Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
From your end, don’t think that you are distant from him. Whatever he says, accept it.Try to understand him.
Put your 100 percent – it will work.
What does a mother do, when a child cries? She pacifies him, the child quietens, and then will cry again after a while.
Like you pacify a child, pacify your husband. Sometimes there are misunderstandings.
In ancient days, Rishis (saints) would bless women by saying - become a mother to 10 children and may the eleventh child be your husband. This is to say – love your husband as a child.
A lady once came to me with her problems about her mother-in-law.
Have you ever thought about this? You have fought so much with your mother. Like you fight with your mother, you fight with your mum-in-law. Yet you get upset. Think of her like a mother.
Change your perspective. Knowledge will help you to live harmoniously.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, we need to translate the craving to commitment. Craving is self-centered. Commitment is always for a cause. ‘What do I get,’ this feverishness of getting something has to be transcended. That is immature pleasure. The child always wants to get something. Grandparents want to give.We are born with the tendency to grab. Somewhere we have to make the shift: What can I give?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Accept: ‘Ok, I am going to fail. So what? I still want to do it.’ It's like a game you play, whether you win or lose, you play the game. Correct? If you are playing soccer, you just play, no matter if you win or lose, you just play. In the same way, don’t be afraid of failure. If you fail, never mind, still do it. Ok?You need to take some risks in life.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
here are three ways to rise above it. First is to remind yourself of the pain it has given you in the past. Every time the desire for joy has given you misery. Either recall your own experience or learn from the experience of others.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Your own mind creates heaven, and hell. Don’t listen to preachers who tell you that you will be toasted, and fried. They are in total ignorance. They misquote the scriptures. There is no such hell. Don’t worry and be free!Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you keep a fast your whole body is cleansed. When toxins are removed from the body your mind gets sharpened. Then whatever wish, whatever goal you have in mind gets fulfilled. This is a faith, a law and it also has a scientific base. But along with fasting you need to strengthen the determination in mind. So on that day you have only one thought in the mind, that good happens for your spouse. In ancient days people used to fast with this wish only. It’s all the power of mind. That’s it. But if your mind is somewhere else and you don’t eat then it won’t have that much benefit. Yes but the machinery (body) gets a littlerest. The liver keeps on functioning 24/7. So this was a way to give it rest. Ok?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Absolutely, there is no need to wash the idol and decorate it, and in the night you needn’t put it to sleep.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is what Lord Gautama Buddha said, ''Karmas can be erased through Dhyana, through meditation', through Sharanagathi'' Q: In this selfish world why should I only have broad vision?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Good and bad things happen in the world. But our consciousness can gain from all these situations. Like, when there is rain or too much of heat (sun), you take an umbrella and protect yourself. Same way, awareness, knowledge, devotion is that umbrella to protect you from all unpleasant situations. Peace and love are the foundation on which we progress individually and collectively and for the nation and for the world. You know, the word Pooja, - Poo means fullness and ''Ja'' means that which has come out of fullness. When your heart is full, you say gratitude to God: how do you say? with flowers, you tell God, ''my heart is blossomed like this flower'' . The world is made up of five elements - ether, air, fire, water and earth. Ancient people used all these five elements. Chanting or sound is space element, burning some incense is air element, camphor and lamp is fire element, and then water and earth element, different types of flowers, fruits, milk, curd, honey all these things are used. With the chanting you create the inner vibration all around us. Ancient chanting is there since thousands of years. What is the chanting? Namo Namo Namo, Mana is mind, the mind which goes outwards, when mind turns inwards it becomes ''Nama'', Namo means mind inwards. Oh Divine, you are in the child, you are in the aged, you are in the tree, bird, water, stones. You are in sun, moon, you are everywhere, there’s not a bit of creation that is devoid of You, and I adore you, dissolve in You and merge in You. Like camphor my life burns and dissolves in You. Like incense, my life spreads fragrance all around. Like flowers, I blossom and bring joy to everybody. Like fruit, all my actions become fruitful, let my intentions become fruitful. Like water, let us always we be humble. If water is poured, it goes to the lowest point. Isn't it? Like that, humility - let me take the lowest point to serve the society. Let me be like fire that always goes up, let my enthusiasm always go up. You do ''Aarathi'', having a lamp and say let the light of my life always be around God, around divinity, let it never go down, let the enthusiasm always go up and bring joy to everybody's life. This is what is called Pooja. With these feelings, with these simple little actions we do Pooja. And when ''deepa aarathi'' is brought, everyone takes meaning ''let me receive the knowledge in my life'' (while saying this Sri Sri is demonstrating how we receive the Aaarathi). Let the light that is the symbol of knowledge come into my life. Let me not be in darkness, let there be light in my life, so, I accept this beautiful light of wisdom in my life. And then you take the Mangala aarathi. And then little water is given, you sip that saying let my heart be cool, let there be pleasantness inside. And this is the universal message of gratefulness that is what is called Pooja, dawning out of fullness. If you go to any religious program, everywhere these feelings are there. Like, lighting a candle is in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, everywhere we light a candle and keep it in front of Buddha statue, incense is lit and flowers are offered around Buddha. The same is done in Church, light a candle and keep in front of Lord Jesus Christ or Mother Mary. Offering of fruits is done in Buddhism, isn’t it? It is more of inner feeling that is important, more important than the external act. Just doing a ritual is not sufficient enough, it has to be meditative. It has to come from our feeling level. Today's Pooja is to bring health, happiness and peace to every individual especially in this continent to all those who have suffered to give them more strength and to eliminate all those negative vibrations and of pain and suffering and to bring peace and happiness to every single person and to clear the entire atmosphere in the country to bring more peaceful, loving and joyful atmosphere. This is the sankalpa/ intention we are taking today for the Pooja. After Rudrabhishek, satsang followed.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is meaningless to ask, ‘What should I desire?’ Desires arise by themselves based on the need of the hour. To desire a desire is impossible.Desires are not bad. However, we need to see that the desires are not in opposition to viveka (the power to discriminate between truth and untruth, dharma (righteousness) and adharma etc).
In the Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna says, ‘I am those desires that uphold dharma.’
Viveka gives you the awareness to save yourself (from desires that do not uphold dharma). It is necessary to awaken viveka within us. Do not try to suppress desires, awaken viveka in you. Through viveka, there is a transformation in the quality of desires that arise in us.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Check to see how aimless your life was before knowledge. When you do so, you’ll realize that knowledge has transformed your life. Superfluous interest in knowledge will make your life aimless. With deeper interest in knowledge you’ll find life is so purposeful. If you think “what about me, what about me”, life is useless, you may as well put it in garbage. Knowledge gives life direction – then you find life is so purposeful.