Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
Guruji, will divine love take care of my worries? Will divine love cure the illness of my loved ones?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Divine love is not a currency that you can use for whatever you want. You cannot even use the same currency everywhere.Definitely, divine love will take care of you but don’t keep thinking about it as though that is the main problem. You know, love means letting go, not trying to grab. If you think god loves you, then god knows what is best for you. He doesn’t need your recommendation. You see what I am saying? Nature knows. It will take care of things. We do our best, leave rest to nature.
nQ:
Dear Guruji, I want to know if I bless another person does their negativity pass on to me? If so then what is the solution.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, don’t worry. Just say Jai Gurudev and that’s it.Q:
Guruji, the war against corruption has already started in the country. In this war you are Rama, Shri Ramdevji is Lakshman, and Anna Hazareji is Hanuman. But Rama is still not to be seen in the field yet?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You left Arvind (Arvind Kejriwal) out! I am inside everybody and I am with everybody. Arvind is the common link between those who are walking the path against this corruption. See, corruption is present in many levels of society; the first level of corruption is in the minds of the general public and that needs to be eliminated. We even give bribe to Devi and Devatas. We tell God if you do this work of mine then I will offer that to you, I will offer a coconut, I will walk the staircase of Vaishnav Devi. People asking for mannat or wishes, that too is one kind of corruption. But it is okay if sometimes a normal person just wants to give God something. Don’t say I will give if my work is done. Whatever you want to give God, give God and that is nice, but connecting it to our work or needs, that is wrong. This practice is prevalent in all religions, not just Hindu religion; it is in Christianity, in Islam and in Buddhist followers. This frame of mind that after my work gets done I will do this or I will do that is wrong. This should not happen. So if the general public stands up against corruption by not giving bribes, then how will anyone take? So first we need to fix those people who give bribes. Tell them not to give. We need to raise a wave of spirituality. That is when we will have more inner strength and that is when people will refuse to give bribes. When each one of you go back, each one of you will have to make at least 100 people take an oath that they will not give any kind of bribe to anyone. If you show some money to somebody, he remembers his wife and children and thinks let me take it. So it is important to stop the people who are giving bribe. Secondly, there are bribes that happen on the official level. Already there are many volunteers who are doing this practice, they go and stick a label on the desk of government officials that states ‘We do not take any bribe’. This has been started here but in many states it has not yet been started. It has not started in Maharashtra; wherever it has not started, there, we, volunteers must go to the desks of officials and stick a label on their desks that states ‘We do not take any Bribe’. If you go and stick this on their desk no officer can refuse you; stick it anywhere on the desk or chair or the door that here we do not take any bribe and so the people who give bribe will not give after reading this label. Okay, the third level of corruption, on the ministerial level, for that quite a bit of work is happening with the Lokpal Bill and Arvindji, Annaji, Swamiji, Kiran Bedi, everyone is working day and night for this cause. So the Lokpal, once it has been passed will bring about the change. But the bill alone will not work; awareness needs to be created in the society towards the bill, what it is and how you can be punished by the law if you engage in corruption. This is being done at the moment. So like this work needs to be done on all levels of society and most importantly the mindset of the people needs to change and that will happen with the help of spirituality only because corruption starts there where belongingness ends. Nobody will ever ask for bribe from their family or own people. And the means through which we can spread belongingness is spirituality and this we will have to do. In everyone, we have to instill this belief that whatever is yours you will get. You work hard and be self-sufficient and stand on your own two feet. Whatever is yours you will earn. This way, this inner strength and awareness needs to be awakened in people, yes! With this we need to bring a big change in the country. Now see, in Tamil Nadu there was so much corruption, before the elections, people were given money and made to promise by their children to take it and then these people take the money and give that candidate the vote. I arranged for people to go to each district and tell the people take the money but don’t give them vote because they are giving you your own money back. They are such poor people so they will take it. But I told them not to give a vote in exchange and don’t worry about the sin, give the sin to me and I will bear all the sin, no problem. And we were successful in Tamil Nadu. We were lucky that the election commissioner very strongly stood by us and gave his agreement and support. But each and every one of us have to work. We have to go to each village and bring this awareness that we are against corruption, and we need to bring a big change in the way society thinks and feels. Each person should feel that we need to move together, taking everyone with us. There are so many different kinds of people, beliefs, communities, we need to embrace everything and move together. We must not say, ‘Only my way is the correct way', no. The beauty about India is even though there are so many different communities, religions and beliefs, we respect all of them and together in unison we are moving forward.Q:
It is said that practice makes a man perfect, but nobody is perfect, so why practice?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Why practice? Because anyways, nobody is perfect. Yes. You eat food, and then the stomach gets empty and then again, you eat and then again, the stomach gets empty and then again you eat. So then, why eat? If the stomach keeps getting empty, then no need to eat at all.Q:
If someone has wronged me, should I try to take matters in hand and attempt to punish that person or leave it up to the nature to set the record straight?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Of course it takes more effort, courage, intelligence to set somebody right. If you have the patience, do it. And if you feel it’s costing you too much, it is getting on your own nerves,then leave it to nature.Q:
There have been lots of questions about choosing Gurus etc.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
My advice is follow one path, but honour everybody.Why should you follow one path? If you go to different teachers, you will get different opinions. One person will say chant ‘So Ham’, another will say chant ‘Ham Sa’. Another will say, ‘No no, chant ‘Dasoham’ (I am a servant). Another will say ‘Sada soham’. So this will create spiritual confusion.
Stick to one path and try it for some time. If it is not getting you anywhere, then reconsider. Spiritual shopping will not help in your growth.
Listen to the Yoga Sutras, Ashtavakra Geeta and Narada Bhakti Sutras.There is no need for confusion even if you were following another path earlier. Take that as a gift, as a stepping stone that brought you here.
Q:
I am scared to talk to people.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You are talking now to everybody. Yes, for today it has gone, okay.Q:
This is my first meditation course. So far, it’s much better than I expected. I am worried because I would like to meditate all the time. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You will get going home instructions. Have fun. Take life lightly and seriously too. If you take life all serious, it is very boring. If you take it as all fun, it becomes frivolous, superficial. You should have depth. Life should be silence and celebration, a combination of both. Be dispassionate, totally centred and totally passionate to bring transformation. Passion for transformation and dispassion for momentary pleasure – these two can make you a very, very deep person. If you walk this path, you will have no dearth for anything, all will happen at the right time.Q:
How do I change failure into success?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just move on, move forward. Don’t look back. Failure can only be in the past, never in the future. Again, it’s about understanding the event. If you see it from a broader perspective, you will see it better.Q:
Today we did meditation in motion. It was so painful. Have you done this?(laughter).
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, it’s blissful! After every pain comes bliss.