QnA with Sri Sri

Q: Guruji, you mentioned that Lord Krishna says in the Gita, ‘I am not governed by the three gunas and neither do the three gunas reside in Me’. To understand this, you gave us the example of the clothes a person wears. But then looking at the clothes I am wearing, does it not appear that these clothes are also me?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you are present in the clothes that you wear, then you are also present in the cupboard, and also present in the washing machine! (Laughter)
Clothes get washed but you do not. So how can you say that you are within the clothes? Just think and reflect on this.
When you change your clothes and keep them aside, are you still in them? Is it you who goes into the washing machine along with the clothes? This cannot be understood by logic. It is a very subtle thing and has to be experienced.
You are wearing the clothes, and the clothes belong to you, yet you are not within (restricted or governed by) your clothes. It is very clear.
So Lord Krishna has said, ‘I am present in all the gunas and they belong to Me, yet they do not reside in Me’. It is nearly impossible to comprehend this through the intellect, but you can realize this by experience.
See, every example has a certain limitation to it. You should never stretch the example and interpret it beyond its limits. Then it loses its significance and also clouds the intellect. Every example has a limited power to express what needs to be conveyed. We should understand it within those limits only. An example is just a pointer towards that which is unmanifest, unknown and beyond expression. It gives a direction to your intellect for understanding. So you should limit your understanding to that. Once you grasp what is meant, just relax.
Knowledge dawns within you only in deep relaxation. You cannot grasp the subtle by making efforts.