9 June 2014 - QA 19

Gurudev, please elaborate upon the contradictory nature of truth.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If you go to any temple in India, not only will you see idols of Gods and Goddesses, but you will also see the idols of many demons (representing negativity and delusion).
Gods and Goddesses acquired their position because they were able to overcome these demons. If there were no demons, then how will they acquire their position? So whatever you find contradictory in nature are actually complimentary to each other.

Take milk for example, is milk good or bad? If you drink only as much milk as is needed, then it is good for you. But if you drink too much, then the same milk can cause indigestion also. So when taken in excess, the same milk can harm you.
In the same way, is poison good or bad? All medicines and life-saving drugs have a warning label written on them that says, if taken in excess they are poisonous. So poison can help in saving life, and it can also take one’s life. That is why it is said that these aspects of Nature may appear to be contradictory, but in reality they are actually complimentary to each other.
When you go deeper in knowledge then you will realize this.

A hero in a movie has some importance only when there is a villain also. If there is no villain in the movie, then the hero has no job, except to eat and sleep. When there is some mischief or some conflict that the villain creates, then all the talents and skills of the hero blossom and become evident.