Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
When clothes get smaller, we recognize physical growth. How do we recognize spiritual growth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Very easily. It depends on how you go ahead in every situation, especially bad situations. Do you deal with the situation with courage, and peace? If so, then, that is sign of your spiritual development. The more you smile, and the more you are happy, the more you are spiritually developed.Sometimes, in spite of doing a lot of sadhana, you get angry, and then you tend to think that you have not developed spiritually.
Don’t blame yourself. Even though you get angry, it is not the same as before. Earlier your anger would remain for long, now it subsides. To other people, you look the same but if you look within, the anger comes and goes away quickly. Earlier it used to take five years, now it takes five minutes to go away. This is our experience. That is why you should not blame yourself when you get any negative sentiments. Witness the feeling and let it go. With practice, the consciousness becomes stronger.
A plant has to be watered but when it grows into a tree, it is no longer necessary. Similarly, if the inner consciousness becomes stronger, all these vikaar (distortions) get erased.
Vishranti vikar mita (Deep rest removes negativity). That is why people are jailed. They are tired of doing bad deeds, so we let them take rest. When they rest, the negative thoughts get destroyed. There is no rest deeper than meditation.
Q:
We get good ideas during meditation, but we can’t write them down. What should we do to remember them later?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You must accept that the idea is there, inside your mind. It will come up when you need it. Accept that the idea is in a safe locker inside your mind. You can take it when you need it.Q:
Does our past life karma decide who we meet in this life? In this life, are we meeting the people we knew in our past lives?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, perhaps.You know your mind always wants something new and the heart look s for something old. That’s why fashion is a topic of the mind. You want the latest technology, and the latest fashion. But if you like someone, then you believe that you have known them forever. The heart always takes pride in the old. That is why love is always considered as something old, or ancient. You have been there forever. You never say, “This is a fresh love of mine today.” You say, “Old is gold.”
So heart, or emotions take pride in the ancient, and the old. The mind always takes pride in the new, the fresh, and the latest.
Q:
God is in the details, but we should also have a broad outlook. How do we combine the two?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is happiness in detail. When the heart is heavy, and the head is like a stone, there is no place for subtlety or details. When the heart is light, then you experience love, and happiness. There is no subtlety in sorrow.Being light is being dense, and being dense is also being light. When you go deep in meditation, you will experience both density, and subtlety. That is why so many processes are required to go deeper within you.
In surrender, we feel subtle. Love is subtle, and work is dense. After lunch, we experience heaviness. In the morning we feel fresh, and subtle.
Q:
What should we do if we find opposition from our parents towards our spiritual practices?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do well in your studies, and they will allow you. Maintain a balance. Don’t be bookworms, then you would have no experience of the real world. You could gain a doctorate but become practically good-for-nothing. You can’t even handle simple human relationships. You become completely cut off from interaction with people, and are unable to gel with others. You are unable to contribute to society. You should be good at academics but be social, spiritual, and emotional beings too. Connect with the world. Don’t be caged in a box somewhere. This is very important. That is why, add a little bit of seva(service), and spiritual practices to your subjects of interest. They will always complement you. This would make your parents understand.Today a lady called me, and said: “My son meditates in the morning, and evening. What will happen when he gets married? What will his wife say?”
I told her that these concerns are to be discarded. The mother agrees that her boy has changed tremendously after meditation. She is worried about how his wife will accept this. This is a wrong concept – that one should not meditate, and that they should be ‘normal.’ Normal for them is really abnormal. We need to educate them.
Q:
We believe that even a leaf falls due to God's will. If everything in this world happens due to God's will, then why does God give us unhappiness?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You always have the choice to do good or bad. The fruits of your deeds are good or bad according to the choice you make.Don’t cry if you make a mistake. Just learn from it, and move ahead. But, don’t repeat the same mistake - that’s foolishness! At least be smart enough to make new mistakes.
Q:
What makes a person truly secure?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Faith in one’s abilities, and faith in the righteousness of the laws of nature. Have faith that you are supported by nature. And you will succeed. If you fail ten times, you will get success the eleventh time. You must have this faith. This comes by conviction, not any practice. You should say, ‘I will succeed, I refuse to accept failure.’Q:
Where are Shiva and Krishna (Hindu Gods)?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Shiva, Krishna is in everyone of us. Krishna is a tatva – celebration, joy, love, mischief. Everything that is inside you, inside me.In the Bhagvad Gita, Krishna says:
Yo mām paśyati sarvatra sarvam ca mayi paśyati
tasyāham na pranaśyami sa ca me na pranaśyati
Krishna says, “One who sees me in everything and one who sees everyone in me, I will never be out of sight for such a person.”
That what you all are going to do – dive into that inner space.
Shiva and Krishna are different aspects of the One jyoti (flame), one aspect.
Q:
I am 23 years old. How do I know when should I listen to my heart, and head?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
For work, use your head; for seva, use your heart. For business, use your head and lock your heart at home!Q:
Does God sleep, and get tired of us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
God sleeps only in India. Here, as we know that God is sleeping, we don’t have any fear. We believe that since God is sleeping, we can get away with anything.This is a very deep topic. God is sleeping, and you are awake. Yet, you wish God a Good Morning, sing Suprabhatams, Balaji Suprabhatam, do Devi jagran. Scholars have established this –Humanity wakes up first and then they awaken God. This is a unique ritual among humans. Yet, there is something very subtle in this. These rituals signify that:
In a stubborn individual, awaken humanness.
In a human being, awaken the Divinity.
Like a seed that sprouts into a bud first, and then a flower, a human being blossoms only when humanness, and Divinity is awakened.
God is present in every cell of your body. We think God is resting because he is tired. But no! Lord Vishnu (a Hindu God) is depicted lying down, and a lotus comes out of his navel, followed by Brahma. Creation came later, first the strength to nurture was born. (In Hindu philosophy, Vishnu is considered to be the Sustainer of the Universe.)
Many people believe that God is tired after working. No, no! For God, creation is effortless. Like for a housewife, making tea is effortless – she can talk, sing and still make the tea.