30 May 2015 - QA 8

Gurudev, you have said that one pointed focus is needed for liberation. Terrorists also have one-pointed focus, can they get enlightened too?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You cannot generalize with terrorists. In that too there are many varieties and attitudes. Some do it for money, some do it with wrong understanding that this is what God wants them to do. So don’t generalize terrorists into one category.
And, with something like liberation, you cannot say that a terrorist can get liberated. At the same time you can’t even deny it; it may be a possibility. Ravana got liberated. Saddam Hussain may also have gotten liberated. Prabhakaran from LTTE may also have gotten liberated. We don’t know! People who followed Prabhakaran thought he was a great person and has attained liberation.

Lenin and Stalin who are considered great leaders, if you look into their actions, so many people have died because of them, you will not be able to call them leaders. 10 million people died because of the communist revolution in Russia. They may be considered heroes in Kerala, but in many parts of Russia, they are considered criminals. That is why they changed the names of the Lenin Gods now to St. Petersburg.
You cannot ask such a generalized questions. I will leave it to the historians and psychologists to look into their mind-sets.