Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Stop and see, where is life going?

September 14, 2012
Lima, South America
So what should we discuss tonight?
I am playing the role of the speaker and you are all listeners. How nice it would be for me to know what is it that you want to know tonight.
You can think of topics.
You know, to discuss something which is very dear to our hearts, we need to be in an informal atmosphere.
A formal atmosphere is not congenial for wisdom; for authenticity.
I have a habit of doing everything in an informal way.
So let us begin by turning around and greeting the person in-front of you, next to you and behind you. Become familiar with everyone around you.

We spend half of our health in earning money, and then we spend half of our wealth to get the health back. Not so smart! We need to find where life is going? We keep working and we keep on doing things without knowing - What is the Purpose! Without even enjoying all that this nature has provided us.

I want to ask you a question.
Did you really greet the person or did you do it as a formality?
You don't have to tell that to the person next to you. You don't have to tell them, 'Hey, I just greeted you as a formality.'
I want you to ask yourself, did you really greet the person?
You know when you get off the plane, the air hostesses greet you saying, 'Have a nice day', but they don't mean it.
It is just coming from the lips.
But if the same words comes to you from your mother, or sister, or a close friend, it carries some vibration with it.
So we convey more through our vibrations.
Someone can stand and give you a talk about love for two hours, but that does not convey what a baby or dog conveys to you through vibrations.
You go into a place where people are depressed, you will see that for no reason you are also depressed. Similarly, you go to a place where people are happy and you feel the joy coming up within you.
The whole world is just vibrations; waves and waves.
Our mind is vibrations, our body is all vibrations, thoughts are vibrations and our emotions are all vibrations. But we don't do anything to improve the vibrations, the positivity in us, isn't it?!
That something, doing which, your vibrations become very joyful, positive and peaceful, is Meditation.
This happens very fast through the breathing techniques and meditation.
Usually when one says Meditation, you think, one has to leave everything and go to Machu Picchu, or somewhere in the Himalayas; no, it is not like that. You can experience it in your own home.
And what are the benefits of meditation? Why should we do it? As I said, our vibrations become positive.
Sometimes, when you meet someone, you feel some repulsion and you don't want to talk to that person. Have you experience this?
And then, there are some people that you meet, and you feel like talking to them and engaging with them. Again, this is vibrations.
Similarly, you get some thoughts, and they are absolutely right. And at other times, you get thoughts that are completely wrong. Isn't that so?
So, we are like walking in the darkness without understanding our own consciousness. If you understand consciousness, a lot of things happen and your life becomes much happier. Our health becomes better, our relationships with people improves.
You must have heard from people, how the violent tendencies in life go down. And most important, our desires get fulfilled.

There are four kinds of people.
Some people have desires, and they desire and desire but nothing gets manifested.
There are others who desire and work so hard for it, and then after a long time, it gets manifested.
And the third one are those who desire, and immediately it gets done, without much hard work.
And the fourth one are those who don't even have to desire, even before the desire arises, things are already there.
So which category do you want to be in? Fourth one?
Yes, that is the luckiest. It is just like, you have not even felt thirst and already there is water.
There is a proverb in India which says, 'When you had teeth, you didn't get peanuts, and when you got peanuts, you didn't have teeth.'
Many people are in this situation. They work so hard all their life, make all the money, put it all in the bank and they die. And then the children fight over the money of the parents.
In the world, about 70% of the court cases are about inheritance.
Now, see nobody fights over the money they have earned. So what you have done is, you have made money, put it in the bank and then made your children fight with each other for the money. Is this an intelligent thing to do?
We spend half of our health in earning money, and then we spend half of our wealth to get the health back.
Not so smart! Not so economical.

See, when the mind is bitter, you can't find happiness anywhere in the world. When the mind is sweet, then you find sweetness everywhere. So meditation is all about finding sweetness deep inside.That something, doing which, your vibrations become very joyful, positive and peaceful, is Meditation.

We need to find where life is going?
There is a story of a wise fool!

A wise fool was sitting on a donkey, and the donkey was running. It went round and round the same streets many times. So someone asked this gentleman, 'I see you going up and down several times, where are you going?'
He says, 'I don't know, ask the donkey!'
Most of the time, our lives are that way. We keep working and we keep on doing things without knowing - What is the Purpose! Without even enjoying all that this nature has provided us.
See, when the mind is bitter you can't find happiness anywhere in the world. When the mind is sweet, then you find sweetness everywhere.
So meditation is all about finding sweetness deep inside us. And when you find it, do you know what you want to do? You want to give it to everybody.
People ask me, 'What is your motivation? What do you get? Why are you running around to all these places around the world all the time?'
I asked them one question, 'Suppose you see a very nice movie, what do you do? Do you just sit quiet in your room? Or do you pick up the phone, call your friends and tell them, 'Oh, it is a great movie, you must go and see this movie.' Now what do you get by doing that? Do the movie producers give you some commission? Or the actors give your some money? What do you get for making all those phone calls? You do it because the nature of joy is to share.'

The nature of joy is sharing.

There are two types of joy, one is the joy of grabbing. As kids we were born with this tendency. If you leave a child here, it will go and grab this flower, grab this sheet, pull that chair, turn everything around upside down, and hold on to things.
It will hold on to anything, even a knife. Without knowing it is going to hurt its hand, the child with grab a knife. But mothers are very clever, they will give the child something else to loosen the child's grip from the knife. Isn't that so?
When children catch on to something that is not good, you give them something else.
So this is one type of joy, the joy of getting, having. This is a childish joy; childish happiness. There is another type of happiness, joy, that comes from giving.
Many ladies here, when guests are coming home, or children are coming home, what do you do? You make many different types of food and decorate it and put it on the table. Your joy as a mother is in giving, isn't it!
Look at grandparents, they love to give gifts to the children, isn't it?! There is a joy in giving, and this is a mature joy.
We cannot live life by just having the joy of getting without understanding the joy in giving.
Once you have a little taste of the joy that comes from giving, you will find that life is worth living, life is fulfilling.
So, smile more!
You know a baby smiles 400 times a day, a adolescent smiles only 17 times and an adult rarely smiles. And if you become an officer or a politician, then forget about it. Your smile disappears, flies away.
A smile is not something artificial, it should come from within. That can only happen when the stress is gone, when we go deep in meditation.
If someone says, 'I am meditating', that means that they smile more; there is serenity, sensitivity and sensibility, and this is spirituality.
Spirituality means sensibility, sensitivity, sweetness, smile; all these put together.

Usually when one says Meditation, you think, one has to leave everything and go to Machu Picchu, or somewhere in the Himalayas; no, it is not like that. You can experience it in your own home. And what are the benefits of meditation? As I said, our vibrations become positive.

Q: What should I do if the stress factor is coming from outside. If it is something I do not control or it is beyond me. How do I transmit peace?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is why we need to educate people on how to handle their stress. If one person is not well in the family, does it not affect the whole family? Yes, it does affect. Similarly, if a few are mentally unwell in the society, crime increases in society.
There are people who are in prisons who say, 'Oh, now we don't want to be in violence', but there are so many more outside who are causing problems to society and that is why we need to give this spiritual education to people.
We need to educate people on how to be calm, how to handle their negative emotions and how to handle their mind, because neither at home, nor at school did anyone teach us how to handle our mind.
So then there is anger, jealousy and hatred, and when you live with these emotions then you act on them. You don't know how to get rid of it. You hold on to it and then you act from that and then you regret. This is the problem.
These practices and this knowledge here is the solution.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Making Correct Decisions


August 31, 2012

Brazil, South America


How many of you feel that without you doing any bad, you have gained enemies?
People become your enemies. You have not done any harm to them, any wrong to them and still they become enemies.
Similarly, you have not done any big favors to some people but they became your very good friends. Isn’t it?
How many of you have this experience?
See, this is it, people become friends and enemies by some strange karma, some strange law. There is some strange law due to which suddenly friends become enemies and enemies become good friends.
So, put all the friends and enemies in one basket and become free.
 
 
When you make a decision,
somewhere you get the gut
feeling that says, ‘Yes, this
is correct.'
One thing you should know
is that even if you take a
wrong decision, it always
leads you to growth.
 
 
See, what bothers your mind is either your friends, or your enemies. Isn’t that so?
When you sit for meditation, you should keep them all aside, your friends, enemies and everybody, put them one side, sit, relax, and become free.
What do you say? Isn't that correct?!
When your mind is satisfied, when it is quiet and happy, it gains a very peculiar power, i.e., the power to bless.
When you are happy and contented, you are able to give blessing to others.
If your mind is agitated and you have a lot of desires then you cannot give blessings. Even if you give blessings, it does not work that well. So, time and again, we must see to it that we have contentment.
When you are contented, not only your desires, but you can fulfill the desires of others as well.
Q: How do I know if I am making the correct decision?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you make a decision, somewhere you get the gut feeling that says, ‘Yes, this is correct.'
One thing you should know is that even if you take a wrong decision, it always leads you to growth. You become stronger, you learn a lesson somewhere deep inside. So that is why, don’t worry.
Q: Please speak about compassion.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In life there are three things which are essential:
1. Passion
2. Dispassion, and
3. Compassion 
Passion is like breathing in, and Dispassion is like breathing out. No one can say, ‘I want to only breathe in, I don’t want to breathe out.' Impossible! So breathing in is essential, and that is Passion, for things in life. Then, there is also a need for DispassionDispassion means the ability to just let go of everything. Dispassion brings you relief and thenCompassion becomes your nature. So you must have Passion when you do work, Dispassion when you want to rest, andCompassion as your very nature. That is it!
Q: Please talk about Reciprocity.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Reciprocity is very natural.
At a higher state of mind, reciprocity is instantaneous. Only when someone is not sensitive there is no reciprocity.
Often people reciprocate the bad things. If you blame somebody, they are ready to blame you immediately. If you insult somebody, they insult you immediately, but it is not the same for the good.
If you do something good, not everybody think they should reciprocate the goodness. That happens only when the mind is at a higher state.
 
 
Often people reciprocate
the bad things. If you blame
somebody, they are ready
to blame you immediately.
But it is not the same for the
good. If you do something
good, not everybody think
they should reciprocate the
goodness. That happens only
when the mind is at a higher
state.
 
 
Q: I am going through a separation. My wife and I have chosen different paths and live different lives. We both want our child to be with each of us. In this situation, what is the wisest thing to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The child should be exposed to both paths, and allowed to choose.
If there is no understanding between the couple, it is definitely a strain on the child.
What both parents should keep in mind is that they should not go on blaming each other in front of the child. Putting the child against one of the parents is no good. That is a very narrow minded approach.
Q: Gurudev, sometimes what make me happy conflicts with the expectations of my family and friends. In that case what do I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, you need to balance both.
Balance between your search for happiness and the expectation of others from you.
It is a little delicate but you should definitely make an effort.
Q: Dear Gurudev, I sometimes feel I am very arrogant. How do I get rid of this arrogance. I have done The Art of Living Course and I am doing my practices.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: One thing you must notice, before also you used to be arrogant, but you were not aware of it. But now at least you have become aware that you are being arrogant. That awareness is there, 'Oh, this is happening.'
It is good to have this awareness. This is the first step to get out of it.
Second step is to have a broader vision of your own life.
The more and more you steep into knowledge, you will see that all these little games that the mind plays is like a child playing. Once you see this, you will not mind it, and so you accept it and move beyond it.
When you see that the mind is like a small child playing, you will see it from a bigger background, a bigger perspective.
Q: What is the need for meditation and relaxation?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you relax, the mind expands.
Have you noticed when you are happy what happens? Something inside you starts expanding.
And when you are unhappy what happens? Something inside you starts shrinking.
So when you relax the body, then the mind starts blossoming.
Q: Please tell us what is death?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is no need to define death. It is an obvious phenomenon. We are born and we are going to die one day.
When we came to this world, the first thing we did was we took a deep breath in, and then we started crying. And the last thing we will do in this life is breathe out, and then others will cry.
If we don’t make others cry, then we have not lived a good life.
 
 
Balance between your
search for happiness and
the expectation of others
from you. It is a little
delicate but you should
definitely make an effort.
 
 
When the soul leaves the body with full contentment, with a lot of love and wisdom, then it is not compelled to come back. It can come back on its own will.
Q: Please let us know what is the biggest limitation for human beings?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Body has limitation, mind has limitation, but the spirit has no limitation.
When you think you are the body then you have limitation. Then you can do only that much.
When you think you are the mind, mind also has some limitation. But your love has no limitation. Your consciousness has no limitation.
See, how with one small cell phone, you can reach the whole world. You can reach any number of phone numbers with one call phone, isn’t it?
Similarly, our mind which invented the cell phone is much more powerful than the cell phone itself. You only need to make it available.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The most precious thing in the world

August 30, 2012
Brazil, South America
Now I am going to ask you a very serious question:
Do you really greet a person or treat it as a formality?
See, on a day to day basis, we greet people, we exchange pleasantries. It is all on a very formal level. Isn’t it so?

Intelligence and innocence together is the most precious thing in the world. There are people who are intelligent and crooked, and it is easy to be innocent and ignorant. But what is really preferred is the education that can bring intelligence yet maintain the innocence.

When someone brings a glass of water, we say, ‘Thank you so much.'
That ‘so much’ has no meaning.
If you are in the Sahara desert, and you are really very thirsty and someone brings you a glass of water and you say, ‘Thank you so much’, it is authentic.
So, in life, when we deal only on a superficial level all the time and when we lack the depth, then life feels very dry and meaningless.
We must shift to another level, of authenticity, sincerity, and a genuine connection from heart to heart. That is what I call spirituality.
Spirituality is when you relate from the authenticity of your existence.
As children we were all doing that.
Do you remember when you were a baby, the whole planet, the whole universe was so alive. The moon was talking, the trees were talking and the animals were talking. There was a natural conversation between you and the entire universe. Do you remember?
Have you seen the children in cartoons? Even trees talk to them. It is a different world.
Now the question is, can we still maintain that innocence and at the same time reach the height of intelligence?
I say, 'Yes, we can. '
Intelligence and innocence together is the most precious thing in the world.
There are people who are intelligent and crooked, and it is easy to be innocent and ignorant. But what is really preferred is the education that can bring intelligence yet maintain the innocence.
So, now that we are at home and feeling absolutely informal, what topic do you want me to speak on tonight?
(Audience: Love; Birth; Forgiveness; Relationship; Decisions; God; Corruption and peace; Compassion; Anger; Fear; Capitalism; Hope; Patience. )
You want me to talk on patience? I will do it next year. And then…
Tell me, does it really matter on what topic we speak on tonight?
You know, we convey more through our presence than our words. Isn’t that so?
Does it really matter what we speak?

The world is all just vibrations.

If you talk to your physicist, he will say the whole universe is nothing but a wave function. Each one of us are nothing but waves.
If you are in touch with your centre, the waves are positive. If you are not in touch with your centre and have gotten caught up, then your waves become negative.
Peace, love, compassion, all these are our true waves; our real waves without distortion. They are the positive vibrations that come from us.
When you get angry, upset, negative, what do you do? You need to change that into positive. But nobody has taught us how to do this, neither at home nor at school. Isn’t it so? Grandmother must have told us, ‘Go to the corner and count ten’, that is it. Counting ten or hundred does not help these days.

If you observe your mind, your mind is angry about the past or anxious about the future. Both are of no use. Isn’t it? What is the point in being angry about the past, it is gone already. And what is the point in being anxious about the future? It is meaningless.
Now, that which helps you to come to the present moment is meditation.

If you observe your mind, your mind is angry about the past or anxious about the future. Both are of no use. Isn’t it? What is the point in being angry about the past, it is gone already. And what is the point in being anxious about the future? It is meaningless.
Now that which helps you to come to the present moment is meditation.
See, if people know how to meditate for even few minutes, ten minutes every day, then they can get rid of stress and feel happy.
My vision is to see a violence free society, disease free body, confusion free mind, inhibition free intellect, trauma free memory and sorrow free soul. This is my vision. How many of you like to join this vision? (Everyone is the audience raises their hands).
We should give a better world to our children and to the future generations. We should give them a world which has more love, which has more compassion, and a world in which there is no gun culture.
Our children do not need a culture of drugs, or a culture of violence, they deserve a more loving, humane and compassionate society. A healthier society. Don’t you think so? Then that is what we need to work towards.
Q: What is our mission on Earth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: What is not our mission on Earth, we should make a list of that first. Your mission is not to be miserable and make others miserable, correct?!
Now if you go on eliminating what is not your mission, you will in the end come to what is your mission.
Q: If others are feeling negative, how not to get affected by that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You be more centered and leave a little room for imperfection. Sometimes we don’t leave room for imperfection and so we get affected.
If someone is negative, they have right to be negative for some time. Let them be. Give them some space. And I tell you, I am here to collect all your worries. So give me all your troubles, problems and worries.
I want to see an unfading smile on your face.
Q: Can we control feelings?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We can transcend feelings easily when we know that there is something which is much more basic to life than feelings, and that is the self; the life force, which is not changing at all.
Q: How to know the difference between love and desire/lust?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In love the other is important, in lust, you are important.
Q: Dear Gurudev, how can I help people who have a lot of resistance in their minds?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In the world, there are different types of people. We should accept them all as they are. There are people with resistance. It is okay. Let them walk at their own speed.
On this planet there are rabbits, there are deer, and there are snails. So you can’t expect a snail to run like a rabbit, isn’t it?
Let someone walk at a snail’s pace even though others are running like deer. That is how the world is. Keep smiling and keep moving.

We can transcend feelings easily when we know that there is something which is much more basic to life than feelings, and that is the self; which is not changing at all.

Q: I have difficulty in forgiving people.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Don’t forgive them, and then see if it is easier?
If you don’t forgive somebody, you will keep thinking about them all the time.
Is it really easy to hold on to anger towards somebody? My goodness, so much energy of ours gets wasted in it. Do you know why you forgive others? It is for your own sake.
When you see a culprit also as a victim, you will easily be able to forgive them.
Every culprit is a victim of ignorance; small mindedness. They don’t know the magnanimity and beauty of life and so they do these silly mistakes of being self centered and not caring for others. It is because their mind is small. So we need to forgive them.
Then, you need to see that they never had an opportunity to think big and feel big like you did. So, you can only be compassionate towards them and forgive them.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Take a look at your life

August 25, 2012
Durban, South Africa
 
Wisdom can only blossom in a homely atmosphere, where we are informal and at home with each other. Do you all feel at home with each other right now?
Why not we all just take a moment to greet the person next to us, behind us and in front of us? A formal atmosphere is not very congenial for wisdom. You need to be informal with each other for a heart-to-heart talk, and that is what wisdom is. It is not head-to-head.

Now keep everything aside and just look at your own life. What is that you want from your life? Have you ever sat and thought about it, ‘What do I want in my life? ' And, ‘Who am I? ’Someone told us something and we learnt that. We have studied and gotten educated, but ‘Who am I? What do I want?’ These questions seldom come to our mind.

In a head-to-head communication there can be many arguments. But from heart-to-heart there is only one language - One World Family.
Now keep everything aside and just look at your own life.
What is that you want from your life? Have you ever sat and thought about it, ‘What do I want in my life?'
We seldom get time to do that. And, ‘Who am I?’ – That too we do not think about.
Someone told us something and we learnt that. We have studied and gotten educated, but ‘Who am I? What do I want?’ These questions seldom come to our mind.
If you see your life of 60, 70 or 80 years, do you know how you spend those 80 years?
You spend 40 years of your life sleeping. You spend about eight years of your life in bathrooms and toilets, and about the same numbers of years are spent in eating.
10 to 15 years are spent in traffic, in making journeys, and in working. Hardly two to three years of our life are spent in what we call a ‘happy’ life. Is it not?
And is it not that which you want – Happiness?
All the scriptures of the world, from the ancient times to the recent times; they all talk about great happiness. Is it not? Because the scriptures know that men and women want happiness.
Happiness is not a commodity that you can buy somewhere. It is present where you are, right here and right now. And the way to find that happiness is meditation.
Meditation improves our health, our state of mind and brings more happiness.
Whatever we are seeking here and there, is right here, within us.
My purpose of coming here is to tell you that whatever you are looking for is deep within you, and that Light, that Spirit loves you so much. So do not worry.
Give me all your worries. I have come to carry them away. Drop all the worries here, be happy, and spread happiness.
Shouldn't this be our goal in Life?
What should be our goal?
Shake everyone up and tell them, ‘Hey! Wake up! Laugh and Smile.’
You should make people happy.
You know, when we have, then also we are unhappy, and when we don't have, then also we are unhappy.

I want to tell you a story.
An Indian-African immigrant from Kenya was in London; this was a long time ago when I went there. This gentleman came up to me and said, ‘Gurudev, I wish to own a BMW car. Please bless me’.
I said, ‘Okay, God willing you will get it.’
Six months later he came and met me. He was happy and he said, ‘Gurudev, I got it (the car). But the streets of Birmingham are so small that I find it so inconvenient to park it here and there without it getting a scratch on it. What to do?’
You know, in Birmingham the streets are smaller than they are here.
Few months later, he said, ‘Gurudev, it is becoming a difficult thing for me to have this car. Now I am miserable. I want to sell this car off but there is no buyer’.
You didn’t have it and you were unhappy. Now you have it and you are unhappy.
There is something seriously wrong with the way we look at life. This is where we have to have that wisdom, to turn it around and see that happiness is not related to what we have or what we don’t have. It is simply our state of mind.

Happiness is not related to what we have or what we don’t have. It is simply our state of mind. Happiness is not a commodity that you can buy somewhere. It is present where you are, right here and right now. And the way to find that happiness is meditation. Meditation improves our health, our state of mind and brings more happiness.

Do you know, 30% of Europe is depressed.
This figure is from the census of the last decade, now it is even more. And a small country like Bhutan is known for its happiness. Even Bangladesh has got more happy people.
I don’t know where South Africa comes in this list, but I have a hope that all of you here today will take this determination to be happy and spread happiness.
Is this a good idea? (Audience nod in agreement saying, 'Yes')
A violence-free society, disease-free body, stress-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, trauma-free memory and a sorrow-free soul are the birth-right of every human being.
(Gurudev briefly looks outside and listens to the loud music coming from outside the venue)
Distractions are there to see how keen you are to catch the wisdom.
In Sanskrit there is a saying, ‘Shreyansi Bahu Vighnani’, which means, if there is something very precious then there are many obstacles or distractions that come with it (from the Uddhava Gita. This quote is part of Lord Krishna’s discourse to his devotee Uddhava).
If there are a lot of distractions that come for something, then it must be very precious.
If you want to do something wrong, there will be no obstructions for that. But if you want to do something good or pick up something precious, many distractions may come.
This world is made up of five elements. This is what the scientists today have said, and this is what the Rishis (wise enlightened seers) also said in the ancient days.
The five elements are – Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. That is why it is called Prapancha in Sanskrit. Panch means five, and Prapancha means a specific combination of five elements, of which this Universe is made of.
The same also goes for our body. Our body has 60% water element. The heat in the body represents the Fire element. The physical body itself symbolizes the Earth element, and the empty space represents the Space element. So these five elements make up our whole body, and everything in this Universe.
So we will do a short meditation, and after meditation, we will have a small Yagya.
Yagya means uniting the principles of the Universe.
This universe has got millions of rays coming into it. The macrocosm and the microcosm are connected. Every little butterfly here fluttering its wings has an impact on the clouds. Have you heard about this?
A butterfly in the Amazon forest can have an effect on the entire forest, and on the clouds in China.
If one monkey does something, it has an effect on several other monkeys. Have you heard about this in Africa?
We call it the ‘Big Five’ in Africa; the land of the ‘Big Five’ (a term used in African hunting which refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot – Lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, Leopard and Rhinoceros).
Each animal brings with it a certain vibration; a cosmic electromagnetic vibration with it on Earth. They channel this from the Universe to the Earth.
Every animal brings a particular vibration to planet Earth. And that is why every animal is very important.
The ancient Rishis in the Vedic times knew about this. A particular bird, even a particular type of seed has a particular vibration associated with it. So everything is connected from one to another. Like in our body, though we are born of one cell, that cell has 33 different chromosomes. And those different chromosomes in the DNA of the cell are responsible for forming different parts of our body.
This Universe has got so many different types of vibrations that come from its different parts.

Most of all we need to have that inner contentment. If we have inner contentment, we gain a unique ability to bless others. Not only will we be able to fulfil our own desires, but we will also be able to fulfil the wishes of others. The human spirit can possess that gift if it gets into a state of contentment.

So the macrocosm and the microcosm are united in a very unique manner. That is what the ancient people said. So when we go from Ether to Air to Fire to Water and then to Earth element; this is how the Creation has happened.
Therefore they designed Yagyas (to mimic and represent this process in a reversed direction – by offerings of sacred herbs (Earth element) and offerings of ghee (Water element) into the sacrificial fire (Fire element, in presence of the Air element), from where the vibrations are transmitted into space (Space element)) .

Yagyas are designed to bring peace. What is the purpose of a Yagya? The first is Swasti – good health; then prosperity, peace of mind, happiness, a sense of togetherness with everybody, and to remove negativity from the atmosphere.
Every time you are negative, you transmit those negative vibrations of anger, jealousy, greed, frustration, and hatred. Yagyas are meant to neutralize and nullify all of them. That is why this time I thought that I should take this to South Africa as well.
I heard of the recent unfortunate incident in Africa where so many minors passed away. So, to bring happiness, peace and prosperity to all the population we will do a small Yagya by means of Vedic chanting and by offerings specific herbs, as it was done in the ancient times thousands of years ago. So you will witness that as well.
It is like a short Pooja in which we pray to the One Almighty to give us peace, prosperity, happiness, contentment, a sense of togetherness, a sense of belongingness and care for each other.
Most of all we need that inner contentment. You know, if we have inner contentment, we gain a unique ability to bless others.
Not only will we be able to fulfill our own desires, but we will also be able to fulfill the wishes of others. The human spirit can possess that gift if it gets into a state of contentment.
So we will do a short Yagya in which they will chant the ancient mantras which are 10,000 years old. During the chanting, we just close our eyes, listen and bathe in it chants.
(Gurudev guides everyone into meditation).
Q: Jai Gurudev! Thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Please tell me, how do I know if I am on the correct path in life and that I am fulfilling my purpose here?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There is something called Gut Feeling. Something deep inside you tells you, ‘This is right', and when you choose it, you really feel good about it.
I tell you, doubts usually come to you when you choose the right thing.
Doubt is always about something positive. Have you noticed this? We always doubt the honesty of a person; we never doubt the dishonesty of a person.
We ask our dear one, ‘Do you really love me?’
If someone tells you, ‘I love you’, you say, ‘Really?’
But if someone says, 'I am angry at you', you never say, ‘Really?’
Similarly, we always doubt our capabilities but we never doubt our incapability.
When someone asks you if you are happy, you say, ‘Well, I am not sure.' But you have never said the same when you are depressed. You are so sure of your depression.
You are so sure of negativeness, but you always question the positive things in life.
So doubt also indicates that there must be something good.

Just look within you, how many negative points you have, and how many positive points you have? How can you improve, this is what you need to think, and what you can do. How others should improve – for now, leave it to them.

Q: How do we get salvation in this life time, and how do we get rid of negative people that live with us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I said to leave all your problems here, but do not leave your family members who are troubling you! (Laughter)
Once it so happened, I said the same thing in the Ashram, ‘Leave all your problems here.'
One lady said, ‘My mother-in-law is my biggest problem, so can I leave her here?'
I said, ‘Let me ask your mother-in-law, she will say the same thing about you.'
See, challenges are there in life. Challenges come, people with different mindsets come, but when you expand your vision and see your life from a broader perspective, you will let go of all these small little issues that seem to be so significant to you right now. You have to broaden your vision.

If you find some people are negative, keep them at a distance that is number one.
The second thing is, know that they will not be like that forever. With time, they will change. And the third option is to think, ‘Okay, let them be. They are going to bring out better skills from within me.' They bring out greater skills of communication, skills of being positive in your foothold.
The last thing is to leave it to the Almighty. Leave it to Divinity to resolve.
We sing this in Mahatma Gandhiji’s favourite song, ‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam, Sabko Sanmati De Bhagwaan’ - Let everyone’s mind and intellect be pure and be channelled in the right direction.
This is what is in the Gayatri Mantra also, ‘Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat' - Let the Divine inspire my intellect. Let my intellect not come up with the small and silly little ideas, and thoughts. Let this intellect reflect the will of God, of the Almighty.
The Gayatri Mantra is one of the most beautiful mantras that human society has ever gotten which also says the same thing: Let the Divine will reflect in my will and thoughts; intellect. Let my intellect be aligned with the Divinity.
Q: If a loved one passes on, the common adage to those losing the loved one is, ‘He/she is always there with you.' Is that really true? Is that loved one who has passed away really there with you and is guiding you in life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Why don’t you leave them some free time? They have had enough in this world and they have gone. Let them take some rest and do something else that they want to do. Let them have some fun. Why should they be guiding you all the time? (Laughter)
What is there to guide? It is like sitting in a train. You are going to get down when the train stops. The goal is fixed. Everybody is going to die one day. When you die you will see the other dimension as well. So don’t worry.
If you are happy and peaceful, your peace transcends this world and reaches the other shore as well. If you are full of love and devotion, a portion of it, a ray of it reaches them as well and they feel happy.
When you do some good service, that service brings merit and the merit also helps those who have passed away onto the other side.
Q: Jai Gurudev! I would like you to talk on youth and spirituality.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We are made up of both matter and spirit.
Our body is made up of carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, etc., and our spirit is made up of generosity, love, compassion, energy, expansion, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, intelligence, sensitivity; all these qualities.
Any acts that nurtures these inner qualities (beauty, love, etc.), they are Spirituality. Meditation, singing, chanting, serving, etc., are all part of spirituality. And it is this spirituality that keeps the youthfulness in you. It brings you energy.
You know, right now I am coming straight from India on a 15 hours flight. I just arrived, changed my clothes and in half-an-hour I had to rush here. Do I look jet-lagged and tired? (Audience respond saying ‘No’)
Someone asked me, ‘Gurudev, if we take a flight to Cape Town, we feel so jet-lagged. Don’t you feel jet-lagged?’
I said, ‘When the mind is fresh and when the mind is connected to the Source, there is always freshness.’
Youthfulness is that connection to the source and youthfulness is the ability to connect with everybody. And only Spirituality can bring this in the youth.

Challenges are there in life. Challenges come, people with different mindsets come, but when you expand your vision and see your life from a broader perspective, you will let go of  all the small little issues that seem to be so significant to you right now. You have to broaden your vision.

Q: A person who is very close to me continuously lies and cheats. It is like second nature to him. And the lies are expressed with a straight face.
Why do people do this and what will become of them? Please help, I want to put my mind at rest.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You should remember that God loves fun.
If everybody would have been like you, you all would be like the Ford Company. The world is not a Ford company, producing only one type of car. Even they change the model every year. God loves fun and He puts all kinds of people around you.
Just look within you, how many negative points you have, and how many positive points you have?
How you can improve, this is what you need to think and what you can do. How others should improve – for now, leave it to them.
If you can, educate them, but do so with compassion.
Or take them to one of the Art of Living teachers nearby. The teacher can help them change. And if you are too compassionate, pray that his life becomes better, and that he becomes more honest.
But as I said earlier, all specimens are needed on this planet. They make the world more colourful. Got it?
They push certain buttons in you and evoke certain emotions in you, and see how you act or react to it.
Q: You are awesome! How does one eliminate procrastination?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I will give this answer next year (Laughter).
Just imagine, you have given a tailor a garment to stitch for Diwali, or maybe your wedding. Now you go a week before your wedding to the tailor, hoping it will all be ready, and the tailor procrastinates and tells you, ‘I will give the dress six months later', how would you like it? What will be your state of mind?
Let us say, you are in need of a doctor because your tooth is aching, and your doctor tells you, ‘Come after three months and I will see if something can be done or not’, what would you do?
You do not want your doctor to procrastinate, or your tailor to procrastinate, and any of your essential services to procrastinate. You want every one of them to be spot on and deliver the service in the designated time.
Even for the questions you ask, you want the right answers right away! Correct?! But you want to procrastinate? Come on, wake up! Wake up now!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Is Faith Important?

August 13, 2012
Bangalore, India
 
Yes, today your silence is over! (Sri Sri says to the Advanced Course Participants)
I heard two Advanced Course participants who were walking towards the lakeside. One asked, ‘When will the silence be over?’
The other one said, ‘Tomorrow morning! It will be over tomorrow morning.’
(Laughter)
So, some people have kept such silence as well!

There are three types of faith. Faith in yourself, faith in the goodness of people around you and faith in the abstract power which seems to be running everything. The first two are very essential; the third will make life much better.

And some people kept silence with full devotion.
In silence you conserve your energy. With talking a lot of energy gets spent that is why sometimes it is good to be silent for some time.
Two or three times a year, or once in four months, it is very good to take a silence program for three to four days. There is a lot of advantage in doing this. There is physical and mental advantage. All the stress in the nervous system gets released; your batteries get charged and you become joyful!
Also with silence, our speech gets purified, and then whatever we say starts happening. That is why Sadhana has its own importance.

Q: How important is faith?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You cannot exist without faith!
Listen, suppose you have come here in a car and you have parked the car in the parking area. Now when you are sitting here you have faith that the car will be there when you go back, isn’t it?! So, without this faith can you exist? No!
First, you should have faith in yourself.
There are three types of faith which are important

1. Faith in yourself. If you do not have faith in yourself it is called paranoia. It is a disease.
2. Faith in the goodness of people around you. There are good people in the world, you should have that faith; otherwise you cannot move one inch in society.
3. Faith in the unknown; faith in the abstract power which seems to be running everything. That is the third type of faith.

So, of these three faiths, the first two are very essential; the third will make life much better.
Q: Even after putting efforts I do not get success?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You cannot get success with effort alone. Along with effort you need faith and devotion. If you have faith and devotion and both go together then you will get success.
Also, it is not that if you only have devotion, you will get success, no! You need devotion and effort; a combination of both is required.
Q: Please tell us about ego.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In love a loss is also a win, and in ego a win is also a loss!
Q: Gurudev, in the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says that whatever comes naturally keep doing that, even if it is not the perfect thing to do. Please advice.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, be in your nature, don't be unnatural. What is not in your nature, do not project that. But that does not mean you be foolish, okay!
Let us say you are attending a funeral and you feel like dancing. You think, ‘Gurudev said be natural’, and so you start dancing and clapping. No, this will not work. You have to maintain decorum as well.
You think, Gurudev has said, ‘One world family, embrace everyone and move ahead’, and so you see a woman walking on the road and you go and hug her thinking, ‘Anyways, everything is mine only!’
If you do this then you will get a stick. So don’t do that.
Yes, it is good to cultivate Brahma Bhaav – everything is One; it is all a part of me. But that does not mean you steal from someone’s pocket and say it is all mine only.

To get rid of any addiction the only thing that can help is Sadhana. Come here, sit and do Sadhana. Do Advance Courses. Not just one or two, but keep doing, and then the addictions will go away.

Q: Gurudev, I feel people don’t accept me because I am boring. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Don’t worry what people think about you. Have a goal and march ahead. If you have to walk alone then walk alone and achieve what you want to achieve in life. Then everyone will come along.
I also thought that I was very boring because I could never talk about cricket and in those days everybody would talk about cricket and I would just stare. It never interested me, when I was a teenager. I would not enjoy it but people were going crazy. For five days continuously they would put the radio on to their ear, listening to the commentaries.
At that time, I used to feel, what to talk. Everyone was only talking about cricket, no other talk.
You make your path and walk on it. Do not judge yourself and do not judge others.
Q: Gurudev, how do we know what is the right thing to do when there are so many choices? Also when all of them are equally good, how do I pick the right one?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The right choice will appear on its own. When such a situation arises, have patience, wait a little and it will happen.
Q: Gurudev, my brother and me received the same upbringing, but at the same time we both are very different, how is it like that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is very deep science. You need to think about it some time.
The microcosm and the macrocosm are united. In fact it is only one thing. But there is a link from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Every little grain on this planet is linked to the universe in some special manner.
The ancient people knew this. So they said that in our solar system there are nine planets, and these nine planets are linked to nine different grains, nine different animals, nine different shapes, nine different colors and nine different substances.
It is amazing how they traced the connection from one to another. It is simply amazing!
We have studied in our college and schools that it was Galileo who first found out that the Earth is round, and the Earth is going around the Sun. In the west they always thought the Sun is going around the Earth. But if you go to any temple in India they know that the Sun is the centre of the solar system.
This has been practiced from thousands of years in India. They put the Sun in the middle and the planets all around.
And what they also did is they connected each planet with a Mantra (chant) and a Yantra (diagram). And the Prana Shakti is connected with a particular gem and a particular grain. Like Mars is connected with Bengal Gram, Mercury is connected with Moong Dal, Saturn is connected with Sesame Seeds, Sun and Moon is connected with Rice and Wheat.
Rahu and Ketu, the nodes of the moon are also connected with different grams.
So each planet is connected with a particular grain, a particular shape and color, and a particular part of our body.
Each part of our body is connected with a particular planet. So in your body all the planetary systems are present. It is an amazing science.
There used to be this science called Samudrika Lakshana. In that, they would look at your face and make your horoscope. Sometimes, they look at your teeth and tell you exactly which year you were born in. But this science is somehow lost. A lot of knowledge has been misused and lost.
Today, pundits from different temples have come and they are doing a Yagya of the nine planets for the welfare of the world and people. The coming few days could be very tough, so to bring more of a positive influence in the world and reduce the negative vibrations, they are doing this Yagya today and tomorrow.

Don’t worry what people think about you. Have a goal and march ahead. If you have to walk alone then walk alone and achieve what you want to achieve in life. Then everyone will come along. You make your path and walk on it. Do not judge yourself and do not judge others.

So these are ancient things. But nobody understood them properly and there were no proper people to do this either. That is where we need to encourage the youngsters.
So, I thought that we will bring all these pundits and ask them to train the youngsters.
Q: How does one get out of addictions?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: By doing Sadhana. To get rid of any addiction the only thing that can help is Sadhana. Come here, sit and do Sadhana.
Do Advance Courses. Not just one or two, but keep doing and then the addictions will go.
Keep asking, ‘Who am I? Who am I?’ That is the best. From that only you will get the answer.
Q: Gurudev, I have only one daughter. She has moved to Canada after her marriage and I have not been able to meet her since one and half years. Will I be able to meet her?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, go meet her!
Your daughter also should feel, ‘I want to meet my mother.’
What has happened is that we sometimes raise our children in such way that they don’t have any feeling or compassion. We have not given them the right values or taught them any virtues, and so, when they go abroad they forget everything and become selfish.
You let go and be peaceful! Everything will be fine!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The secret behind making a marriage work

August 12, 2012
Bangalore, India
There is a connection between Emotion, Sound and Raga (melody).
The last bhajan that was sung had the Jogiya Raga. You cannot associate this raga to Radha. If you say, ‘Shiva, Shiva’, it can be associated with the Raga of dispassion.
Once somebody was invited to a marriage reception and was requested to sing. He started to sing (in Kannada), ’Why did you leave the body and go, dear soul? Is this death justified?’ Does this song suit the occasion?
You cannot sing any song anywhere. The Emotion and Raga must match.

The secret for women – you should never step on the ego of your man. The secret for men – A man should never step on the emotions of a woman. For both of you – Don’t ask proof of the other person’s love for you. Don’t say, ’You don’t love me’, and things like that.

Our life is similar to this. The river of life is flowing but instead of focusing on moving ahead, we keep going backwards.
You may have observed that at certain points in a flowing river, if there is an obstruction, the flow is backwards. And wherever the flow is backwards, dirt accumulates there. The water that flows forward is clean.
Similarly, if we keep moving ahead, there is pleasantness in the mind. If we keep on thinking about the past, our mind becomes a mess. This is my opinion. What do you say?
No one is asking any questions today! This can only be due to two reasons. One is if you know everything. The other is if you cannot understand even one word that I am saying (since Gurudev was speaking in Kannada). Which situation are you in?
Audience: When we see you, we forget all questions!
That is good.
Q: What is the secret behind making a marriage work?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I think you are asking the wrong person!
There was a gentleman here from Germany and a lady from Italy. Both of them had married several times before. They came here and said, ‘Gurudev, we want your blessings. At least this marriage should work.’
I asked the gentleman if he knew Italian and he said no. I asked the lady if she knew German and she said no. Both of them did not know English. I said, ‘Don’t learn each others language then it will work!’
There is a proverb in Kannada which says, ‘It is only through words that conflicts begin. It is only through words that people have fun. It is only through words that people gain wealth. So, words should be used sparingly.’
Usually, when people have some misunderstanding, they say, ‘Let us talk it out.’
The talk it out does not work at all. We should never talk it out. Just move on, that’s it! Don’t sit and discuss the past. Don’t ask any explanation about the past. When a mistake happens, it happened, that’s it. You should move on.
Just imagine yourself in a position where you do a mistake and someone keeps asking for an explanation about your mistake. It is such a burden to explain to somebody or to justify oneself, right?
Never make the other person feel guilty. This is very important. Anyone whom you make to feel guilty will cease to be your friend somewhere deep inside. The bond of friendship gets loosened.
There is a skill in making a person aware of his mistake without making him feel guilty.
However, the normal tendency in human beings is to make someone feel guilty and then feel happy about it. We have to rise above this normal tendency, and not make someone feel guilty. Then, your relationship will be longstanding.
There is one secret for women and one for men. Maybe this will work if you think about it. For women, you should never step on the ego of your man.
The whole world may say to a gentleman that he has no brains, but the wife should never say that. She should always say, ‘You are the most intelligent person on the planet. Just the fact that you don’t use your brain does not mean you don’t have it!’
She should always pump his ego. This is very much essential.
If the lady keeps telling her partner, ‘You are good for nothing. You are a vegetable’, he will really become one!
Now, the secret for men – A man should never step on the emotions of a woman. She may complain to you about her brother, or mother, or family, but you should not join the bandwagon. The moment you start nodding at her complaint, she will turn around. Instead of dwelling on her complaints, she will complain about you. She will start turning the wheel around.
And if she wants to go for some religious program, pilgrimage, movie or shopping, just agree and give her the credit card!
So, if you don’t step on the emotion of a woman, everything will be fine.

Never make the other person feel guilty. Anyone whom you make to feel guilty will cease to be your friend somewhere deep inside. The bond of friendship gets loosened. There is a skill in making a person aware of his mistake without making him feel guilty.

Now for both of you – Don’t ask proof of the other person’s love for you.
Don’t ask, ’Do you really love me?’ Never give the burden to someone to prove his or her love for you. Do you see what I am saying?
If you find their love for you is less, you should say, ’Why do you love me so much?’ Don’t say, ’You don’t love me’, and things like that.

Q: If someone provokes us, should we keep quiet or teach them a lesson? If we keep quiet then they consider it as a weakness, and if we teach them a lesson, they say that we have not grown spiritually.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: To teach someone a lesson, you should be calm. If you have anger, if you are disturbed, you cannot teach someone a lesson.
At the same time, you cannot keep turning the other cheek all the time.
Teach the lesson, but with compassion. This will give you strength.
When you have understood the position of a person and why they are provoking you, you will deal with them with a calm and serene mind.
Q: How do we tackle people who constantly spread negativity around us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: First of all, know that nobody can constantly spread negativity. Second, deal with it with skill. Third is to ignore.
Q: Can you please explain, how should I deal with this situation? I love a person unconditionally but that person takes me for granted. How do I deal with that pain?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Oh, they take you for granted? They don’t love you back? They don’t express their love to you, is that the problem? Well, do not question their love.
If you find that they are not being loving, instead of accusing them saying, ‘You do not love me’, ask them, ‘Why do you love me so much?’
Just imagine, if someone keeps accusing you, saying you are not kind to them, you are not pleasant with them, you are not friendly, what happens to you?
(Answer: We feel we are being nagged)
Yes! Now do you know what you are doing to the other person? Got it?
Nobody wants to be in the company of a person who complains all the time.
Does anybody want to be in the company of a person who nags you, and to whom you have to explain and give proof of your love all the time? No! It is such a burden, such boredom!
A good company is one who always uplifts the spirit. If somebody is not in a good mood, they say, ‘Hey, come on! Forget about it. Let’s move on.’
Someone who has enthusiasm, someone who always pushes you forward is good company. Someone who asks for explanations, doubts and questions you is not good company.
So never doubt someone’s love for you. Never question or complain all the time. Move on!
Q: There are many organizations that teach Yoga and Meditation in India, including The Art of Living. If we are all working for the same cause, which is to bring peace to mankind, then why are all these organizations so different?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, people of the same intention will always be together. Though they do it in different ways, there is no conflict since the cause is the same.
You know, the spirit loves diversity.
When I went to Pakistan, people asked me why do we have so many Gods in India? There should be only one God.
I told them, ’Why do you have so many varieties of dishes made from the same wheat?
God has created so many vegetables. He did not make only egg plant and say, ‘Eat this all your life.’ See how many varieties of vegetables and fruits the Divine has created, isn’t it? That is how! In India there are many Gods, but only one Paramatma (Supreme Consciousness). One God is in so many different names and forms. That is celebration.’

Someone who has enthusiasm, someone who always pushes you forward is good company. Someone who asks for explanations, doubts and questions you is not good company. So never doubt someone’s love for you. Never question or complain all the time. Move on!

See how many colors everybody is wearing over here. If everybody was in one uniform this would appear like a military camp! Got it?
Variety is the beauty of creation and we must honor that.
They loved it a lot when I said this and they said, ‘Nobody has explained it to us like this before!’
Q: A person believes in God but cheats and robs. Another does not believe in God but never cheats. Who is right?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have already given the answer!
It is like asking me, ‘I have kept coal in one plate and butter in another. What would you like?’ It is so clear.
If someone believes in God, how can he cheat others? I don’t understand this.
It could also be that his conscience would be pricking him badly for cheating others and he could be asking God for forgiveness.
A person who cheats is stuck in ignorance. There is no vastness. There is fear in him somewhere and that is why he does things like that.
Q: One of my friends has gone insane. He works 24X7. His parents don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I see this happening a lot nowadays. There is so much peer pressure, pressure to perform well in exams. So they keep reading so much day and night.
A youth came and told me that he reads with four big lamps focused on his table and he studies day and night. We need to care of the brain. You cannot overuse the brain like that. Then suddenly something happens and the fuse goes off!
Do Yoga and meditation regularly. It is not enough to do it once in a while. Bring all such issues to the YES+ desk.

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Guru Principle

August 11, 2012
Bangalore, India
 
Annakut! (Sri Sri says, looking at the spread of food dishes displayed on the stage)
Today the women have made 451 varieties of dishes. This is the specialty of Gujarat; 451 types of food have been prepared by the volunteers from Gujarat.
(Annakut (meaning a heap of grain) is celebrated as the day Krishna defeated Indra. For Annakut, a mountain of food is decorated symbolizing the Govardhan mountain said to be lifted by Lord Krishna to save the people from the wrath of Lord Indra (The God of rain))

Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, ’ Aham Vaishvanaro Bhutva Praninaam Dehamasritah.’
‘I am Jatharagni’, (fire in the stomach responsible for the breakdown of food).
‘I am the hunger that arises in all living beings, and I am the one who digests the four forms of food.’
But what do we do? We do not even let hunger come up. We keep stuffing ourselves with so much food. We don't even allow Lord Krishna to stay! That is why once in a while it is good to fast.
On Ashtami day people generally fast so that hunger goes up. Then on the next day they offer various types of food to the Lord.
So, whenever you feel hungry, just think that Lord Krishna has come.

When energy surges through the six chakras and stabilizes at the Ajna chakra, it blossoms as Lord Kartikeya (symbolism of the Guru Tattva (Principle)). The Ajna chakra is the place of the Guru Tattva. It is where the Guru Tattva blossoms and manifests itself.

The fire in your stomach is God, hunger is also God and food is also God. And that is why Lord Krishna says, ‘I am the Hunger in your stomach, and I am also the Food that you eat.’
This is very fascinating knowledge. You will rarely ever find such knowledge. Even if you go through all the books in the world you will not find such knowledge.
Many people do not understand this. They thought He was just saying this. But those who are wise and knowledgeable understand this. They understand the truth and the essence behind it.
Q: Guruji, there are 451 types of food, but you are the dessert. You are the dessert who will never desert us. What do you have to say?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is right. I am a dessert provided you are not diabetic, and you have a sweet tooth!
Q: Gurudev, yesterday you said that Lord Krishna is Kartikeya among the Devas. Please tell us a little about Kartikeya.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When the five elements governed by Lord Shiva (Panch Mahabhoota - Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether) united with Shakti (Pure Consciousness), Lord Kartikeya was born.
Shiva is called Panchaanana – Lord with five heads. These five heads represent the five elements in Nature. When these five elements united with the sixth: Chaitanya Shakti (Pure Consciousness), they gave birth to the Shadaanana (six headed), also called Lord Kartikeya.
You can understand this in terms of the Kundalini Shakti (the primordial, dormant yet potent energy said to be present in a coiled form at the base of the spine).
We have seven chakras (energy centers) within us. When the energy surges through the six chakras and stabilizes at the sixth chakra - the Ajna chakra (present in the middle of the eyebrows), it blossoms as Lord Kartikeya (symbolism of the Guru Tattva (Principle)).
The Ajna chakra is the place of the Guru Tattva. It is where the Guru Tattva blossoms and manifests itself. And that Guru Tattva itself is Kartikeya Tattva.
Lord Shiva is the un-manifest Divinity, while Lord Kartikeya is the manifest.
So you can think of Lord Kartikeya as symbolic of the Kundalini Shakti.
Both Iccha-shakti (will power) and Gyan-shakti (self-knowledge) come together with the Kundalini Shakti.
Actually, it is more of Iccha-shakti and Kriya-shakti (power of action) which are a form of Gyan-shakti.
So Iccha-shakti and Kriya-shakti are both parts of the same Kundalini Shakti (Kartikeya) and they are manifest as Valli and Deivayanai – the two Divine consorts of Lord Kartikeya. And Lord Kartikeya is the very embodiment of knowledge.
So Kartikeya Tattva simply means the Guru Tattva.
Lord Shiva is one of the three Gods of the Trimurti (Holy Trinity - Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva) represented by AUM – the primordial sound of the Creation. In AUM, the syllable ‘M’ belongs to Lord Shiva.
There is a story about Lord Kartikeya from the Puranas.
When Kartikeya was a young child, His father, Lord Shiva asked him to go and study and receive education from Lord Brahma.
So Kartikeya went to Lord Brahma and asked him, ‘Please tell me the meaning of Om.’ Lord Brahma said, ‘First learn the alphabets! You are directly asking for the meaning of Om.’
Kartikeya said, ‘No, I want to know the highest knowledge first – Om.’
Now Lord Brahma knew all about the alphabets, but he did not know the meaning of Om (the primordial sound).
So Kartikeya said to Lord Brahma, ‘You do not know the meaning of Om, how will you teach me? I will not study under you.’ And Kartikeya went back to his father, Lord Shiva.

Kartikeya means the Tattva which is both - peaceful and yet very active. Usually people who are very active are not quiet and at peace. And people who are quiet are not very active (dull). So Kartikeya Tattva is that (principle) which is both peaceful and yet very active. Dynamism and deep silence together form the Kartikeya Tattva.

Lord Brahma told Lord Shiva, ‘You alone can handle your son. I can’t handle him. If I say this, he says that. Whatever I say, he says the exact opposite of that. I won’t be able to teach him. So you decide what is best and handle him.’
Hearing this, Lord Shiva asked Kartikeya, ‘What happened son? Lord Brahma is the Creator of the entire universe. You must learn from him.’
To this Kartikeya replied, ‘Then you tell me, what is the meaning of Om?’
Hearing this, Lord Shiva smiled and said, ‘Even I don’t know.’
Kartikeya then said, ‘Then I will tell you because I know the meaning of Om.’
‘Then tell me the meaning since you know it’, said Lord Shiva.
‘I can’t tell you like this. You have to give me the place of the Guru. Only if you put me on the pedestal of the Guru can I tell you’, said Kartikeya.
Guru means he has to be on a higher position or platform. The teacher has to sit on a higher place and the student has to sit down and listen to him.
How can Lord Shiva find a seat higher than Him, for He is the highest and greatest of Gods? So then Lord Shiva lifted the young Kartikeya on to His shoulders. And then in the ear of Lord Shiva, Lord Kartikeya explained the meaning of the Pranava Mantra (Om). Kartikeya explained that the entire Creation is contained in Om.
The Trinity – Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are contained in Om.
Om means that everything is love – unbroken and unshakeable love is Om. This is the essence and also the secret of Om that Lord Kartikeya narrated to Lord Shiva.
Upon hearing this, Goddess Parvati (Mother of Lord Kartikeya, and an incarnation of the Mother Divine) was elated and overcome with joy.
She said, ‘You have become a Guru (Swami) to my Lord (Natha)!’
Saying this she addressed her son as Swaminatha, and ever since Lord Kartikeya also came to be known as Swaminatha.
So in this way, Lord Kartikeya assumed the position of the Guru and explained the meaning of Om to Lord Shiva by sitting on his shoulder.
So the essence of the story is this – The Guru Tattva is placed even higher than Lord Shiva Himself!
To explain this truth, this story was written in the Skanda Purana.
So even Lord Shiva had to become a disciple of the Guru Tattva; so the Guru Tattva and Kartikeya Tattva are considered to be one and the same.
There is a saying, ‘Guru Govind Dou Khade Kake Lagu Paye; Balihari Guru Apke Govind Diyo Milaye.’
(Both Guru and God stand before me, whose feet do I touch first? I bow down to my Guru first because without him I would have never been able to recognize God.)
Lord Kartikeya is also called ‘Deva Senapati’ – the guardian and rescuer of Divine qualities.
Lord Shiva is known to give away boons easily to his devotees, even if they are to demons.
He is ‘Bhole Baba’ (the Innocent One), so whatever boon or blessing anyone would ask for, He would instantly grant it, and then He Himself would get caught up.
All the three – Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva would bestow boons on anyone who would ask of them, and then they themselves would get caught up in their own trap. At that time it would it be Lord Kartikeya who would stand up to fight against the demons (who received such boons).
That is why He was elected as the General of the Gods.
Kartikeya means the Tattva which is both - peaceful and yet very active.
Usually people who are very active are not quiet and at peace. And people who are quiet are not very active (dull). So Kartikeya Tattva is that (principle) which is both peaceful and yet very active.
Being spiritually complete and worldly-wise; having both these aspects. Dynamism and deep silence together form the Kartikeya Tattva.
Where Iccha-shakti and Kriya-shakti are together with the Gyan-shakti, that is the Kartikeya Tattva. That is why it is said that owing to the presence of Kriya-shakti, Lord Kartikeya became the Senapati - General of the Army of the Gods, and He protected the Gods and Goddesses.
Kartikeya also defeated Tarakasur (a demon) in battle.
Tarakasur is symbolism of Ego (arrogance). When one thinks, ‘I have conquered and mastered everything, I know everything’, such a state of mind is said to be denoted by Tarakasur.

Humility, simplicity and naturalness, all these qualities get concealed when there is arrogance. So, to destroy such an ego is the job of the Kundalini Shakti that is Kartikeya. Hence, Kartikeya is the slayer of ego.

There are some people, no matter what you tell them, they will say, ‘Yes, I already know, no need to tell me.’ They will never confess to not knowing something. They will act like they know everything.
Such a false sense of pride, such arrogance that is dismissive of everything that comes before it is a demonic quality.
Humility, simplicity and naturalness, all these qualities get concealed when there is arrogance. So, to destroy such an ego is the job of the Kundalini Shakti that is Kartikeya. Hence, Kartikeya is the slayer of ego.
Now, the story goes that Taraka (ego) after being defeated by Kartikeya assumed the form of a chicken or a rooster. A chicken is a symbol of weakness, lack of steadiness, lack of patience.
Generally if someone is a coward they say, ‘You’re a chicken’, is it not?
So, Tarakasur (ego) became a chicken or rooster after being defeated by Kartikeya.
After having defeated Taraka (ego) in battle, Kartikeya spared his life and asked him what boon he would desire. So Taraka prayed to always be at the feet of the Lord, and so Lord Kartikeya made him the emblem on His flag. This means that ego should always be kept subdued.
Ego is necessary in life but it should be kept subdued.
If you look at the idol of Kartikeya, in one hand He carries a spear. It is also called Vel. It is not a trident. It is symbolic of the Kundalini Shakti.
In His other hand He carries a small flag on which there is a rooster. The rooster is a sign of the demon Taraka (symbolizing ego) who prayed to always stay with the Lord in the form of a small flag. In fact, Kartikeya is also known as ‘Muruga’ in many parts of Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India as well.
Q: Gurudev, there is some confusion regarding Lord Vishnu’s Avatar (incarnation) in the form of Parshurama. How was it possible for Lord Rama to be born at the same time when Parshurama was present as well, as both are considered to be incarnations of Lord Narayana?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: We first need to understand what an Avatar is.
It is not that an Avatar can only be present at one place and not at another place at the same time. An Avatar simply represents a part of the Divinity. And where would you not find the Divinity?
A part of Divinity is present everywhere and in everything. Wherever this element of Divinity manifests itself completely, such that one can behold it, that is an Avatar. That is all. It is not that it suddenly appears somewhere from space. God is omnipresent and he is in everything.
See, a house can have four windows, is it not? And one can see the sun completely from each window, isn’t it?
If you ask me about a Jivatma (a living being with a physical body); how can a Jivatma take birth at one place and also be born in another place at the same time? This question you can ask. But this does not hold true for the Paramatma (Supreme Being). The Divinity (here referring to Paramatma) being omnipresent can manifest and appear anywhere.
It is very fascinating to be able to see God in the form of Parshurama.
If you take a look at the life story of Parshurama, there is no act of his that would make you think that he is an incarnation of God.
First he beheaded his own mother.
Is it easy for any child to behead his own mother? No, it is very difficult. It is impossible actually. And then he went after vanquishing all the Kshatriyas (military and ruling elite of the Vedic-Hindu social system).
According to me, this was a very foolish thing to do. We are far more evolved than this.
So what is the meaning behind this? It actually means that there is an astonishing Supreme power that is also capable of performing such brutal acts.
‘The acts performed by Parshurama were inhuman and out of the ordinary. Such acts cannot be performed by a normal human being, but only God Himself can perform such acts. So Parshurama has to be an incarnation of the Supreme Being.’ This was the understanding.
Parshurama’s Avatar is seen in this light, with this understanding.

Ego is necessary in life but it should be kept subdued. There are some people, no matter what you tell them, they will say, ‘Yes, I already know, no need to tell me.’ They will never confess to not knowing. Such a false sense of pride, such arrogance is a demonic quality.

The acts performed by Parshurama were inhuman and are not worthy of being performed by an ordinary human being. And no one has ever preached to follow the ways of Parshurama. His acts are actually not worthy of emulation, yet they are worthy of respect. Why?
Firstly, because whatever actions he did, he did them without a sense of doership, as a witness (sakshi bhav) to it. He never did anything with a sense of doership.
Secondly, if you are able to see God in Parshurama also, then you will see only God everywhere. In every child and every human being you will see an Avatar.
This is why Parshurama is considered as an Avatar.
If you can see God in a fish (Matsya Avatar), a boar (Varaha Avatar), a tortoise (Kurma Avatar), a lion (Narsimha Avatar), a swan, a crow and so on; in everything around you, and even in a stone hearted human being like Parshurama who killed thousands of Kshatriya warriors, then the job is done! Then you will see Divinity in all of Creation, all around you and everywhere. After that there will be nothing in the world in which you cannot see God.
To understand this knowledge, Parshurama was also considered to be an incarnation of God. Have you understood this?
So, do not think God is limited to one particular region, country or time. God is omnipresent and resides in every particle of this Creation.
Lord Rama as an Avatar is said to be Maryada Purushottam (One who is supreme among mortals and the upholder of the principles of Dharma), yet he would humbly bow down and touch the feet of all sages. He treated everyone with great respect and honor. He sat at the feet of Sage Agastya and received knowledge from him.
Such was his greatness that He even asked his brother Lakshmana to go and touch the feet of Ravana and receive knowledge from him as he lay dying on the battlefield.
So He sent his younger brother to become the disciple of Ravana and gain knowledge from him in his last moments.
Lord Rama said, ‘If I go to him (Ravana) then he will leave his body and his soul will merge into Me. So before that happens, go and learn all that you can from him. After that, I will give him darshan and his soul will merge into Me.’
Lord Rama worshiped Lord Shiva. Lord Krishna also worshiped Lord Shiva, and Lord Krishna was also a great devotee of the Devi (Mother Divine). He always worshiped Mother Divine.
Devi here refers to the Divine Power which is present in everyone in the form of Chetna (Consciousness), in the form of a jiva (embodied living being), in the form of hunger, intellect, glory, strength, and in multiple other forms.
Today Mother Divine is present before us as Annapoorna (a form of the Mother Divine associated with bestowing food and nourishment). There is so much food here before us! (Gurudev refers to the 451 food items prepared by devotees from Gujarat on the festival of Annakuta).