QnA with Sri Sri
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015

Q: What is your message for 'Valentine’s Day'?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know, in the ancient society, in the ancient times, they never said, ‘This is Father’s Day, this is Mother’s Day.’ They never dedicated one day in a year to fathers and mothers, but they said, ‘everyday dedicate some time to your father and mother’. And so, as soon as you wake up in the morning, the first thing you have do is to give a few minutes in the first hour as father’s minutes and mother’s minutes.
Then make the nature your valentine. Consider the sun in the morning as your valentine. And in the evening, when the sun sets, it is so romantic that when you look at the whole creation, the whole nature, you feel the Divinity is your valentine. So, there is a ‘valentine’ hour or minute in every day.
So, in every home children should think, ‘This is my time with the parents.’ It could be half an hour or a few minutes. Children should start spending half an hour or one hour with the parents everyday in the morning or evening. At least if one meal everyone shares together, then you would have successfully celebrated your Father’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Similarly, when you wake up and see the whole creation is my valentine, the country is my valentine, Divinity is my valentine, knowledge is my valentine, then Valentine’s Day never ends for you. All 365 days is Valentine’s Day. That is how I feel – everyday is Valentine’s Day. Of course in the Ashram everyday is Valentine’s Day, and for a devotee it is so obvious. This is just an excuse when you say, ‘Today is a Valentine’s Day’, but if anyone looks at your faces, they will know that you are in a perpetual valentine minute. There is so much love oozing out of everyone’s faces, everyone’s behavior. Looking at your nature people will say, ‘Oh, maybe you are celebrating Valentine’s Day today!’ Yes?! So, the poor persons celebrate festivals only once a year, because he can afford only that, but the rich ones celebrate everyday and every minute. And you are all so rich. Rich with the spiritual knowledge and rich with this beautiful wisdom.

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