Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Guruji what is tapasya?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Tapasya is that which you may not like to do but doing it is beneficial for you.Q What is prayer?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Prayer means a call from the depth of the heart. When children cry, how do they cry? Kids cry for their mother with their whole body. When every cell of the body and every corner of the heart need something, then only you cry. Calling in an exclusive style – from your heart is prayer. Also when we do something with all our heart, that is called prarthna (prayer).
Q:
Is dispassion connected to upbringing or past impressions?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Vairagya or dispassion is associated with viveka or the power of discrimination. When we were small children, we wanted to have cotton candy or lollipops and toys. As we grew up, these desires dropped by themselves. We became dispassionate about toys but got attached to something else. In course of time, desires drop effortlessly. When we move ahead with awareness then our attachments drop even faster, and with love. It doesn’t mean that you throw everything out of your house! There is no desire to procure anything. Irrespective of the desire being fulfilled, there is no feverishness or attachment.Q:
How to deal with people who say and do bad things?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
First of all, accept that, that is how they are. Second thing is to see that they will change. Tomorrow they may change, next week, next year. Keep an open mind, maybe in 5, 10 years, in the next lifetime they will change. When you know that they are like that and that they may change, then your mind is calm. Any irritable situation, make fun of it. If you have a little bit humor, you are able to sail through irritable situations. If it is really unbearable, never mind that you get angry. But you should become normal again in 2 seconds. You know, it’s not worth losing our peace of mind. Because of someone’s behavior. Don't you think so?Q:
Why do we seek God when we know God is already within us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Because we don’t know but some idea is there. There is some prior experience of God. If you don’t know mango exists, you won’t go searching for it. You don’t go in search of something like burr-burr because burr-burr doesn’t exist! You have had some experience in the past but it is not there in the present. Don’t look here and there for God. Go deep within and look inside. Relax. It is there.Q:
Dear Guruji, I feel that my coming to you now has become an ego issue. I come to you to see what you will say to me or to get attention from you and not because I feel deep love and gratitude. I would like to feel the true deep love and gratitude like I have been before. I want to serve out of love and not out of feeling that this is what I am expected to do.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know, feelings are like clouds. They are like the waves on the surface of the ocean. They arise, they come and they go. They change. We shouldn’t be bent too much by our feelings.Do you see what I am saying? Life moves with commitment, not just feelings. And love is a gift. You can't force anyone to feel love. Your wanting to feel love becomes a hindrance to feel love. Just relax. I have spoken about this in the Bhakti sutras. When you want love, that want itself is turning or delayinglove from manifesting.So all that you need to do is to let go and relax. You will see your nature is love. Love is always there. It will manifest when it should. Like the sun is always there but it comes at its own time. Yes?The sun doesn’t come up all the time though it is there twenty four hours. But it is in different places. In the same way, all the beautiful feelings in yourlife are there with you all the time. You can’t forcefully manifest them. They will manifest at different times in life. And that’s why be more relaxed and take them as they come. Yes?Q:
I would like to bring some reformations and changes in my village. However, every time, I meet with so many obstacles and it is quite frustrating for me. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Sanghe shakti kaliyuge. One or two people alone can't bring in a reform. A coming together is required. For that knowledge must dawn. So bring people to programs like this. Bring people together and do this work. What we do sometimes fails and if the failure repeats you can lose your courage. When we want to bring in reforms, even if we fail 10 times we should go ahead. We have to be so strong. Know that you will never be alone. Come together and work to increase awareness in society. Do satsangs. I will guide you constantly.Q:
Many people have started preaching their own practices like Sudarshan Kriya. What to do about it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Many people have started their own things. These kind of wrong practices don’t work in the long run. Don’t worry about all of them. People try, get headache and then they come here.The spiritual practices like Sudarshan Kriya are not only at physical level. It is the divine grace which works.
One can do 21 days teacher training, and spread this knowledge everywhere after becoming a teacher.
Q:
I grew up in a small town and have seen many ups and down in the life. But now when I am into a job, I see all this corruption. People demanding bribe, this and that. It pains in the heart. I don’t know how to go about it? Also I have heard from Swamiji that when we do meditation, the satva in the atmosphere raises, and that can result in the transformation of these negative tendencies in the society.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are worried about all the corruption in the society! That is why I say we all have to stand up by principles. Our boys went to Hyderabad and they needed some license to start some project. They stood by their principles and they get their job accomplished without having to bribe anyone. Like them, you also stand by your principles. It could be little difficult in the beginning. That is why we have to inculcate spirituality in every aspect of society. Non-violence and integrity have to be inculcated. We have to fight against corruption.Q:
Is there a way to understand the course of karma?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Gehana Karmonogati - who knows the way of karma? It is so deep. Even great sages get confused over what is karma and what is to be done. It is never ending. Every action will have some flaw.There is no one standard to measure it. Jains had put Krishna in hell because of his sins of creating many wars. Then they saw his good deeds and put him in heaven. Do karma according to the intellect. An action which inspires you with enthusiasm and energy, even if it has flaws is worth doing. Leaving your karma by sitting idle is inappropriate.
There is some flaw in the best of the action. For instance, a teacher earns his salary by teaching students. If children were born wise there would be no need for teachers.
A doctor’s job depends on someone’s illness. Lawyers would not be required if there were no quarrels. Their sukh (joy) depends on others’ fights. In every interaction, you will see some flaw. If you focus on the flaws everywhere, the world will not work.
Be gungrahi (imbibing virtues) - put your attention wherever there are positive qualities. The wise give inspiration to everyone for their work. There is no big or small work - every work is respectable.
Q:
Guruji whenever any problem comes, we keep aside all Gods and pray to one particular God. Don’t you think the other gods will become angry?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is a shloka - Sarve deva namaskara, keshavam pratigachchati.Like all the water ultimately goes to the ocean, whichever God or Goddess you pray to, it goes to the One only. Don’t worry God won’t be angry.
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