We must always aim to attain the Divine

December 21, 2011

Two teachers have come here from Manipur. They have done a lot of work and have reformed 500 terrorists.

Bangalore has grown so much that it takes a few hours to travel from one end of the city to the other. Many people spend a lot of time traveling from far off places in the city to the ashram. I felt that it would help many people if we have satsangs at various parts of the city.

There is a rule in our satsangs. You can bring your worries here, but you cannot take them back with you. Drop all your small personal worries. Instead, worry about the country. There is a law in nature: If you take up a big responsibility, all your needs will be taken care of by themselves. If you constantly keep thinking about your own personal issues, you will go nowhere.

There is a verse in Sanskrit which says that there is no joy in anything that is small. Joy is always in something that is big. Life always flows in search of joy and the highest joy is in the Divine. We must always aim to attain the Divine. If you aim for the highest, your smaller desires will come to you anyway.

If there is thirst you will get water. If there is no thirst one would not bother about water.

Similarly, there should be a thirst within us to attain the Divine, to know the highest truth, to know what life is, to know who we are.

When you come to the Guru, you need to give something. You don't have to bring me flowers, garlands and shawls. Give me all your worries. If you go back happily then that is my Guru Dakshina.

I don't just give sweets, fruits and flowers as prasad. I give you a pleasant state of mind as prasad.

If people are stuck with their own worries, they cannot do anything for the society.

There is a saying in Kannada: ‘Holding butter in your hand and lamenting that you do not have Ghee (Clarified butter)’. This is what we are doing in life. There is tremendous Sankalp Shakti (power of positive intentions) in our mind. However, we have not looked at this at all. We have never thought of spending a short while in meditation. We keep on crying all our lives.

When I was about 10 years old, the Governor had invited my father for a ceremony at his house. My father told me to accompany him. However, I said, ‘if he invites me, I'll come’. I wanted to avoid going there. My father went there alone.

After 4 years, the same Governor invited me. Someone had told him that there is a young boy who teaches meditation very well. My father was very surprised at this. The reason why I am giving you this example is because I wanted to tell all the youths to have a big dream and see life from a broad perspective.

Looking at the Lions and Rotary Club in Bangalore, I used to say that I'll open one such group in Bangalore and take it all over the world. People who heard this would just ignore what I was saying, thinking this child is just talking nonsense.

Again, this example is to show you that if our minds are pure, our intentions manifest very quickly.

There is a custom in our country that whenever there is an auspicious event, we seek the blessings of elders. Invitation cards are addressed to the eldest member in the house.

Do you know why?

As we grow older and mature, we should become contented. Whenever a contented person blesses somebody, it comes true.

However, nowadays people are getting more and more tense as they grow older.

When you feel that you do not need anything you get the ability to fulfill the desires of others.

If you go to the North Pole, it is dark for 2 months continuously. The sun doesn't rise for 2 months. I had been there once on November 20 and I asked them, ‘when will the sun rise.’ They replied, ‘January 20th!’

The sun doesn't set for 2 months as well. Even in such places, people are doing Sudarshan Kriya.

When I got down at the airport, there were 10 people who had come to receive me. I had gone there to deliver a talk at a university. I was surprised when I saw people there meditating and chanting ‘Om Namaha Shivaya’.

Similarly, when I went to a remote town in the South Pole, there were about 1000 people in the satsang! Spiritual Knowledge from India has reached all corners of the world. All this has been possible due to a positive Sankalpa.

This is an example for the youth; Dream Big!

How many of you don't know that the first airplane was built in India?

Do you know who designed the first airplane?

Not the Wright brothers, but Subraya Sharma Shastri of Anekal district in Bangalore. A parsi gentleman Mr. Navroji supported him to make the first plane. They flew it on Mumbai's Chowpati beach for 15 minutes and the British put both of them in jail.

After 15 years, Wright brothers flew their first flight.

This appeared in England newspapers that two Indian gentlemen flew a plane.

We are not aware of our potential. Keep your Sankalpa. When you don't want anything for yourself, you gain the ability to bless.

Today, we are facing many challenges in the country. Think of the greater challenges. I want all the youth and the elderly people to come together to do something good for our nation, for our society.

How many of you are ready to dedicate one year of your life to this cause? For one year, don't think about yourself. Think about our country, state and city.

Satsang brings enthusiasm and joy; sadhana brings inner strength and seva brings contentment.

Work together for 2 hours on a Sunday to clean up your neighborhood. We have to work together to remove differences in the society. All of us belong to the Divine and the same Divinity is present in all of us. We have to aspire for a violence-free and stress-free society.

To all the youth: dream big, offer it to the divine and put your efforts for it. Meditate daily. It gives you great inner strength. It gives you good health, a calm mind, improved intuitive powers, sharp intellect and you will succeed at whatever work you take up. Above all, it gives you contentment.

On Dec 28th, the verdict is going to come about banning the Bhagavad Gita in Russia. The Russian Federation has bestowed two honors on me. I said I will return both these honors to them. If they do not respect a scripture of India which every Indian honors and adores from the last 5000 years, what will I do with these honors from Russia.

I've already sent a message that the Bhagavad Gita has never created any terrorist anywhere. It has only brought peace.

This idea of intolerance should not be tolerated.

Q: I have experienced a lot of pain in my life. What is the solution for this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Life is like a river. There is both pain and pleasure. With the passage of time, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. All this keeps happening.

Don't be sad that you have experienced pain. Move forward.

Drop the past and move on. The Divine is always with you.

Q: Guruji, can you form a better political party for a better India?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A reformer cannot be a ruler and a ruler cannot bring reforms.

But I want good people to come into politics. If I start a political party, all good people would corner in one area. It would not be good for the society. I want good people everywhere. I don't want to divide good and bad people.

There are good people in every party and they should be given a chance. Good people should come up and they should work hard.

Q: Guruji, I tell so many people to do the course, but my husband does not want to do it. What should I do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Make your husband's friend do the course and make him bring your husband to the course. You don't throw a stone at a mango. You hit the branch and the mango will fall. Use indirect tactics!

Q: Guruji, what is your goal?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: My goal is to see an undying smile on your face. I want to see a violence-free society filled with devotion.

Q: Can the growth of the nation happen with spirituality?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Definitely.

Only with spirituality can the growth of the nation happen.

Mahatma Gandhi was a deeply spiritual person. He used to read the Bhagavad Gita every day. My teacher was the one who taught the Bhagavad Gita to Gandhiji. He is still alive and he is 113 years old.

Gandhiji used to conduct satsangs everyday. With that he generated a movement. The bhajans that happened when Sri Anna Hazare was fasting was done by people from the Art of Living. They used to sing bhajans daily.

Q: Guruji, what is your role in the India Against Corruption movement?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I was the founding member.

I was asked why I did not fast. I replied that I will not protest but I will support the movement.

If I sit for the protest, there will be agitation in front of the embassies of 150 countries. This will bring a bad name to our country.

I have known Anna Hazare since 30 years. When he came to Delhi, he said that nobody knows him there. I said that you sit and people will come to know.

He is a very nice person, very devoted.

Q: Guruji, during Sadhana, Seva and Satsang, I am happy all the time, but when I start working my mind slips. I want to know the importance of work to grow in spiritual life.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Both are essential. We have to attend to both the body and mind.