Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

P: What is the meaning of ‘Pradakshina’ (circumambulation)?

Sri Sri: ‘Pradakshina’means going around. ‘Dakshina’ meansthat which is done with skill. The English word ‘dexterous’ has come from the Sanskritword ‘Daksha’. ‘Dexterous’ means skillful. ‘Pradakshina’ means ‘in a very special way, being skillful’, avery skillful movement, that which is gained with skill, merit which you havegained skillfully. ‘Pra’ is to goaround. ‘Pradakshina’ is qualifyingby going around skillfully.

There are three layers when you go inside a temple accordingto the temple architecture. The first layer is herbal gardens, full of treesand plants. The direction in which the tree is to be planted comes under templearchitecture. All plantations are done according to the directions and windflow. There are medicinal herbs, flowers and trees in this outer layer and whenyou pass through this layer, you breathe in those herbal fragrances that cure emotionaland physical problems, and body imbalances. It used to be around one kilometer longand while passing through it, your whole body circulation is improved. Essentialfragrances and oils needed by the body are absorbed especially those of the Ashvat (peepal) tree. It is the onlytree which emits oxygen all the 24 hours. All other trees emit oxygen half thetime and carbon dioxide rest of the time. The tree helps a person to overcomemany problems, especially infertility.

‘Pradakshina’ is not done for the sake of the divine or some otherpurpose but for health benefits.

Then there is a second circle in which statues of many menand women are kept. One was asked, in earlier days, to sit and meditate therefor a while.

This way first circle makes you physically fit, vatta-pitta-kapha balances happens by inhalingthe air. The second circle frees your mind from all fantasies. Then finally youmove on to central part - ‘sanctum sanctorum’ - where you sit with your eyesclosed and experience the nothingness.

P: Dear Guruji, in the Yogasara Upanishad you have said that the Divine is impersonal. Guru is both, personal and Divine. Can you tell us more about this? How is God impersonal?

Sri Sri: Yes, it is both. Like you are form yet you are formless. Your body has a form but does your mind have a form? No. Similarly this manifests universe is a form of God and the unmanifest consciousness, space, is also a formless form.

P: Guruji the soul is one, then what carries individual karma and takes it from one body to another?

Sri Sri: Yes, there are two levels of atma, one is Sarvatma and the other is Jivatma. Like inside a balloon also there is air but the air is encapsulated, right? That is Jiva. So the impressions form the Jiva, but the air is the same that is outside or inside the balloon.

P: Does the awakening of the vivek not make humans sensitive? If yes then why do so many knowledgeable people behave in unwanted ways?

Sri Sri: Listen, in this world there are all kinds of people. There are good people, there are mediocre people and there are hopeless people, and you have to manage with everybody. The hopeless will make your resolution stronger, the mediocre will bring out skills from within you, and the good people will keep supporting you.
So you have to manage all these three kinds of people.

P: Guruji, is egg vegetarian or non-vegetarian?

Sri Sri: Sitting in the satsang and discussing eggs, I do not think that is appropriate.
Drop eggs, talk about the universe (Bramhaand). Here we discuss the body and the universe, not eggs. You can look up in Google on what are the benefits and disadvantages of eggs.
Just yesterday, I heard from a doctor, who has done considerable research that one should gaze at the sun for 10 minutes every day. It is said that our eyes have some unique cells which absorb the solar energy and produces blood in our body. It is something like photosynthesis. By trapping the rays of the sun, plants and trees convert it into chlorophyll.
The same substance from the sun light is absorbed by the blood vessels in our eyes, and converted into blood in our body. It was a very nice presentation. So, to purify blood or increase production, gaze at the sun – this is also what our ancestors used to say!
What is the meaning of Sandhyavandanam? You stand facing the rising sun with water in your hands, and keep gazing at the sun until all the water drips out of your hands. You do this 3 times and that takes around 10 minutes time. Then you chant the Gayatri Mantra while gazing at the sun.
In the same way, do this in the evening as well.
When you look at the sun, energy transmission happens in the body.
It also said that we should take more of raw food, raw vegetables, fruits and juices; these are what one should have. 80% of our food should be raw and 20% should be cooked. And they also gave examples of several people who had brain tumor, cancer, and who got cured just by having raw food for three weeks and sun gazing.
Of course recovery happens with Sudarshan Kriya as well.
Also about cream which we put on our bodies, if you eat those creams, you will die because it has many harmful chemicals. This is the same cream which our body absorbs. It goes into our blood stream directly. So we should never put anything on the skin which we cannot eat.
That is why any cream besides Ayurvedic cream is not worth applying. The ingredients of rat poison are also added into creams, so if it is eaten one would die. When applied to the skin, one dies slowly.
In the earlier days, we used to apply mud-packs, cream (from milk), besan (lentil flour) and turmeric. We used to use all these to keep the skin clean. This is what we should do.
I will look into this. We should develop some more products produced from besan and such things which can also be eaten and applied to the body. I am going to speak to my doctor and prepare such a cream that does not contain any toxins.

P: Guruji, even after putting maximum efforts why do I fail? What should we do in these situations?

Sri Sri: If you really want what you are aiming at, hold on to it. But if you feel it is worthless putting so much effort then move on to something else which is much easier.
Once there was a Prime Minister in India. He was a Prime Minister only for a few months.
So this gentleman, he invited me to his farm house outside Delhi. So I said okay and I went there.
When I was there, he said, ‘Guruji, for 40 years I did everything, I played good and dirty games to achieve this seat, to be the Prime Minister. Now I am the Prime Minister and I find that, for this seat I struggled all my life, and now I find it meaningless. Before I could sleep here happily, but now there are 50 policemen guarding and I can’t even sit outside my own home. It was a futile struggle all my life.’
I said, ‘To understand this, it took you so many years. Anyways, at least now you realize. Many people do not even realize this.’
What is happening with all these dictators in North Africa, they are all killing thousands of people just to hold on to power. This is stupidity. At least this gentleman had the sense to realize that it is all futile. I told him, ‘You are lucky in that sense.’
So like that, if you want to really achieve something then put all your life into achieving it. But if you find something else which is better to put your energy into, go in that direction.
The other day a youth came to me and said that he had been appearing for his CA exams and he has failed seven times and his parents want him to appear again.
I said, ‘Why do you want to do that? You have failed seven times! Do you hope to pass this time?’
He said, ‘No, I do not have any hope of passing.’
So when you have no hope of passing then why waste your time, do some business. Get on with some job. That is a more intelligent thing to do.

P: Who commits sin or karma? Is it the soul or the body, and if the soul commits sin then why does the body have to suffer?

Sri Sri: Now come on; don’t get into all these technicalities and confusion.
If you are interested in knowing then do research, who am I? Do I have karma or not? If there is karma, then where is it? All this you have to sit and think.
If I answer you, my answer will never satisfy you because it will not be on the level of experience.
So you will listen to me and then after a few days you will get another doubt, and then again and again you simply go on the same trip. Best is to be silent, go deep in meditation and for some of these questions, the answers will be revealed as an experience, naturally.

P: Guruji, what is the relationship of dharma (righteousness) with God?

Sri Sri: With what does God not have a relationship, tell me this? God has a relationship with righteousness (dharma) as well as unrighteousness (adharma). To destroy adharma and to uplift dharma is also God’s responsibility. So God is related to everything.
In the same way, in the ritual of pooja it is said, ‘Dharmaye namaha, Adharmaye namaha’. We say namah to both. This world is a mixture of righteousness and unrighteousness, and God has a relationship with both – to destroy unrighteousness, and establish righteousness.

P: Dear Guruji, everything has its side effects. What are the side effects of enlightenment?

Sri Sri: There is no side effect but it is a straight effect. It impacts straight away.

P: When I do not know much about liberation how will I get the desire to be liberated?

Sri Sri: When you feel the bondage only then will you desire for liberation. When you are happy and you do not feel any bondage, then the desire for liberation will not come.
One who does not wish for happiness gets liberation, and one who does not even desire for liberation, receives love.
Those who are in love are not bothered about liberation. A lover thinks what is liberation? I do not need it. The Gopis used to say this, ‘We do not need any liberation; we do not need any knowledge, just being in love we are happy.’
The nature of love itself is liberation.