08 August 2013 - QA 3

Gurudev, spirituality is freedom for me, but many times I feel service at The Art of Living and other things are very conceptualized. Somewhere I cannot connect with such conceptualized trainings. How do I deal with this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is the mind that creates a conflict. There is no demand on you to do all the seva. Do whatever you can.
Seva is a must in everybody’s life because it brings fulfillment and happiness. And you do as much as you can, without tiring yourself down too much.

I think you have too much free time to think about concepts and all that. What is a concept? Teaching has a system, and the system makes it very effective.
All knowledge could just be taught anywhere and anyhow (referring to an ineffective manner); like the Nati Vaidyas (local medics) in villages. When people get sick in villages, they go to these Nati Vaidyas who prescribe some adhoc herbs, and tell them to grind it and drink it, and everything will be alright!
There is a saying in Sanskrit, ‘Yasya kasya tarormoolam, Yena kenaapi choonitam, Yasmai kasmai pradaatavyam yadyaa tadva bhavishhyati.’
It means, 'Just pluck any trees, any root, or anything, grind it, make it into a paste, and give it to anybody, and then anything can happen!’
This is an unmethodical way of practicing medicine, and there are several people who are doing this in India. It is a very common thing.
In India everybody is a doctor, and everybody gives some or the other grandmother’s remedies for anything. There is some value to the grandmother’s remedies as well, I am not saying no, but a doctor who is systematically trained brings greater value since he knows the subject thoroughly. A herboligist knows the herbs thoroughly; it is not just anybody doing anything, and anything can happen. In the same way, teaching is also a methodology.

Though everyone may know the points, and have the knowledge, anybody teaching it, in any way will not yield the desired results. That is why a system is in place.
Even in the ancient days, students would go and study thoroughly at Gurukuls, before they became acharyas (teachers).