Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
While doing seva an obstacle comes, consider every obstacle as a means to bring out some skill/ability in you. Every obstacle is a way to bring out your skills. It also shows how much your commitment is. In spite of all the obstacles if you keep doing seva, one would say ‘wow!’Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Listen; are you a student of Physics? If you are that is great! If not, don’t be sorry! Students of Arts can also get enlightened, no problem. Yes, Lord Krishna also says that first gain knowledge of the elements. Meaning we never considered physical sciences and spiritual knowledge separate. The one merges into the other. What is the knowledge of the elements? How many elements are there? There are five elements; earth, water, air, fire, ether. Then mind, intellect, ego. All these are counted among the principal elements. As you gain deeper knowledge of these elements, you arrive at the knowledge of the soul. This is a very good thing. It is only now that people have started talking about Quantam Physics. The fact that this entire universe is made up of a single element has been mentioned in India long ago by Adi Shankar and also in the Vedas before him. If you read Yoga Vassistha, it would seem as though you were reading Physics. So, modern science is completely related to ancient knowledge.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
But I don’t want you to live like a bird. I want that you should be like a lion. Okay that you came here as a bird, but leave like a lion, and there is a lot of work to be done in this world.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.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This world is of opposites, like night exists and day exists, dawn and dusk too exist and they exist in different places at different times. Why do they have to be at the same place? So there is science when your left brain is active then you enjoy that, and then when your right brain becomes active then you enjoy the music, you enjoy art. You don’t need to choose and you don’t need to have the same things together. You don’t need to have soup and pudding together; mix them together and drink. You have soup and little later have pudding too. So they have different flavours and they both are essential in life, otherwise life is incomplete.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, while the yagya was happening I did not say a word, I kept silence. So you don’t need to understand everything. If something is happening, they are putting something in fire and people are going round and doing something, you may wonder, ‘Oh what’s happening?’ But you know somewhere, deep inside you could feel those vibrations. How many of you felt the vibrations? (Several in the audience raised their hands) See, all of you have felt the vibrations and that was important. You just feel the vibrations; that’s why I did not go to explain why they do what they do. It was not necessary at that moment. Yes, later some other time like now we can sit and see why they put so many things in fire and what was the impact of it?’ All this we can sit and discuss. We can go on doing research into that. Right? So sometimes we need to just enjoy and be with what is, and sometimes we need to analyze and understand. They both have different flavours and life is complete with both of them. Another thing I would say is you know when yagya was happening, to have what is called shraddhaa or faith. Shraddhaa is to love something which we do not know. Something, some activity is happening, it is for good. This much we believe and we simply love it and that is what is called shraddhaa. Love something which you have not fully comprehended but you know there is something good coming out of it. And what happened, with that you get a lot of benefit and gradually you start understanding what it is all about as well.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, celebration does not have to be outside work. Celebration is an attitude. Anything you do, do with an attitude of celebration. It’s much less tiring, less draining on your system and more elevating.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
(Laughing) it is hygienic to eat in your own plate and not interfere with others’ health. This is very important.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Nothing, it comes on its own (laughter). Everything is happening just relax and enjoy.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When the mind says ‘I’m not good enough’, then you know yes there is somebody to make me good. (Laughter)