Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
How to deal with religious fanaticism in our families and communities?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This question does not have one answer. You have to ask this question repeatedly, and each time you will get a different answer for it which you must apply at that time. See, the answer to a question can be given correctly only once. This is not such a question, it is a journey. On the way, we can go forward and backward any number of times. How we can get rid of fanaticism, terrorism – we have to keep asking this question with an open mind and with a willingness to embrace every one, a sense of belongingness. Once there is a spiritual experience, no one can remain fanatical. The blind and ignorant are the only ones who can be fanatical. Conscious and wise men and women cannot be fanatical. Their minds are open, hearts melted, hands energized, with an enthusiasm to do seva.Q:
Guruji, on the spiritual path I feel I am very satisfied. Does my satisfaction mean that I have stopped growing, or is this not satisfaction?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, that is good. Satisfaction is needed but satisfaction should not make you sleepy, dull or take away your motivation. The best combination is having the dynamism and motivation to do, along with the inner satisfaction.Q:
They say the world will come to an end in 2012. What are your thoughts?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
In 2012 everything will come to an end - only in movies. No, no, everything will go on as usual. People will become more spiritual, more humane, things will be better, don’t worry!Q:
Guruji, forgiving someone’s mistake is a noble thing. But is it okay for someone to commit the
same mistake again and again?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Twist their ears, and if the same mistake is repeated, give them a slap. Sama (equality), daan (concession), bheda (disagreement), dand (punishment) are the four types of solutions to consider if mistakes are repeated. If nothing works, then pray sincerely for wisdom to dawn on that person.Q:
Guruji, should we have some criteria or minimum qualifications set as a prerequisite in order to become an MP or an MLA? What are the qualities we should look for to elect our politicians?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What are the qualifications to be a politician - this is the question. The ideal situation is when they don’t want anything for themselves but want to serve the people. The ideal situation is what – I am content, I have everything I need, now I want to serve the population, serve the people. This intention indicates that you are now capable or qualified to care for the society. This is the most ideal. The second is I will do my best in my capacity to represent people, take their voice and bring back what they want for themselves. Two things: you have to take their voice to the assembly and bring back to them what is needed by them.Q:
Guruji, so many people from around the world love you very much. What is the secret?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The secret is we are all humans. Won’t humans love humans? And when I go anywhere, I do not feel I am in a foreign land. All countries appear to be my very own and I feel a sense of belongingness with everyone.Q:
Guruji, when will inflation cease?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When corruption ends. Inflation is related to corruption. You would be surprised to know that we sell our sugar to the world for Rs.12 per kilo and in the domestic market for Rs.35 per kilo. Some employees of Air India came up to me in Frankfurt and shared that Air India used to operate a highly successful sector between Birmingham and New Delhi which was usually fully booked. This sector was responsible for bringing in considerable profits for Air India. But one day a minister came and terminated the flight services, why? So that he can allot this sector to another airline. The airline that was allotted this sector was unsuccessful in making this route profitable and went into a loss and now our national airline is also going into a loss. It is very unfortunate. Other countries are operating their flights within our country and turning in profits. Then why is our national airline incurring losses? We need to ask this question, don’t we? Our voices should be heard. This country has been ruined not because of bad people but because good people like us keep quiet.Q:
People raise children with the hope that in their old age, their children will support them. Is this not a selfish motive to bring children into this self-serving world?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, that is not necessarily true. Having children brings a certain joy to the parents. Also some people have children without any intention to have children! You cannot see this situation from such a narrow viewpoint. There is joy in having children. It is unfair to put everyone in the same category, that would be wrong. If anyone raises children in the hope of getting support in old age, that also would be a big mistake. There may be a few people who do like this, I don’t know. But most people want children for the joy and satisfaction of being parents. There are so many different kinds of people in this world, all are not the same.Q:
Can you have wonder without faith?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes you can have wonder without faith. But faith will come into your mind by itself.Q:
That means wonder will increase faith?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, it must be happening to you. So it is happening to you already. In devotion to God there are three things: Stuti (praise), upasana (being connected) and prathana (prayer).Praising the qualities of God, meaning viewing the wonderful creation of God and being wonderstruck by it. To realize the presence of a creator and say, ‘what a wonderful creation you have created oh Lord!’, and then praising the qualities of the creator that is stuti (praise). Just because you praise don’t think you are persuading God to grant you some favors. It is to hope that by praising, those qualities would come to you. Now see the boys who love cricket, they will also be cheering. Later on they will also become players, is it not? Will they be sitting simply in front of a cricket bat? They will be smart, is it not? They will also play. Similarly whatever qualities of God we praise it will come to us. Suppose we praise God as mother, then motherly qualities will come to us; suppose we praise valor and strength, then that will come to us. Do you understand? This way, whatever qualities of God we praise, at least a little bit of them we will acquire. Whoever praises someone as being generous can never be a miser? Then praise him for being patient, and then you will also acquire patience. You say, ‘see what a patient person he is’, then that patience we will also acquire; a little bit of that patience, is it not! When you say my grandmother and grandfather were very patient people, won’t you also get that quality of being patient? That is why when we are praising the qualities; those qualities will come to us. This is Stuti (praise) Upasana means to create a near or a close relationship. To think God is mine. See if you think it is public property, do you develop love if God belongs to everyone. See, the bus stand belongs to everyone; do you ever feel that the bus stand belongs to you? No. But if you think that this is our house, inside my house, this is my room then your attachment to that will be more, is it not? Assume that in your house there are 5 rooms and all the rooms have been painted well except your room. How will you feel then? You will feel dejected, is it not? If you are painting the house, you will insist on doing your room first. Why? Because you feel that room belongs to you. The same way, a close relationship is to be developed with God. To develop a close connection with God, through mother, through father, through Guru, through your favorite Godhead (idol, name, and symbol) is called upasana. Now prathana (prayer); what is prayer? It is a request to God to help you out in something in which you are deficient in. Make up the things in which I am deficient in. Then yes I am thankful to whatever you have given me so far, this is prayer.