Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
What is the significance of Swastik?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Swastik is an ancient symbol. Jainism and Buddhism have used this symbol. The Sikhs have also used it. The Swastik symbolises the cyclic nature of time, cyclic nature of the Universe, the four yugas (ages) and the four Vedas. Swasti means health and established in oneself. Swastik is the symbol of the Self, of auspiciousness, of peace.Q:
In general, it is seen that those who have money don’t have a generous heart and those who have a generous heart don’t have money. Is there a fight between the Goddess of money and love?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, you can have both! Money is not some currency kept in bank. It is the satisfaction that one has. If you feel you are rich, you are. I have seen people with bigger lakhs (millions) have lacks!Q:
Why are there so many religions?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Unless there are opposites, you cannot even know this - that there are differences. So many religions are there, so that you can learn how to live in peace. If you don’t know disturbances - you will never know peace. You know that opposite values are … (Audience says: “Complementary”)Q:
It is easy to do seva. I love doing seva even when it is hard. My question is: Why is it hard to finish college when everyone tells me to do it? I know it is important to finish. How to induce commitment to do it?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just do it. For some things, there is no 'how'. If I tell you to open your eyes, you just do it. If I tell you to open your mouth, you just do it! (laughter)Q:
I wish to surrender all my powers. Help me to have a vision of the Infinite (Brahma Darshan).
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Brahma ka darhan nahi hota hai, Brahma hi toh darshan karta hai - the Infinite cannot be seen as it is the Infinite that sees. The seer is Brahma. Do not try to have a vision of it, just be at peace. Surrender the desire and be at peace.Do that which has to be done, leave that which has to be left and be at peace. Be at peace before doing something and be at peace after doing something. Anyhow keep your mind peaceful.
Q:
How to deal with the fact that one didn’t get any support from the family. My mother was against her children. I try to find a way in life for twenty years and it doesn’t seem to be possible.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You know, your mother and father have been a doorway for you to enter onto this planet. So, you have come through the doorway. Thank the doorway, honor the doorway, but don’t go on putting all the blame on them. Don’t blame them. They had only that much knowledge, that much love. They gave that much. If you have more knowledge, more love, you give it to others. Why say: Why didn’t my mother love me? She had her own problems, she must be blocked with so much worry and tension. She was not as privileged as you are. You know, you are much more privileged, because you got this knowledge. You had a chance to know what true love is. Not everybody has this opportunity. Isn’t it? So, just have compassion for her. Suppose, if she also had same knowledge just like you, and has been so sensitive towards her children, she would have expressed it. If she lacks sensitivity, she couldn’t express love, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have it. So, have compassion for her.You know, there are four attitudes:
· friendliness for people who are happy,
· compassion for those who are miserable,
· happiness for those who are doing good work
· indifference with those who are doing bad work, bad things in life.
With this attitude our mind is saved. The most important thing is to save your mind at all cost. Remember that. We hear all the slogans, save the environment, save water, food, earth, trees. Nobody talks about saving your mind.
Your mind is being bombarded by so many things around, so many stimuli, so many things from every side. And gets into a mess and keeps reeling.
Just wake up and see what is in life? It is nothing. What do you do? You take a paid job, you earn money all day, come home, spend money on weekends. That’s it. And have fights, love, then fight again, and then you die. Life is finished. And you don’t even get bored, because it is so boring. You don’t even realize it is so boring, because you haven’t seen anything better. If there is anything better and that is all you see, that is what you will do. There is nothing better in life to do, no goal, nothing.
You feel such pity, ‘Oh my God, what a waste of human life.’ This human body has been given to us, we have attained this body to know, to realize something stupendous, something much bigger, something deeper, something vast. If we are not introduced to the vast space within us, if we don’t know about it - what kind of a life is it then? It is a baseless life. There is no support, no base. Isn’t it?
Spirituality is what gives you depth, which gives depth to life, which makes life vast, which gives you direction, which can eliminate all the sorrow and suffering and bring you fulfillment and joy. Isn’t it?
You know, we must realize how fortunate we all are. We are very fortunate. What we have to be concerned about is about people being happy and that they get the knowledge and the depth in their lives.
Aggression is not our nature. We don’t do anything aggressively. We gently keep enlightening people as we walk along our own path. There are so many people who are longing for this knowledge.
Q:
It is said that there is a different Veda (scripture) prescribed for every individual. What is the connection and how does it work?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
At one time, people had divided Vedas into branches. Each group chose a different branch and learnt them by heart to continue the practice and preserve the knowledge in its pure form.‘Tripathi ‘was used as a title for someone who has mastered three Vedas. ‘Dwivedi‘was used for someone with knowledge of two Vedas and ‘Chaturvedi ‘for a master of the four Vedas. It was a title like MS and MD. One had to read at least one branch of the Vedas. There is a connection of Vedas with families but you can choose to study any.
Q:
How to control HIV?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The awareness campaigns have already brought HIV under some control. Education is the only way you can stop it. Medical education as well as spiritual education has to be emphasized. Pranayama, breathing exercises, learning about the breath and meditation can arrest promiscuous tendencies to a great extent.Q:
If someone is very stressed, how do we explain the benefits about the Art of Living program?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just tell them, ‘Hey, I want you to do something, just sign here.’They need a little push and encouragement. When stressed, logic does not work, the mind will not work, and clarity will not be there. Decisions are never correct in that state. So they just need some help.
Q:
Do ratnas (stones) have an effect on us?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, everything in the world affects every other thing but the power of the mind and mantra is the greatest.