February 28, 2014 Bangalore, India
Q: Gurudev, one day you spoke about duality and non duality with examples of door and window and seeing all as wood. So where does the philosophy of Vishisht Advaita (a sub-school of thought of the Vedanta philosophy) fit in with the same example?
Sri Sri: Well, Vishisht Advaita says that both (the duality and non-duality of Creation and Consciousness) are true. So as per Vishishta Advaita, that is also true and this is also true. Advaita usually doesn’t consider the other things as true (implying that Advaita believes in the essential non-dual nature of Creation).
You know, the whole idea that the creation was ‘created’ is false. Who said it was created? It was never created. A mirage is never created. A mirage is an illusion of what appears to be but is not in reality.
You put a pen in a beaker of water, it appears bent. When was this bend created? It was not created. It just appears. So in that sense, nobody created this universe. It simply is. It just appears to be that way. It is not real.
When the sun sets, it does not really set. It appears to set. That’s all.
Q: Dear Gurudev, ancient India has been witness to many age old ancient traditions which are now extinct. One such tradition is the Devdasi tradition. This tradition has given the world the traditional Indian dance forms, like Bharatanatyam, Odissi, etc. The practitioner of Indian classical dance forms would know that these forms are yoga (here implying the union) of body, mind and soul. There seems to be a connection between art forms and spirituality in India. Can you please talk a bit about that?
Sri Sri: Yes of course. Art, dance, music and spirituality are connected. But in the medieval ages, during the Mughal rule, this was not considered very good by the kings who ruled at that time. Especially in North India, the dancers and practitioners of these art forms were looked down upon. This happened only in the Middle ages. Before that, musicians and dancers were honored.
But when they were looked down upon, the women who were dancing and dedicated their life to dance and music were sort of kept aloof (from the mainstream society). People would not marry them and it was not considered a good thing in the family to have people of that caliber. So it became a class of its own, and then it was called Devdasi. That was unfortunate. But later on this stigma was removed.
You know, one of the very famous singers of India also known as the nightingale of India, Mrs. M. S. Subbalakshmi, when she started singing, almost the entire society made her an outcast. And one man married her and brought back the whole system of music and gave it the dignity that it very much deserved. Mr. Kalki Sadasivam is a very great thinker and a journalist. Before M. S. Subbalakshmi, the music and dance forms did not enjoy that high respect that was due to it.
Of course male singers were appreciated but female singers were not. If anyone took up acting in movies, then that was it. Their reputation was finished then and there. There was a huge stigma attached to acting in movies also but fortunately we have crossed those dark ages when people had so much prejudice.
Q: Gurudev, when does an action leave an impression on the consciousness?
Sri Sri: When an action is too pleasurable or too painful, it leaves a mark.
Q: Gurudev, there seems to be a connection between Lord Shiva and the Rudraksha beads (seeds of a tree used as prayer beads). The Rudraksha has many faces like one face, two face, twelve face and so on. What is the meaning of that?
Sri Sri: You don’t worry about that. It’s just a marketing technique used by those who sell Rudrakshas. The single sided Rudraksha bead is just bigger than the double sided one.
The important thing is that you should be Ek mukhi (one pointed in devotion) . Never mind whether the Rudraksha you wear has one, or ten, or fifteen faces. I don’t attach much significance to this and I don’t want you to attach also.
If Rudraksha is good and it does something good for your physiology, then that is enough. If you feel like wearing it, wear it, otherwise it doesn’t matter if you don’t.
Rudrakshas are not a matter of life and death. It is not that if you put a mala (chain) of ten beads you will get enlightened. Even crows sit on the Rudraksha tree, they don’t get enlightened. We have some trees in the ashram.
Yes it has some physiological and energetic effect, but you don’t have to give too much importance to it.
Q: Gurudev, yesterday we were told that Shiva’s seat is Nirvana (liberation), and His presence is bliss and he spreads joy all around him. Can you please elaborate on this?
Sri Sri: Why are you troubling me? I don’t trouble you to understand so why do you trouble me to make you understand it?
All these are aphorisms given to you and you are given the intellect to ponder upon and understand the meaning of these.
Gurus need not give long sermons. They will only give you the essence. You must dwell upon it and reflect on it and it will open up within you.
Q: Gurudev, Vedanta says let go of everything, but our scriptures advise to take everything. Which is the better option?
Sri Sri: To let go, you need to be holding on to something in the first place. So both are right. If one says get into the bus and the other says exit the bus, unless you get into the bus, you cannot exit. So you need to do both.
Q: Gurudev, Shiva is called Bhoothnath (lord of the ghosts) and he is surrounded by ghosts and spirits. Do ghosts really exist?
Sri Sri: If you ask me whether Shiva exists, I can answer, yes! But I don’t know about the ghosts around him (laughter).
Yes ghosts do exist but they are not different from him. They are in him.
The 5 elements are known as the Panchabhutas. So Air, Water, Fire, Earth and Space are collectively called the five bhootatmas. Some souls also become ghosts and that is because even after leaving the body, they are not able to drop their vasanas (impressions due to cravings and aversions of the mind). That is because even after the soul leaves the body, the realization does not dawn that it is the eternal light, or consciousness.
It is like, the food is in front of them and they are thinking of eating but they can’t actually eat it.
The word ‘Bhootkaal’ means the past. This is because it has already passed, but still one is holding on to the impressions of it and unable to drop it. Ghosts are also souls but they have lost their power. They are powerless as they have not realized that they are souls. When the soul attains self-knowledge, then it becomes powerful. When they realize this, they no longer remain as ghosts (they are called earth bound souls).
Q: Gurudev, yesterday you said that everything is Shiv Tattva (fundamental element or principle). So what is your message for the devotees of Krishna? Also, I don’t pray to Shiva but only to Krishna. Is it okay?
Sri Sri: Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva are the same. In Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita, on Vibhuti Yoga, Lord Krishna himself says, 'Rudranam shankaras-chasmi vitteho yaksa-rakshasam. Vasunam pavakas chasmi meruh shikharinam aham' (10.23)
Lord Krishna says, ‘Among the Rudras I am Lord Shiva’.
In the next verse He says, 'Purodhasam cha mukhyam mam viddhi partha brhaspatim. Senaninam aham skandah sarasam asmi sagarah'. (10.24)
Lord Krishna says, ‘Among the generals of war, I am Lord Kartikeya’.
So Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva are the same. There is no difference.
Q: Gurudev, there are so many people who come on the path and then leave. Why does that happen? They are so involved and suddenly they stop coming.
Sri Sri: How many people have done that? There would be just a few, and there could be various reasons.
Some people come on the path like going to a restaurant. After you eat in a restaurant, you don’t think about the restaurant for many hours, right? So they are fulfilled and they don’t come back.
There are other people who might be going through a difficult time and they walk off the path maybe due to their bad habits. But then they do come back also. I have seen people come back to the path after 15, 20 or even 25 years. We don’t have to worry about it.
Your job is to throw the seeds out on the field. Wherever it grows, it grows. You can’t be watching out for every seed to see whether it has grown or not.
Q: Gurudev, I was at the Mahashivaratri celebrations yesterday and the energy was unbelievable. My question is that, if the universe or Earth is impacted by our presence on this festival, then is the experience the same whether we are alone or with a large number of people?
Sri Sri: Even those who wanted to come here but could not come, or thought of it or participated in it in any manner, they all get blessings. There is no doubt about it.
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