31-July-2012-QA6

Dear Guruji, when I feel intense love or devotion I lose my awareness. When I am aware I lose the intensity of devotion. How do I retain both, intensity and awareness?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I think you have too much free time to think and see what is happening. Just get busy, do Karma Yoga (the path of action). When you are engaged in seva, you don’t sit and think ‘Oh, how am I feeling? How am I not feeling?’ Feelings are all part of life, just move on with it!
We have 1,72,000 nadis in the body. Sometimes the knowledge nadi opens up; sometimes the music nadi opens up. Different nadis open up and you experience different things. So, don’t be so obsessed with your feelings. Got it?
Who cares how you feel? Everyone is looking forward to what you do. How you can contribute to this Planet Earth?
What good can I do – focus on that. Don’t focus or concentrate on that which is happening. Focus on what you can do and what you have to do.
Many times, we don’t concentrate on what we have to do but we sit and ponder over that which is happening. We put so much attention on what is happening rather than on what we are doing. Put attention on what you are doing and leave whatever is happening to Nature. Nature will take you through whatever is happening.
I tell you, whether it is thoughts or emotions, it is not an isolated incidence. It is a global phenomenon. Suppose you go to a place where there is an Independence Day celebration, or some National Day Celebration and everybody is in a charged mood, singing patriotic songs, you suddenly start feeling so patriotic. How many of you have experienced this? (Many raise their hands)
Tears start coming from your eyes.
Similarly if you are watching a show where some victim is talking about their story on how a politician has victimized so many people; suddenly you feel angry. How many of you have had this experience? (Many raise their hands)
You got so angry. Everybody suddenly feels a sort of patriotism, it wells up within you.
The movie directors and producers know how to invoke these emotions in you, and what music fits in there. They will put the right kind of music that you will start crying or laughing. You know, feelings are associated with music, and emotions can be evoked.
How do these big riots happen? Emotions are invoked. And the unstable ones just jump into it. People with no awareness jump into it and just do it. They just indulge in it.

Today, I got a report that in Assam there are riots happening and nearly 2,00,000 people are in camps. They had to run away from their homes. 500 villages were affected. But three villages were not affected, in the midst of this. Do you know why? Those three villages had a very strong Art of Living presence!
Savita and Ashish Bhutani (devotees working towards relief and upliftment in villages in Assam) are here. Savita was mentioning the name of the village as well.
So, all the three villages got together and did not allow any violence to happen in those villages. They did not allow anybody to burn anyone’s home. The entire village was safeguarded because they all had the idea that we are a One World Family.
Muslims, Christians, Hindus, all stood together and did not let the Muslims torture Hindus or Hindus torture Muslims. They did not allow violence to happen from any side.

Come on Savita; tell us the names of the villages. (Savita recounts the names of the three villages in Assam).

Savita speaks, ’In one particular village all the three communities are there – Bodo, Assamese and Muslims. Even then, all of them came together and took a stand to ensure that there will be no violence in any of the villages. It was all because to the presence of The Art of Living, as many had done the Part 1 and YLTP courses. So these three villages had no violence and nobody was killed. Although neighboring villages in the vicinity of one to two kilometres of these villages were completely burnt to the ground. But these three villages were completely safe because of The Art of Living”.

Very good, very good! Jai Gurudev.
Do you see how important it is for us to spread this knowledge? How many of you think it is very important for us to spread this, that too in areas that are very fragile? Where peace is fragile, we must step in and do something!