. The love is so strong and so powerful, the mind cannot hold it. It wants to hold. It cannot stay. It cannot exist. It dissolves and this brings pain; unbearable pain. So, in order to get rid of the pain, it rebels. And that rebellion is the fight. When you surrender to somebody, this is more evident. It is clearer.
    The mind wants something impossible!
    The mind has a peculiar nature. It desires something, and when it acquires or achieves it, it no longer finds it interesting. It drops it, and moves away from it, because it can’t stand being totally in the present. It dissolves. And if it doesn’t achieve what it wants, it gets frustrated. Then too, there is a rejection, a rebellion in the mind. Have you observed this? You want something and crave for it. And if you can achieve it, if you have it, the mind is not into it. It drops it very easily, very quickly. It doesn’t find joy in it.
    It wants something that is not around. It wants something impossible. The moment it becomes possible, it moves away from there and goes further. It’s not anybody’s fault. It is the nature. It is used to living on craving; so it gets frustrated anyway. Fulfilled or unfulfilled it leads to frustration.
    Wherever you go, you carry your own mind!
    If you are peaceful, your surroundings become peaceful; your situation becomes peaceful and people around you become peaceful. You are the center of this universe. Why are you looking for peace anywhere else, with anybody else and with any other set up? Wherever you go, you carry your own mind. And wherever you go, you create the same problems. It may appear to be calm and quiet for some time in some place but then it will be the same again there too. Unless you see this, realize it and look into it, nothing will help in the long term. There is no other permanent solution.
    The limited mind always does business everywhere!
    The limited mind is trying to do business in the name of love. In every relationship you will find that people are demanding more. And even if they give, they give thinking they should receive much more than what they have given! One feels that he has given enough! In any relationship, everybody feels that they had done everything for their relatives, their family and so they must love them. Everything that we do is in order to get love, attention, recognition or something. This is business. Doing something in order to get something is business.
    All the desires arise when your mind is not fully conscious!
    A semiconscious mind is the mother of desires. If it is unconscious, no desire comes, for instance, in sleep there is no desire. And when the mind is fully awake, then also there is no desire because everything is already acquired. What does desire mean? It means a lack of joy or fulfilment, and a requirement for fulfilment and joy. It is not that if desires arise, they should be stopped. When they are there, they are there. When desires arise, you should become more conscious and be aware of your nature.
    The mind swings between extremes!
    Suppose a delicate piece of cloth, silk, is caught up in a thorny bush. It needs a skill to remove it. It is the same with the mind. It is very easy for the mind to either like or dislike something, or swing between these two extremes. The mind exists by doing this. It cannot exist without these opposites; without the duality, without the swing. Either the mind will like or dislike something. The mind hates something, and then, again it loves something else. The mind goes towards whatever one understands is bad or not right (what we should not do). It does it more often. The mind is attached to some ideals and resolutions. ‘I must do this, I want to be like that,’ and then one finds it very difficult to follow those ideals. You have all experienced this over and over again.
    There is one golden point by which the mind can be lifted up, and that is wonder.
    Wonder is where there is no concept, no mind. One slips very easily from wonder to concepts. It is such a balancing line! Wonder about the concepts of likes or dislikes. How it should or should not be. What I want and what I don’t want. In wonder, there is no wanting or not wanting. Wonder is a wonder! In wonder there are no likes or dislikes. It is what ‘is’, is wonder.
    Your mind is not clear and focused when there is an obsession or a burning desire
    See how calm, collected, cool and aware your mind is when these desires drop. See how clear and focused you are. Many people have never experienced such focus, such clarity at all in their lives! This is their misfortune. I can only wonder at how those who have experienced even a little bit, get into desires and lust. Knowing it, you still get into it. I am not saying this is bad and you shouldn’t do it, because then the mind will say, ‘No, I shouldn’t do it’ and then the whole trip begins. Look and wonder about these samskāras(impressions) in you. At that very moment they dissolve and you rise above them.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • How does being spiritual add beauty to a person?

    Q: How does being spiritual add beauty to a person? 

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know, people who are on the spiritual path, they feel young and alive all the time. They overcome senility. This is one thing for sure.
    People who meditate, who engage in seva, who have a goal in their life and who live for others and not only themselves; you will see that they have a glow in their life, and on their face.
    If you look at Mahatma Gandhi, or Nelson Mandela, you see that there is a glow in them. That is because their life is dedicated to something bigger. In Bhagavat Gita Lord Krishna says, ‘One who comes to me will never have this (jara) old age. There is no death for them and they feel liberated’.
    Coming to the master is not being bound but feeling the inner freedom. It is not slavery, it is mastery over oneself. It is freedom from our own mind; Freedom from craving and aversions; Freedom from feeling of ‘I can do this’ and ‘I cannot do this’. So those who take refuge in me, strive for liberation.
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  • True beauty is in truth and benevolence

    Here in India, beauty is attributed to Divinity. And so, it said – Satyam Shivam Sundaram which is also a topic that has come here today. Beauty is benevolence and beauty is truth, that’s what it really means. Satyam is truth which is beautiful and benevolent.

    If you have ever gone to Bali in Indonesia, they greet you saying, ‘Om Swasti Astu’. This is an ancient Sanskrit term which means may you enjoy the heaven and may you be established in yourself. Being established in yourself is real heaven. Not only physical healthy but also mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.  
    Today the World Health Organization has recognized the role of spirituality as that which bring you a sense of satisfaction, wellness, connectivity, and confidence in whatever you do.
    Internal beauty reflects outer beauty
    Beauty has several dimensions – one is external beauty and one is internal beauty. Inner beauty reflects on the outer beauty. You look at any child from anywhere in the world, there is subtle beauty in them. They don’t need cosmetics, their very spirit exhibits beauty. That beauty indicates the state of mind, and the state of one’s mind definitely corresponds to the skin as well.
    The skin of a baby is very different and its mind is also very different. So, the mind and the skin are very connected. In one of the scriptures in this country called Vigyan Bhairav – take your attention beneath your skin, and here you will find the spirit being so alive. This is a meditation technique – to feel that underneath the skin is all hollow and empty.  It is taking the attention to the self to find the inner beauty.
    Beauty that comes from the innocence, commitment, sincerity and clarity of mind is unparalleled. You look at Mahatma Gandhi’s picture when he was young, and look at his picture when he was old, you would definitely agree that his old age pictures were much more beautiful. Same with many people – when they grow older, when they have accomplished something in the life, the sense of accomplishment brings a certain sense of beauty, and radiates its inner energy which is attractive to everybody.
    Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder
    Another dimension of beauty is that which is at the level of feelings. There is a saying in India ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder’.
    When you see something beautiful, there is a wow that rises inside of you, a feeling that takes over your being. This sudden sense of wow stops all the thoughts constraints and brings centeredness. This feeling of beauty is so essential to live a normal life and healthy life. Someone who does not appreciate and understand beauty or experience beauty in their life will be lacking some endocrine functions, and will have some deficiency. The perception of beauty creates within us an upliftment and a sense of elation in our spirit.
    Same is with the pursuit of truth: When you are truthful, or when you want to pursue a path, or when you are in the spirit of enquiry or into some research – a certain sense of clarity, pride and centeredness dawns into you. I think we also feel some oxytocin in our system – a sense of truth and beauty creates oxytocin in our body.
    As doctors, this is something which is in your DNA. Any patient that comes to you feels the benevolence in you. And you take pride in being benevolent because you are helping someone get over their problems and feel more confident – you are making their life better. So, the sense of benevolence, truth, beauty – these are all synonymous.
    What causes someone not appreciate beauty is stress.
    What is it that makes a person not appreciate beauty – have you thought about it? You can be in a very beautiful surrounding but if your mind is pre-occupied, or you are stressed, or you are tired then you cannot experience beauty. So here, life-work balance is essential and we need to learn techniques to get rid of stress. However beautiful one may be, if they are stressed, they will still not radiate their beauty; they will not look beautiful. A worried, troubled person cannot exuberate beauty. So, it is absolutely essential to attend to the state of mind, to your emotions and to the state of your consciousness.
    Meditation can eliminate stress and bring out the beauty in you
    Lord Buddha said something very beautiful. He said that the mind is like a river, you cannot put your foot twice in it. Mind is flowing, you should let the mind flow. If you stop then it rots. So, what does it mean? It means that the mind has to align with body and the breath.
    Every night we go to sleep and we wake up energized and rejuvenated because during sleep the mind, body and breath come together into one rhythm eliminating the stress of the day. But there is another way of resting which is much more superior than natural sleep – and it is called meditation. 
    In meditation, you are relaxing consciously.  The conscious meditation or conscious rest or restful alertness is a state which in a short period of time removes stress out of our system. It brings clarity to the mind, make our skin glow and our heart glow as well.
    In this country from ages, yoga is practiced as a routine. For decades, people thought that yoga is for the older generation, or it is for people who live their lives on the banks of Ganges or in Himalayas. They used to think yoga is not for common man. That misconception has gone and people are adapting yoga and meditation and seeing the benefits of meditation and yoga, and the goodness it brings to their daily life.
    To rejuvenate our spirit, to be able to appreciate beauty, to be able to be benevolent and to be able to live with a sense of happiness, all that we need to do is to balance out our work life, and take some time out to go deeper into meditation.
    Medicine alone is not enough to cure an illness, you need the right attitude and the right attitude comes with clarity in mind. In short, I will say, clarity in mind, purity in heart, and spontaneity and sincerity in action can make oneself better, the society better and the world a better place to live in.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Tips to Handle Criticism

    1
    If someone criticizes you, welcome it! If there is some substance in it, take it. If the criticism is coming out of jealousy, frustration, or anger, it is good to practice indifference. Don’t lose your equanimity.
    2
    If someone criticizes you and you counter it by criticizing them, then the chain continues. Instead, thank them for their kind words and see what happens. The day you drop your defenses, the other person will not know how to respond.
    3
    If someone is giving you constructive criticism, welcome it! They are taking the risk of losing your friendship and giving you criticism. 
    4
    Don’t defend your mistakes. Just accept them and move on. When you are totally defenseless, that’s when you’ll be strong.
    5
    Every time you face criticism, know that you are vast like the ocean and you can take in anything. When you feel small, that is when you don’t feel like taking criticism. When you feel very big, then you think, “I am much bigger than this criticism, let me take it in.”
    6
    Know that people are there to help you in the world. Don’t see people as enemies. The foolish will look at the world as filled with hostile people. The wise will look at the world as filled with friends, and think that people are there to help.
    7
    Smile not only when compliments are given, but when you are criticized too. A person of true patience and courage is one who can respond to any insult or criticism with an unshakeable smile.
    Unjust criticism should also be taken with a smile. To begin with, you may feel very uncomfortable, but there will be a shift in you, with which you will be so amazed.
    8
    Respond to criticism with humor and wit. If you get angry with someone who taunts you, then that is not intelligent behavior. The sign of intelligence is to transform an unpleasant situation into a pleasant one.
    One who looks for pleasantness even in unpleasant or unfavorable situations is truly an intelligent person.
     
    9
    If somebody is talking negatively about you, they are dumping garbage. You should not hold your gunny bag and catch it. When somebody is dumping garbage, you simply move away from there. Don’t take it in.
    10
    Have the ability to give constructive criticism from a happy, calm mind and be able to take constructive criticism from the same mind. This will transform your ego.
    11
    If anyone anywhere humiliates you, know that it is only a plan to soften you. It is a blessing.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Akshaya Tritiya

    Significance of Akshaya Tritiya

    It is related with many stories. One of the stories is that, on this day the Ganges (a holy river in India) came to Earth to purify mankind.
    It is also associated with two instances of Lord Krishna.
    What happened is, once the five Pandavas, (the five brothers from the Mahabharata epic) and their wife were in exile. At that time a saint called and said, ‘I am going to have food with you.’ When the message came, they had no food. They had already eaten and had kept their pots away. Draupadi (the wife of the 5 Pandavas) prayed to Lord Krishna. At the same time, Krishna came to their house and said, ‘Oh I am very hungry.’ When he came in, he saw that there was only one grain of rice stuck to the pot. He picked that one grain of rice and ate it, and turned the pot into an Akshaya Patra. Akshaya Patra means that which never diminishes.
    When the saint came with 400 people, Draupadi could feed all of them from the same pot. The more she took from the pot, the more would come from it. It would never go down.
    So it is a common expression in India to say, ‘This is an akshaya patra‘, which means it always keeps giving.
    If people are very generous and they are always doing seva and contributing to other, then you say, ‘This is an akshaya patra’, means it never goes down; a perennial source.
    A magical pot which keeps feeding millions.
    The other story is, Krishna had a friend who was very poor. His name was Sudhama. Sudhama means a good place, or a very benevolent place.
    So, one day his wife said, ‘We are living in such poverty and Krishna is so rich. Why don’t you go and get something from him. He is your close friend.’
    Sudhama said, ‘Okay, I’ll go, but I can’t go to a friend empty handed. I have to take something’. So his wife packed three handful of puffed rice in a scarf and gave it to him. It is like rice crispies.
    When Sudhama went to Krishna and Krishna welcomed him, and washed his feet. The story goes that they were such good friends and in the friendship there was so much love that Sudhama forgets to give the rice to Krishna and also forgets to ask him for anything. He came to ask him for a favor but he could not ask him anything because he was so overwhelmed with love. They were so close that he forgot to ask. He could not ask. He could not even speak.
    When he was about to leave, Krishna asked, ‘Hey, you have brought me something? Give it to me. I know your wife has sent something. Why are you not giving it to me. Come on, give it.’
    Krishna took the rice and he ate one handful, then he ate the second handful, by that time his wife Rukmini came and said, ‘I want to take the third one’.
    While all this was happening, Sudhama left without asking him for anything. When he reached home, he found his house flooded with riches and gold. That’s the story.
    So, people today buy gold and they gift each other. Today if you get anything, it will always grow. You gift, or you buy, it all grows. That is the belief.
    Every day is a celebration! All that we need to know is that this world that we are in, all these things, are ultimately nothing! One day we will leave all this here only. Our body too will go back to this Earth. But you, the spirit will be alive. You will rise up because you are eternal.
    Nothing is impossible. Not only spiritual upliftment, even material things can flow when the devotion is very strong. That is the essence of this story.
    We are all here just for a few years, but the world remains for so many millions of years. The trees are there, the birds are there, the clouds are forming, rain comes, Sun is shining. This whole phenomenon is happening since billions of years. In another 40-50 years all of us will be gone, but this whole thing will continue. That is the Divinity.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • If you only had ten days to live on this planet, what would you want to do?

    We have lived today’s life. Be happy today. And tomorrow’s life will begin with the next sunrise. And the next day’s with the next sunrise……! If you only had ten days to live on this planet, what would you want to do? Sit and think what your priorities are. Are you worried about your relationship? In ten days you are going to go away; kick the bucket! Are you worried about your property? Are you worried about your friends and foes? Are you worried about what you are going to eat, your eating preferences? What are your preferences? Ten days to live of your life, and what are you going to do? We keep living as though we will live forever.

    We hang onto things as though they will be there forever. We forget the sense of time and life –the flow of life. Isn’t that our only problem?
    You’re so concerned about your relationship.
    A girl didn’t smile at you or a boy went with somebody else! What are you worried about? Where will they be? People are burned down with this sense of relationship. People are burned down with things about friends; wasting precious life and time. A friend of yours behaved badly with you and hurt you. What actually hurts you is your foolishness. Let them behave the way they want! But you want everybody to be on your railway tracks. You have set railway tracks for people, and you want everybody to walk on those tracks. The moment they give you a surprise, you say you never wanted that in your life. How can you get over it? What do you want to get over? Just wake up and look! Neither of you are going to be there long! You will both be under the earth in no time.
    You won’t even be able to recognize this body. And if you continue to live like that, nobody will even take your name. Nobody will even know you existed on this planet. Anyway, even if they do, it has no meaning for you, does it? Where are you to begin with? You feel that one person did this to you and another person did that. That they did not smile at you, or that they smiled at you. That they said something good; they did this… Where is your freedom? We carry such stupid things with us wherever we go! A doormat can remove the mud from your feet, but if you carry mud in your head. What can remove it?
    Contentment is what you need! If people have behaved well with you and been friendly to you, thank them for what they have done for you. Don’t become a burden on them. The whole world needs to understand this; the entire world is burning out for nothing! Every moment put yourself into knowledge. Everybody should be immersed in two or three hours of sevā (service).
    We look for what we do not have and there will be no contentment.  I would like you to be contented  in your mind, in your heart. Don’t have feverishness or craving for it!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • घर में शांति रहे, इसके लिये कोई उपाय है?

    प्रश्न : घर में शांति रहे, इसके लिये कोई उपाय है?

    श्री श्री रवि शंकर : तुमने बहुत कठिन प्रश्न किया है! पर इसका उत्तर सरल है। तुम्हारे आस पास चाहे जो हो, तुम मुस्कुराते रहो। अगर शोर हो रहा है, उसे स्वीकार करो। कोई चिल्ला रहा है, थोड़ी देर चलने दो। ऐसा समझो कि तुम्हारे घर का माहौल एक टी वी सीरियल देखने जैसा है। क्या टेलिविज़न देखते व़क्त तुम परेशान होते हो?
    कुछ लोग बता रहे थे कि जैसे विवाद टी वी सीरियलों में होते हैं, ठीक वैसे ही उनके घरों में भी होते हैं। ऐसा समझो कि घर में किसी कार्यक्रम का सीधा प्रसारण चल रहा है। सिर्फ़ कैमरे की कमी है। जब तुम इस बात को याद रखोगे, और अपने आप को अभिनेता ना जानकर निर्देशक जानोगे, तब कम से कम तुम्हारे दिल में तो शांति रहेगी। और बाकी लोग भी आख़िर कब तक उस भूमिका में रहेंगे? वो भी कभी थक जायेंगे। ये सब परेशानी केवल जागृत अवस्था में है। स्वपनावस्था या निद्रावस्था में नहीं हैं।
    ईश्वर ने तुम्हें कुछ समय निद्रा के लिये और दैनिक कर्म करने के लिये दिया है। इस तरह कम से कम १० घंटों के लिये तो तुम शांति में हो। (मज़ाक में) बाकी के १४ घंटे टी वी सीरियल के सीधे प्रसारण का मज़ा लो। और क्या कर सकते हो? हां, अगर तुम आनंदित रहना चाहते हो, तो याद रहे कि अभिनेता नहीं बनना।
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  • Secret of success!

    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.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • The Wow Factor in Life

    The fear of the unknown is a very common human tendency. Most people are constantly engaged in making sure that their world plays out just like how their mind would imagine. However, the reality is that there is no possibility for growth without embracing the unknown.

    When we shut off the mystery or awe factor in life, we not only curtail growth, but also unknowingly make life mechanical. Just like there is no fun in watching a game whose result is already known, life will also be very boring and mechanical if everything were to be predestined.
    Life is a combination of what is certain and what is unknown. Though they appear to be opposite, life is incomplete if either of them is missing. Within the sphere of limited perception there is a part in us that is certain about some things. There is another part that is always probing into the unknown, triggering wonderment about many mysteries.
    The wise are the ones who acquire the skills to face and handle uncertainty. If one can become comfortable with the world of constant change, then he or she will be able to proactively respond to and capitalize the vast possibilities that life offers.
    The way of the wise is to see uncertainty with a sense of wonderment. Wonderment is the beginning of new knowledge. Creativity dawns by stretching the wonder. The attitude of ‘I know’ makes one closed and limited. ‘I don’t know’ makes way for new possibilities. When one moves with ‘I know it all’, he or she gets stuck with a fixed concept.
    Often one says ‘I don’t know’ out of frustration. Turning that ugly ‘I don’t know’ to an ‘I don’t know!’ that is marked by wonderment arising out of knowing the endless possibilities is the path of growth. The more one knows, the ​more wonderment dawns ​about the unknown. It is beautifully said in the Upanishads, “One who says, I don’t know, knows it, and the one who says, I know, doesn’t know!” It’s said that what is known is not even the tip of the iceberg of the unknown.
    Wonderment is not about something which is old. Certainty is about something which is not new. Life is a combination of old and new. The person who only wonders looks lost and confused. And the one who is certain about everything, takes things for granted and tends to become inert and dull. Knowing to embrace both adds spark and charm in life. The ability to strike the perfect balance of surety with a sense of awe is a sign of growth in life.
    Wonderment dawns when the mind encounters something it perceives as vast. It brings a feeling of expansion. When we are in awe, we see things differently and our powers of observation become sharp. The feeling of awe expands our sense of time and we become alive and engaged in the present regardless of the past and future.
    A sense of astonishment brings wakefulness, and when we are awakened, we see ​that ​the whole creation is full of wonders. If one doesn’t get awed by the magnificence of this creation, his or her eyes are yet to open. In an awakened state, when the eyes close with a sense of awe, that is meditation!
    Our perception of the world does not really matter to What Is. This creation is an unfathomable secret and when we become sure about it, its mysteries deepen. Deepening the mystery of creation is science and deepening the mystery of the Self is spirituality. If neither science nor spirituality can create wonder in you, then you are in a deep slumber.
    Wonderment creates the desire to probe deeper. Without this intense quest of man to know more about life, all the progress made by humanity wouldn’t have been possible. Though we are born curious, we tend to lose the probing nature when we disconnect ourselves from the real awe factor of life. Regaining our sense of curiosity is important to our success.
    A focused and calm mind brings up innocence and non-judgmental state which is the beginning point of any knowledge. That’s why regular meditation is vital for creating a clean slate of knowing! When we begin to ask lots of questions without judgment, unknown facets of life start unfolding.
    Ask what is relevant and about something that you really want to know. Probe beyond the questions that can be answered in either yes or no. Wonder is a question for which we don’t seek an answer. Drop the sense of being right and known. Wonder about the world that you don’t know yet. There is charm beyond the mundane. The unknown world is beyond what is seen and imagined. Close your eyes, meditate, quieten the mind and deepen the wonder!
    Wonderment is said to be the preface to yoga, the union. Be the wonder that you are!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • The breath has an effect on your brain and your mind.

    There is a lot to learn if you watch your breath, and see what is happening. I would like to share about some breathing techniques with you. One of them is about our two nostrils! Have you ever wondered why we have two nostrils? We could have had one big hole! There is a reason! When you breathe through your left nostril, it affects the side of your right brain, and when you breathe through the right nostril, it affects the left side of the brain.

    Scientists have recently found that when you breathe through the right nostril, the metabolism in your body is twice as much as when you breathe through the left nostril.
    Did you know the first thing that we did when we came to this planet was, we took a deep breath in and then we started crying, right? And the last thing that we will do in this life is, breathe out and then make others cry. In birth, you cried and made everybody laugh, and in death, you take the last breath out and make everyone cry. If you don’t do that, you have not lived a good life!
    All our life, we pay very little attention to the breath, in fact, no attention. Usually, in The Art of Living, we say, there are four sources of energy:
    Food – If you don’t believe it, fast for a couple of days and you will get to know. Also, if you eat too little or too much, you will drain your energy.
    Sleep – If you don’t believe it, don’t sleep for one night and see how you feel the next day!
    Breath – It is the most important source of energy. The breath can help us energize our whole system. If you are tired, and you try some breathing exercises, change your breathing pattern, you will feel energetic.
    A happy or pleasant state of mind.
    A few minutes of meditation energizes your system. Usually, people think meditation is concentration, which is not right; meditation is the opposite of concentration. Concentration is the outcome of meditation.
    Let me explain to you what we do in the Sudarshan Kriya.
    If you observe carefully, there is a rhythm in nature; seasons are rhythms in nature. Similarly, there is a rhythm in our body. Have you noticed, you feel hungry at some time, sleepy at some time; there is a biorhythm. (Do you know of biometrics? Only I can unlock my phone; each one of us has unique rhythms or energy patterns, isn’t it?)
    Then there is a rhythm in the breath. It is different in the morning, evening, and with different emotions, the rhythm of the breath changes. E.g. when you are happy, and you smell the fragrance of a flower, your inhalation is slow, steady, and strong, and the exhalation dissolves. But, when you are frustrated, your exhalation is stronger.
    There is also a rhythm in the emotions, thought patterns. The rhythm of the breath changes with different emotions; it is different when there is fear, anger. According to the level of stress in us, there is a rhythm that changes in the system.
    The Sudarshan Kriya brings harmony between all these rhythms, and then life becomes like music. It takes just three days, and three hours to learn; afterwards, it is only a ten minutes practice on a daily basis. For students, especially around exam time, it is a big boon; it also enhances your intuitive ability. 
    Q: Gurudev, through your exercise we saw the immediate effect of meditation. How do we use meditation and breathing techniques to deal with pain or to reduce the negative impact of long term effect on us?
    Millions have come out of trauma and depression through breathing techniques and meditation. It is now being advocated as an alternative to anti-depressants by many medical institutions; so, it just works!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Different letters affect different parts of the body.

    Our body is like a garland of letters, it is called akshara maalika (garland of letters). You are a mala or rosary yourself; different letters affect different centers. 

    Sanskrit, the oldest of languages, is organized in such a way that it fits Darwin’s theory of Evolution.
    The first letter of Sanskrit language is A, which is what every child says. 
    The last of the vowels is Aha. What is the sound that comes when you laugh? Aha ha ha! So, in laughter, the entire language is present, from A to Aha. In Sanskrit, Aha is used for wonder and for laughter. You cannot laugh without Aa and Ha in it, even if you try. 
    If you observe the Sanskrit vowels, which are A, Aa, E, Eee, Oo, Oou; observe how the sound is generated. The sound A comes at the root of the throat, Aa comes more outward. E comes from the palate, and Eee is more outward.
     Oo comes to the lips, and Ruu, the tongue rolls. The rest of the letters are I, Ai, O, Au, An, Am, Aha.
     If you move to consonants, they start with Ka, Kha, Ga, Gha, Na and they start from the throat. 
    Then Ca, Cha, Ja, Jha, Nna, the sound move towards the mouth.
     Then come Ta, Tha, Da, Dha, Na, these come with the help of the dental movement. 
    The last few come from the lips Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma. 
    If you observe, all these sounds move from the base of the throat outwards. 
    Even the animal kingdom is taken into consideration here. 
    All birds emit the Ka and Ca sound. Only two birds, i.e., parrot and mynah can use the sound Ma also.
    All other birds only use Ka and Ca. 
    Amphibians like frogs, make sounds that sound like Ta, Tha or Tra. 
    Mammals like cows, sheep, goats, horses, etc., use Pa, Pha, Ba, Bha, Ma, or the next set of consonants.
     Lastly come all the other alphabets like Ya, Ra, La, Va, She, Sha. Therefore, the alphabets and sounds are arranged in the same order as the theory of evolution, i.e., birds, animals, mammals and humans. 
    Isn’t that interesting? It is absolutely fascinating.
    There was some research done in England; scientists found that Sanskrit language is very suitable for neurolinguistic functions. For about ten years, scientists were trying to understand why people with a base in Sanskrit are very sharp at mathematics and calculations. Do you know about 60% of the English language follows Sanskrit? If you see the roots of the English words, most of them are Sanskrit based.
     Svasa is sister, Brata is brother, Pitha is father and Mata is Mother. If you draw parallels like these, you will realize that the base of English is Sanskrit language.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Dhyan yoga is nivriti, Karma yoga is pravritti

    When you say, ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’, the seed of ‘not ok’ is not letting your mind to relax. When do you go to bed? When everything is ok, and when there is comfort. When you are hanging on to the discomfort, how can you ever be comfortable? You have to accept things as they are. ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’ keeps you all outside. Those imperfections are there for a cause or purpose. It is going to be ok, it will take some time. Things are ok the way they are now, They will be ok in the future Whatever happened in the past was ok. When you understand this, you relax and in that relaxation you can meditate. When you want to retire, its nivriti but when you want to come out (of rest) its pravritti. Then you can act. When you are tired but you are hanging on to what is not ok – then you cannot retire. When you have to chill out, what do you say? ‘Everything is perfect,’ otherwise you can’t chill, you can’t act! It is neither pravritti, nor nivriti. Dhyan yoga is nivriti, Karma yoga is pravritti. Most people are hanging onto the ‘not ok’ and are unable to relax, to enjoy life, to chill, to be creative. They are holding onto the seed of ‘not ok’. That person, this situation, the government, the administration – everything is not ok. Then it comes to you – I am not ok. Subtly, it reflects on you that you are not OK. Then you don’t like that feeling, and to cover that up, you make up many justifications and the mind is all confused. If tamogun is too much, you don’t know the pravritti or the nivriti. When there is Satva, then we know what to act, when to act, whether to act or not. When Rajogun prevails then its half way through – you regret and act. Many of us act and then we regret. Mother scolds her child, regrets it and then becomes nice. In Satva, you don’t regret, you retire and relax, there is clarity. In Rajogun, there is confusion and chaos. In Tamogun, there is total inertia and lethargy. There is no strict border between the three gunas. It is very fluid, one flows into another.

    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • The Interpretation of Ramayana As a Philosophy of Life..

    ‘Ra’ means light, ‘Ma’ means within me, in my heart. 

    So, 
    Rama means the Light Within Me..
    Rama was born to Dasharath & Kousalya.
    Dasharath means ‘Ten Chariots’
    The ten chariots symbolize the five sense organs( Gnanendriya ) & five organs of action( Karmendriya )
    Kousalya means ‘Skill’
    The skillful rider of the ten chariots can give birth to Ram..
    When the ten chariots are used skillfully,
    Radiance is born within..
    Rama was born in Ayodhya.
    Ayodhya means ‘a place where no war can happen’
    When There Is No Conflict In Our Mind, Then The Radiance Can Dawn..
    The Ramayana is not just a story which happened long ago..
    It has a philosophical, spiritual significance and a deep truth in it..
    It is said that the Ramayana is happening in our Own Body.
    Our Soul is Rama, 
    Our Mind is Sita, 
    Our Breath or Life-Force ( Prana) is Hanuman, 
    Our Awareness is Laxmana and 
    Our Ego is Ravana..
    When the Mind (Sita),is stolen by the Ego (Ravana), then the Soul (Rama) gets Restless..
    Now the SOUL (Rama) cannot reach the Mind (Sita) on its own.. 
    It has to take the help of the Breath – the Prana (Hanuman) by Being In Awareness(Laxmana)
    With the help of the Prana (Hanuman), & Awareness(Laxmana),
    The Mind (Sita) got reunited with The Soul (Rama) and The Ego (Ravana) died/ vanished..
    In reality Ramayana is an eternal phenomenon happening all the time.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • How To Deal With Hurtful People

    Q: Gurudev, my husband hurts my feelings? How do I change his egoistic nature?

    Why do we try to change people? It is because they are hurting us. And the more we want to change someone because they are hurting us, they are not going to change. If you really want them to change, you have to wish for their welfare – because what they are doing is not good for them. If that is your intention, they will change. Your every prayer will make them see things differently and behave differently. So, it all lies in your intention.
    Q: How to be positive and strong when people start hurting me? How to love myself in such situations?
    Come on, you forget that you are a diamond! Nobody can cut a diamond or hurt it. Even if a diamond is cut, it shines more. 
    When anyone is trying to hurt you, they are not hurting you, they are only making you shine more. Anyone who brings down your prestige or insults you, they are only bringing up the best qualities that are hidden within you. Remember that every insult is an opportunity for you to exhibit the beauty that you are. 
    Q: Gurudev, how do I forgive those who have abused me emotionally and physically? Sometimes I feel like killing them but even that doesn’t seem enough.
     
    When you get hurt, it is not only the other person at fault, it is also your ignorance and your naivety. You have not been intelligent enough, or intuitive enough to avoid it, or move out of it. So, take a little bit of the responsibility on yourself as well. If you had been strong and skillful, nobody could have abused you. When you see the situation from this perspective, you will become calmer.
    I want to ask you, haven’t you caused some pain or hurt to someone else knowingly or unknowingly, willingly or unwillingly? You have. If others hold on to it for a lifetime and go after you, how would you like it?
    My dear, if someone has abused you, they have been ignorant. It is because of ignorance and some hurt inside them, that they have caused it to others. See it from a wider lens. A happy person will not come and harm anyone else. If someone is harming others, it is because they are not happy, not centered and they don’t know what you know. Consider them as sick people. If someone is physically sick, do you get angry at them? These people are mentally and emotionally sick, they are spiritually sick, and if you hold a grudge against them, you will also become one among them. You will get sick. For your own sake, you should let go and move on.
    Q: How can I forgive my mother-in-law who is constantly hurting me?
    Take a look at how your mother behaves. How many times did you have arguments with your own mother, and how many times was she frustrated with you? Haven’t you gotten scolding from your own mother? I don’t think any girl or boy has grown up without being scolded by their mother.
    When your mom criticizes you, you just fight with her and then you forget it. It doesn’t really touch you. My dear, remember, your mother and mother-in-law are of the same age, the same kind and the same category. She scolds you only 10% of what your mother used to scold you, then why does it hurt you deeply? Just accept her.
    People who are tough to handle, whether at office or at home, only help you to develop your skills. You should really thank them. They make you more skilfull, more refined, more compassionate and all your good qualities start manifesting in you. 
    If you have knowledge, in tough situations, wisdom manifests and good things manifest out of it. If you lack skills, the worst things come out of it. This one thing we need to master. Master the skill of expressing and communication, and grab this as an opportunity to do that.
    Q: I am hurt, I don’t want to forgive.
    Forgiving others is not for their sake, it is for your own sake, for your mental health. Know that you have the power to do it and just do it. Open your mind to the vastness of this universe. Wake up and see that seven billion people are on this planet, everyday many are being hurt, everyday many are dying. Whatever big thing you are hanging on to about someone’s action towards you, know that it is your karma that made them act that way with you. If not that person, some other person would have given you the same experience. This is what you need to realize, this is what you need to see.
    when you get a nasty email, you don’t throw your computer or laptop because you’ve got a nasty email. Whatever email came, the laptop just reflects that. Similarly, people are like laptops. You don’t need to forgive them, you simply need to have a better understanding. If you ask them, sometimes, they also may not know why they behaved that way, why they did acts that hurt you.
    Look at life from a bigger perspective. That’s why I keep saying, behind every event there is knowledge, behind every person there is love, behind every object there is infinity, just know this, watch this, get this, that’s it.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Who Are You and What Do You Want?

    It is so nice to be here in Japan – The land of the Rising Sun!

    The dire need of today is to awaken the society and the world to the reality of who we are, and what do we want! If you ask anybody, why do they do what they do? And if you ponder on this question, the answer is happiness. Everybody is looking for happiness. Spiritual people are looking for happiness in liberation. Religious people are looking for happiness in scriptures. Socialists are looking for happiness as absolute comfort in technology. Commerce and industry are looking for happiness by making more profits. Politicians are looking for happiness in creating a happy society, and by making the country stronger. So, who does not want happiness? Everybody wants it! But, are we finding that happiness?
    If you are not happy, why is it so?
    The answer is we have too much to do and too little time and little energy. As a result of this, we are getting stressed, and we are not reaching where we want reach.
    There are certain questions which we need to ask ourselves as human beings!
    From an age of three, we started asking questions about life – where did we come from, what is this and what is that… these questions indicate that our intellect is maturing. These questions are pure and inquisitive questions. But later on in life, we don’t ask these questions, instead, we ask questions which indicate misery and sorrow. We ask questions that have no answers – ‘Why am I having this problem, why am I not happy? ’
    And we don’t ask these questions to others, we ask ourselves! Unanswered questions ferment in the mind and become violence.
    From low energy to high energy.
    Are you all here? Are you listening? (Audience respond saying, ‘Yes, we are here’)
    See what is happening, when your presence of mind is complete, then questions transform into wonder.
    When the energy (prana) in us is high, we ask questions that lead us to the truth. When energy is low, we ask questions which only bring us more misery.
    So, what is that one thing that can shift the energy (from low to high) and make us more positive? What can bring that sense of happiness that we all had when we were children? It is meditation.
    Meditation is that which shifts our energy from negative to positive; from a state of despair to a state of hope and joy, and from a state of worry to a state of vision for a better life!
    Tap into the enormous strength within you.
    Take an oath today – come what may, I am going to be happy! I am not going to lose my smile no matter what happens. If you do this, you will see that your life starts taking the direction which you always wanted!
    You may have several failures, you may come across several stumbling blocks, you may not be able to be happy every day and all the time, but this very commitment that – I am not going to lose my peace for anything in the world – will bring such enormous strength from within you, that it will start changing the situations around you. 
    One very important thing we need is the faith that only the right thing will happen! 
    Today, can we all make this commitment (to be happy)? Can we instill the faith within ourselves that only the right thing will happen to me? Once you start on this journey, I tell you, things will fall in place. 
    Stop counting your failures.
    We keep doubting ourselves and we keep remembering all the failures that we have had. When we do this, we are sowing seeds of doubt and failure into the consciousness. Right away, stop counting your failures. In fact, don’t even look at any setbacks as failures because they are all stepping stones towards progress.   
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Do you know what happens when you meditate?

    You are creating a rapport with the other realms of reality.When your mind is still, when meditation is happening, you are not only purifying every cell of your own body, but you are spreading positive energy all around you. Your meditation brings peace and joy to people who have already passed and gone to the other side, which is very, very important.

    When you are silent, you are not putting things into the mind from the world; you are letting yourself free, cleansing the body, and cleansing the mind. During this time, some thoughts may bombard your mind. Some old things may just come and bother you. Never mind, don’t be scared. The fact you are sitting is good enough. Whatever happens is all for good. If old thoughts are coming and bothering you, never mind, they just come and they go. Nevertheless, keeping silent is very, very precious, not just for you, but also for the subtle creation. For the world also, because you are creating such positive vibrations every minute you are in silence, every minute you are meditating!
    In addition, the full moon, the ocean and meditation, all go very well. The mind is agitated if it is involved in too much activity. Time to time, as you take yourself back from activity, then agitation disappears, meditation wells up.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Pravittri and Nivritti

    See there are two things Pravittri and Nivritti. Do not mix the two. 

    There are two attitudes that we have to pay attention to. One is, when you go inward (Nivritti) you think that everything is fine and I don’t want anything. That is called Meditation. 
    When you have to come out and work (Pravritti), then seek perfection in even small details. Put your full attention and take responsibility. 
    The message of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna’s life is this only. When you have to come out and work (Pravritti), then seek perfection even in small details. Whenever you see imperfection, you have to pay attention on how you can correct it. And when you have to retire then say, ‘Everything is fine.’ This attitude will help you go deep in meditation. This is the path of Nivritti.
    That is why one who knows the difference between Pravritti and Nivritti is said to have a sattvic intellect. He is called intelligent. 
    What is the other sign of an intelligent person – one who is able to see good even in a bad person; one who sees the good in everyone. You go to a prison and you find something good in the biggest culprit. To find good in the guilty is the sign of intelligence.
    So an intelligent person finds something good in the worst people, but a foolish person will dig out something bad from ever the best people, and there are people who do this. 
    Someone in America wrote a book that Ramkrishna Paramhansa was mad. He also proved that he had so many negatives, and Vivekananda has these many negative qualities, and all Hindu saints have some or the other bad qualities, and he has made a text book out of it. 
    This is a sign of foolishness, to look for something bad in good people. And the sign of an intelligent person is one who uplifts even a bad person.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Is it necessary to fast every week?

    Q: Is it necessary to fast every week?

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
    We fast not to please the Divine, but to cleanse our body. You overwork your liver, stomach and pancreas so much. If there was a labor court for the body, all these organs would have complained against you in that court. We don’t allow them to rest at all. We drink and eat the whole day until night, and we overwork our system. They do need some rest and for that you need to fast.
    God is not going to be pleased by your fasting. It is more to detox your own body. And why fasting is combined with prayer all over the world and in all religions, is because when you are fasting, you are detoxified and your prayer becomes authentic and deep. Your meditation happens best when your stomach is empty. Isn’t that your experience?
    If you meditate on a full stomach, you will fall asleep. That is why it is said, you can say your prayers when you are fasting as your body is detoxified and your mind is rested and alert.
    Just think of your own classrooms. In which period do you feel very alert? First few sessions, or just before lunch. If you have had a heavy breakfast the first session can be boring. And when do you feel heavy and dull? Right after lunch!
    When I was in college, I also used to sit and sleep because I had had some nice food, and that too with yogurt. At that time, classes are like a burden. Nobody taught us in those days that food has an impact on our mind. Nobody taught us not to eat these particular things during the day.
    Do you know what is the worst punishment? Give someone curd and rice, and don’t let them sleep. It is so  
    difficult. So, our fasting has an impact on our alertness, and our mind which is why in all the religions of the world, be it Islam, Christianity, Hinduism or Jainism, fasting has been followed. But it is only for the body not to please God.
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  • Wisdom for life

    First is expand your context, broaden your vision and then have purpose in life. Focusing your energy on something which you find useful, find your purpose. To me the most meaningful thing is bringing happiness in the lives of people, Instead of running after happiness.. You know it runs further away from you. If you stay put, happiness chases you.

    Most of the people who are running after happiness, I would say, stay where you are. Just be. You will find that happiness surrounds you. It must comes to you. If you follow joy,  misery follows you. If you follow wisdom, joy follows you.
    Second is commitment. Commitment to the greater goals in life. Then you will be really happy.
    And the third is compassion. It’s compassion which keeps us in a state of unconditional love, unconditional happiness.
    Everyone is seeking happiness – A happiness which doesn’t turn into misery, a love which doesn’t turn into hatred. The perfect action that doesn’t turn into anger and frustration. And that which brings the stability within us, which makes our happiness strong, that I call wisdom. Wisdom for life. No wisdom. No happiness.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Do you want to listen to a story? When Buddha got enlightened, he became silent and angels asked him to talk.

    He said “People who are happy they don’t need to listen to anything. They are happy. They are happy with everything around, they don’t need to listen to anything. And people who are unhappy they don’t listen to anything.  If you try to put some sense into people who are unhappy, they are not there. They are so embroiled in their own misery. They have closed their ears. Those who are miserable don’t listen to me anyway and those who are happy don’t need me.” So the angels requested him that there are some people who are on the border line. That’s when Buddha started talking.

    Those who are happy you can feel the vibrations. You don’t need words to express yourselves. They are so sensitive. They can catch you. Kids exuberate happiness. They radiate joy. If you ask me, I will tell you that there are those who are happy and they want to share happiness. Nature of happiness is to share. Nobody can say I am so happy leave me alone. When you are happy you want to share happiness. It’s simple, if you see a nice movie you pick up the phone and call your friend. Nature of happiness is to share. Those who are happy,  they share. This is the first category. There is another category of people who are seeking happiness. So they seek in changing jobs, places, cars, gadgets,  trying to find happiness. There is a third category who have no hopes of happiness. For them happiness does not even exist. And if they see someone happy, they feel more irritated. Have you seen such people around? If one of them is happier the other is irritated.
    Happiness is not something which has left anyone untouched. We all know what happiness is. So there’s no need to define happiness. It’s really a blunder to define the basics of life. Because you can’t define it in words. You can’t water it down in definitions. They are much vaster, much bigger, much greater.
    You know feelings can never be captured in words. Haven’t you felt that there’s so much you want to express but the words are not sufficient enough? It’s the same with happiness. Happiness cannot be conveyed in words or in gestures.  Our being is much much much larger than our expressions.
    Happiness is something that everyone has experienced. But it is very fragile. Now you are happy. Just one nasty phone call,  are you still able to keep your happiness? One nasty phone call and your happiness is gone. Your happiness is fragile.
    What is that that can make our happiness stronger? I call that Wisdom. Wisdom brings a different context to our life. It expands our context. Anyone who is not happy, you make them see life from a different context and you can bring a smile back to their face. As the context of life expands the problems and issues appear smaller and insignificant. So to make your feeling of togetherness, feeling of worthiness become stronger the first thing is expand the context of life. If someone doesn’t get this take them to the planetarium. When they see the light and how insignificant the little earth is in the context of bigger universe, the multiverse, something happens.
    Second is commitment.  If you are committed to do something, you don’t care. Whatever obstacles that come on the way, you don’t care.  Unpleasant remarks may come from people, but nothing detracts you. That is commitment. So strengthening commitment is the second thing.
    The third thing is compassion.  We are more disturbed by others behaviour towards us. That is why we feel our happiness depends on many other factors.
    Someone who is stressed – is unhappy, spreads unhappiness. Why do you have to succumb to it?  Instead of getting succumbed to someone else spreading unhappiness say to yourself “I can be in control of myself. I can spread happiness. I can be the source of happiness when I have compassion for others.”
    What do you say?
    Does it make sense?
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Nature of love is to share

    Nature of love is to share. Those who are happy, they share.

    There is another category of people who seek happiness by changing cars, gadgets, jobs.
    There is a third category which has no hopes of happiness.
    Happiness cannot be conveyed in words or gestures. Happiness is something that everyone has and it is very fragile. Just one nasty phone call, are you able to keep your happiness? What is that can make our happiness strong? Wisdom. It expands our context. Anyone who is not happy, you make them see life from a different context. As the context of life expands the problems of life appears insignificant. Expand the context of life.
    Second is commitment. If you are committed, nothing detracts you.
    Third is compassion. We are more disturbed by others behavior towards you. That is why we think our happiness depends on others. I can be the source of happiness when I am compassionate to others.
    1. Broaden our vision.
    2. Having purpose in life. Something meaningful is to bring happiness in the lives of people. 
    Most people who are running after happiness, I would say just be. You willl find that happiness surrounds you. Commitment to greater goals in life.
    3. Commitment keeps one in unconditional happiness.
    That which makes our happiness strong is wisdom. 
    No wisdom? No happiness.
    Q. How to become wise?
    Sri Sri : See life from a bigger context. You want to become wise? You are already there. Take these two aphrorisms with you:
    1. I give nobody or no situation to take away my happiness. 
    2. Only the best will happen to me.
    You don’t have to keep repeating it. You know you are in Miami right? You don’t keep repeating it, “I am in Miami. I am in Miami.” Aphrorisms are to be kept in the heart and not be chanted out loud.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • The biggest problem with lovers

    The biggest problem with lovers is that they love each other and start demanding each other. “Look how much I love you. What did you do for me?” or, they say “Do you really love me? Prove it to me now!” Proving each other’s love becomes a burden. Many a times, couples try to play the game of not being happy and look to the other person to cajole them and make them happy. You are losing your dignity when you are making others cajole you and make you happy. You be happy! You are the source of happiness. Nobody else can make you happy other than yourself. You need to say without saying that “Hey come on. You cannot put me down and take my mood off.” This should be the message to others from you.

    “Kaya Indriya Siddhi Ashuddhi kshyat tapasaha’’ (II Sutra 43)
    Kaya = body; Indriya = senses; Siddhihi = strong; Ashuddhi = impurities; Kshayat = eliminated; Tapasaha = by penance.
    “By penance or purifying actions, the body and senses become strong as the impurities are eliminated.”
    By tapas, the body and the senses become strong. While you are fasting, you are not pleasing God or you are not going to heaven or getting enlightenment. What happens by practicing all this? Your body becomes strong. Your resistance power increases. By the effect of tapas, the body and senses become strong. Ashuddhi kshaya, the impurities in you is eliminated.
    Tapas means endurance.
    “Tapo vay dwanda sahana”
    Tapo = tapas; Vay = indeed; Dwandwa = tapas; Sahana = endurance
    “Tapas is indeed endurance of the opposites.”
    Life is full of opposites of pain-pleasure, good-bad, friends-enemies, and praise-blame. These things do come in life. Just take them with equanimity. Ability to endure heat and cold. How much ability you have to endure the opposites, that much is tapas. What does tapas do? This brings strength to your body and mind. Body gets prepared to hold the infinite consciousness. The body-mind complex gets prepared to emit the divinity that is there in everyone. Kayaindriya siddhi.
    “Swadhyayadishtadevatasamprayogaha’’ (II Sutra 44)
    Swadhyayat = by self-study; Ishta = desired; Devata = deity; Samprayogaha = presence is felt.
    “By self-study, the desired deity’s presence is felt.”
    By self-study, by observing, by becoming hollow and empty, we become the Divine’s channel. You are part of the Divine. You are able to feel the presence of the divinity. All different agents of the devas, all different forms of consciousness starts blossoming.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
    (Extract from Patanjali Yoga Sutras)
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  • What is the best contribution one can make to better a society?

    I was once asked by a prominent industrialist – What is the best contribution one can make to better a society? Make billions, spend billions, or give away billions?

    This was my answer:
    The best way is to do both: To make billions, spend a little less, save the rest and give it away! Twenty percent of your earnings should be earmarked for charity. However, charity should be self-sustainable. That is, it should create more wealth rather than perpetuating the cycle of poverty and dependence. In this sense, the best form of charity would be providing quality education for children and more importantly, building a good character in them. 
    In the 11th chapter of the Bhagawad Gita, Lord Krishna said, “Win the war with enemies and enjoy a prosperous empire.” How can a businessman be altruistic and yet follow this piece of advice? Is there a way to resolve this riddle? Krishna’s advice was not for a recluse, but addressed to a prince. The Gita should not be dismissed as a text for people who are not in the world. In fact, the Gita is of no use for people who are retiring from the world.
    The entire Bhagavad Gita is focused on the prince who had to shoulder a huge responsibility, encounter complex situations and solve complicated human relations to make the country productive. Any big business has to perform all these functions. The promoters and leaders have to manage human resources; resolve conflicts. One cannot be emotional and say, “I don’t want to compete with anybody. The world of business is always a struggle, a fight. Your weapons are speculation, bidding, negotiation, branding, marketing, pricing, innovation etc. These are the weapons for you to fight the business wars and you should fight it to your complete satisfaction. If it does not turn out to be viable, naturally you lose your fight. (Non-viability, heavy competition, lack of HR, labour problems) 
    You can’t do business with a charitable mindset. Charity and business should be kept separate. However when it comes to enjoying the fruits of your business, you should have a charitable mind. You must keep aside a portion for charity. 
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  • QUESTIONS ABOUT ENLIGHTENMENT

    1: How long should I meditate to get enlightened?

    There is no limit. Time will do it. Your job is to keep the window open, but time will bring the sunlight in. You can’t make sunlight come into your home just because you have opened the window. You can’t say, “I opened the window, but the sunlight has not come yet.” If you keep your shutters on, even if the sun has risen, you will remain in darkness. So your effort is needed.
    2: Can married couples also attain enlightenment?
    See, the example of Ramakrishna Paramahamsaji. He was married, Sharada Devi was his wife. There are many such examples like this. So even couples can attain enlightenment. Enlightenment is not something that just drops from somewhere. It is present in all of us.
    3: If the purpose of life is to attain liberation, is there any value for all the time we spend on our education, profession and career?
    Each one has its own place. You need to do both. To make a living, you need to work, and to grow on the spiritual path, you need to meditate. Both go together, they do not oppose each other.
    Often, we think that only when we leave everything will we be able to meditate here, that is not the case. We see many people who have left everything and sit here, but they take up something else to occupy their mind.
    If you have taken up some responsibility, fulfill it.
    4: Gurudev, Is enlightenment just a realization?
    Yes, that is why it’s called Pratya Bhigya which means Realizing.
    See the elephant that is here does not know its power. With great love, he holds your hand with his trunk and pulls you. He doesn’t know that he can break the person’s hand whom he is pulling. For him it’s a play. In the same way, we do not realize our inner potential. We think we are just this body mind complex with a few emotions, some little thoughts, little likes and dislikes. The truth is that we are much beyond these things, and that is why enlightenment is like the peeling of it.
    The word enlightenment is used so many times, that is why it is so confusing. Enlightenment is simply the peeling off layers and becoming hollow and empty. Get to that spot where you feel absolute comfort and absolute freedom. That is liberation, that is nirvana, that is self-realization, that is yoga, and that is unity. You can call it by so many names. And too much reading also confuses you about it. That’s why I say be natural, be simple.
    5: We are all on the path towards enlightenment. If we do not achieve it this lifetime, do we pick up from where we left off?
    Yes, correct.
    6: What is enlightenment? How does a regular person find out if someone is enlightened?
    It cannot be said in words, it has to be felt. You cannot describe love. You can’t say that love is endorphins or oxytocin getting produced in your body, it is something that only the heart can know; your existence can feel something different. The funniest thing is that it is in everybody, it is in the original nature of our being and everybody has it, but it has not been uncovered.
    7: Have you seen anyone in The Art of Living get enlightenment?
    Yes, there are many who have this experience — they feel something and it starts happening. They have the ability to love everyone and be a nobody.
    You don’t have to label yourself that ‘I am enlightened, I am enlightened’, not at all! If you want enlightenment, the first thing you need to remember is total detachment from all that you see, good or bad. Do you still want enlightenment? Are you ready for it? For enlightenment you need to have total detachment because it is your desire which is the only thing that blocks you from enlightenment. 
    The moment you drop all that and say, “I want nothing and I am nothing”, that moment you realize that all the forms and names are nothing, they are all like waves in the ocean; the wave is nothing but the ocean. This conviction is enlightenment.
    The sea is there, the sun is there, the moon is there and like that I too am here, that is it. Going beyond time is Enlightenment. Not being constrained by space is enlightenment. Realizing you are love, everything else is love, that is enlightenment. Being so natural and feeling at home with everyone because there is no other, is enlightenment.
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  • I would like to investigate the movement of Prana more precisely; what is the most helpful practice for this?

    I would like to investigate the movement of Prana more precisely; what is the most helpful practice for this? 

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: 
    You should sit and watch the breath; there are so many things about it. What you do on the Advanced Program is already very helpful and useful; the Hollow and Empty Meditations are about polishing and observing the breath.
    The breath has been burnt down due to excess usage of our body externally; too much food, sex, sleep (even lack of it), too much watching; too much of anything burns down the Prana. And when the Prana is burnt, then you can’t find yourself; it is as though there is a crowd inside, and you feel you don’t exist there. The purpose of all these different meditations that you are doing is to help your Prana become healthier, stronger and tangible. How many of you feel that your Prana is more tangible? (Many in the audience raise their hands) . When you do a little bit of meditation, at least you can find it flowing in one line, otherwise it is all broken, and you can’t find it at all!
    Sometimes, time can also do this. At some specific times, celestially, suddenly you feel a cloud of negative energy getting onto you. You feel a sense of heaviness, dullness, and the brain doesn’t seem to function. That heaviness, restriction, contraction, and the feelings of getting solidified and constrained are associated with such energy. Sometimes one would feel like getting it out, but you don’t know how to do it! How many of you have had such an experience? (Some raise their hands) .
    A few minutes of chanting, pranayama, and I don’t think there is anything better than the Sudarshan Kriya can help you get it out. Sudarshan Kriya can quickly put you back on track. Ujjayi breathing, meditation and chanting also helps. And your connection to the Master helps; whomsoever you think of, that’s what your brain immediately catches on. You can think of a very negative person, immediately your whole psychology and brain cells start behaving like them. Hasn’t this happened to you? How many of you have experienced it? That is why enlightened masters are called pratah smarami in Sanskrit, which means they have to be remembered in the morning as soon as you wake up, so that your whole day, your whole system is tuned to them. Good or wise people are called pratah smarami, worth remembering in the morning. The reason one remembers them first thing in the morning is because the whole day goes with what you start with.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Expression of Shiva.

    The auspicious night of Shivaratri represents the enlivening of the Shiva tattva – the most beautiful aspect of Consciousness.

    Lord Shiva is not a person or a figure. Shiva is the eternal tattva (principle) that is the essence of everything. It is the principle from which everything has come, which sustains everything and in which everything dissolves. How does one capture and express this tattva that is so subtle yet palpable?
    One of the expressions that encapsulates this most exquisite and unfathomable substratum of existence in its near totality, is the depiction of Shiva as Nataraja or the Cosmic Dancer. Nataraja is a fascinating symbol of the interplay between the material and the spiritual realms of creation. Of the 108 postures of the Nataraja the most adored and beautiful is the Ananda Tandava – the dance of bliss. The beauty, elegance and grace with which the Shiva Tandava is represented here is unparalleled.
    When one has access to mystical realms through deep sadhana and detachment to the material world, one is able to experience the Ananda Tandava. There are multiple dimensions of existence. One who has gained entry to the subtle realms of creation, will find that the dance of Shiva is happening in a ceaseless continuum. This blissful dance of the cosmic rhythm can be enjoyed only after transcending the body, mind, intellect and ego complex.
    Though it is mistakenly believed that Shiva took a human form and walked this planet, Shiva is Anadi –birthless, and Ananta – deathless. To limit Shiva to a form confined to time and space would be undermining the omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience of this Eternal Principle.
    The damaru in the upper right hand of the Dancing Shiva is in the shape of infinity (∞). It signifies sound and space and symbolizes the expanding and collapsing nature of the Universe. Through finite sound one can behold the infinite.
    The fire in the upper left hand of Nataraja represents the primordial energy of the cosmos. Ananda upholds energy while pleasure depletes it. The lower right hand, which is in abhaya mudra represents protection and assurance of orderliness. The other hand pointing to the feet is indicative of infinite possibilities.
    Underneath the feet is Apasmara, the demon that symbolizes ignorance and denotes the epileptic state in which there is absolutely no control over the body and the life force.
    When human consciousness is able to free itself from the shackles of ignorance and gains mastery over the body-mind complex, the dance of ecstasy starts dawning in life.
    The Ananda Tandava of Nataraja symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction. The whole world is nothing but a rhythm of energy, rising and contracting again and again.
    Devas can only be perceived in the subtle realms or the sukshma jagat. Those who have gone deep in meditation have discovered this phenomenon. It is said that Deva Apraakrata Divya Manusha Rupa meaning the devas have non-material bodies of light which are perceived in human form by human beings. The different forms of divinity that we see are the outer projections of what the sages observed in deep meditation. These inner experiences of the sages have found beautiful expressions in temples and artistic landscape of India.
    The Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu is a magnificent representation of the cosmic stage of Nataraja. Chidambaram – ‘Chit’ meaning Consciousness and ‘Ambar’ meaning space – refers to the scintillating consciousness. The eternal dance of Shiva never occurred on earth. It is happening perpetually on the stage of consciousness. The central roof of the Chidambaram temple is adorned with 21,600 gold tiles, denoting the number of breaths taken by a human being in a day.
    The scriptures extol the Shiva Principle as being all pervasive – Sarvam Shivamayam Jagat – everything in this world is an expression of Shiva.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • You don’t have to be very rich to feel the abundance

    What are you struggling for?

    Is it Money? You are struggling for money, then don’t sit and day dream, do hard work. If one business does not work, choose another business and do it. 
    Don’t sit and day dream and only think about miracles to happen.
    Miracles do happen, but if you crave for miracles then they will take a back seat. Nature wants you to be dynamic. There are people who have asked me, ‘Guruji, please give me some numbers for my lottery ticket. I just want to win a lottery so that I don’t have to do anything. Just do sadhana all the time and some seva(service).’ No way! First of all, decide what it is that you want from life. You know money is something that you will always find people short of. Always!
    You can see for example, the richest country, the only super power on this planet is USA and it is under heavy debt; trillions of dollars of debt. You take big companies; many of them are in debt. The richer a person gets, the more expenses he has. At the same time, there are poor people who are contributing towards charity, poor people who take time to do service, which is amazing. They feel so much abundance.
    Did you know that during our silver jubilee celebration, a beautiful incident happened!
    I came down from the steps on the last day and a small boy came running to me with tears in his eyes and gave me an envelope. I took the envelope and it had Rs. 5000 in it. I looked at that boy and I asked, ‘What do you do?’ He said he is a laborer. The money in the envelope that he had given me had two months of his earnings, and he said, ‘Please take this.I can’t tell you how much my life has transformed. Please accept this.’ I took just Rs.100 from that envelope and returned back Rs. 4900. I told him, you know this Rs.100 is so precious for me, this is enough. I will take this. Two months of his salary; someone who is a laborer who does manual work, he comes and offers this. Such a big heart!  
    In fact many rich people don’t feel abundance at all, they feel lack. They are not generous. But poor people are very generous. Don’t imagine a situation where you will become super rich one day and then you will start doing some seva(service), no, nothing like that. You can feel abundance at any point of time.
    And the moment you start feeling abundance, you will see things will get better!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • The 8 types of Wealth

    One of the greatest illusions created in the world is wealth. There is so much disparity in the world. There is no logical reasoning or explanation as to why someone is born in Africa and suffers for a piece of bread, while there is surplus bread elsewhere which is often wasted. Why some dogs enjoy the comfort of a home while others are strays in the streets.

    Wealth is something that is bestowed on you.
    There are eight types of wealth:
    1. Wealth as material comfort: The first type of wealth is what we commonly understand as the material wealth. Just being born in Ford’s home, somebody acquired so much wealth without any effort.
    Some inherit wealth, while some have to toil all his life to make money.
    2. Wealth as health: Just having money is not sufficient. Some people have a lot of money but they cannot eat well because of some disease. In this such a situation material wealth is nothing.
    Some people do not have money, but they have enough to eat and they are healthy. Like many farmers in India: they don’t have any money but they have plenty of food with them. Anyone who goes to them is fed; they can feed the whole town. They can sleep well.
    3. Wealth as success: Some may be born into a very wealthy family but they face failure in whatever they do. They are never successful in whatever they undertake. So success is another form of wealth.
    4. Wealth as courage: One must see life as an adventurous game and should play the game without worrying about the outcome, whether you win or lose. But if one is afraid of making mistakes or doing anything, one lacks the wealth of courage. If one lacks the wealth of courage, there is no fun in life even if the person has a lot of money.
    Someone may not have any money, but if they possess courage, they reflect wealth.
    5. Wealth as friendliness: The fifth type of wealth is friendliness – having a caring attitude, having a sense of belonging. You may have the other types of wealth, but you still feel as though you are in a tight compartment, if you don’t have a sense of belonging. If you cannot put yourself into every situation and adjust yourself, you’ll still feel alienated.
    6. Wealth as skill: Another wealth is having different skills and talents. Some people write well, some are good in arguing, some are good in debating, some have a knack for music, some have a wonderful voice, some cook well, some are talented in bringing up a child, some are good in administration, and so on. There are people who put their maximum efforts to achieve what they want yet they fail to achieve their goal. So effort alone is not enough to achieve one’s goal, you need the wealth of skill.
    7. Wealth as dignity: The world is full of lessons if only we observe it with full awareness. Be as humble as the grass, then nothing can touch you, nothing. No one can humiliate you. In the eyes of the divine, it is those who serve the creation that are the true kings and queens. Walk like a king and be a perfect servant!
    8. Wealth as memory of the source: The eighth type of wealth is the memory of your Source. Our life is in compartments, in pieces. Each incarnation is like one piece. We are “cut off.” We only know that we were born – we don’t even know how we were born. Somewhere – from age three or four onwards – we know whatever is happening. Our memory is very short. It appears this is the only life. We are not aware of our Source. The moment you become aware of your Source and your infinite past, your whole life changes – like somebody suddenly becoming aware of how wealthy he (or she) is. It causes a shift in the awareness. Suddenly, you become aware, “Oh! I have several billions of dollars in my bank account!” Your style of walking will change immediately! This is the awareness of the Source. You don’t even have to remember all the drama that you went through – it’s enough if you just remember the Source. The memory of the Source is a great wealth. It makes life one continuous stream – not “cut off” – not in pieces. These are the eight types of wealth.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Yogi is a like a Baby – Patanjali Yoga Sutra

    The different positions of your eyes indicate the state of your mind. Different body postures also indicate what you are feeling. This is called body language. It shows what you are within you. So, stiffer you are, stiffer the body, stiffer the mind. To loosen up your mind, to loosen up your ego, to expand yourself, you need to do certain exercises, certain postures. These postures are called asanas. You are not just the mind; you are not just the body; you are the combination. You are not just the body! You are the combination of body and the mind. On one hand, when you work on your mind, you cannot ignore your body too.

    So asanas are training the body for the comfort zone that it really deserves, that it has come to this planet with. When a baby is born, it comes with adimudra and then chinmudra and then chinmayamudra. If you see a baby, you will never see the legs flat on the floor. Their legs are always above the floor. Have you observed this? They do Shalabhasana. After Shalabhasana, they do Naukasana. They also lift their head and hands along with the legs. Then they do Pavanamuktasana. They hold their toes and try to put their toes into their month. Then what do they do?
    They go on their tummy and try to do Bhujangasana. Being on their tummy, they try to catch hold of their toes on the back and do the bow pose or Dhanurasana. Then they try to stand up with both their hands and legs and try to do Trikonasana. They balance with one hand and both the legs and look up towards the sky. If they do it on one side, they inevitably do it on the other side too. If a baby does every stretch on both the sides, it is a healthy baby. Then it slowly stands up and falls down and does all that. It does not just sit quiet. It tries to jump. The child shakes, Om shake! It shakes all its internal organs. When a baby laughs, it laughs from belly. When you laugh, you laugh only from the throat. Sometimes you swallow half the laughter. This is because you have been told many times, “Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t do this, don’t do that”. That don’t, don’t has put a block.
    You know the worst thing to do is to put a pacifier, the rubber nipple, into a baby’s mouth. That should not be done at all. When a baby begins to cry, the mother immediately wants to plug the baby’s mouth. If you stop them from crying, you will stop them from laughing too. Then they stand in the corner with a long face. They do not even laugh or smile. They begin to get inhibited. You should let the child cry, a little of crying. Do you know what happens with this? All the cranial muscles and bones get adjusted naturally. Crying is a craniosacral adjustment. When a baby cries a little, its appetite increases and its lungs open up. Not too much crying. A little bit of crying is good.
    The yogi is inevitably a baby. So when you do all the asanas, your mind also becomes like that of a baby- alive and enthusiastic. A baby cries and the next moment it can laugh, it can smile. But this becomes impossible for an adult. When you cry, it may take 10-12 days, for some people it may be even months, to get back your smile. People celebrate being unhappy. No. Babies cannot hold back their moods and emotions. They are alive every moment. If they are upset, they are upset at that moment. The next moment they are 100% out of it. If you are angry, you are angry for a whole month. If a baby is angry, it is intensely angry for one or two minutes and then it is out of it and smiling.
    A yogi is one who is like a baby. What is a healthy mind? A healthy mind is one in which the emotions do not stay longer than the time taken for a line drawn on the surface of the water to disappear. If you draw a line on the surface of the water, how long does it stay? Any mood in you, if it stays only for that length of time, then you are having healthy emotions. Your mind is healthy. Asanas help you achieve that state of childlikeness. The circulation in the body improves and internal organs begin to function better. Your lymphatic system becomes better
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • What does it mean to live in the moment?

    Q. What is the nature of the mind? Why is it so prone to restlessness?

    Sri Sri: It’s like the river that wants to reach the ocean or the lake. So till it reaches it’s goal, it remains restless, it’s quite natural. Nature of mind is going towards something higher, something more and more charming, something more beautiful, something more interesting. Mind always longs for something new while heart takes pride in the old. You never say it’s my new friend. Do you say ‘Oh, this is my new friend? You take pride in having an old friend. So, heart longs for the old, mind goes for the latest and life is a combination of both.
    Q. How do we achieve serenity of the mind in the midst of the dynamism of the world?
    Sri Sri: That technique is called meditation. The technique to attain serenity in midst of chaos is called meditation.
    Q. How to deal with the competitiveness and worldly demands that constantly assail us?
    Sri Sri: Don’t take competitiveness as a burden but take it as a catalyst for you, an inspiration for you to move ahead. You know when there is competitiveness either you can take it as a burden or a threat or as a challenge to perform or an invitation to perform better. Competition is an invitation to perform better rather than a threat to your existence.
    Q. How do we deal with the pressures of multi-tasking; the need to keep up with others and the times and the fear of getting outdated?
    Sri Sri: If you are not worried, you become vibrant. And if you are vibrant you are ready to take challenges and you enjoy challenges, you love challenges. See people who are not worried only they take feat like sailing around the world or taking that solar powered aircraft throughout the world. If they are tired why would they do it? If they are tired, they won’t do it. Someone who has no enthusiasm, they won’t take any adventure. But adventure sports are there for those who are not scared and not tired. So the whole life is sort of an adventure sport. And to live life, you have to take it’s challenges to perform better you need to have that aptitude, not so tired & dull and sick & tired, worried. You have to be free from worry and tiredness. The tiredness in life is due to you over ambitiousness and wanting quick results.
    Q. What is stress? And what are the habits that lead to stress?
    Sri Sri: Stress is too much to do, too little time and no energy, this is the formula for stress. The formula for stress is too much to do, too little time and no energy. And the way to get out of it is confidence ‘that you can’ and energy that you get through your faith, your meditations. The energy you get through your meditations. Confidence, meditation and intelligence, and intuitive ability, all these will help.
    Q. What is the attitude that we need to develop to let go of stress?
    Sri Sri: Well, look back in life, all those moments when you felt this is the end of the world, you sailed through those moments, you are still alive and kicking. A look at your own life will give you that confidence to say ‘Yes, you can do it, it’s different.’ And practices, few minutes of practice to meditate, go inward can make a tremendous difference.
    Q. What does it mean to live in the moment?
    Sri Sri: You are anyways living in the moment. To live in the moment simply conveys to you ‘don’t worry about the future and don’t be upset about what has happened in the past.’ If you can let go the past and stop worrying for the future and the state you are in, is called living in the moment.
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  • Going Bananas

    I will share with you something very interesting. Human beings and bananas share 50% of the same DNA. How many of you didn’t know this? (Many raise their hands). A banana is 50% human. I don’t know why people use the term, ‘Gone bananas’ when someone has gone cuckoo. Maybe because the person is using only half of their DNA. (Laughter).

    There is a beautiful human being inside everyone. What makes one different is the stress that covers the beauty. When the stress is gone, we become our original selves. Every child which came into this world came as a pure, beautiful, innocent and intelligent child. But then, somehow, we tend to lose that innocence. The intelligence which has no innocence does not have much value and innocence which is not intelligent has no value. What is needed? The combination of intelligence and innocence. That which gives us this innocence and intelligence, which gives us sensibility and sensitivity, that which makes our heart blossom and keeps our intellect sharp is what spirituality is!
    What is happening now? Are you watching what’s happening within you? Either your mind is saying, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. As I am speaking you are also having a dialogue. Are you noticing that dialogue?
    Audience: Yes
    You have to say ‘Yes’ to this question. You can’t say ‘No’, at least for this one because your mind is going ‘Yes-No, Yes-No’. It doesn’t matter what I say. What is important is for you to know that your mind is saying ‘Yes and No’. This is creating another level of awareness. It is very important to cultivate this.
    See, we all have ten fingers but we don’t know how to play the harp, or the guitar or the violin. That needs a little training. Similarly, though we have all these abilities, we are not trained to use them. If we can train ourselves to use them, what happens? Our sharpness increases, our memory sharpens, our intuitive ability becomes very strong and our presence of mind increases.
    What the psychologists say is, when listening to a talk that is for 10 mins or more, your mind keeps taking cappuccino breaks now and then. Today a lot of young people are losing their attention. What is called ADHD; attention-deficit-syndrome is increasing. How many of you agree with me? (Many in the audience raise their hands). So, what to do? Meditation, yoga, a little bit of breathing exercise and Sudarshan Kriya.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Meditation is superior than Seva

    Q: Gurudev, you said Meditation is superior than Seva, I am regular in Meditation and Sadhana, is it still needed to do Seva to reach you?

    Sri Sri: Definitely. Meditation and Seva are together, they have to be done together like watching television and listening to it. Otherwise you are watching a television muting it. That’s no good.
    Q: Gurudev, when things are so easy, why does Spirituality seem a little difficult initially?
    Sri Sri: You have said it correctly, it just seems, but it is not so. It is just in your mind. Spirituality is not difficult. Spirituality is very easy, it’s absolute comfort. What you may find difficult is your let go of those habits which you anyway want to let go. Got it? Smoking, difficult to leave, drinking, difficult to leave and junk food and all those food which are not good for you, difficult to leave. That difficulty you think ‘Oh, you are going away from spirituality.’ Spirituality is not at all difficult.
    Q: Gurudev, is giving charity or money to a beggar right or wrong?
    Sri Sri: You should see, you know begging has become a business. When this demonetization happened, a beggar had some crores of rupees with him. Then I think you should not encourage such begging. And if really someone is needy then it’s okay, you can help them. But I would not encourage beggars as profession, they are healthy, they can definitely earn, they can do some job, and it is a self-imposed poverty. Why do you want to support such self-imposed poverty, easy way of getting money? We need to support poor kids, children who are going to work, we need to support them.
    You know, Art of Living is supporting 53,000 kids in India alone. In different schools, in different states, 453 free schools are being run and then we run another 100 schools from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM).
    So, doing work like that is better than to just giving money to someone who just comes on street to exploit.
    Q: Gurudev, of the many metals, why is gold considered to be sacred in India, it is very fascinating?
    Sri Sri: No, nothing like sacred, who said gold is sacred. Everything is sacred or nothing is sacred. You know whatever is rare commodity, anything that is a rare commodity, the price goes up. That’s it. In fact, gold has little use for you, iron is much more useful to you. If you have iron deficiency in your body then that’s it, you can’t even walk. And whatever is most essential for you is freely available, so is God. Air is most important, it’s freely available. Iron is most important, it’s easily available. But you don’t need ruby so it’s rarely available.
    Q: What are the top 5 things a parent should teach a child?
    Sri Sri: Sharing, compassion, truthfulness, sincere, loyalty. Any child who grows up with these values will have a beautiful, strong foundation, and the parents have done their job. These qualities will help them be liked by everyone everywhere. Keep them away from addictions of any sort – alcohol, smoking.
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  • The Yoga of Devotion

    Having spoken to Arjuna on different aspects of life, Lord Krishna talks about the importance of bhakti (devotion) in Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita – The Yoga of Devotion | Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar throws light on the Chapter 12 of Bhagavad Gita (Day 1):
    A sense of awe is the foundation for both yoga and devotion. Devotion also fills one with a sense of ‘wow’, where even the minutest of things appear exceedingly charming. Such is the nature of love. 
    In this chapter, Lord Krishna urges Arjuna to be centered in Him. To worship the unmanifest is very difficult as love needs support; one can love a person, but to love an empty space is difficult. The best Yogi is one who has unshakeable faith in the Divine. If life’s situations shake one’s faith, then it isn’t true faith at all. Despite being shaken, if the faith continues to grow strong then one is on 
    the right track.
    One who lets go of all karmas, offering it to Me while being completely centered, goes into deep Bhakti. Bhakti is that which takes you away from all the karmas; and Ananya Bhakti is being exclusively devoted the One, letting go of all desires. This world is of death but the Being is immortal, which the innate Self knows. Those who have such Ananya Bhakti in that Being, I (Lord Krishna) will lift them above this ocean of death.
    When the mind is in sync with Divinity, everything flows and no words, sights or sounds are needed. The senses are restrained and one go into deep Samadhi. And when one goes to a state of fullness or stillness, then one reaches the Divine consciousness. Such deep states of Samadhi benefit not just you, but the welfare for all beings.
    The mind and intellect are the two things that make us feel separated from Him, hence let them both be attuned to the Master. Be like a shadow, a nobody without desires, so that one can tune into what the Master wants.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 12 (Day 2) at the Art of Living International Center, Bangalore:
    The mature intellect brings forth devotion that is always in awe of creation. When something is unfathomable, the intellect is in awe. When the mind takes rest in the vastness of consciousness, only then can it know the Truth. This can only happen through Shraddha. Shraddha isnt just faith, it is to love something that is beyond the purview of knowing. And if one is willing to look beyond what is already known, then the vast wealth of knowledge embraces them.
    The mind keeps wandering from one sense to another in search of satisfaction. It is only when one realises that this joy is caused by something greater, can make one centered. There is a saying that when one appreciates a flower, the flower feels sad as the creator of the flower isnt being appreciated. Therefore, in the previous chapter Lord Krishna declares himself as the cause of all the joy of the senses. The intellect keeps getting stuck in the senses but when the mind, intellect and Chitta get fixed on the Divine, the highest can be attained.
    If one is unable to be completely fixated on the Divine, then one can establish devotion through the practices. However, any practice has to be done continuously without exception and with respect. Mental tiredness gives rise to the inability to do any practice. Many people do either only Sadhana or only Seva, and Lord Krishna does not spare either. He says, ‘If you work for Me then you will not be tired, this is for sure!’
    Lord Krishna treats Arjuna as a friend and gives him options saying, ‘If you cant even maintain your practice, then at least be part of Me. Feel total oneness with Me.’ The body, mind and emotions are a result of karma. Good and bad things will happen, but be detached. Take refuge in My connection with you, and don’t ever question this relationship.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 12 (Day 3) at the Art of Living International Center, Bangalore:
    Everyone does everything for a reason, and that reason is bliss… I am the Bliss. Take refuge in the practice of yoga with the desire to attain me through it. Whether I feel connected to you or not is immaterial, you feel connected to Me. 
    More than love, hatred holds one back, because when we hate, we eat, bathe, sleep with it. It occupies all our time, thoughts and emotions. For your own sake, let go of the hatred. How does one get over immense hatred? Be friendly with those ahead of you, compassion for those behind and forgive those in between!
    Lord Krishna talks about those who are dear to Him and those who are not. The Yogi who is content, free from external emotions, has strong conviction and whose heart and mind is filled with Me are my dearest. One who keeps equanimity when dealing with a friend or enemy, treats a compliment and insult equally, not stuck in cravings and aversions, is very dear to Me. But one who gets agitated by others and who agitate others is not tolerated. 
    A disciple should be like the water that is found at its lowest point, so humble that even big storms cannot disturb him. Humility acts as a shock absorber, helping one maintain self-respect. 
    Sticking to doership restrict one’s possibilities and potential. Doership puts one in a constant state of misery. Do good but don’t count it.The essence is to be centered in all situations. 
    Forget all the past miseries, live in this present moment, happily follow the wisdom with love and unflinching devotion. One who follows all this is dear to Me!
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  • Why is life so complicated? Why can’t I accept situations more easily?

    Q:Why is life so complicated? Why can’t I accept situations more easily? 

    HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: 
    Why should life be simple? Life is complicated and that is what makes it fun. There is beauty, there is thrill in life. It is when you feel very tired that you feel “Oh, it is all so complicated. Let me get away from it all”. When you are bubbling with energy, then you do not feel this way. You feel tired from the complications when you lack energy. When you are tired, you want everything to be simple. . Got it? That is what it is.
    See, is eating a banana simple or complicated? When you take a bite of the banana, then the starch gets mixed with the saliva. Then it goes into the stomach where the digestive acid digests it. Then it has to give a signal to the brain to release the enzymes for digestion. It is all so complicated. The liver, the pancreas and other organs secrete juices and it gets mixed in the duodenum of the intestine. Then it goes in the big intestine and finally gets absorbed in the blood. Oh God! It is so complicated. So do you think it is simple or complicated? (Laughter)
    When you are looking at me, do you think the process of sight is very simple? When you look at me or at anything, you will realize how light falls on any object, and then enters the eye. The image formed in the eye is initially upside down on the retina. Just ask an ophthalmologist and you will understand how complicated it is. Is there any one thing that is simple in your body? No! There are 50,000 types of bacteria in your intestine. Did you know that? Even if 10 types out of these 50,000 are missing, you will have some problem or another. So, all the 50,000 bacteria need to be present for you to feel healthy. And the bacteria are very territorial. If another five different bacteria enter the body, they will send out signals and you will have diarrhoea or constipation. Similarly, there are three different kinds of bacteria on your forehead. They are called mites and they all stay in their respective zones. In the scalp there is another kind of mite. The mites on the forehead do not cross into another mites’ region. Did you know that? How many of you are hearing it for the first time? You know that in India there is a custom of applying Vibhuti (sacred ash) on the forehead in the form of three lines. There must be some correlation between this and that (the three mites on the forehead and applying Vibhuti). Three different kinds of mites live on your forehead, and it is different for different people.
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  • How do I know if I am in a right relationship or the person is right for me?

    You are right for your partner when you can adjust. Relationship means adjustment, it is giving.

    You give what you can to your partner and wait for them to give back to you. If you are demanding from the others, the relationship is not going to last long.
    Demand destroys love.
     Love is always about giving. Know that you have come here (on the planet) to only give love and not demand love from anybody.
    Demand and blame destroy relationships.
    Just imagine yourself in their situation. How would you feel if someone doubts your love for them, and you have to make an extra effort to make them believe that you love them? Is it not a burden?
    Learn to praise your partner and uplift a situation instead of blaming and finding fault. Uplifting your partner should be your commitment . Then you are the right person for anybody, and everybody will love you when you don’t hurt them intentionally. 
    Be open to correction and changes, and have the patience to listen to criticism.
    You have to be patient to take in criticism.
    See your partner beyond his or her words and actions.
    When someone comes home after a long tiring day at work, it is normal for them to feel exhausted and frustrated. So you should understand their situation and give them the space/freedom to express their genuine feelings of frustrations, anger etc. When someone is in labor pain, and if you say, ‘Don’t deliver, keep it, keep it, keep the baby inside.’ What can they do? How long can they keep it inside? Somewhere they have to explode. You should allow them to express and let go of all their stresses that they have carried all the day.
     Understand why your partner is upset or unhappy then your relationship will work.
    If you are understanding, you will allow them to tell you everything that happened and you can uplift them! But if you expect them not to tell anything and be nice to you 24/7 and find fault with them all the time, then relationships do not work!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Why do we become sick?

    Q: Why do we become sick?

    Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
     Sickness happens because of three reasons. One is when we violate the laws of nature, and the second is a carryover of karma. The third thing is, it is genetic. If you want to add the fourth, it could also be because of the environment. Now if we violate the laws of nature, and not just you, even if others violate the laws of nature, it affects your body. And the nature of the body is such, it has some resistance power but sometimes it gets sick.
    Not everything comes only because of lack of spirituality, or in spite of spirituality. Even if a person is very spiritual, if he overeats, he will get sick; tummy will ache. If he fasts for too many days he will also get sick. So we should not violate laws of nature.
    The candle is burning, it doesn’t say, ‘Okay, he’s a nice person I will not burn him and he’s a bad person, I’ll burn him.’ Anybody who puts their hand in the fire, will get burnt. Sometimes spiritual teachers also get it because they violate laws. They get so engrossed in doing things or caring for people, they may violate laws. Or if they eat too much or don’t eat (they may violate laws).
    These days we have high electromagnetic waves in the society. Everywhere there is wifi, everywhere there are towers. The body doesn’t have enough resistance power to it, so it falls prey to it. Though people are keeping their mind uplifted, they are emotionally strong, but body has less resistance power many a times. The food we eat, the environment, all this affects us. Everyday day we put these chemical soaps on our body, and our body keeps absorbing them. Nobody told us about it. Our skin absorbs these chemicals. You know our skin is the largest organ of our body. Like you don’t put chemicals in the eye, you shouldn’t put chemicals on the skin also.
    In ancient India, there is a saying that only what you put inside, you should put outside. Do you drink your lotion? If you can’t drink it, you can’t put it on your skin also. That was the saying. They used to use turmeric, lemon, natural oils, all that on the skin.
    Same way pesticides. Nowadays they don’t use them so much but they used to put pesticides everywhere. The grains on which pesticides are put, you leave them and no even an ant will eat it, no bug will eat it. No bugs eat it and you eat it! These are some of the reasons for our health not being too good.
    Then, medication. Many times the allopathic medications we take only translate one disease to another disease. They really don’t cure. You have some liver problem, it will become a heart problem. If you have heart problem and you take medication it will affect the kidneys, and you take something for kidneys, your pancreas will be out. I think now the world is going back to Ayurveda which says, go to the root cause of the disease and attend to that. Ayurveda is the ancient form of medicine. A holistic approach. They say only medicine will not work, along with that meditation is also needed. Both should be there.
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  • How to get rid of Suffering?

    There are 2 reasons behind your suffering:

    1. Ignorance – we are miserable due to our own ignorance
    2. Old karmas – we are experiencing something now to pay off some old karmas.
    These are the only two reasons.
    It is okay to have some challenges in life. You should have that confidence within you that, you can overcome the challenge. Earlier also challenges have come in your life and you have overcome them; you have gone beyond them. Learn from that.
    Look back at your own life and see how many challenges you have had and how you have sailed through them and come out of them. This will give you confidence.
    The other option is to realize that you have to pay some debt so you are undergoing what you are undergoing.
    Further, don’t compare yourself with others. You think other people who don’t do anything in spirituality are rising up? What do you know about them? They may have a lot of money but may not have good sleep. You don’t know their suffering. People by hook or by crook make wealth, they reach to the top, and then they fall from there. Hasn’t it happened? So many people who have climbed to the top using wrong methods, haven’t they fallen?
    What should you do by looking at all that? You should always go with a determination of righteousness.
    What is that you want? You should have a clear understanding of this. The brain is like a computer; the consciousness works like a computer. First make sure of what you want.
    If you are confused and you don’t know what you want, then pray, ‘Agne naya supathā rāye asmāna viśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān‘.
    This prayer is in Ishavasya Upanishad, which means: May the Divine lead me and give me the best. And have the faith that only the best will happen to you.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Happy – At All Times

    Each one of you should feel that you are very special. Don’t think ‘Oh, Gurudev is for the crowd and not for me’. This you have to fix.

    I will tell you an incident. In Paris there was a big program that had been organized, in which around 200 people were to attend satsang. At the same time, there was another program which was announced by someone else, and there was only one person to attend that program. When the time came, I attended the program which had only one person attending it, and sent two of my teachers to Paris to that 200 peoples’ satsang. Do you know who is that one person? Marcel! (A devotee).
    Actually, I planned to stay here, but I have promised one person that I will come for his wedding and his wedding is tomorrow morning. Since I have promised him, I will go for his wedding which is in the Ashram. Otherwise I had told the Bangalore Ashram that I am not coming for the birthday celebrations, and I will be in Germany itself. But now I have to go because I have to keep my word.
    So, what is the lesson that you have learnt today? You are special. You are here to do something good. You are here to do some important work on this planet, and so do it, and then move on to the other side.
    I would like to take you into deeper knowledge soon. We will go into deeper knowledge, but for that the first thing you need to do is be satisfied.
    See, in the world there is no end to problems. Some or the other problems keep coming up, either financial, or health related, or relationship related problems. And if none of these are there, there is the problem of someone saying something to you and you feeling upset about it. The mind keeps getting caught up in problems. You should rise above this, and understand that the nature of the world is like that.
    See, if you have a home which is near the highway, how can you complain about noise? Similarly, if someone has a home in the forest and they are afraid of animals, then what can you say? If someone has a home near the ocean, and they are afraid of water, what can be said to them? Similarly, when you are in the world, there will be some pleasant experiences and some unpleasant experiences. There will be some blame and some praise, all of this will happen, but none of these should touch you, you should just keep moving ahead. So, sit happily, walk happily and do everything happily.
    Someone asked me yesterday, ‘What was the happiest time of your life?’ I said, ‘What? The happiest time? Why do you tie ‘time’ with ‘happiness’? I am happiness’.
    Time changes, sometimes there are good times and sometimes there are bad times. If you tie ‘happiness’ to ‘time’, then happiness will also change as times change. But when you know, that happiness has nothing to do with time, then you can be happy at all times. And this is knowledge!
    We tie our happiness to people, places, situations, or time. All that you need to do is move away from this and realize that your nature is happiness, and it has nothing to do with time. This is the highest knowledge. It may sound very difficult, but it is not impossible. Any fool can be unhappy when things are not okay. But it takes courage to be happy even when things are falling apart. And you are all courageous and strong!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Can Grace change destiny ?

    Q: Can Grace change destiny ?

    Sri Sri: Yes, ONLY THEN It Is Grace.
    Whether you accept it or not, life is an act of letting go. It started the moment you were born. You let go of the womb and came into this world. As soon as you came here, you started breathing in and breathing out and you are taking food in and letting it out. 
    If trust, this one thing, happens in us, our life will completely be transformed. It’ll be very, very different. You won’t sit & worry what will happen to you, what about tomorrow- this will not happen. You will smile through life.
    Our whole life revolves around four things- money, relationships, reputation and health. Instead, let your life revolve around- celebration, commitment, wisdom and service. When life revolves around these four then money comes,reputation comes,relationships improve and health remains robust. You get everything that you want when you don’t focus on the wants and when you make life a celebration, uplift the spirit of others, be committed to doing good, and be caring.
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  • How Yoga Can Transform Your Life

    Life always moves towards perfection. Just like how water flows down and fire goes up, the nature of life is to move towards perfection, to move towards something bigger and something higher.

    Often people say that the mind is wavering, but the mind is not wavering. The mind is the wave. It is moving towards something. It is moving towards a higher joy.
    If you get a little joy, you want some more joy. This is because the mind always moves towards something bigger and something higher.
    Right from school days, what is it that you want? You want to get a higher grade. Which student does not want to get a higher grade? Which artist does not want to perform better? Which scientist does not want to reach the peak? Which engineer does not want to build something beautiful? So wanting perfection is in the nature of human beings. The mind wants to move towards something higher, and the way to achieve it is Yoga.
    Yoga Helps You Get Out Of Misery
    If you are miserable, yoga helps you get out of your misery. If you are very restless or unhappy, yoga brings you that equanimity. It first relives you from misery and then brings you equanimity.
    Yoga also helps you attain skills that you do not have. The word for qualification in Sanskrit is Yogyata, which means that which has come out of yoga. It is action that brings you happiness or sorrow. And if you are skillful in action, then your action will only bring you happiness, or less misery. So with yoga, one attains
    Relief from sorrow
    Equanimity
    Skill in action.
    Yoga Helps You Expand Your Vision
    There is a fourth step to Yoga, which is to take you to the ultimate knowledge.
    Our misery is when we don’t open our eyes and see the vastness of the life. Misery means short vision. Yoga is expanding your vision – taking your eyes to the higher truth. If your mind is filled with fog, then your perception of life is very foggy. If your mind is filled with anger, you will find that everybody is mocking you. You will find that everybody is against you.
    You project yourself to people, situations, and the world around you. That is what you do. All the time we are projecting ourselves. Seldom are we able to see the reality the way it is. That is why Yoga is important.
    Again, yoga is not just doing some exercises. Yoga has been mistaken as just asanas. It is not. It is the expansion of consciousness. It is an emotional integration, a spiritual elevation with a touch of mysticism, which gives you a glimpse of something which is beyond all imagination. It is the connection to what we are.
    If you look at a baby, a baby does all the Yoga postures. But not only that, the attitude of a baby, the way it breathes, its perceptual ability or sharpness, and its ability to stay in the present moment (all the qualities of a Yogi), a baby expresses.
    So, Yoga should not be limited or misunderstood as just some exercise. It is a holistic development, expression and connection of human life.
    Yoga Brings You Peace
    Yoga is a complete science. It unites body, mind, spirit and the universe. Yoga brings that much needed and longed for peace and ecstasy in every individual. Not only that, it also makes such a difference in one’s behavioral pattern, thought pattern, and one’s attitude. For a sane life these days, yoga is almost indispensable. If you want to be sane, sensitive, sensible, strong and intuitive, you have to follow Yoga.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Uncertainty

    You can be at ease with the uncertainty of the world when you realise the certainty of the consciousness. Often people do just the opposite. They are certain about the things in the world and uncertain about God. They rely on something that is not reliable and get upset. Uncertainty causes craving for stability and the most stable thing in the universe is our Self.

    The world is of change, the Self is of non-change. You have to rely on the non-change and accept the change. If you are certain that everything is uncertain, then you are liberated. When you are uncertain in ignorance then you become worried and tense. Uncertainty with awareness brings higher states of consciousness and a smile.
    Bharat says: A certain smile!!!
    Often people think that certainty is freedom. If you feel that freedom when you are not certain then that is ‘real’ freedom. Often your certainty or uncertainty is based on the relative world. To be certain about the uncertainty of the relative, makes you certain about the existence of the absolute and brings a ‘certain’ faith in the absolute. Nitin says: Yes, to understand this you certainly need to have awareness!!!
    Question: Can we still be enthusiastic when we are uncertain?
    Sri Sri: Yes, in knowledge you can be enthusiastic in uncertainty. Often people who are uncertain dont act, they simply sit and wait. Acting in uncertainty makes life a game, a challenge. Being in uncertainty is letting go. Certainty about the relative world creates dullness. Uncertainty about the Self creates fear. Uncertainty about matter brings certainty about consciousness.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Simple technique to free your mind

    Are you trying to get rid of unwanted thoughts? – Try this simple technique to free your mind

     
    When a thought arises in the mind, it is not easy to get rid of it. The thought keeps coming back over and over again, and if you decide to do something else, you will feel uneasy until you finish with that thought. It becomes irritating like a grain of sand in the eye.
    Similarly, if you are unhappy about something, that sadness does not easily leave you, whatever you do to get rid of it. Even by listening to inspiring discourses that sadness does not go away. Many times you tell your mind that something is trivial and not to worry about it. But the mind or intellect does not pay any attention. So we can chant a mantra. Our mind takes the form of the mantra that we repeat.
     “Manah trayate iti mantrah” – means a mantra is that which is brought to mind again and again. And to practice this mind and the mantra should not be separate. The mind should become the mantra. If the mind thinks of something else while chanting the mantra, the mantra will not be effective. The mind should be filled with the mantra. The moment that happens, the mind is free from worry.
     A worry is something that is not in place. It is neither here nor there. A mantra is necessary to drive out worries. A mantra has strength and spirit. When these are present, the mind becomes the power of the mantra. The power of the mind and the power of a mantra are the same.
    “Chittam mantrah” – Mind should become the mantra. The power of every mantra can be felt in the form of vibrations. When an atom explodes, its impact spreads not only for many kilometers, but the effects remain for many years – all this from the explosion of an atom! The mind is a thousand times subtler than an atom. Imagine the power of the mind when it becomes quiet. When the mind becomes quiet again and again, this is called mantra. Mantra is the cure for the mind.
    Whether the mantra is “Om namah shivaya” or “Rama, Rama,” the effect of the mantra depends on how it is pronounced and invoked.
    You can control the mind by using a mantra. With the help of a mantra, the mind loses its smallness and becomes vast; the mind that is dissatisfied becomes content; and the mind that is constantly disturbed by desires is released from them and finds fulfillment.
    Although a mantra may be the same, its value is different when given by a Guru. Then you feel the power of the mantra.
    When your mind is at peace, you can experience the real power of the mantra.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Everything is Karma

    What is Karma?

    There are billions and billions of living creatures and so many kinds of feelings arise within each of them. All of these feelings propel or cause some action. That feeling is called Karma, and the (resultant) action is also called Karma.
    Sukshma Karma and Sthula Karma
    When a desire to create arises from within you, then that desire or feeling is Karma. It is Sukshma Karma(action at the subtle level). The moment a desire arises in your mind, let us say to build a new building, then that’s it – the work or the action has already happened. For example, when the architect has made the blueprint of the house, then the construction of the house has already happened.
    Then there is Sthula Karma (action at the material level), such as bringing the bricks, stones, mortar, and constructing the house with them.
    So, the subtle desires or feelings that arise beyond the realm of the five elements is also called Karma, and the action that takes place in the realm of the five principle elements is also called Karma. Further to this, whatever impressions (as a result of the action) get imprinted upon the mind also becomes Karma that one must go through.
    Karma That Is Created Through Impressions
    Certain activities and actions imprint certain impressions on the mind, creating Karma. And certain activities do not imprint any impression on the mind; in this case, there is no Karma.
    You must have heard people say that one must remain detached and dispassionate while performing any action. Have you all heard this? What does it mean? It means that you must act, but do not attach yourself to it and harbour it in your mind. Do not get stuck to it.
    See, you cannot exist without doing something or the other. Everyone has to do something. But if you take an action too much to heart and drag it as a burden on the mind, then it becomes a different kind of Karma altogether (that creates bondage).
    So, there are two categories of Karma:
    Karma due to the impressions embedded in the mind
    Karma that takes place through the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether
    Karma That Does Not Carry Any Impressions
    There is another type of action that just happens out of one’s nature, where you don’t even call it an action. It happens spontaneously, like an involuntary action. A child suddenly falls down and you spontaneously go and pick up the child because it is in your nature – it is built in you to help somebody when they are in trouble. Don’t you do that? You don’t have to learn in school that whenever someone trips from the steps, you have to go and help them. It is but natural. In that state, your action is akin to God’s action – there is spontaneity there. An action done spontaneously does not form any Karma because it is coming out of your own nature. That’s why when a tiger or a lion preys, it doesn’t get any Karma. If a cat kills a rat, it doesn’t get Karma because it is in its nature.
    Everything is Karma, and everyone has to do some or the other Karma.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
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  • Yoga: Bending it to Infinity!

    As the world celebrates the fourth International Day of Yoga, it’s time again for this ancient art of inner blossoming to be in the spotlight. Thanks to the global patronage over the last four years, the acceptance and popularity of yoga has broken many barriers. The wide array of applications, expectations and perceptions demonstrates its versatility as the super-cure for the ills of the modern world.

    One of the most common misconceptions about yoga is about it being just another form of physical exercise. Around the world, people have often innocently asked me the same question. While asanas, or physical postures do provide the entry point for many, the science of yoga is much vast and profound. The central teaching of yoga is maintaining an equanimous state of mind. Being able to do any action with mindfulness, being aware of what you are saying or doing makes you a yogi. Science is a systematic, logical understanding of what is. Yoga is also a science, a systematic understanding of the subject. Knowing ‘What this is’ is science. Knowing ‘Who am I’ is spirituality.
    For those seeking the ultimate truth, yoga is the way to
    realise the blossoming of human potential to its fullness…
    Yoga is about bringing a rhythm in life. It is the discipline of studying and harmonising our inner faculties. This wholesome life-skill can elevate the quality of one’s life and surroundings. It improves inner strength and outer connectivity. Yoga can bring about complete balance in one’s personality; it corrects extreme complexes and tendencies. It also holds out the promise of many solutions that today’s behavioural sciences are looking for. For those seeking the ultimate truth, yoga is the way to realise the blossoming of human potential to its fullness, a the path of attaining the highest goal of uniting with the infinity. There is this beautiful sutra by Maharishi Patanjali that conveys this. “Prayatna-Shaithilya-Ananta-Samaapattibhyaam.” By learning the art of dropping the effort through yoga, one experiences the state of being in total alignment with the infinity.
    The Yoga Sutras are not detailed expositions; they lay down the entire philosophy of yoga in very terse phrases that need to be unlocked with the guidance of a master. They act as milestones and guideposts as one discovers deeper states of consciousness with practice. However, even in its most gross form, yoga holds out endless promise for unimaginable transformation. Even if people start doing yoga asanas just as an exercise, it’s still an encouraging sign. Maharshi Patanjali has enunciated 8 limbs of yoga. Many People think that the eight limbs are eight steps, one after another. However, the limbs are not sequential; they are parts of the whole. It’s like the human body. The whole body develops together. All the organs develop together, but at their own suitable pace. Patanjali also says that the purpose of yoga is to stop misery before it comes. Whether it is greed, anger, jealousy, hatred, or frustration, all these negative emotions can be healed or re-oriented through yoga. When we are happy, we notice a sense of expansion within us. When we face failure or when someone insults us, we find that there is something in us that shrinks. Yoga is putting our attention on this something in us that seems to be expanding when we are happy and crushing or contracting when we feel unhappy.
    Does yoga conflict with any of our belief systems? If I believe in a particular religion, or a particular philosophy, or if I follow a particular political line of thought, does that come in conflict with yoga? I would say, “Not at all”. It always promotes and encourages harmony in diversity as the word ‘yoga’ itself means uniting.
    Today almost 2 billion people practise yoga globally. With the momentum of the International Day of Yoga, the rest of the population must also be encouraged to experience the positive effects of yoga. People doing yoga for whatever reason is a positive sign. It doesn’t really matter where one starts. Be it the physical or mental, lofty or ordinary, the practice of one complements the other.
    I believe that yoga can make the dream of a world full of compassion and happiness, a reality. I appeal to all those who have not yet started, to adopt yoga in their lives and find health, happiness and prosperity.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
    Ayurveda , Doctor , Treatment , Medicine , Pure Herbs ,Yoga , Meditation…
    …Rejuvenate yourself with Ayurveda and Yoga

  • Prana is present in everything

    Prana is present in everything. In fact, we are floating in an ocean of prana. When the unit of expression varies, it makes a difference. Stones have got one unit of prana. Water has got two units of prana. Fire has got three units of prana. Air has got four units of prana. Plants have got five units of prana. Animals have got six units of prana. Human beings are capable of holding from seven to 16 units of prana. The expression of prana is the whole universe. When prana is lower than, that’s when you feel depressed. When prana goes further low, then you feel suicidal. When prana is normal, you feel normal. When prana is higher, you feel enthusiastic. When prana is very high, you feel energetic and blissful. That is why, when people are depressed, or feeling low just giving counselling doesn’t work, what needs to be done is to raise the level of prana. When prana is high there is joy, vibrancy and understanding. When prana is low, the mind starts complaining and then depression, lethargy, suicidal tendencies arise. All is play and display of prana. Now how do we increase prana? This is where Meditation, practices, Satsang, Yoga, Satvic Diet etc. all come into play.

    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
    Ayurveda , Doctor , Treatment , Medicine , Pure Herbs ,Yoga , Meditation…
    …Rejuvenate yourself with Ayurveda and Yoga

  • Notable insights on yoga

    1. Yoga is a means to fight aggression and depression
    Our world is stressed, and all of us swing between the extremes of aggression and depression. To maintain sanity and progress, it is important to adopt a means to fight these two extremes. Yoga is one of the most effective means to do so.
    2. Yoga has more than one goal
    Yoga is not just physical exercise that only offers a fit body. It is something which uplifts the spirit and sharpens the intellect. Its purpose is to create a disease-free body, confusion-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, trauma-free memory and a sorrow-free soul – all of which is every human’s birthright.
    3. Every school of yoga is special
    Every school of yoga has contributed significantly to establish peace at an individual level. As yoga continues to touch people from all walks of lives and across borders, it has contributed to collective peace.
    4. Yoga helps maintain the calm no matter what
    Yoga brings equanimity in our approach and maintains inner calmness when there is turbulent atmosphere all around.
    5. When you drop the effort, you encounter infinity
    Maharishi Patanjali in his Yogasutras offers wonderful insights to the science of yoga. One of the sutras is praytna shaitalya anant samapatiyabhyam. It means that when you drop the effort, you encounter infinity. However, you can drop the effort only when you do it. So, put your efforts but remember to drop them too!
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
    Ayurveda , Doctor , Treatment , Medicine , Pure Herbs ,Yoga , Meditation…
    …Rejuvenate yourself with Ayurveda and Yoga

  • The two type of people who are not good communicators

    The insecure and the obstinate are two types of people who are not good communicators.

    The insecure do not believe in the love and compassion of the world or of divinity. They do not feel connected to divinity or to people, so they make an extra effort to make a connection, which usually goes wrong. They neither realize the power within them nor do they trust others. They see ulterior motives behind the words and actions of others and are haunted by imaginary ghosts, thus they end up creating chaos and misery for themselves and others.
    On the other hand, obstinate people are closed to others points of view and they don’t move with the times. Hence they often get a beating by time. You can not argue with obstinate people, for they have their own logic and reasoning. Making them see reason is a futile exercise. Their circle of communication is very small and they have an open mind to the views of very few people. There is a combination of planets that can create obstinacy in people.
    To deal with both these people is an art. Words do not work. Only positive prana and vibrations can make an impact.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
    Ayurveda , Doctor , Treatment , Medicine , Pure Herbs ,Yoga , Meditation…
    …Rejuvenate yourself with Ayurveda and Yoga

  • Is There One God Or Many?

    All religions say that there is only one God. Judaism says there is only one God. Christianity speaks of only one God. Hinduism speaks of only one God. It is said, ‘Ekam Sat Vipra’, there is only one God but manifested in many forms. You can adore him in whatever form you want.

    There is only one light, but light has seven colors. In the same way, Islam says that there is only one God, but 99 names. Hinduism speaks of the 108 names and 108 forms of God, because all forms belong to one God only. The same God is in every form.
    God is space, he is not a person – he is not an object, it is energy. And what is that energy? Jesus called it love. Love is God. And that is what is said in the Upanishads, and in the ancient Vedic Scriptures – God is love, God is energy, He is in you as you, and He is in everybody. Somewhere He shines more, somewhere He is shining less.
    In Spain, the sun shines more, and in Berlin it shines a little less. Like that, in some places he is more visible as love and in another place, he is more visible as something else. So, God is energy, and that is what we are all made up of, and everybody is made up of. There is only one God everywhere.
    But the difficulty is when one says, ‘My God is the only God. Your God is a false God.’ This is the problem.
    ‘Only if you believe in this book of mine, you will go to heaven; otherwise you will go to hell.’ That is why this world is suffering today with terrorism because some people think only they have the key to heaven, and not the others. This is not correct.
    You have no difficulty in eating Danish pastry, no difficulty eating Chinese food. Just by eating Chinese food, you don’t become Chinese. Tomorrow you don’t start speaking Chinese. You eat Chinese food and you like it. In the same way, we should accept knowledge also. If it is Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, Islam, Christianity or Judaism, anything that uplifts human life should be welcome.
    Don’t think if you read Buddha’s scriptures or if you read Hinduism, then Jesus will be angry at you, or you have betrayed Jesus. Not at all! This narrow-minded division that people have created is out of ignorance, or fear, or wanting to control. Ignorance mainly.
    So we need to bring that big awareness in people. It is so necessary.
    I see so many heated arguments, fights, killing and inhuman behaviour. That is why we don’t talk about any religion, just come and breathe. When they breathe, then they realize, ‘Oh, yes, I can feel very good inside’. When you become hollow and empty, you feel good.
    Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 
    Ayurveda , Doctor , Treatment , Medicine , Pure Herbs ,Yoga , Meditation…
    …Rejuvenate yourself with Ayurveda and Yoga