Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Whom should we pray to, you or God? Will you transfer our prayers to God or go to you directly?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Prayer is innate. It’s not something that you do with your mind or is in your mind. It’s something that happens automatically when you need help. Do not make an effort to pray. Relax. There is only one God who works through everyone. Whomsoever you address your prayer, it only goes to one God who is the cause of the Universe. Don’t worry about anything. Give me all your problems and go back happily.Q:
Why do some cry when singing bhajans, while others are strong enough to sing or chant without crying?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is natural to cry when the heart opens and tears flow. You’ve seen the video about the chakras, haven’t you? Grief and gratitude are in the throat chakra. When love moves up, gratitude comes. But different people get it at different times. So don’t look around and compare yourself to others and think that something is wrong just because others are crying and you are not.Q:
Guruji, in conferences in and out, usually a lot of people have stage fear, you know a lot of people have their minds really swaying here and there but you are always still wherever you go. You are always relaxed, so in such a state of awareness you answer everything. So how do you attain that state of being relaxed always?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Practice and dispassion.Q:
Shiva is the Lord of the Universe. Who does He meditate on? And why?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Shiva is not a person sitting somewhere. Shiva himself is meditation. Shiva is Shiva tatva. How do you experience it? By meditation. When you sit and meditate, you get in touch with the Shiva tatva deep inside you.Q:
First time when a human being was born, the consciousness was pure. When and how did it become impure Guruji?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, during the course of time impressions started piling up on the consciousness. Consciousness never become totally impure, its only impressions which are on top of it and that goes away with meditation, seva, sadhana and satsang.Q:
I heard this statement in a religion that we have come on this planet earth so many times that the amount of our mothers' milk we have drunk is, as much as, water in the ocean. Is it not too much? Have we really come here that many times on this planet earth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Never mind! Who keeps a count of how much you drink. There are better things to do. Every day you drink eight litres of water. The figure goes to 1,200 litres of water for a year. This is a conservative figure. If you’re forty years old – imagine how many gallons and gallons of water. And how many truckloads of food?This lifetime itself is a lot to count. Why bother about other lifetimes?
Q:
Dear Guruji, our souls are recycled through rebirth it is said, the population on the planet yet is increasing. Is it that souls from other planets are coming and joining us on planet earth or other creatures are taking human birth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Other creatures. Both are possible, both things are happening.Q:
vDear Guruji, I have told lies to someone using your name and every day I feel guilty about it. How do I get rid of this guilty feeling? I promise I will never do it again.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, that is done. You have promised and it’s done. Move on. I know many people have used my name that way and people also know. People take Guruji’s name and get their way through. So anyways, there is no point in regretting the past. You have taken the resolution you will not do that again. So move on, okay? Done.Q:
Dear Guruji, can Sudarshan Kriya change the DNA?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
YesQ:
Guruji, there are so many mantras. How do we know which mantra is right for me?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do Sahaj and whatever mantra your teacher gives you will be appropriate for you.
