KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023

Life is a Dream a Burden or a Joke,

Often when you are happy you feel life is a dream because you do not believe in the reality of it. When there is misery you feel life as a burden. And we take trivial things very seriously. But one who has really gone through the pleasure realizes that pleasure is a burden. And if you have undergone misery thoroughly you will realize that life is a dream. In every miserable condition you have been walked or carried through and you realize life is a dream. When you see life is dream a burden or a joke only then can you be centered.

And when you have really gone through misery you have really seen life as a dream. And in between the pain and pleasure life is all a joke. Life is very uncertain. Before it takes you away, realize it is a dream, a burden or a joke.

Someone asked: What about life is a joke?

Answer: A joke you do not question. If you question a joke, it is no longer a joke. Do not question a burden either. It is a waste of time to question life and its events.

The burden makes you go deep. It gets you to the core of yourself. Realization of a dream wakes you up. And seeing life as a joke makes you light. The only certainty is that life is a dream, a burden or a joke and only when you realize this can you be centered.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023

Q: Dear Gurudev, what is the significance of different shlokas that you sing after meditation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

It feels good, isn’t it that is the purpose. Infusing a little energy, and those seeds of wisdom uplift the consciousness because your consciousness knows this at a deeper level. Somewhere in our depth, we understand these chants, and in some unknown manner, it energizes, uplifts and soothes the spirit; doesn’t it feel that way? How many of you feel it, the moment you hear some chanting, you feel something soothing, isn’t it?

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023

Mistakes simply happen because of lack of awareness. Once awareness dawns in you, then you realize that you make a mistake out of ignorance. By realizing this, you come out of the mistake and become innocent once again.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023

Be a beacon of light and a beacon of joy to the home you have been married into. Know that you can change the situation and you can change people with love

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 31, 2023

Three kinds of love

There are three kinds of Love.
1. The Love that comes out of Charm
2. That which comes out of comfort, and
3. Divine Love

Do you see what I am saying?

The love that comes out of charm does not last long. It comes out of unfamiliarity or out of attraction. In this, you lose the attraction fast, and boredom sets in, like most love marriages. This love may diminish and bring along with it fear, uncertainty, insecurity, and sadness.

The Love that comes out of comfort and familiarity grows. But this Love has no thrill, no enthusiasm, joy, or fire to it.
For example, you are more comfortable with an old friend who is a familiar person, rather than with a new person.

Divine Love supersedes both the above. Divine Love has ever newness. The closer you go, there is more charm and depth.
Divine Love has comfort, enthusiasm, and familiarity. There is never boredom, and it keeps everyone on their toes.

Worldly love can be like an ocean, yet an ocean has a bottom. But Divine Love is like the sky which is limitless, infinite. From the bottom of the Ocean, soar into the vast sky.

To know more about Divine Love, refer to our Bhakti Sutras.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 31, 2023

Q: When I read the books and listen to knowledge, I really want to implement it. But when the time comes to implement the knowledge, I am unable to do it. What should I do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Knowledge gets implemented automatically; it is spontaneous. It is there at the back of the mind. What is it that stops you from implementing knowledge is small temptations. Small temptations go with three things: Love, greed and fear.

Suppose you are drinking alcohol or doing something that is not right, then the fear of disease, or fear of losing your reputation, or fear of losing a loved one can stop you. Fear as well as procrastination can stop you.

The second thing that can stop you is greed. If someone tells you, “If you drink alcohol, you will lose 10 million”. Or if you are a smoker and someone tells you, “If you don’t smoke for 30 days, you will get a lottery for 1 crore rupees”, I tell you, you will not touch a cigarette. You will say, instead of 30 days, let me make it 33 days just to be on safe side.

The third this is love. If you promise a loved one, you will keep it up.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 31, 2023

God is love, and if you say that you want proof of love, then that is so stupid!

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 31, 2023

If someone has scolded you or used harsh words that have hurt you, but they have done it with a very good intention, then you should only thank them. This is because you have only grown stronger by their act.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2023

Faces of infinity

You have many faces. Only you don't face them. When you come face to face with your faces then conflicts, confusion and chaos arise in you.

From time to time in different phases, different faces appear. As you come close to your Being, all the faces melt and leave you as the Space that you are.

At the gross level, you identify yourself as somebody. At a subtle level, you identify yourself as some energy or an incarnation of some angel, saint or prophet.

When you go beyond even this identity, you are whole, holy, Brahman - Purna Brahman Narayana.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2023

Q: How to deal with a loved one being too possessive?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Only through wisdom.

You need to make people see life from a bigger perspective. When they see life with a wide angle lens, then their whole idea, or opinion will change. Otherwise the world seems so small, and we go around in little circles of fifteen, to twenty people. Within that small circle you will have cravings, aversions, anger, jealousy, and greed. All these negative emotions keep rattling you. This happens because you have not expanded your vision about your own life.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2023

A successful person is one who has tasted the joy of giving and goes on giving. This is a sign of success.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2023

When someone is in love with somebody, they keep repeating their beloved's name. This is called jaap.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2023

Appreciation

When do you appreciate someone? When they do something that is unusual,not ordinary, and not their nature. Isn't it so?

For example, when a wicked person doesn't create a problem then you appreciate them. Or, when somebody you think is not good does a good act, then you appreciate them. Also, when a good person does something extraordinary, then you appreciate them. If a child made you a cup of tea, you would appreciate it, but if a mother made the same cup of tea, you would not likely appreciate it because it is a normal act for her. In the same way, you appreciate getting a ride from someone you don't know, but you don't necessarily appreciate it from a bus driver.

In all these cases, those acts are temporary, out of character, or not their nature. So when you appreciate someone for something, you imply that it is not the way they are usually.

Robin: What if a person wants to be appreciated?

Sri Sri: That means that it is not in their nature, and that is why they want to be appreciated. If it is not coming from their nature it is an imposed act. So when you appreciate someone you simply imply that it is not their nature, it is not the way they usually are. It is a rare act or quality. Appreciation implies a sense of separateness or distance, so watch out when you appreciate someone!

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2023

Q: How to balance excellence and dispassion?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Whenever you are out of balance, it pinches you. Listen to the pinch, that's all. If you have too much passion and no dispassion, you will lose night's sleep. When you cannot do anything, you cannot meditate and passion catches you like a fever, then remember dispassion. Know that there is a bigger power that is taking care of everything, I have nothing to do! Then you will become calmer.

Remember the dream nature of everything. Everything is a dream, then the dispassion comes up automatically. If you find yourself being too lazy, thinking everything is dispassion and why do I have to do anything? Why do I even have to do my yoga class in the morning! C'mon! Wake up, do something. Never mind if it's a dream, you have to do something in the dream also.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2023

Humor is something which can grease any situation. This is what we must learn. You should know how to carry along tough situations with humor.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2023

If you are trying to get rid of darkness, your attention is on the darkness. But if you turn towards light, darkness automatically disappears. This is what you need to do: take a positive attitude.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023

Respect and Ego

There are two types of respect.

1. Respect that comes to you because of your position, fame or wealth. This type of respect is impermanent. It can be lost once you lose your wealth or status.

2. Respect that comes because of your virtues like honesty, kindness, commitment, patience and your smile. This respect, no one can take away.

The less you are attached to your virtues, the more self respect you have. If you get attached to your virtues, you look down upon everybody else, and the virtues start diminishing. Non- attachment to virtues brings the highest self respect.

Often one confuses ego with self esteem. Ego needs the other for comparison; self esteem is just confidence in oneself. For example, a gentleman claims that he is thorough in Mathematics or Geography, this is self esteem. But to say that I know better than you, that is Ego.

Ego simply means lack of respect to the Self.

Ego upsets you very often. Self esteem is immune to getting upset by external factors. In self respect, everything is a game, winning or losing has no meaning, every step is joy, and every move is celebration.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023

Q: Please elaborate upon the contradictory nature of truth.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If you go to any temple in India, not only will you see idols of Gods and Goddesses, but you will also see the idols of many demons (representing negativity and delusion).

Gods and Goddesses acquired their position because they were able to overcome these demons. If there were no demons, then how will they acquire their position? So whatever you find contradictory in nature are actually complimentary to each other.

Take milk for example, is milk good or bad? If you drink only as much milk as is needed, then it is good for you. But if you drink too much, then the same milk can cause indigestion also. So when taken in excess, the same milk can harm you.

In the same way, is poison good or bad? All medicines and life-saving drugs have a warning label written on them that says, if taken in excess they are poisonous. So poison can help in saving life, and it can also take one’s life. That is why it is said that these aspects of Nature may appear to be contradictory, but in reality they are actually complimentary to each other. When you go deeper in knowledge then you will realize this.

A hero in a movie has some importance only when there is a villain also. If there is no villain in the movie, then the hero has no job, except to eat and sleep. When there is some mischief or some conflict that the villain creates, then all the talents and skills of the hero blossom and become evident.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023

Mistakes simply happen because of lack of awareness. Once awareness dawns in you, then you realize that you make a mistake out of ignorance. By realizing this, you come out of the mistake and become innocent once again.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023

We need to embrace everyone with love. When love can melt even the hardest stone, can it not transform a human being?

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023

Worrying obstructs action & feelings propel action

The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time. When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves.

If you worry a lot, your feelings are dead and you are stuck in the head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull. Worries are like a rock in the head. Worry entangles you. Worry puts you in a cage.

When you feel, you do not worry. Feelings are like flowers, they come up, they blossom and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When feelings are expressed, you feel relieved. When you are angry, you express your anger and the next moment you are all right. Or you are upset, you cry and you get over it.

Feelings last for some short time and then they drop, but worry eats you for a longer period of time, and eventually eats you up. Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous.

Adults put brakes on their feelings and they start worrying. Worrying about anything obstructs action while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts the brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. Usually one never worries about positive feelings.

Worries are uncertain. Worrying takes away your energy; you cannot think clearly when you worry. Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023

Q: Gurudev, can there be a dispassion and yet absolute enthusiasm in every role?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, don’t you see that in so many people here, who are totally dispassionate, and yet full of enthusiasm? Absolutely! Children have this. When they are crying, the tears haven’t even disappeared from their cheeks, and they start smiling and laughing also. This is a perfect example of dispassion, and enthusiasm. If you don’t have dispassion, then brooding continues; you continue being unhappy. It is dispassion that helps you come to the moment, and switch gears.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023

Don't look for love but give love. When you start giving, it comes back multiplied many more times to you.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023

If you want contentment it means you are lacking contentment because you want something, and that is why you are not content.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2023

Worrying obstructs action & feelings propel action

The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time. When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves.

If you worry a lot, your feelings are dead and you are stuck in the head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull. Worries are like a rock in the head. Worry entangles you. Worry puts you in a cage.

When you feel, you do not worry. Feelings are like flowers, they come up, they blossom and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When feelings are expressed, you feel relieved. When you are angry, you express your anger and the next moment you are all right. Or you are upset, you cry and you get over it.

Feelings last for some short time and then they drop, but worry eats you for a longer period of time, and eventually eats you up. Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous.

Adults put brakes on their feelings and they start worrying. Worrying about anything obstructs action while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts the brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. Usually one never worries about positive feelings.

Worries are uncertain. Worrying takes away your energy; you cannot think clearly when you worry. Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2023

Q: How to experience freedom and peace of mind in this complex daily life? I am bound by my duties and responsibilities very tightly.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

That is good. That is the contrast in life every day. When you come back home from your job, relax and sit for meditation for a few minutes every day. Nothing stops you from doing that.

Just like we have dental hygiene, meditation is for your mental hygiene. Listen to knowledge regularly. That is why I have made so many talks. For nearly seven years every Wednesday, I used to make some knowledge sheets which are compiled in the book called Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker. Pick up knowledge sheets from that, or play some knowledge talk and listen to that.

Meditation is more relevant when you are very busy, and when you have a lot of responsibilities to attend to. If you have nothing to do, what is the point of you sitting in meditation? Why would you need energy then? You need energy and intelligence when you need to use it. If you have nothing to do, what is the need for a lot of intelligence?

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2023

Faith comes to play only at time of crisis, and the funniest thing is, at the time of crisis the first thing one loses is faith.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2023

However your past is, just kick that, be in the present and move on. You are a bird, you may fall but you have wings, continue to fly!

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023

When Celebration becomes Service there is no guilt. When Service becomes Celebration, there is no pride,

The time on this planet for us is a gift. When we consider time as a gift, our whole outlook towards life shifts. Like every year, 2011 also has offered you many gifts. With its thorns, it has made you strong; with its petals, it has given you joy.

Any event has the good and not-so-good aspect. The not-so-good part has made you strong and helped you realize that you can handle it. The good part gives you peace and tranquility.

This last hour (of 2011) is good to reflect how you welcomed the year when it came and how it swept you and swirled you and passed you on to 2012.

Through all this time we learnt one lesson - we should never compromise on human values. Love, compassion, sense of gratefulness and a vision for everyone has to dawn in our life.

Let us celebrate with this one intention that let’s bring home (Spiritual) Knowledge to everyone - that life, events are impermanent. What is permanent is our spirit, our consciousness. It has no birth and death. Life at a higher plane is eternal. So celebrate every moment knowing that every moment is a gift to us.

Get this. When celebration becomes service, there is no guilt. And when service becomes celebration, there is no pride.

It is easy to get swept away in a negative mode. It takes courage to move out of it. I am sure all those who are here have this capacity. And all those who are listening (and reading this) also have that capacity!

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023

Q: When Shiva is formless why do we worship the lingam?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You must understand what lingam means, lingam means identification. When a baby is born how do you know whether the baby is a boy or a girl – only through one part of the body, everything else looks the same. Just the genitals tell you ‘This is a boy or this is a girl. So similarly, to identify something which is infinite they put a stone and that itself will tell you that this is a symbol of Universal energy, the formless. So, lingam means what? An identification. Genital is also called lingam because through that you identify, but that is secondary. Simply lingam means an identification, so they used to keep a stone or a crystal and say this is to identify the inexpressible, that which is infinity.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023

We say, 'Be God fearing; God will punish you', no! This is a wrong idea. God will never punish you, but only educate and uplift you.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023

The purpose of yoga is to put a smile on your face in spite of all the stress, tension, or situations that you are put through in your day-to-day life.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023

Perfection is the nature of the Enlightened One

In a state of ignorance, imperfection is natural and perfection is an effort. In a state of wisdom or enlightenment, imperfection is an effort; perfection is a compulsion and is unavoidable! Perfection is taking total responsibility, and total responsibility means knowing that you are the only responsible person in the whole world. When you think that others are responsible, then your degree of responsibility diminishes.

When you are in total Vairagya (dispassion), you can take care of even trivial and insignificant things with such perfection. For example, during the Pooja every morning, Guruji decorates the Pooja table with flowers with such great care, choosing different color combinations and patterns everyday; fully knowing that the decoration is not going to last even 10 minutes. After the Pooja He himself would remove the garlands from the Pooja table or shower people with the flowers on it. Yet even while He is in a deep state of Samadhi, He would effortlessly and lovingly decorate the Pooja table everyday. It is obvious that it does not matter how the flowers are kept, but still attention to even such a trivial thing with such keenness of awareness can only come through utter dispassion. Perfection is the very nature of the Enlightened one.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023

Q: If someone repeatedly insults or criticizes me, what should I do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I tell you, if someone insults you, criticizes you, let them be! How much harm can they do? Let them go ahead and insult as much as they can. Next time, tell them, “My dear, go ahead and insult me as much as you want. I will not change regardless of how much you want to criticize me”. Face it with courage. Be strong, do not run away from it. Stand tall before them and let them insult you as much as they can.

See, you should respond to an insult with a smile. A person of true patience and courage is one who can respond to any insult or criticism with an unshakeable smile. A real saint is one who responds to a gunfight with bouquets of flowers. The sign of an intelligent person is one who can respond to taunts and criticism with humour and wit. If you also get angry with someone who comments on you or taunts you, then that is not intelligent behaviour on your part. The sign of intelligence is to transform an unpleasant situation into a pleasant one. That is what the intelligent ones do. One who searches for pleasantness even in unpleasant or unfavourable situations is truly an intelligent person.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023

There is another way to know things, which is not through the senses. This is called intuition. Through intuition, you can know many things about the past and the future.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: MONDAY, JULY 24, 2023

Don't look for love but give love. When you start giving, it comes back multiplied many more times to you.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023

Worry and feelings

The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time. When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves. If you worry a lot, your feelings are dead; you are stuck in the head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull. Worries are like a rock in the head. Worry entangles you. Worry puts you in a cage. When you feel, you do not worry.

Feelings are like flowers, they come up, they blossom and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When feelings are expressed, you feel relieved. When you are angry, you express your anger and the next moment you are all right. Or you are upset, you cry and you get over it. Feelings last for some short time and then they drop, but worry eats at you for a longer period of time, and eventually eats you up.

Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous. Adults put brakes on their feelings and they start worrying. Worrying about anything obstructs action while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts the brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. Usually one never worries about positive feelings. Worries are uncertain. Worrying takes away your energy; you cannot think clearly when you worry. Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings. When you think you are feeling too much then you start worrying about your feelings. Let’s not worry about it and feel our food!

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023

Q: Sometimes our elder in our homes asks us to do wrong things. How should we say no to them?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Respecting elders does not mean that if elders tell you to do something wrong or ask you to steal something, then you do it. You should say no to it. Just say sorry to them and tell them that you can’t do any such wrong tasks.

When you say, “I can't do it”, they will not force you. You should keep your energy in good work and not invest in wrong things. If you involve in a wrong doing, you will not be able to sleep peacefully.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023

Authority can stifle the freedom of people and hamper progress if it is not in the right perspective, right dosage and right hands.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2023

People usually say, 'I cannot see God'. I tell you, I see nothing but God everywhere! Everything is full of the divine.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023

Astonishing and Mysterious Karma

What do we get upset with? We don’t get upset with the birds, or the clouds, or with Nature. We don’t get upset with the environment. So, what do we get upset with?

We get upset with the people around us. Our enemies upset us and our friends upset us as well. Our mind gets stuck either in our friends or in our enemies. We either think about our friends or we think about our enemies the entire day.

People become our enemies even when we have not done any wrong to them. Many people have had this experience. We didn’t do any wrong to them; neither did we misbehave and still they became our enemies. This is very surprising!

We think, ‘Oh! Why has he become my enemy? Until yesterday he was my friend.’ In the same way, we do not do any special favours for some people, yet they become our close friends.

That is why I tell you, this is some astonishing and mysterious Karma – how some people become our enemies and some our friends.

So what should we do?

We should place both our friends and enemies in one basket, and just become empty from within and be joyful.

All these happenings (people becoming friends and enemies) are run by some law and we don’t know how and where it comes from. We just can’t say when someone’s feelings towards us will change and whether it will be in our favour or not in our favour. We just can’t say. That is why we should place absolute faith on our Self, on God, and not on friendship and enmity.

We should not waste our time thinking about friends and enemies.
What do you all think?

This does not mean you distance yourself from your friends, or that you stop making new friends. That is not what I am saying. Friendliness should be in our nature; love should be in our very nature. We are love after all!

When someone comes and sits beside us, we do smile at them and exchange a few words. This does not mean you think, ‘Anyways, who is a friend or who is an enemy, there is nothing to share with anyone’, and you walk around with a gloomy face being angry with everyone – this is not a sign of wisdom. This is ignorance and foolishness.

We must interact with everyone around us but at the same time be centred from within. Do you understand?

When we are centred, then we will not feel sad, angry or possessive. Then we will not have disappointment of any kind. Otherwise many times what happens, we become sad – ‘Oh! Look, I made him such a good friend and today he does not even talk to me. I did so many favours for him and he has turned against me!’
By thinking all these thoughts we waste the time we have in the present. We should not do this, Okay!

It is futile to search for a true friend in the world. Befriend the Truth (Divine) and the World is yours.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023

Q: The question ‘Who am I’ has been pricking me since childhood and has not gone away and it drives me absolutely insane. Nothing makes sense. What to do?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You are such a fortunate person. If other questions are driving you insane, I would not say so, but if this question ‘Who am I’, is driving you insane, you are the luckiest person, and you are the best seeker. This is good. Hold on to it! Don’t let this craziness go away. It is this craziness in you which brings charm in life. Anyone who has any type of craze will have a spark in their life. It is good to be crazy about something and the craze to know about oneself is wonderful.

Don’t read too many books. Reading books is detrimental to this. This question, ‘Who am I’ should lead you to meditation. That is the best thing. That is enough. Hold on to it, and don’t go and ask anyone else who are you?

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023

If you have a problem, don't blame others. All problems that you face in life has something to do with you only. A good person understands this and does not complain.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2023

Violent games that kids play should be done away with. They should be given more sensitivity towards life, towards animals and towards people.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023

Padmanabha - The Lotus Navel

Different organs of our body are governed by different devas. The solar plexus is connected with the sun, that's why it is called "solar" plexus. When the first rays of the sun fall on the solar plexus, it is very good for your body. Doing Surya Namaskar ("sun salutation") yoga asana in the early morning is very good. The solar plexus has a profound impact on the central nervous system, optic nerves, stomach, and what we usually call "gut feeling." It is the second brain in your body. Usually the solar plexus is slightly bigger than an almond. Studies have shown that with the practice of yoga, meditation, and Sudarshan Kriya, the solar plexus can become as a large as the size of the palm. Then it performs better. It balances the body functions. When the solar plexus expands, the intuitive mind works better. The mind becomes clear and focussed. When the solar plexus contracts, one feels horrible, sad, depressed, and all the negative feelings come.

Krishna was called Padmanabha, meaning "whose navel is the size of a lotus flower." If you become Padmanabha, you become absolutely creative. Brahma, the Creator, is born out of a blossomed solar plexus.

These days, the solar plexus remains small, but the tummy keeps getting bigger.

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023

Q: Scientists discovered many things like all planets, distance between the Sun and Earth, etc., which are already mentioned in our Hindu scriptures. Is there a mention anywhere about black hole in our Vedas?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, there is the Nasadiya Sukta in the Vedas that says that in the beginning there was darkness covered by the darkness, and from there came water.

You know every generation has had some knowledge. The ancient knowledge that we hear today, when people went into deep meditation they simply downloaded it, it was there in the atmosphere.

See usually people think Shiva is a person, he was there some 10,000 years ago or 15,000 years ago. This is completely wrong. Shiva never walked on this planet because Shiva had no body. Shiva means energy. Shiva had no form and he never had a family and he never walked on the planet, Shiva is just energy. Shiva is a principle that is eternal, that is beyond time and that eternal principle is guiding everybody.

Shiva is the Guru since ancient times and has been teaching everyone because it is part of everyone's consciousness.

What is Shiva? It is truth, beauty and consciousness which is benevolent, which is auspicious. It is the consciousness which brings benevolence to everyone.

Shiva has been depicted in blue. Blue means sky. Unless there is a form, you can't relate to it and so the ancient people put an outline of a person in blue and called it Shiva. They put the bull as his vehicle. Bull means righteousness: when you feel righteous, when you are free from guilt, you are able to experience deep peace. Anyone who has guilt deep inside them, who is not righteous, who are thick skinned cannot experience the subtlety of the beauty that is Shiva.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023

Deep silence is the mother of creativity. No creativity can come out of one who is too busy, worried, over-ambitious or lethargic.

~ Sri Sri

https://srisriravishankarquotes.blogspot.com/

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023

The feeling with which you sow the seeds of your actions, you will reap the same kind of results too.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023

Spirituality And Celebration

Celebration is the nature of the spirit. Any celebration has to be spiritual. A celebration without spirituality does not have any depth. And silence gives the depth to celebration. Some people think being silent is spirituality. E.g. Many meditators feel that laughing, singing and dancing are not spiritual. Some people think only celebration is spirituality. E.g. In some parts of the world, such as in rural India or Africa, celebration means loud music; there is no silence at all. Spirituality is a harmonious blend of outer silence and inner celebration ; and also inner silence and other celebration!

II JAI GURUDEVII

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023

Q: If I am suffering from inside, can I still stay happy and keep a smile on my face?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You know life is like a 'Thali'(plate) in which you have something sweet, something salty, something pungent -- all different tastes are present. Like this, in your life you have little sadness (maybe you have lost something, or lost money), yes that pinches but if you just hold on to that pinch only, hold on to that pain only, then life cannot go on. Unless you are so well soaked in wisdom, in spirituality, you will continue to have some little grievances here and there, and if you stop smiling because of that, you will find the world to be a very depressing place. You should keep smiling, having a strong hope that whatever pain and suffering that you have inside will vanish, anyway it doesn't matter. One should have the wisdom to bear discomfort and move forward with a smile.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar