QnA with Sri Sri

Q: When I look around, I see only misery, hate, anger, greed and meaningless violence. How do you know there is a higher power? 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, the nature of our mind is when we see misery we magnify it. If ten compliments are given to you and one insult is given to you, what you usually do is, you catch hold of that one insult and blow it out of proportion.
My dear, I would like to tell you, there are a lot of good things also happening in the society. There is lot of service happening. There are a lot of good intended people around, and if you look into the eyes of these people, you will feel that there is compassion and love in most people’s hearts and minds. I agree there is hate, anger and greed. This is because we have not been able to educate them in human values.

Guru One Liner of the day

Q: What is the definition of love? 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The whole nature is full of love.
A bird feeds its babies, can't you see love in that? In the eyes of a new born baby, can't you see love? Love is that which cannot be defined.

Wisdom Quote of the day

Boredom is a blessing because you get bored, you move on, you look forward, you become a seeker and you rise higher. At the same time, boredom is also a curse because it doesn’t allow you to be stabilized in one place; stabilized in yourself, and your mind keeps jumping from one place to another aimlessly. You get bored about everything and you can’t enjoy anything. - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheet

Nigra, Agra, Satyagra and Duragra

Nigra means control. Agra means insistence. Satyagra means steadfast determination. Duragra means blind adamancy, reckless stubbornness. These four will give you progress when practiced for a limited period of time. They give limited results, positive or negative. But if they stay on for a longer period, they eat away the potential of life. One has to transcend all these four to attain peace. Freedom is when you transcend all four. They are inevitable to streamline life but you need to transcend them to be free. Give your own examples and discuss nigra, agra, satyagra, and duragra. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Guru One Liner of the day

Q: Why some people tend to become quiet after enlightenment? 

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: There are various kinds of enlightened beings. Some want knowledge, others are compassionate to share that knowledge with others.

Guru Punch of the day

If a friend has insulted you, knowingly, you can only thank them. This is because they have had the courage to give you their piece of mind, what you needed, otherwise why would they do it? Why would anyone want to hurt you at their own cost? Nobody wants to risk their friendship. What should your attitude be? ‘Thank you! You did something good to me, it has made me strong.’ +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Celebrate this Summer with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka special AMC: 16th - 20th May 2014 Kerala & Tamil Nadu AMC: 23rd - 27th May 2014 Maharashtra AMC: 30th May - 3rd June 2014 Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal & Orissa AMC: 6th - 10th June 2014 Punjab, Haryana, Rajashtan, Jharkhand & Bihar AMC: 13th - 17th June 2014 Colours of Joy (8 - 17 yrs): 24th - 27th March 2014 Ancient Wisdom for Kids (8 - 17 yrs): 16th - 22nd May 2014 (Eligibilty: Art Excel/Yes)
Venue: Art of Living International Ashram, Bangalore Register online: www.bangaloreashram.org For details contact: 080 67262626/27/28

QnA with Sri Sri

Q: In India we have different new year day being celebrated across different parts of the country. Please tell us about “Ugadi”.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Today is celebrated as New Year day in India; year 2071. 
There was a very pious man, who was a king as well. He lived 2071 years ago. So in India, the years were named after him, from then onwards the years were named after him as Vikram years. So this New Year is Vikram 2071. Before Vikram, the years were named after Lord Krishna; therefore, it is 5,114 years today.
The New Year system is based on the cosmos, it begins when the Sun or the Moon enter the first point of Aries. Today, it is the moon that has entered, then the sun will enter the first point of Aries, which is when we celebrate Vaisakhi, also a New Year day.
So, half of India celebrates with the moon, and the other half celebrates with the sun. There is no uniformity there too; there is freedom for everyone to celebrate what they want. In the states of Punjab, Bengal, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, they celebrate the New Year with the solar calendar, i.e., Vaisakhi. In Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and many other Indian states, they celebrate today, i.e., as per lunar calendar. In The Art of Living, we celebrate every day!
On New Year day, the tradition is to eat a little bit of neem leaves, which is very bitter, and jaggery, which is sweet. It is meant to imply that life is both, bitter and sweet; you have to swallow both, that is the message.
Time gives you both, bitter and sweet experiences. Don’t think it’s only friends who bring sweetness, friends can also bring bitterness. And don’t think enemies always bring bitterness, enemies can also bring some sweetness. So, life is a mixture of all the opposites.
Once upon a time, all over the world, everyone followed the same calendar; the Lunar Calendar. Even today, in Turkey and Iran, people follow the Lunar Calendar; March is the New Year.
King George, of London, wanted the New Year to commence in January because he was born in that month. It was his New Year, no doubt, but he imposed it upon the entire British Kingdom! Now, this happened sometime in the Eighth or Ninth Century, but people would not stop celebrating the New Year in April. So King George called it April Fool’s Day. He said that anyone who celebrates in April are fools, and that is how April 1 came to be known as Fools Day.

Guru One Liners of the day

Q: How to be consistent in getting good performance in my studies, my studies goes up and down? 

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sankalpa is very powerful. So if you have this sankalpa that I have to be consistent, it will happen. 

Wisdom Quote of the day

It is believed to be good to have a dip in the Ganges. However, taking a dip in knowledge is even greater for it purifies the mind.  +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sutra for the day!

I am the Valentine of the whole world and I reside in every heart. If you are my Valentine you will see me everywhere.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheet

In the solitude of the self

Buddha is not on the peak, rather the peak is beneath Buddha. One who goes to the peak comes down, but the peak seeks the one who is stationed in the inner space. Shiva is called Chandrasekhara which means that mind which is in the Shiva (transcendence) and is always above the peak. Often people are running after parties and celebrations, but for the one who is not running after them, parties and celebrations follow him. If you are running after parties, loneliness comes to you, but if you are in the solitude of the Self, parties surround you. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Guru Punch of the day

If someone has not intended to hurt you, it is an unintentional act, then it is your own mistake. You can only blame your own perception, and not them. They are not culprits, it is you who has to ask them for forgiveness, ‘Please forgive me because I mistook you. I thought you intentionally hurt me.’ Then the friendship grows. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

QnA with Sri Sri

Q: How does one cultivate maturity in life?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Perception, observation and expression - these three things can bring you maturity. The way you perceive things and observe things all around you. Wisdom doesn’t need time at all. You don’t need to become old to become mature. You simply need observation, of not just yourself but also of the lives of those around you. 

Guru One Liners of the day

Q: Are we all destined to do something or be something, or do we have choices?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes and No. There are few things you can have control over and there are some things which you cannot change. 

Wisdom Quote of the day

"Though the river is vast, a little sip quenches your thirst. Though Earth has so much food, just a little bite satisfies your hunger. All that you need is teeny tiny bits. Accept a teeny tiny bit of everything in life, that will bring you fulfilment. " +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Knowledge Sutra for the day!

Feel grateful for your very existence, for your very body, and all that you have, and all the love you have received. And this gratefulness will bring you a flood of prosperity, joy, and happiness.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheet

Uncertainty

You can be at ease with the uncertainty of the world when you realize the certainty of the consciousness. Often people do just the opposite. They are certain about the things in the world and uncertain about God. They rely on something that is not reliable and get upset. Uncertainty causes craving for stability and the most stable thing in the universe is our Self. The world is of change, the Self is of non-change. You have to rely on the non-change and accept the change. If you are certain that everything is uncertain, then you are liberated. When you are uncertain in ignorance then you become worried and tense. Uncertainty with awareness brings higher states of consciousness and a smile. Bharat says: A certain smile!!! Often people think that certainty is freedom. If you feel that freedom when you are not certain then that is 'real' freedom. Often your certainty or uncertainty is based on the relative world. To be certain about the uncertainty of the relative, makes you certain about the existence of the absolute and brings a 'certain' faith in the absolute. Nitin says: Yes, to understand this you certainly need to have awareness!!! Question: Can we still be enthusiastic when we are uncertain?  Sri Sri: Yes, in knowledge you can be enthusiastic in uncertainty. Often people who are uncertain don't act, they simply sit and wait. Acting in uncertainty makes life a game, a challenge. Being in uncertainty is letting go. Certainty about the relative world creates dullness. Uncertainty about the Self creates fear. Uncertainty about matter brings certainty about consciousness. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Guru Punch of the day

If misery comes your way, make use of that as an opportunity to turn inwards, and become very strong from within, and recognize the truth, the reality of the Universe, i.e., everything is changing, every relation is fleeting. All this leads to that one reality, that everything is nothing. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

@SriSri My dream is to see the whole world unite as one family. Shall we all commit to create a wave of happiness and a smile on every face?

@SriSri
My dream is to see the whole world unite as one family. Shall we all commit to create a wave of happiness and a smile on every face?

Knowledge Sutra for the day!

The peak of any sensory experience takes you inward.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Yoga for Cyclists: How to take your joy-rides... http://bit.ly/13NViux

Yoga for Cyclists: How to take your joy-rides... http://bit.ly/13NViux

Meditation and Insomnia http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/meditation/meditation-for-you/meditation-and-insomnia

Overcome Smoking with Yoga http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/health-and-wellness/overcome-smoking-with-yoga

Overcome Smoking with Yoga http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/health-and-wellness/overcome-smoking-with-yoga

QnA with Sri Sri

Q: You have said in the Satsang that the daughter-in-law should try to win the hearts of her in-laws by serving them. Does this not apply to the son-in-laws also? Why is it that while the daughter-in-law accepts and serves her in-laws as her own, the son-in-law does not do so?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, the son-in-law only visits his in-laws (the wife’s parents or family) during the festivals like Holi or Diwali. He does not go there every day, isn't it? But the daughter-in-law is at the home of the in-laws all the time.
Had this been a question from someone from Kerala, I would have given some suggestions to the son-in-law. In Kerala, it is the son-in-law who stays back at his wife’s house with her family, and not the other way around (referring to the matriarchal system of lifestyle in Kerala).
In Kerala, the son leaves his own home and not the daughter. It is also the case in Meghalaya and Tripura.
But this is right. The son-in-law should not stay like a guest in the house. He should have that belongingness with his in-laws and live harmoniously with everyone around.
I feel that the sons-in-laws today do not behave like this. Yes, this used to happen one generation back. In some families, the son-in-law used to stay a bit aloof from his wife’s family. Nowadays I don’t think that is the case.
See, as a daughter, your mother has scolded you so many times and you have also fought with her when you were growing up, but you never felt hurt. But if your mother-in-law does just 10% of that, you feel so hurt and start burning from the inside. Your mother and mother-in-law are of the same age and belong to the same generation. So you should see them both as equals, and take whatever they tell you in your stride.
If you had a fight with your mother one day, the next day you would quickly patch up and sit with her as if nothing had happened, isn’t it? The same thing you should follow with your mother-in-law also. This is what I say, you should win everyone over with love and service. And be happy and full of enthusiasm always. What else do you need?
Did you get what I mean?
See, you will be able to grasp all this if your mind is free and open, and if you are willing to receive. If your feelings are positive, and if you are willing to receive, then there is so much for you to take. If your mind is closed and entangled in small petty things, then even if you take ten dips in the River Ganges, nothing will come out of it.
When you become hollow and empty, then you can receive so much more.

Guru One Liners of the day

Q: Is it ok to fall in love in the student life? 

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It will be ok if you fall in love with your studies and books, your career. So that you will not regret in the future.

Wisdom Quote of the day

Wise is the one who learns from other's mistakes. Less wise is the one who learns from his own mistakes. The fool keeps making the same mistakes again and again and never learns from them.  +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Guru Punch of the day

Every time God gives you a slap, He turns you away from the material world towards Himself; He wants to draw you to Himself. Drop everything and look at Him. That is why He gives you the slap because He is too compassionate and too happy with you. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

QnA with Sri Sri

Q: Please guide us. Nowadays the use of pan parag, ghutka, tobacco etc., has increased a lot in children, grownups as well as in ladies. How can we stop this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: It is primarily the responsibility of the mothers. If from the beginning the mothers place restrictions on their children, then they will never resort to such wrong means. What usually happens is that the mothers let the children go free these days. In childhood days itself, mothers and fathers should create such barriers in the minds of the children in the house. Children should be made to think that they should not even touch tobacco.
In vegetarian homes, the parents create a strict barrier in the minds of the children at the very beginning, not touch non-vegetarian food of any kind, eggs, meat or fish. When this becomes a strict habit in the minds of the children at an early age, then they never even go near non-vegetarian food. So in the same way, parents need to enforce strict barriers in the minds of the children against chewing tobacco, smoking and drinking alcohol.
I want to ask all of you sitting here. Haven’t you all been warned against using drugs or smoking? Is it not so? How many people here have got this strict barrier at their homes by their parents against drugs and smoking? (Many raise hands in the audience). See! So many people have been made to follow the right habits since their early days. In childhood itself such barriers have been made for them not to touch or use such substances. Only mothers can do this and enforce these barriers on the children; otherwise bring the children here and make them attend the courses for seven to ten days. We will ensure that all their wrong habits get washed away with ‘Sohum’ (referring to the Sudarshan Kriya). And we will strengthen them by making them practice the Shakti Kriya also. 

Wisdom Quote of the day

My job is to collect the garbage of the mind. All that I want for you to do is to realize the highest. And keep smiling. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Knowledge Sutra for the day!

Learn to make people your own. They already belong to you. They come from the same soil and breath the same air which you expel. You are connected - so much connected.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Guru One Liners of the day

Q: Do you believe in spirituality?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I don't believe in spirituality. I KNOW it.

Guru Punch of the day

It is all in your hands, how you view things; what type of intention you put out there, that will come back to you. If you think that everyone is hurting me, then your own intentions will create similar situations again and again. When you wake up and see, 'There is none other than the One, and the One comes to me in many forms. It is all for my growth, for my well-being, for my happiness'. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Knowledge Sutra for the day!

Dissolving the name is awareness. Dissolving the form is meditation. The world is name and form. Bliss transcends name and form.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

QnA with Sri Sri

Q: In the Bhagavad Gita it is written that, 'Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja . Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shucah'. Does the definition of Dharma (here meaning one’s religion) become different before a Guru?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, having said all that He had to, at the end of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, 'Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja, Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shucah' (V 18.66)
Drop your religion or any other belief you have, and take total surrender in me. O Arjuna. I shall liberate you of all your sins and sufferings.
Dharma is like soap. But just because you have washed you clothes with an expensive soap worth 100 Rupees, you will not say that ‘Oh, I am going to keep the soap on my clothes because it is such an expensive soap’. You have to wash it off. There comes a stage when one moves above such attachments and entanglements in life (here referring to religion), and becomes a Sharanagati; surrendering totally to the Lord, with this deep feeling of devotion that 'O Lord! I am yours and yours alone'. This is what has been explained in this verse. Lord Krishna had to say this to Arjuna, otherwise, no matter what knowledge He gave to Arjuna, he would just get stuck with it and not let go.
If Lord Krishna would advise Arjuna by saying, ‘Do it this way’, then he would simply follow and do only that much. So that Arjuna does not get stuck, in the end, Lord Krishna said to him, ‘Drop every religion or belief and simply come take refuge in Me. You cannot liberate yourself from your sins. I shall free you from all your sins and sufferings, so simply come to Me’. Suppose you commit a wrong deed and you go on repenting saying, ‘Oh! I have committed such a wrong deed. How can I be free from it? What do I do?’ You cannot liberate yourself from your sins by making efforts. This is why Lord Krishna says, ‘I am ready to bear all your sins and sufferings, so just drop everything and come and take refuge in Me’. 

Guru One Liners of the day

Q: What to do when we love somebody and he/she rejects you?

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Love is the precious thing, you have offered her love and she rejected, that's her problem, her ignorance. You should move on. 

Wisdom quote of the Day

"There may be flaws in any action, any situation or any person. Treat a flaw as you would treat a flower. Just as a flower has to wither away after sometime, so does a flaw. " +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Guru Punch of the day

If someone has hurt you intentionally, you should know that they are sick. What should be your attitude towards someone who is sick? You should be compassionate towards them. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

QnA with Sri Sri

Q: Even after death, a man in the form of a soul keeps on looking for a body. Why there is so much attachment to the body?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: This is because the body is the instrument of carrying out one’s Dharma (one’s duties or karma). It is said, ‘Sharira madhyam Dharma-khalu sadhanam’. It means that if one has to carry out one’s duties or one’s karma, it can only be done through the means of the physical body. Those who are Asariri – meaning without the physical body - cannot do it.
That is the reason even the Demigods (Devtas) have to take a human form to carry out their Dharma for attaining liberation. 

Guru One Liners of the day

Q: How to be consistent in getting good performance in my studies, my studies goes up and down? 

+Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sankalpa is very powerful. So if you have this sankalpa that I have to be consistent, it will happen. 

Wisdom Quote of the day

Turn every problem into a wonder, every adventure into a joy. And this starts happening inside you with the very glimpse and experience of deep, pure, and divine Love. +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

Knowledge Sutra for the day!

This deep sense of feeling that, 'I am blessed' can help you overcome any obstacles in life. It gives you courage and confidence and it will open you up for grace to pour in.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheet

Why am I Here?

First, (we are here) to ask this question, and second, to find an answer to it! Many live their whole life without even asking the question, ‘Why am I here?’ Wake up, ask this question, and pursue to get an answer. Do not be in a hurry for the answer. The answer falls into your lap at the right time, so keep asking. No books will answer this question, because this is the question of ‘life’. Your life itself is an answer. Every day, if you ask, ‘Why am I here?’ then all the unnecessary things fall off, and the right things come up. However, before asking the question (why am I here), ask, ‘What can I do for this world, before I exit? Anyway, I am here!’ This may be a better question to soothe you in those moments when you feel nothing is enjoyable, or everything is meaningless. When you feel sad, depressed, suicidal or unhappy, at that moment you should say, ‘Let me stop thinking about myself. Let me see what I can do here. Anyway, one day I must go. Before I go, let me do something good here. Where am I needed? Who needs me? Where can I help out?’ These questions can bring some intermittent relief in between. So do some service (seva). When you do some seva, you make others happy, that vibration of bringing comfort to others souls will bring you merit that will help you realize who you really are. || Jai Guru Dev ||