Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Q:
When will I get freedom?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
First understand what freedom is. Drop whatever burden you feel in the mind. Quieten the mind.The mind will say: ‘I want this’, ‘I want that’ - drop everything.
Have the sankalpa: I am happy, contented and don’t need anything.
When you are free, bliss follows you.
If you are chasing 20 desires, there is no freedom.
Q:
How do deal with someone who hurts me and makes the same mistake again and again?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
To forgive does not mean that you allow yourself to be made a fool again and again. Deal with the situation with compassion.Q:
I am centred on the Divine, yet there is restlessness, though on the outside everything seems perfect.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
In every seeker’s life there comes a time when the heart is at unease, and there is restlessness. In the West, it is known as the “dark day of the soul”. There comes a time when satvik shakti (positive energy) is less and rajogun and tamogun are high, that leads to the restlessness. There are three kinds of taap (penance) and one such taap is known as adhyatmic taap (spiritual misery). Yet it is for a short while. Therefore satsang is very important, especially when you don’t feel like doing it.Once in twelve years a lack in spirituality comes up. There will arise a doubt on the self, the path and the Guru. This is what the Scriptures say.
Therefore the Kumbh festival takes place once in twelve years and all the saints get together to clear all their sins. This tradition is very old.
A place where seekers do satsang and where Vedas are recited - kalyuga* never comes there.
Q:
The Divine has given me everything. What can I offer as a gift to the Divine?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Keep this question with yourself – from time to time, the Divine will take the appropriate gift from you.Whenever you feel upset, hatred, anger, or any negative emotion, give it to the Divine, and be happy.
Spread the knowledge, and happiness to other people. The happiness, faith, and devotion you have, whether it is a spark or a flame, should spread to other people so that they experience the same joy, and happiness in their lives.
Q:
Why are we here back on earth if we have to eat, breathe, sleep? What is the purpose of life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What is the purpose of life? Make a list. Your purpose is not to eat, breathe, sleep. (laughter) Your purpose is not to watch TV, die, fight. Your purpose is not to be selfish. If you go by elimination, you will find the purpose.Q:
What does the symbol of Natraja signify?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Natraja is a very beautiful symbol of the union of nature and the Divine. Natraja holds fire in one hand, representing the fire element. A damru* in his other hand depicts the space element. Many forces in the universe are represented by a shape similar to that of a damru, like a chromosome, or shapes of galaxies and so on. Time also is said to have a conical representation. ∞ is the symbol (shape of the damru) which represents infinity.Shiva’s hair is open and flying representing the air element. One foot on ground symbolizing prthvi (earth element), another in the air. One hand is the symbolic abhaya hasta offering protection and the other points to his feet symbolizing surrender. With one foot already in the air, he has already taken a step towards the devotee. He says “You are dear to me” even before beginning.
Even in the Bhagwad Geeta, Lord Krishna says to Arjuna - “You are very dear to me”. When you know that you are dear to someone, there is trust and love arises in the heart.
Shiva is dancing. Life should be like this. If both feet are stuck in the ground then you cannot dance. Even to walk you need to take one foot up.
The entire creation is full of bliss
The entire creation is dancing in bliss
The entire creation is longing for bliss
Natraja represents the Ananda Tattva ( bliss) that the whole world is longing for. Every atom in the world is filled with the potential for action yet it is at peace. Shiva, the principle of infinite peace and bliss is not inert. It is peaceful, yet dancing.
Underneath his feet, there is Apasmaar**. He is standing with his foot on top of desires. If desire eats us up then we are in trouble. Only when we rise above desires and we are dancing on it, then it is a dance of joy and bliss. This is not just imagination. This is the truth. This energy awakens within us and we rise in dance. This is true. The Divine energy pervading the entire creation is eternally dancing.
Q:
What is the difference between aradhana (prayer), and sadhana (meditation)?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
What is called sadhana for yogis is aradhana for devotees. The only difference is in the language usage.Q:
Are husband and wife really made for each other? How is this possible?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I am not qualified to speak on that. You should ask them(those who are married). Thats how, when they are in love with each other, they feel we are made for each other. When they get into trouble then they wonder whether their marriage is really made in heaven or is it made in hell.Q:
Isn’t it important to control population and inflation in this country”? How can we do that?
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.
Q:
Then why is religion the reason for so many conflicts?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I would say the differences should be celebrated. If you don't have distance you can't breed conflict out of nothing. Multiple cultures would bring in more tolerance, more learning and you have to relieve yourself from stress. We all need to create a stress-free and violence-free society. Actually violence is an outcome of stress. If someone hasn't slept well or is stressed they become aggressive. With the breath you can calm yourself. When the mind is calm and the person is happy it's impossible to commit crime. It's all in the mind. We don't learn anything about the mind at home or at school. We tell people don't be angry, don't get upset but we don't teach them how not to. This is how the ancient Indian teaching has helped people and should be available for everybody. It's so useful. A violence-free society. Disease-free body. Confusion-free mind. Inhibition-free intellect. Drama-free memory and a sorrow-free soul. This is the birthright of everybody.There is a lot of violence in the media and in video games. Every emotion is connected with the breath. If you change the breath, change the rhythm, you can change the emotion.