Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Responsibility is that which we can do.

Q: Guruji, in your company we feel as if Vrindavan has been created here and now only. But when we move out in the world, entanglements cling on to us again. How to be free from that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Keep coming again and again. Have you noticed that the entanglements do not cling on to you with the same intensity as it used to be earlier? That grip is loosened. Gradually, when you become more centered, those worldly things do not distract you anymore.
Q: If one rotten apple spoils others in the basket then how can we handful of people can make this world a healthy and safe place to live in? There are little more bad people than good ones in the world.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is not the case in reality. There are more good people in the world than there are bad ones. There is more love in the world than hatred. There is more happiness than misery. But it seems the other way around. Don’t blame the society. You have a responsibility and you carry on fulfilling that. Continue spreading satsang (company of truth). Same was done by Mahatama Gandhi. Before independence in India, people were so depressed thinking they would be enslaved forever. So what did Mahatama Gandhi do? He started to have satsangs across various places in the country. People got courage from that. Same way we need to spread that a wave of satsang and awareness, not that of hatred.
Q: Guruji, you can do anything. So why don’t you erase all corruption and violence from the world and make it perfect?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: (Jokingly) This is a very clever way that you have adopted to skip! If I do everything, then what would be left for you to do! Why have you come in this world at this time? You also have a role to play. It will be a monologue if only one person plays all the characters in a play. I haven’t come here to do that. I am not here even for dialogue but I am here for multi - logue (Laughter). Everyone should play his/her own role.
Have you heard the story of the squirrel? When Sri Rama was building setu with his army of monkeys, a very little squirrel was putting sand in the water. Some members of the team laughed at how much this little squirrel could contribute. But that squirrel was very happy playing his role in Sri Rama’s army. He was happy thinking that he also has his job to do. Sri Rama felt very happy and blessed the squirrel moving his hand at his back. Because of his small size, only three fingers of Sri Rama covered his whole body, and he got mark of three lines on his back. This can be a fictitious tale but the message is - we also have a responsibility even if God is doing everything. Whatever we can do, we do that.
Responsibility is that which we can do.

2 comments:

Anand2002 said...

Somebody who has been your ardent follower and has gone thru various courses and is now a teacher himself. This person has decided to do Seva and proposes to move to your Ashram. Concerning point is that he has a wife and two daughters (5 yr/ 15 yr). He has suggested that wife and daughters live at the house while he is getting to do Seva for you and your Ashram. Would you say this is a right decision and you approve of such an approach. If so - why?

Inspirations said...

Jai Gurudev!
Good to know that you are connected to guruji. Please contact him via the link given below:

http://srisriravishankar.org/contact/

Thanks