Overcoming Jealousy

November 27, 2013

Bangalore, India

Day before, we had a very successful and large meditation in Pakistan. People are standing up for peace in Pakistan, and it is very good.

Questions & Answers

Gurudev, how to overcome jealousy?

Sri Sri: Just know that you are going to die and the other person is going to die too. The person whom you are jealous of will be finished, you will be finished and everything will become ashes. What is there to be jealous about.

Once Mullah Nasruddin and his friend, both were taking a nap under a tree, on a hot summer afternoon. After the nap Mullah woke up and said, 'Ah! I saw a great dream. I saw this beautiful lady falling in love with me', and the spark was still in his eyes. He looked so joyful and so his friend said, 'I am so jealous of you. Why don’t these beautiful ladies come into my dreams? I only get horror dreams of my wife, and I perspire.' 

Mullah said, 'Do you think I do not perspire thinking about my wife. It’s a dream. Why don’t you also dream. Why should be jealous about my dream. At least you have freedom to have you own dreams, even if it becomes reality now or later'.

When you are jealous of somebody, you are looking at life from a very limited perspective. So go beyond that. That is why dispassion is important. It will bring stability and make you centered. And then everyone will be jealous of you.

Gurudev, the reality of this world from eyes of a dog is different from a monkey, and the perception of every man is different from one another, then how does one know the absolute truth? How do we know what is real?

Sri Sri: There are different levels of reality. As the consciousness expands knowledge also changes. From a baby’s eyes, the world is different and from child’s eye it is different. And then as you grow up it all changes. So knowledge is structurally consciousness. As the consciousness expands knowledge also expands.

Gurudev, Shankaracharya was acquitted today of all the charges. Why a holy person like him had to undergo this ordeal? No politician or media is saying sorry for it.

Sri Sri: They should say sorry for it. The politicians and media should apologize. They did not do this to an individual, they have done it to an institution. An institution which has been there for two thousand years. And the head of institution, who represented the Sanatana Dharma (The Hindu Faith) and so many people were disturbed for so many years. For nine years it was long ordeal for a saint. But for him it was tapas. He doesn’t mind. A saint never minds whether it is praise or blame, he smiles through it. But for a system, for the faith of the people, it is a big question mark. 

There are certain people who want to malign and take away the faith of people. See if people have strong faith in religion and spirituality, they don’t go and get into drug culture, or gun culture. People who are devoted do not go for alcohol parties. These people want to sell their products and so they always try to destroy anything spiritual and religious. It is nothing new, from a long time this has been happening. So people who don’t even kill mosquitoes or cockroaches, they put such serious charges on them. And after nine long years it is proven that all 32 are innocent. Justice should not be delayed. It should have happened immediately within six months. But it took nine long years. Anyways truth will always triumph, and we must always have faith in this.

Gurudev, out of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, which is the most beautiful incarnation? And please tell us something about Kalki incarnation.

Sri Sri: Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder. Whatever you like seems beautiful to you. Where does beauty not exist? Even thorns are beautiful, and leaves are beautiful too. Once you change your perception then you will see beauty everywhere. Each incarnation has some good qualities and some bad ones, both.