28 Dec 2010
Can you tell us how the time of the day and night affect our body and mind?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You have a mind and the mind passes through time. Why don’t you observeit! You have different moods in the morning, different moods in theafternoon, and different moods in the evening and night. Isn’t so?
Thereis alertness and wakefulness at sunrise. I don’t think anybody likes tolisten to romantic songs at dawn, dusk or afternoon. Unless you arenewly married or just fallen in love!
In the morning, the mind is in a state of knowledge, alertness and wakefulness.
It is action-oriented in the afternoon and in the evening, the mind is in a state of relaxation.
Onewho wants to be unhappy can be unhappy the whole time, and one whowants to be happy can be happy throughout the day. A fool will beunhappy all the time and the intelligent one will be happy in spite ofchanging moods. In the same way, seasons also affect the mind.
Definitely,the mind and time have a very unique relationship. If you havetranscended the mind, there is happiness throughout. An eternalcalmness and serenity dawns.
Why should we deepen our roots if in the next life time we are going to be born in a different religion or culture?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Thisis for now! Deepening your roots means getting well grounded. That’sit. It is not about any particular religion or culture. Deepen yourroots means - be grounded and stable.
The only mistake I make is that I keep on making mistakes. What should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is alright to make a mistake. Making a mistake is a part of life.Sometimes a mistake happens; it happens. Fine! Accept it and moveahead. The pain of making the same mistake again and again itself isgood enough to take you out of the same mistake. The pain and pinch ofsuffering will make you come out of that. But never justify yourmistake.
Life is so complex. How to stay simple like you?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Don’t recognize complexity. Keep your sight on the One. In Sanskrit it is said, “Antarmukhi sada sukhi”.If your mind is turned inwards, it will always be happy. What iscomplex? People’s mind! They are bothered about their complexity, whyshould you be bothered about the same? People are complex, and theywill come down. Have patience and compassion.
Why is my mind so restless during lunar eclipse?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is a remedy to all celestial phenomena! You know what? ‘Om Namah Shivaye’. The vibrations of the mantra create an armor around us and protect and energize the whole body – mind complex.
Whenever I see a good looking girl, I find myself in love. Is that love or infatuation?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well, time will tell you! First, find out whether they are in love withyou or not. If that matches, it is a different story. If it doesn’tmatch, that is a different story altogether. Either case, you willbecome mature. But don’t keep falling in love. Rise in love! In love,you don't expect anything in return. If you want something in return,don’t call it love. Then that’s need. In a relationship there is aneed, but there is no need in love. Love is your very nature. If itsounds too philosophical for now, just keep it in the background andrelax. One day you will understand, when your heart breaks or when yourealize you expected something too much, something will pop up from thebackground of the mind and try to save you.
If God is in all, why do natural calamities like tsunamis or earthquakes exist?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Suppose there is only a hero in a film and there is no villain! Whenthere are all kinds of thrill, only then the movie works. If it wouldhave been just a hero or heroin, they get married and live together,that’s it! How would the film be? This is all a play, a drama. So, allkinds of things keep happening.
Thesoul is eternal. This world is ever changing, different changes keep onhappening. Knowing this, just relax. Be of service. Where ever thereis a need, be ready to jump in that. Service is our very nature and wecannot live without it. Service should not be like a heavy weight, butjust like a flower petal – easy and natural.
In spite of spiritual inclination, some melodramatic tragedies keep on happening. Why is this so?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Tragedy is tragedy when you are affected. There is no explanation forsome phenomenon. Why accidents happen, why do people die? It is thesemoments when you say “Why me?” You know, the ‘Why’ in the mind isassociated with misery and the ‘How’ is associated with wonder and joy.
Whenthe question, ‘Why this problem only with me?’ arises in mind or itarises in some other’s mind, better don’t say anything. Just be! Noexplanation, no reasoning of that will suffix. You simply have to leavethose questions for those moments. Time will take you across. Time willmake you sail from that situation. Our tendency is to answer them orconsole them, but smile or a moment of silence will be better. Noexplanation. No reasoning, no theories will ever do anything. That iswhat I feel.
Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus. But why is there so much violence where Jesus himself was born?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
This is something very interesting. The place had violence before Jesusand it has violence after Jesus as well. This is something to bewondered about. This place has continuously seen bloodshed violence.Why? There is no answer. At least, I don’t know any answer. But if yousee history, even before Moses and after Moses, thewhole region of the middle East and Egypt suffered a lot, and have beensuffering continuously. Knowledge is most needed in that region.
There have been trend of ear piercing and nose piercing. But nowadayspeople have been into piercing all over the body. Is it alright?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Ear piercing appears to be scientific, because all the nerves thatcreate awareness in the brain end in the ear lobe. So, ancient peopleused to do so to create more attention. But I don’t know about theother piercings!
What is the golden rule of a happy married life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Well,I am not qualified to say anything, but let me think. Why don’t you sitwith those who are happily married? What I have heard is:
Before marriage: a couple is mad for each other.
During marriage: They are made for each other.
And then: They are mad at each other.
After while: They are mad because of each other.
Somebody has formulated this!
Onething I know, marriage is an institution of patience, sacrifice, caringfor each other and sharing. If one is upset, other should keep quietand wait for his/her turn to get upset. If both together get upset atthe same time, then there is a problem! But in front of kids, oneshould better be civilized.
Human beings will always be imperfect, then how does one see Godliness in a human?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Who says human beings are always imperfect? Inside human beings, thereis Godliness. Wake that Godliness up. Move from one perfection toanother and not from imperfection to imperfection.
Eitheryou can see fault with everything, like milk gets spoilt and becomescurd and then butter. You can see first milk gets spoilt and becomescurd, and then curd gets spoilt and becomes butter. You can talk aboutonly imperfections, or you can see progress from perfection toperfection.
