Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
You said that the past is a dream. People have been sexually, financially, spiritually abused. I have had nightmares about it. How do you say it can be dream?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Listen, people have gone through abuse. Practices like the Sudarshan Kriya, pranayama, and yogasanas will help them to erase those impressions and move forward. Along with the kriya, see the whole event as a movie, a dream. This understanding, without giving them the depth of meditation, is incomplete.This understanding and the practices complement each other. It’s like watching television and listening to it. You have to do both.
Q:
Today we did meditation in motion. It was so painful. Have you done this?(laughter).
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, it’s blissful! After every pain comes bliss.Q:
If problems come, we surrender them to you and relax. If at all, you face problems, what do you do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I take it as a challenge and I enjoy challenges!Q:
Dear Guruji, please tell us what significance rivers have on our culture or religion?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know rivers are considered very sacred. Rivers are very sacred in our culture. All our civilization grew on the banks of the rivers. All over the world, in England civilization grew on the banks of river Thames, in Germany it grew on the banks of river Rhine, all the castles are near river Rhine. So water is important to life. Without water there is no life. So in ancient times people had cities built on the banks of the rivers. In this country, all sacred penance also happened on the banks of the rivers. Each river is known for its own special events, like Ganga is known for knowledge. All the Rishi Munis did tapasya on the banks of Ganga. All the love stories blossomed on the banks of Yamuna. Sri Krishna played Rasa Leela on the banks of Yamuna. Narmada River is known for bhakti (devotion), knowledge and logic. Saraswati River is known for brilliance or architecture. Sindu is known for its own special culture; the Sindi culture blossomed on the Sind river banks. Brahmaputra River is the only male river, All other rivers are female. Because Brahmaputra was not gentle at all, it was never gentle, it was always a rogue river. It would change its course and cause so much sorrow so Brahmaputra was called a male river, a very arrogant, adamant river. So like that rivers are considered sacred and people never used to pollute rivers. When they go to rivers they would first bow down to the rivers and put their feet there but they would never spit in the river water. Even today villagers don’t spit in the river Ganga, so you don’t pollute the river. People would never urinate in the rivers, they would go away for the urination and when they come to the river they consider the water very sacred. Whenever you consider something sacred you preserve it, you honor it, and you see that you don’t pollute it. Today that is not the case. We have forgotten that and we throw everything in the river. What all people throw into the river, we must not do such things, we need to keep the river pure. All the dirt of the city is thrown into the river. From Gangotri, the Ganga River, by the time it reaches Kanpur, it becomes very dirty, not just Kanpur, even before that. After Haridwar the water is not clean enough to put it in our mouth, to drink it is not possible, that is what has happened. We must not do this, in the Ganga river we must only put things like raw rice or flowers but besides that nothing else. Plastics, cloths, and all these things we must not put in the river.Q:
Guruji, corruption has escalated so much in the country. We protested, Anna Hazare protested. Yet the government is doing its own thing. What should we do next?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes. I am also thinking about it. One thing you can do is expand awareness of our stance – ask ten people to speak to ten thousand. This way we can make people conscious, create awareness about it: a new battle for independence.Q:
Whom do you worship?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Meditation is the culmination of prayer. One parmatma, one divinity – is everywhere.Q:
Sometimes I am really successful in managing my thoughts, other days even with yoga, meditation, and kriya it doesn’t work. What can I do? Thank you
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Hmmm. You get too many thoughts? If your bowel movements are not okay then also the thoughts go haywire.Sopurifying the body through ayurveda - triphala would help. Second, pranayama, bhastrika, hard work, exercise, get on the treadmill and run, you know. Finally, let the thoughts be there. Why do you want to get rid of them? Don’t fight with them. They come and they go. Best not to meddle with them. Yes? The continuous thoughts that bombard your mind - logical thoughts are one side of your brain the other side of the brain is music. When you want to shift -sing, go into music. Activity in the other side of the brain - that should help. But if a particular fear or desire is affecting you again and again, offer that, surrender that to the Divine. That’s it.Q:
My mirror tells me everyday that I am maturing on outside. Which mirror should I use to measure the growth that is happening inside, my spiritual growth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
See, are you more calm, are you more fulfilled, satisfied? You feel a sense of expansion. Turn back and see how you were and how you are today. A simple reflection about yourself gives you an idea.Q:
Today we did meditation in motion. It was so painful. Have you done this?(laughter).
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, it’s blissful! After every pain comes bliss.Q:
My mind is alright but the problem I face is with my heart. My heart keeps troubling. Sometimes I can feel my heart is bleeding.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Read knowledge books. Listen to the knowledge talks. That’s why I have given a commentary on three types of knowledge talks. Patanjali Yogasutras – all about yoga and the mind. Bhakti Sutras which explain the different types of love. The Ashtavakra Gita which explain every aspect of life and awareness.