Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Dear Guruji, I go between an intense need to connect and merge with people to intense loneliness and a painful feeling of disconnect. Can you please help?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Good, good as long as you keep moving from one thing to another and have not gotten stuck in something, I’m happy. Keep moving.Q:
Guruji, my thoughts and dreams are mixing up, and not so good ones. What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Never mind! Clouds come and some are dark clouds and some are light clouds, so what! They come and they go, you carry on.Q:
Guruji, what does a seeker do when he sees no meaning in sadhana or seva?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you feel at a stage there is no point in doing any seva, mind is not even interested in doing sadhana and a sense of dryness has come in life, that’s when you pray, ’please take me out of this dryness.’ You know, pray to the divine, ‘please, I want my life to be juicy, not so dry, depressing and boring. I surrender; I drop my whole being to you.’ This inner cry, an intense cry to the divine will make all the difference. Everybody wants some juicy thing in their life. Just imagine when you have a beloved, how you act. There is so much enthusiasm; there is a feeling of belovedness. That love is what is missing when you feel so dry and completely uninterested; life is uninteresting. At this time have faith and with courage just move on. It is just a passing phase. Usually you call it, ‘the dark night of the soul’. The soul goes through such a turbulent time sometimes. Not necessary everybody needs to. At this time continue doing what you are doing.Q:
Guruji, the heart desires and the mind says that desire is the cause of sorrow. Why does the mind lose to the heart? How to strengthen the mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Through experience. After getting beaten up many times, wisdom dawns anyway; or through awareness, that this isn’t right. But through experience, one learns only after one or two beatings. It doesn’t work otherwise.Q:
You said relax and forget about results. If we forget about our desires and aversions then how do we know what to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No aversions and desires come into your mind, then how much you flow with them or how much you hold back is your wisdom. Got it? See a desire comes into you, I want to have more ice cream, and doesn’t matter have ice cream. But a desire comes into your mind let me go strangle this person. Know that if you act on this second desire you will end up in prison. But the first desire if you overdo it you may end up in hospital. Got it? Clarity of mind, wisdom is needed you are doing the right thing. Do meditation, become hollow and empty. Don’t you see an improvement in yourself? ‘Yes’ How much improvement do you see? A lot of improvement right!Q:
How to live with an abusive husband not physically, but emotionally and verbally?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Have earplugs. (laughter) If it is just verbal have ear plugs and move on with a smile if you can put up with that. See everyone changes. Peoples’ habits change so wait, if he changes its good, if he doesn’t then find your path. But give 100 percent before you take any decision and this must be a good idea, earplugs!Q:
Guruji, why, in this new age have relationships changed so much that to find love, people have to believe in Romeo and Juliet? Has love changed or have we changed so that we cannot understand love anymore?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Listen, one thing is constant in this planet that is change! Change keeps happening in every field. So, accept the changes and know that there is something that is not changing deep inside you. Everything changes, but inside us there is an element that does not change. Just know this and accept all the changes. Okay!Q:
I’m learning about Astrology. What is it that we should first understand so it helps us progress faster in our spiritual growth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
oh, yes, spiritual energy, spiritual power is stronger than astrology, just know that. If you believe that spiritual power is there and it’s much stronger than astrology, and it can change the course of astrology also.Q:
Guruji, which do we attend to first, the mind or the body?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Okay between ears and eyes, which should be used first? When watching television, do you use both simultaneously or one after the other? It is not as though we decide, ‘I will watch first, then I will listen.’ Similarly, we will need to attend to both body and mind.Q:
Guruji what is the meaning of Divya?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Meaning of Divya? You already said it by mistake, ‘Divine’!