January 14, 2014
Vidarbha, Maharashtra
How do we know whether we are progressing on the spiritual path or
not?
Sri Sri: There are three points you should always bear in mind when you
have come on the spiritual path.
The
first is: God is mine. You should think that, ‘God is present right here, and
is within me’. Have faith in that and simply relax. You should do whatever seva
you can do. Just observe, all of us are present here today, yet, do not all the
events that have happened until today appear like a dream?
Just try to remember what you did a day back, two days back, one month back, a
few months back, or what you did exactly one year back on this same day of Makar
Sankranti. Does it not feel that all events have passed you by, like a
dream?
Right now you are sitting here. But this event too will end and you all will go
home. Then this too will appear to be a dream. In the same way, each day will
pass by and one day, we will be no more. But this Earth will remain, and
continue to exist.
When you think in this way, your entire perspective and way of thinking shifts
to a very different level altogether, from where you can say with awareness
that ‘I am not the body, I am the eternal spirit. I have always been
and will continue to be for eternity. I will appear on this planet again and
again in the future’. This experience will not come simply by
listening. It can come only when you go deep within yourself.
That
is why it is said that you need both Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (regular
practice). When there is a shift or change in your perception, the entire
creation appears very differently to you.
Gurudev, today, the sentiments of devotees and followers are
misused in the name of Yoga and religion. In such a situation, how should
people trust and whom should they trust?
Sri Sri: This is not a new thing. Ravana (the demon king of Lanka) abducted
Devi Sita by force by cheating her in the disguise of a Sadhu (a
wise sage or ascetic) asking for alms. Is it not so? He took advantage of her
simplicity and pious nature. Even today we have people who are doing the same
thing. There are many good people in the world even today, and there are many
true and wise saints present even today. And not just anywhere else; there is a
great saint sitting within each one of you. Such miscreants and bad people are
there, but are few in number.
In
every field you go to, you will find such exceptions (wrong people). Isn’t it
so? There are some doctors in Noida (a town in Uttar Pradesh, India) who were
caught stealing the kidneys from innocent patients. It was reported that they
stole some 150 kidneys from the patients they operated on. And the people did
not even know about it.
When the patients used to come to them, they would tell them, ‘You need to
undergo a minor surgical operation for this’, and then they would steal the
kidney and donate it to someone else in exchange for a hefty sum of money. You
all know this, don’t you?
This happened some eight or ten years ago, and it was a huge scandal.
So
like this, there are such fraudulent and wrong people in every field today. But
just because some doctors were found doing this, does it mean that all doctors
are like this? No, not at all. We usually generalize the qualities of a few
wrong people to the entire community of people. We should never do this. Yes,
you must all be very cautious and aware of what is happening.
Gurudev, when will you openly declare that ‘Mam ekam
sharanam vraja’? (A verse said by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita which
means, 'Take refuge in Me and I shall free you of all sins')
Sri Sri: See, this declaration has already been made some 5000 years back.
What is needed is that we must walk on the path illumined by the Bhagavad Gita.
Lord Krishna says, 'Sarva-dharma parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja.
Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah'. (18.66)
Everything
is made up of One Divinity only. So see that One in everyone and everything
around you, and see everything and everyone as (manifestation) of the One
Divinity.
Gurudev, I have heard that whenever a Brahmajnani (an
enlightened soul who is established in Self-knowledge) appears on Earth, the
collective consciousness of the entire humanity gets increased. How can we
understand this?
Sri Sri: Yes, it is true and this has been observed in the past, and it can
be seen even today.
If children are busy attending six hours of school, and then four
more hours of tuition classes, how and when can they get the time to enhance
their talents? How can the education system be reformed?
Sri Sri: I suggest you to make them regularly practice a little Pranayama
and to meditate daily. They will not feel the need for tuition classes anymore.
If you really have to, then one hour of tuitions is more than sufficient for
them. To enhance their intelligence and skills, you also need to pay close
attention to the kind of food they eat and their behaviour. Do not give
children fried foods to eat right in the morning. Make them have lots of
vegetables and fruits in their diet.
Adopt Ayurvedic techniques and give them herbal medicines like the Medhya
Rasayana (a nervine tonic for boosting memory and reducing mental
stress); give them milk with Ojasvita (a milk powder made with
combination of seven powerful and nutritious herbs). So encourage children to
take such good food and supplements to enhance their intelligence and skills.
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