Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

This is what Lord Gautama Buddha said, ''Karmas can be erased through Dhyana, through meditation', through Sharanagathi'' Q: In this selfish world why should I only have broad vision?Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Good and bad things happen in the world. But our consciousness can gain from all these situations. Like, when there is rain or too much of heat (sun), you take an umbrella and protect yourself. Same way, awareness, knowledge, devotion is that umbrella to protect you from all unpleasant situations. Peace and love are the foundation on which we progress individually and collectively and for the nation and for the world. You know, the word Pooja, - Poo means fullness and ''Ja'' means that which has come out of fullness. When your heart is full, you say gratitude to God: how do you say? with flowers, you tell God, ''my heart is blossomed like this flower'' . The world is made up of five elements - ether, air, fire, water and earth. Ancient people used all these five elements. Chanting or sound is space element, burning some incense is air element, camphor and lamp is fire element, and then water and earth element, different types of flowers, fruits, milk, curd, honey all these things are used. With the chanting you create the inner vibration all around us. Ancient chanting is there since thousands of years. What is the chanting? Namo Namo Namo, Mana is mind, the mind which goes outwards, when mind turns inwards it becomes ''Nama'', Namo means mind inwards. Oh Divine, you are in the child, you are in the aged, you are in the tree, bird, water, stones. You are in sun, moon, you are everywhere, there’s not a bit of creation that is devoid of You, and I adore you, dissolve in You and merge in You. Like camphor my life burns and dissolves in You. Like incense, my life spreads fragrance all around. Like flowers, I blossom and bring joy to everybody. Like fruit, all my actions become fruitful, let my intentions become fruitful. Like water, let us always we be humble. If water is poured, it goes to the lowest point. Isn't it? Like that, humility - let me take the lowest point to serve the society. Let me be like fire that always goes up, let my enthusiasm always go up. You do ''Aarathi'', having a lamp and say let the light of my life always be around God, around divinity, let it never go down, let the enthusiasm always go up and bring joy to everybody's life. This is what is called Pooja. With these feelings, with these simple little actions we do Pooja. And when ''deepa aarathi'' is brought, everyone takes meaning ''let me receive the knowledge in my life'' (while saying this Sri Sri is demonstrating how we receive the Aaarathi). Let the light that is the symbol of knowledge come into my life. Let me not be in darkness, let there be light in my life, so, I accept this beautiful light of wisdom in my life. And then you take the Mangala aarathi. And then little water is given, you sip that saying let my heart be cool, let there be pleasantness inside. And this is the universal message of gratefulness that is what is called Pooja, dawning out of fullness. If you go to any religious program, everywhere these feelings are there. Like, lighting a candle is in Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, everywhere we light a candle and keep it in front of Buddha statue, incense is lit and flowers are offered around Buddha. The same is done in Church, light a candle and keep in front of Lord Jesus Christ or Mother Mary. Offering of fruits is done in Buddhism, isn’t it? It is more of inner feeling that is important, more important than the external act. Just doing a ritual is not sufficient enough, it has to be meditative. It has to come from our feeling level. Today's Pooja is to bring health, happiness and peace to every individual especially in this continent to all those who have suffered to give them more strength and to eliminate all those negative vibrations and of pain and suffering and to bring peace and happiness to every single person and to clear the entire atmosphere in the country to bring more peaceful, loving and joyful atmosphere. This is the sankalpa/ intention we are taking today for the Pooja. After Rudrabhishek, satsang followed.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Why are you asking this question? Next you will ask me if you are a human being or a mouse! (Laughter). Duty is that which pinches you, which calls for action. When you don't do it you feel unsatisfied. Your feelings, Society will tell you what your duty is.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Guruji gave blessings and said every human being is a book in himself or herself- a novel. If they are on the spiritual path it’s a happy ending. If not, it’s a tragedy. In a library we get all books- the whole world is a library. Human race is part of this library. There is only one author for all these books and HE is flooding the market and there are no takers! Only a few, who are awake, see that these are all stories. A few Bhaktas(devotees) recognize this & rejoice. And you are one of those few. If you think you are not, become one right away. You have a lifelong membership for the library.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You want to leave the work of the Guru incomplete in this life time? You want to be stuck in this lifetime & leave the remaining knowledge to the next life? Then you don’t need a Guru in this lifetime!

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Because lies cannot withstand a test. One who has not studied will not go for the exam. One who has prepared for IAS will go to take the exam. When you have the confidence that you will pass, you will succeed, then you will be ready to take the test. That which emerges successful after going through the tests and trials is the truth.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

To control inflation, there should be no wastage. More people need to take interest in agriculture. You should not waste food. Keep only that much amount in home that you need. Drop the habit of keeping vegetables for next few days. Earlier people used to eat fresh food. But now because of refrigerators people have started to store food in it. You know this refrigerator has caused inflation (Laughter). Change this refrigerator habit and go for fresh, fresh.
For population, it has a positive side. It’s due to the size of our population that our culture, heritage has survived. The large number of population in India is a blessing. At other places like Australia, England where there is less population the culture is getting wiped out. The regional population is negligible there. Even 200 years of British rule can’t destroy our culture. The main reason for this is population.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Adhyatama/Spirituality is that which you know yourself, that which uplifts your Atman/Self.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Check to see how aimless your life was before knowledge. When you do so, you’ll realize that knowledge has transformed your life. Superfluous interest in knowledge will make your life aimless. With deeper interest in knowledge you’ll find life is so purposeful. If you think “what about me, what about me”, life is useless, you may as well put it in garbage. Knowledge gives life direction – then you find life is so purposeful.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

How do you know when to sleep, and when to eat? When you get tired, you know you need sleep, when you get hungry, you know its time to eat. Like that everyday take a break to be in meditation then you become recharged and can work better.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, definitely they will be solved. For all our problems to be solved, two things are needed: one, is our effort (purushartha) and the other is Grace (krupa). God is within us. We are the embodiment of absolute consciousness (chaitanya swaroop). There is nothing separate from us. It is within us, in our form. What we do outwardly, to do pooja, is to create an atmosphere. But the purpose of all this is to be bring the vision inwards to the self.