Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
The Art of Living Silver Jubilee celebrations were a huge function. When will we have another huge function again?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes we will have one, in another five years.Q:
Guruji, you said life is simple, yet why does it turn so complex? It is very difficult to make decisions. Why can’t we avoid things which are complicated?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Life is simple while people are complicated. Why can’t we avoid things which are complicated? We have too much time in life so we make things complicated.Life is very simple and life is very complicated! Both exist depending on the circumstances and our perception at that point of time. Life is a combination of both.
Q:
There are so many practices, so many paths. Which one should I choose?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yoga is everything together. Everything comes along with it.Sudarshan Kriya will help. This suits today’s young minds that are very busy with schedules all around, and can’t work with too many conditions. In a short time, with deep experiences and no side effects.
Q:
Guruji why is it that Sanskrit language that originated in India finds its second reference in Chicago? This is still the case.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are asking my question! We are giving away our ownership over Sanskrit..You know Dr. B.R. Ambedkar asked that Sanskrit be made our national language.It was seconded by Nasiruddhin Ahmed.
Malayalam contains 80 % of Sanskrit, Telugu 70%, Kannada 70%, Tamil 30% and Hindi 80%. Even many words in foreign languages are similar to Sanskrit: Swasa – Sister, Duhita – Daughter. However, we have lost the link somewhere and failed to establish the reputation of Sanskrit. You know what rain is called in Italian? Piyorja! The Sanskrit word is parjanya. They are so similar in many aspects.
Q:
I get caught up in my problems. How do I come out of this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you think your problem is big you are not looking at others’ problems. When you compare your problems with others, your problem starts looking small.Q:
Is it right if one’s parents do not appreciate the virtues of a child but compares demerits of the child with the good qualities of other children?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Once in a while it is ok. When the intention is that their child should learn, then it’s ok. But if it happens every time, then it is not ok.Q:
Craving and ego are troubling me. What to do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Be natural. Take things as they come.Q:
How to overcome low self-esteem?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Go and work in villages and slums, you will get your self-esteem back. Go and work for a week, ten days or even on a weekend. Teach some lessons to the children there and see how your self-esteem will come up.Q:
Is astrology a science?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, definitely astrology is a science yet that doesn’t mean all astrologers are scientists. (Laughs)Q:
Will the world be destroyed in 2012? Is that true?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
People used to say this in 1999 - that world will be destroyed before the Millennium. In fact, in Canada people stocked up six months worth of groceries (laughs).There will be a positive spiritual shift that will happen. You know, people are meditating in Terra Del Fiago (near South Pole) and in Norway (near North Pole) and chanting Om Nama Shivaya, becoming vegetarians and taking up Indian traditions.