Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
It is said that women cannot study Vedas (scriptures). Why is it so?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
At some point of time some selfish people said this. Some Brahmins made this mistake. Women from all castes can studythe Vedas. But you must convey it properly. Traditionally, if the rituals we follow are useful, then continue them. If they are foolish, drop them.Q:
Can mantras change what astrologers predict?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Mantras have power. It is good to chant. That is not to say that what astrologers say is not true. We should practice dana (charity), yagna (vedic ritual) as good vibrations come to us then.Q:
How to make this life blossom?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Life blossoms in rest. Two things are important in life- when we are in Nivriti (meditation), we have to see everything as ok and believe that it is all being done by God and He is watching over. When we do this, strength, wisdom and devotion increase and then Pravritti (action) comes up automatically.When we come to Pravritti and see fault in everything, then we can correct it but if the fault-finding tendency stays forever then we get frustrated. Thus we need a balance of both - ‘It is ok’ and ‘It is not ok’. We should also have the strength to correct what is not ok.
Pravitti is knowing that if it is not correct, we can and will correct it. The belief that everything is ok, will be ok in the future and ‘I am ok the way I am’ is Nivriti.
When Pravitti and Nivriti are balanced, then life blossoms naturally.
Q:
Do ratnas (stones) have an effect on us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, everything in the world affects every other thing but the power of the mind and mantra is the greatest.Q:
Duty whether towards the parents or God is equal for everyone. But why do only Brahmans wear Janeyu*?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Janeyu was a symbol representing that one has three kinds of responsibility- towards one's parents, guru and the society. Janeyu was there to remind one of his duties. Then after marriage it would be doubled, symbolizing the duty towards the wife as well. This is how it was- it was meant for everyone whether Brahman or Kshatriyas. But somewhere down the line the practice got discontinued. One should keep alive the intention of taking responsibility in one's heart, wearing janeyu alone is not sufficient.Q:
It must have taken Krishna three hours to give the knowledge of The Bhagwad Geeta to Arjuna. What were the others doing all this while?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is said that it took a lot of time to recite The Bhagwad Geeta but what Krishna told Arjuna while giving the knowledge of The Geeta, for that it did not take that long. He gave the knowledge through his vision (drishti) and it started manifesting within Arjuna. Time is unbounded. To recall what you did in the last five years, won't take you five years. It will take you less than half an hour.Similarly, there is no time in consciousness.
The knowledge in our consciousness is beyond time. So to recall and remember that, does not require time.
Q:
I made a promise to someone but now I know that it was not right. How do I get out of my promise?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If the promise you made gives peace to someone then you must fulfil it. If it causes pain both, to you and the other person then just move on. A promise made in ignorance has no importance.Q When will India have a good government and when will we be free from terrorism?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: All of you take interest in that, usually people say that once you are in the spiritual world you should not get into politics at all, it is not like that. You should work towards providing justice to the society. Atheism and communism increased in our country because the spiritual people did not work against the injustice. They kept quiet.
Therefore, people lost their faith. In big states like Tamil Nadu, atheism spread because of the inaction on the part of the believers. There was a lot of injustice that happened against the dalits but the spiritual, religious people did not do anything.
Q:
How to be an instrument of the grace of the Guru (Gurukripa)?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
By being more grateful. The one who is always complaining gets a little away from the Grace. When we are grateful for whatever God has given us, then we never lack anything and the grace continues forever.Q:
There are many things in my life which I think are not ok. I don’t know what to do about these things.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you say, ‘It’s not ok, its not ok’, the seed of ‘not ok’ is un-abling your mind to relax. When do you go to bed? When everything is ok, when there is comfort. When you are hanging on to the discomfort, how can you ever be comfortable? You have to accept things as they are. ‘It’s not ok, it’s not ok’ keeps you all outside. Those imperfections are there for a cause or purpose. It is going to be ok, it will take some time.Things are ok the way they are now,
They will be ok in the future
Whatever happened in the past was ok.
When you understand this, you relax and in that relaxation you can meditate. When you want to retire, its nivriti but when you want to come out (of rest) its pravritti. Then you can act. When you are tired but you are hanging on to what is not ok - then you cannot retire. When you have to chill out, what do you say? ‘Everything is perfect,’ otherwise you can’t chill, you can’t act! It is neither pravritti, nor nivriti.
Dhyan yoga is nivriti, Karma yoga is pravritti. Most people are hanging onto the ‘not ok’ and are unable to relax, to enjoy life, to chill, to be creative. They are holding onto the seed of ‘not ok’. That person, this situation, the government, the administration - everything is not ok. Then it comes to you - I am not ok. Subtly, it reflects on you that you are not OK. Then you don't like that feeling and to cover that up, you make up many justifications and the mind is all confused.
If tamogun is too much, you don't know the pravritti or the nivriti. When there is Satva, then we know what to act, when to act, whether to act or not.
When Rajogun prevails then its half way through - you regret and act. Many of us act because we regret. Mother scolds her child, regrets it and then becomes nice.
In Satva, you don't regret, you retire and relax, there is clarity.
When Rajogun prevails then its half way through - you regret and act. Many of us act because we regret. Mother scolds her child, regrets it and then becomes nice.
In Satva, you don't regret, you retire and relax, there is clarity.
In Rajogun, there is confusion and chaos.
In Tamogun, there is total inertia and lethargy.
There is no strict border between the three gunas. It is very fluid, one flows into another.
Q:
In the Ashtavakra Geeta (an ancient scripture which documents the dialogue between Sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka), Sage Ashtavakra gives a lot of knowledge to Janaka but doesn’t clearly answer his question about what is real and unreal. Please explain.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are some questions that cannot be answered in words. Ashtavakra answered Janaka in silence.
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