Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Even after listening to knowledge, if attachment with a person arises and if it is not fulfilled will I have to take another birth?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The grip of attachment is released with kripa(grace), kaal(time) and seva(service). Assume that you already have grace and give priority to time and service. It is not that all your attachments and desires will be fulfilled. Whatever is needed and good for you will be given. That which is unimportant, an illusion of the mind be discarded - this should be your prayer.Q:
In the Bhagwad Geeta, Lord Krishna says, ‘Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya ...Sambhavami Yuge Yuge.’ Please elaborate on that.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The atma shakti (power of the Self) that destroys the evil and preserves the satva (purity) appears again and again. When we say that God is compassionate, it is not just words but the truth. The expression of compassion has to happen. Creation showers compassion on society. At different times God comes in different names, forms and qualities.It is there in all religions - Jews are waiting for their messiah. Christ said that He will return again. So, Christians are still waiting. Prophet Mohammed came and left. People are still waiting for Buddha and Krishna to return.
I would say, don’t waste time waiting. Explore the depth of your Being and you will realize that the Supreme Consciousness is not someone coming in the future but is here, now. Faith in this knowledge is the sign of a seeker on the spiritual path.
People fight in the name of God and the messiah. Feeling the presence of the Divine is the art of living.
Q:
What is the difference between Shiva and Krishna?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is no difference between Shiva and Krishna. The soul of Krishna is Shiva. When Shiva manifests in the world and expresses all the kalas (units of consciousness) is Krishna.The Brahmakumaris say that Shiv baba gave the Bhagwad Geeta. This Song (Geeta) can arise only from the space of Shiva through the body of Krishna.
*a small conical musical instrument
**a demon representing ignorance
Q:
How to attain silence?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
That is why you have come here. As your interest grows then silence deepens. Knowing what is permanent and what is changing is viveka (discretion). Thoughts are changing but the knowledge (learning) is with us.In a shop you buy a vessel. The vessel is permanent but not the milk, or the rice which you fill in it. Houses will stay but the people change. The people who built the Tanjore temple have gone but the stones remain.
In our life some things are permanent - love, vairagya (dispassion) are like this. Knowing this difference is viveka.
Q:
What is the importance of rangoli*?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is our practice. Keep clean, take bath, and make a rangoli. Those who come to see you, even before they enter your home, they see something beautiful. The environment looks beautiful. Little ants and insects enjoy the food that is used to make the rangoli. Look at the villages where the practice is not there - the roads look messy. These little practices energize the body also.Q:
What is the purpose of dreams?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There are five kinds of dreams:1. Dreams in which old experiences repeat in the consciousness.
2. The ones that display your desires and fears.
3. Intuitive dreams - that foretell what is going to happen.
4. The dreams which are not related to you but to the place where you are sleeping. For instance, if you are sleeping in China you may see dreams in Chinese.
5. This type is the mixture of all the other types.
99 percent of the dreams that you have belong to the fifth category, so it is wise not to give much importance to them. The wise believe this world itself to be a dream. Whatever we experience through the sense organs is the impression of the world on us. What you did a few hours ago is just like a dream in the present moment. It’s a memory. There is not much difference between a memory and a dream.
*Traditional colorful floor decorations
Q:
What is the benefit of Mantra japa?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Mantra japa definitely benefits you. Mantra increases mental power and energy. The seed mantra 'Omkar' is common in all Indian religions- whether it is Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism or Sikhism. You may chant Om Namah Shivaye.Q:
How to attain the power of vision that Sanjay had in The Mahabharata?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
By being centred. When you experience the depth of meditation then naturally you get knowledge. There is no effort involved, no roting of scriptures is required.Q:
In Sanskrit, each word has the meaning hidden in itself. So what is the meaning of Akshar?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Akshar means something that cannot be destroyed. Rice is also called Akshat because it cannot be destroyed. You eat rice and it transforms into the life energy and that leads to jeev (being) which again leads to life energy. It is always there in the body. That is why even a grain of rice is not destroyed.In physics it is said that an atom can never be destroyed. Our ancestors brought this truth to light millions of years ago. Then they said that not even a grain is destroyed. It may lose its form but is never destroyed. Shar means destruction. Akshar means that which cannot be destroyed. Like a seed we sow is never destroyed, it takes different forms and exists in space. Its vibrations are never destroyed.
Q:
Even after doing Seva, Sadhna and Satsang regularly why does doubt arise in the mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Our doubt is always about the good thing. We don't doubt someone's dishonesty but his honesty. If someone is honest we question if he is really honest. We don't ask is he really dishonest? We don't doubt a thief, we doubt a good man. Then we doubt the existence of God.*White string worn around the body