Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When anyone does something wrong he should be punished. But so that people do not do anything wrong, our Yuvaachaarya (youth leaders) are working towards these efforts. It is necessary to have a remedy for illnesses, but I am saying illnesses should not be there; to achieve this, all of you, Yuvaachaaryas, are working. In several villages you have demonstrated how we can successfully root out corruption, injustice, vices and misconduct, and how capable we are of making a village Self-reliant. The real work has been done by you.
The rest is like a two-day carnival - people will come, sit, lecture and leave, but you are the ones who work in the fields, ploughing out the fragrance from this land, making lotuses blossom, mining the pearls and diamonds and bring out the good qualities in people. This is the work we, our yuvaachaarya have to do. Three thousand yuvaachaarya were gathering here, so I decided to come today, and have set the whole day aside tomorrow as well. (The crowd cheers enthusiastically.) Look, there is so much joy in doing seva (service). Tell me, whatever you want, is it all getting done? How many of you get whatever you want? Many in the crowd raise their hands. This is the strength of spirituality. You just heard from Maharajji, that you can get comforts and conveniences, but inner peace and joy are extremely important. Without it all comforts and conveniences are of no use, they cease to exist. Now what are our country’s politicians doing? The entire congress is depressed; they made a lot of money and acquired all conveniences and comforts, but blackened their faces. They plundered the country, and stashed the money abroad.
Someone asked me how money is transferred out of the country. I said, ‘I don’t know how; I know how to bring money in from outside.’ We have a lot of work to do for this country. Whatever you are doing in the villages, I am very happy! I wish that each one of you bring thousand more into this path. Then there will be no need to implement the Lokpal bill. The chairman of the Lokaayukta will have no job to do. We have to make him jobless, this should be our aim. Unless a wave of human values sweeps in, corruption cannot be removed from the country. No matter how many laws are passed – so many laws are already there that are not being implemented in this country. There are more than one lakh thirty thousand (130,000) rulings of the Supreme Court that the government has not implemented.
You have worked in Kathiawadi, and so many other such villages towards building an ideal society, you helped resolve all the conflicts there and people are living together in friendliness. Corruption disappeared, sense of accountability came through satsang and meditation – this is why it is so important! Meditation and satsang satisfy the hunger of the soul. Unless the soul is at peace, corruption and misconduct will continue to thrive in society. Why are people so corrupt, why do they rob others? Ever wonder? Because belongingness and intimacy has been lost and wherever belongingness or intimacy is absent, corruption grows. That is why it is necessary to cultivate a sense of intimacy. Are you doing it? (The crowd responds enthusiastically. How many of you are experiencing success? Virtually everyone raises their hands.)
Some people ask, ‘what is the point of closing the eyes?’ I say, first close your eyes, and then see what happens! Death will shut your eyes. Even if you leave your eyes open, you will see nothing. So while you are here, close your eyes and experience your eternal existence.
Man has a tendency to walk with his eyes closed, and sit with his eyes open; I say, walk with your eyes open and sit with your eyes closed. Even a blind person will begin seeing if he sits in meditation, and a deaf person will begin to hear. Without meditation everything remains unheard and unseen in spite of your ability to see and hear. One continues to exist in one’s own small world. Our vision should be broad, honour and share life, live simply, speak kindly and work diligently. Work should be solid, and the heart blossomed. Do not have any attachment or enmity towards anyone.
On the battlefield, when Lord Krishna tells Arjun to kill everyone, he also asks him not to be attached to anyone in his heart. Remove all impressions and ideas from your mind. Only keep the awareness of the Self (soul) – that is called Self-knowledge. Repose your mind, intellect, memory and ego in me, and then fight.
Samarth Ram Dasji said the same thing to Shivaji, ‘Assume that you are working for me, not for yourself.’ Arjun got the same advice, ‘Remove all sorrows and sufferings from your mind; just keep Me there.’ Why is He asking you to remove all anger and attachment from your mind – so that the mind is unburdened; because whoever you think of, you imbibe their qualities. You think of your enemy, and all the qualities of your enemy become yours. You think of anyone else, and you absorb their good and bad qualities. So how will you empty your mind? Through meditation. Be in knowledge of the Self and you will begin to feel light and happy. If you think of a joyful person, your mind will also become joyful. Just relax, and watch how many miracles will begin to unfold in your life.
Ananyascintayantomaam ye janah paryupasate|
Teshaam nityabhiyuktanam yogakshemam vahamyaham ||
Those who sit close to me and meditate only on Me; I take full responsibility of fulfilling all their wants and preserving/protecting what they have.
Once a speaker began to lecture his audience on how to be happy, lost all track of time and made everyone unhappy!
We do not have to get into the habit of giving sermons. We just have to remain joyful and observe silence, that is, speak minimally. Speak in a way that what you say hits another’s mind like an arrow bringing about a positive change. Then our speaking is worthwhile. If your speech creates a joyful silence in another, then it has achieved its aim.