Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

At the time of death, divine beings escort the soul with respect and honour. If someone has committed bad deeds in life, yama doot drags the soul away. Association with the enlightened brings honour and respect. Like a chief guest in a program is welcomed respectfully, and an uninvited guest is thrown out. The treatment we get in subtle world is same as the treatment we get in the earthly world. So if we leave with contentment, we are taken to other world respectfully

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You want to know? Why do you want to know? This wanting to know is mind. Are you listening? The listening faculty is mind. Through ear the consciousness hears, through eyes it sees, through nose it smells. That which experiences the world through the senses is mind. Got it?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There are several kinds of tantras. ‘Vaam tantra’ employs evil spirits, and ghosts to accomplish one’s ends. But that kind of tantra will not work wherever there is saatvikta, knowledge and devotion (bhakti). You all meditate, do pranayama and chant mantras. In your presence that kind of tantra will be ineffective. Incidents such as Lord Ganesh drinking milk are phenomena of the subtle world – some divine energy displaying its power and influence to arouse and awaken people. Some taantriks who perform small, little miracles go through a lot of suffering afterwards. They are unable to stay happy. These taantriks attain minor occult powers (siddhis) by subduing spirits of the netherworld (Karna pishaachi – ear demons) that allow them to impress gullible people with their ability to read their thoughts and concerns. However the advice that such taantriks give is highly inaccurate and unreliable. How many people have experienced this? (A few in the audience raise their hands.) Some tantric can describe your past accurately but are unable to predict the future correctly, and only 10-20% of what they say is true. My advice is that if you come across something like this, keep your distance (DSN, door se namaskaar!). Don’t get entangled in it. Twenty five or thirty years ago, there was a man in west Delhi who would tell people to blow on a blank sheet of paper, dip the paper in water, and pull it out with something written on it – usually questions and concerns in their minds. Someone from the satsang proposed that I also meet him. So I went. He asked me to blow on a sheet of blank paper which he then dipped in the water; but when he pulled it out, the paper was still blank!! The man was amazed, and fell at my feet, and began to perform aarti. I said to him, ‘Don’t exploit this siddhi (occult power) to deceive people. Instead inspire them to follow the path of goodness and virtue. Advise everyone to meditate, sing bhajans and perform seva. If your powers can benefit others, definitely use them.’ These powers can be labelled as neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’. It is all divine play. Do not condemn anything – this is my policy. Do not get involved too deeply in these affairs. If there is some knowledge to be gained or any blessings, take it and move on.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You know mothers like you can contribute. Mothers like you, few of you can join together. If you talk to principals in various schools, colleges, in your free time; take a little time and do this seva, do this service - that would be even better. Our approach, any way we are doing, it has its limitation. People think we have an ulterior motive. Oh, they want to increase their...whatever. They may need something for themselves that is why they are doing. They don’t realize we are doing for the sake of the children and for the sake of our society. So we will do that, we are anyway doing. We have done here in Karnataka, all the second year engineering college students in Maanyavati college project, twenty two thousand of them. It was one of the best projects because the youth had such a transformation, just engineering college students. But they should do it for all the students in all the degree colleges, all levels, but for that you all have to write to the government, and the education department.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See, the karma which is done not for gain but for a larger good, in the larger interest of the society, which is good for mankind, does not become karma. That’s why that type of karma is called Yagna. So 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhana’, other karmas are bondage. But karmas done for the betterment of society or service of God does not become karma, they are called Yagna.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Okay, you want to really change? You start right away. First of all you remove this label that you have put on your head.' I am shy and rigid', who said you are shy and rigid? Come on, you don’t know yourself, accept it. If you think you are shy and rigid, your own thought is making it a reality. You are sowing the seeds - I am shy, I am rigid. So the seed you have sown will make you become that. So, right now, from today, you admit you don’t know your mind, you don’t know yourself. You were shy and rigid in the past, but no longer, not this moment. You must take this step. Remove this label that you have put, ‘shy’ and ‘rigid’. Leave it label-less for some time and see what happens.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

It was good no? Devi Puja is so nice. See the corn is hard, but when you put it in the popping machine with a little butter and little salt, what happens? The corn pops up and becomes popcorn, fluffy and very nice. Similarly within everyone, every individual, the energy (Shakti) is there. In Puja, what happens? Shakti blossoms, gets up lifted and opens up. There is no place that is devoid of Shakti. But in many places it is sleeping. Here in Devi Puja it awakens it up. Devi energy (shakti) is there within all of us. Devi is not somewhere else, not in some other world. It is within us - Devi Shakti. To make that Shakti grow stronger is called Puja. If we sit deep in meditation, the glow within the body will brighten, and will expand and spread outside. That is Devi Puja.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If you have satisfaction right now that is enough. While coming into the world, we come with desires. While leaving, if you leave with satisfaction and fulfillment, you will have a good life. If you have good thoughts in the mind, you will get a good life. You don't have to worry at all.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Drop (the word) 'always'. When it is possible, stay in Sakshi bhaav, that is enough. It is (the word) ‘always’ that creates complications.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Just that ‘Sadh’ is prefixed to Guru. It makes no difference. It is just a name and both are one and the same.