8 August 2014 - QA 4

Gurudev, it is said that from every animal and bird something can be learnt. What can be learnt from humans?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Humanity! From human beings we can learn two things:
1. What we must do
2. What we must not do

We can learn about the different kinds of animals and birds, we can also learn what we must do from animal and birds, but we cannot learn what not to do from them. Animal and birds cannot teach us what we must not do because they violate nature. It is human beings who violate nature and then get into trouble. So when you see another person falling in the ditch, they are teaching you to be alert so that you do not fall in the ditch. So what not to do is taught by human beings and that is why human being are considered most superior.

There is an old saying in Sanskrit, 'Durjanam prathamam vande, sujanam tadanantaram'.
You must first salute the bad person and then salute the good person. Why? This is because the bad person is teaching you a lesson at his own cost: 'Don't do what I did, otherwise you will also go through the same trouble as I am going through'.
So, salute everyone, whether the person is your enemy or your friend.