Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
We become what we think. Especially for a devotee what he thinks comes true. But this power of thought is with the devotees only. When you become a devotee then you do not get bad thoughts. With devotion, all vikalpas go away.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Some say drop the ego, some say destroy it. I say, let the ego stay in your pocket. If you say you have dropped the ego, it becomes a very big ego. Let the limited ego dissolve in the Universal ego. Bhagwad Geeta has elaborated on this in great detail. There are three types of ego - tamasic, rajasic and sattvic. From tamsic and rajasic come to the sattvic ego. The sattvic ego automatically dissolves into Brahman in the state of samadhi.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It has come from birth. If you keep thinking about it, it will become stronger.The same vasana is transformed into joy and love. When there is contentment and masti, the lust automatically fades away. When the sun is shining, you don’t need a torchlight.
Atma rati - atma me rati lag jaye, ishwar me man lag jaye. (Mind settles into consciousness).
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
We give rise to others with our perceptions. If you look upon someone as a friend, that would be beneficial for you. If you take them to be your enemy, then that will happen.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you put natural things, then there is no pollution. They are bio degradable. If you put soap or plastic, it harms the water. Since centuries, in the forest so many leaves and fruits fall in water, but the water is not contaminated. But when we throw artificial things, the water gets contaminated.When we put bowls made of leaves, and garlands made of real flowers into water, it doesn’t get polluted.
It is interesting , one who is familiar with the real stuff, to him even the fake thing seems real.
And to the one who is familiar with the fake thing, even the real appears as fake. This is maya. What is real and what is unreal has to be found out. Therefore you need an inward eye (antar drishti). This is possible through yoga and meditation.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do either of the two things:Become such a devotee like Yudhishthir, who gets Lord Krishna who is full of cleverness or else become clever, awaken that element in you.
The world thinks you to be better than you actually are.The world thinks you to be less worse than what you actually are. If you think like this, then what you want, will happen. Whatever kind of sankalpa you release in the universe that kind of result will come to you.
Realize this now or later after a decade. Once you realize it, you will bow down to this Universal Self. Otherwise you will blame the world and become sad making yourself blemished. Some people indulge in self pity, “I am very good but people do wrong with me.”
Who says people did wrong? Who asks you to be stupid and be swept away in emotions? Some fall in love crazily, they talk so much and the other person doesn’t know how to handle it.
Wise know how to accept love and give. But everyone is not wise. We want everyone to behave like the wise but we behave like an ignorant.
a look at yourself. This is swadhyaya study of oneself. Swa – means self, adhyaya – means study. Swadhyaya doesn’t mean turning pages of books.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The real Radha doesn’t see anyone other than Krishna, how did you see other Radhas?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No no, it only seems so. It’s not real. A person who seems successful and happy despite doing wrong actually is restless in the heart. He can’t sleep peacefully, can’t eat with joy and his fall will be greater than his rise. Have faith that if I am doing good, then good only will happen. If you think otherwise, it is an illusion. But being good doesn’t mean one should be stupid, use your intelligence. One’s heart should be clean.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you want to quicken the pace then keep listening to knowledge again and again. Read at least one page of Yoga Vashishtha, Ashtavakra daily. Keep doing satsang, seva, satsang, meditation.Maya has long hands and the pull keeps happening. With the help of the rope, one to has walk away from the pull. Satsang, sadhna, satguru are all there for this only.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Open your ears wide and listen. You are a devotee and a true devotee. Don’t ever raise a doubt on this. The badness is imposed from outside. Inside you are one with the Truth. Your devotion is also true devotion. This is the way to think. Otherwise, the self doubt transforms into guilt and then you spoil your mind. Move with the belief that I am a true devotee. Hear this with open ears.Q- Krishna ki chaturta, Ram ki gambheeta (Lord Krishna’s mischievousness, the seriousness of Lord Rama) … Guruji, which way to follow?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:See there is no fight here. They came at different times, so that there is no competition. They came to tell us that, “We are all one”. Here there is no conflict of which is better which is worse, everything is essential. Each one has a style, place and time.
It is like you sing different songs for different occasions in life. In a marriage you don’t sing a song that is sung at funerals.