Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Guruji, at the time of death, does someone come to escort us? Two years ago, my father passed away. At the time of his passing, he appeared to be telling someone, ‘wait, I am coming’. When he was in pain, we would chant ‘Jai Guru Dev, Om Namah Shivaya’ into his ear and he would laugh like a baby. So what was it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
At the time of death, divine beings escort the soul with respect and honour. If someone has committed bad deeds in life, yama doot drags the soul away. Association with the enlightened brings honour and respect. Like a chief guest in a program is welcomed respectfully, and an uninvited guest is thrown out. The treatment we get in subtle world is same as the treatment we get in the earthly world. So if we leave with contentment, we are taken to other world respectfullyQ:
Can you give a comprehensive definition of mind? Is it soul or prana or nervous system – please explain.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You want to know? Why do you want to know? This wanting to know is mind. Are you listening? The listening faculty is mind. Through ear the consciousness hears, through eyes it sees, through nose it smells. That which experiences the world through the senses is mind. Got it?Q:
Guruji, yesterday you had said that among yantra, tantra and mantra, tantra is the technique. Chandraswami was a very well known taantrik, and once it had so happened that all over India, Lord Ganesh was drinking milk, and a dharma guru used to be known for his ability to cough up Shivalings. What king of tantra (technique) was that? In the villages there are individuals who by their mere speech can cause someone’s house to burn to ashes, or a catastrophe to happen. What kind of tantra is that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are several kinds of tantras. ‘Vaam tantra’ employs evil spirits, and ghosts to accomplish one’s ends. But that kind of tantra will not work wherever there is saatvikta, knowledge and devotion (bhakti). You all meditate, do pranayama and chant mantras. In your presence that kind of tantra will be ineffective. Incidents such as Lord Ganesh drinking milk are phenomena of the subtle world – some divine energy displaying its power and influence to arouse and awaken people. Some taantriks who perform small, little miracles go through a lot of suffering afterwards. They are unable to stay happy. These taantriks attain minor occult powers (siddhis) by subduing spirits of the netherworld (Karna pishaachi – ear demons) that allow them to impress gullible people with their ability to read their thoughts and concerns. However the advice that such taantriks give is highly inaccurate and unreliable. How many people have experienced this? (A few in the audience raise their hands.) Some tantric can describe your past accurately but are unable to predict the future correctly, and only 10-20% of what they say is true. My advice is that if you come across something like this, keep your distance (DSN, door se namaskaar!). Don’t get entangled in it. Twenty five or thirty years ago, there was a man in west Delhi who would tell people to blow on a blank sheet of paper, dip the paper in water, and pull it out with something written on it – usually questions and concerns in their minds. Someone from the satsang proposed that I also meet him. So I went. He asked me to blow on a sheet of blank paper which he then dipped in the water; but when he pulled it out, the paper was still blank!! The man was amazed, and fell at my feet, and began to perform aarti. I said to him, ‘Don’t exploit this siddhi (occult power) to deceive people. Instead inspire them to follow the path of goodness and virtue. Advise everyone to meditate, sing bhajans and perform seva. If your powers can benefit others, definitely use them.’ These powers can be labelled as neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’. It is all divine play. Do not condemn anything – this is my policy. Do not get involved too deeply in these affairs. If there is some knowledge to be gained or any blessings, take it and move on.Q:
I am the mother of an eighteen-year old. My son used to have a lot of problems just like any other teenager and I had reached a stage where I used to wonder how I could change my son, And then I came to know about the YES plus course and I put him through it and there is a whole lot of changes in my son, a huge transformation. I see him doing yoga. And the reason why I am here standing in front of you is because of my son - I saw the transformation in him and I am here. Okay, I am hooked on to you now, thanks to my son. Now my point is there must be a lot of mothers like me suffering silently, trying to figure out what exactly they can do to change their children, because especially the way things are going on these days, so much money, pubs, whole lot of things happening. Why can’t Art of Living reach out to schools? Talk about all that you have to offer, reach out to 16 year olds and 17 year olds. Please. Reach out with this course. I am sure a lot of people are going to change.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know mothers like you can contribute. Mothers like you, few of you can join together. If you talk to principals in various schools, colleges, in your free time; take a little time and do this seva, do this service - that would be even better. Our approach, any way we are doing, it has its limitation. People think we have an ulterior motive. Oh, they want to increase their...whatever. They may need something for themselves that is why they are doing. They don’t realize we are doing for the sake of the children and for the sake of our society. So we will do that, we are anyway doing. We have done here in Karnataka, all the second year engineering college students in Maanyavati college project, twenty two thousand of them. It was one of the best projects because the youth had such a transformation, just engineering college students. But they should do it for all the students in all the degree colleges, all levels, but for that you all have to write to the government, and the education department.Q:
Guruji, I want You to be with me always. What should I do for that?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just know I am with you. Do Sadhana, Seva, Satsang - that you don’t leave or forget. Do your duty, meditate, do your duty.Q:
Guruji, I have done YES plus course. I am visiting the ashram after two years and have been here for the last couple of days and do not feel like leaving ever. How do I strike a balance between my responsibilities at home and my desire to remain here?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do both, you have to take care of your domestic responsibilities and your commitment here.Q:
What is the difference between Guru and Sadguru?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just that ‘Sadh’ is prefixed to Guru. It makes no difference. It is just a name and both are one and the same.Q:
How can I always stay in Sakshi bhaav(witness state)?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Drop (the word) 'always'. When it is possible, stay in Sakshi bhaav, that is enough. It is (the word) ‘always’ that creates complications.Q:
Guruji, what is the significance of Devi Puja?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It was good no? Devi Puja is so nice. See the corn is hard, but when you put it in the popping machine with a little butter and little salt, what happens? The corn pops up and becomes popcorn, fluffy and very nice. Similarly within everyone, every individual, the energy (Shakti) is there. In Puja, what happens? Shakti blossoms, gets up lifted and opens up. There is no place that is devoid of Shakti. But in many places it is sleeping. Here in Devi Puja it awakens it up. Devi energy (shakti) is there within all of us. Devi is not somewhere else, not in some other world. It is within us - Devi Shakti. To make that Shakti grow stronger is called Puja. If we sit deep in meditation, the glow within the body will brighten, and will expand and spread outside. That is Devi Puja.Q:
Dear Guruji, can we call intention as unmanifested Karma? If it is still karma it should create bondage. Please explain the relation of intention, karma and bondages created by them.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, the karma which is done not for gain but for a larger good, in the larger interest of the society, which is good for mankind, does not become karma. That’s why that type of karma is called Yagna. So 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhana’, other karmas are bondage. But karmas done for the betterment of society or service of God does not become karma, they are called Yagna.