18 July 2015 - QA 2

Gurudev, what is it like to be free of maya, of the ego, of the small mind, of all this nonsense. If I can imagine it, at least then I can finally become free! Is there anyone who will not get enlightened in this lifetime being with you? I hope that’s not me.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, wanting the highest, wanting freedom itself is a sign of awakening. If you are in slumber, you don’t even care about it. When you wake up and see, you say, "I don’t want all this. I want to be free", then you are half-done. You are already moving in that direction.

Being free is like being a kid again. A baby is free but it is weak, but an enlightened one is free with strength. A baby is free with dependence; enlightenment is freedom with utter independence.