27 January 2014 - QA 3

Gurudev, in the world there are many paths to enlightenment. Please tell me the definitive way to be free.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

That's what I am doing, I think! I thought I am just telling you the definite way to be free! What is bothering you now? <br>
Read this book '<i>An Intimate Note To A Sincere Seeker</i>'. When you feel bothered, when the negative emotions take over, then you feel stifled and uncomfortable. How to handle the negative emotions? There are six of them, excessive lust, greed, jealousy, anger, arrogance and attachment or delusion. The mind is entangled, it is not giving you any joy but you cannot get away from it because getting away from it becomes even more painful, this is called delusion. We call it <i>moha</i> in sanskrit. It means an attachment, like something stuck in the throat. You can neither spit it nor swallow it. Such a situation is called <i>moha</i>.

<p>There are a number of ways to handle these negative emotions. If you can handle these emotions, that's it. Then you are free! And pranayama, meditation is one of those ways. </p>