KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Aggression as a means to overcome depression

Lack of idealism is the main cause of depression among the youth today. Life appears to be so meaningless to these children, who are either too scared of the competitive world or bogged down by heavy stimuli. They need an inspiration.... And Spirituality is that inspiration that can keep the spirit up!

Aggression is the antidote to depression. Depression sets in if there is a lack of zeal to fight. Depression is lack of energy, and anger and aggression are a bolt of energy. When Arjuna was depressed, Krishna inspired him to fight and thus reinstated life back in Arjuna. If you are depressed, don't take Prozac - just fight - for any cause!

If aggression crosses a certain limit it leads you back into depression. That's what happened with King Ashoka, who won the Kalinga war but became depressed. He had to take refuge in Buddha.

WISE ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT FALL EITHER INTO AGGRESSION OR DEPRESSION.

That's the golden line of a Yogi. Just wake up and acknowledge you are a Yogi!

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Q: Gurudev, is it possible to raise our awareness to that level where we know all things at all times?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

A lawyer has so many books on his shelf that he has studied, he doesn’t have to keep everything in his head. Whenever he needs any information, he picks up that book, isn’t it? Similarly, suppose you are a mathematics professor, you don’t have to keep all the formulae in your memory all the time. When you want Trigonometry or Algebra, at that time you take it; you only focus your attention and pick that knowledge with the memory. It is the same thing with knowledge. All knowledge is available as a possibility, but it depends on our ability to pick what we can. In order to do this, you need to have the ability for intellectual analysis and intuition.

Intuitive ability will help you get access to subjects which you have not intellectually acquired. For every innovation, you need both (intellect and intuition). It is not enough if you have just studied, and have intellectual abilities. For innovation, you need an intuitive insight as well. That intuitive insight comes when you empty your mind a few times every day.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Tuesday, July 1, 2025

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.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Monday, June 30, 2025

Prayer

Give me not thirst if you cannot give me water.
Give me not hunger if you cannot give me food.
Give me not joy if I cannot share.
Give me not the skills if I cannot put them to good use.
Give me not intelligence if I cannot perceive beyond it.
Give me not knowledge if I cannot digest it.
Give me not love if I cannot serve.
Give me not desire that doesn't lead me to you.
Give me not a path that doesn't take me home.
Give me not a prayer if you don't want to hear it. (Laughter)

Question : When you pray, to whom do you pray?

Sri Sri : To myself! In prayer the mind goes to its source, the Self. God, Guru, and the Self are the same.

Dean says : Give me not time if I don't know how to manage it.

Daniel says : Gurudev says, "You're all out of time..." (Laughter)

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Monday, June 30, 2025

Q: What is Pitru Dosha, how does it affect our daily life and how do we correct it?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Pitru Dosha comes out of torturing the parents or ancestors. If children torture the parents and do not understand them, then that is called Pitru Dosha. The parents have brought you up with so much love, taking pain they have given you a good life, they have been by your side and helped you grow, and then you don't give them love and inflict pain on them, that is called Pitru Dosha.

But I tell you, your meditation, your being on the spiritual path, keeping a clean heart and doing a selfless service, to some degree will eliminate the Dosha from your life. See, sometimes people are miserable not because you did something to them, but they are miserable because of their own ignorance. They expect things from you which you may not be able to deliver. Then you don't get Pitru Dosha. It happens when they are really pained by something you could do, but you did not do. When you intentionally inflict pain on the parents due to your selfish reasons then that is Pitru Dosha.

Then what happens? The progeny will have problems. Your children will give you problems. The impact of it is -- children are born with some special needs; some deformities. This is all the sign of Pitru Dosha. Somewhere in the ancestral line, parents were very unhappy with their kids, now you have to become unhappy with your own kids. This is the law of karma. But there is a remedy for it, and the remedy is meditation. 'Om Namah Shivaya' chanting also helps. This is why it's called Maha Mantra. It can rectify any of these Doshas. 'Om Namah Shivaya' does not belong to only one religion. It is universal and it is for everybody.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Monday, June 30, 2025

We need to keep in mind that emotional and ego-related issues should not enter business. When these issues creep into any organization's structure, they hinder the progress of the organization.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Sunday, June 29, 2025

Ego And Self From A Different Angle

Ego is that something, which has two aspects – the positive and the negative. The creativity in you – are the results of ego. At the same time, when you break down communication, when you isolate yourself, when you’re in tears, when you’re stressed – that is also ego. We do not know about the ego, and so we don’t pay much attention to it. But just 2-3 facts, awareness of how ego works !

The self – the basis of life! You can call it the spirit, the soul, consciousness, the source of the mind – anything. It is that something, which doesn’t change in one’s whole life. After discovering about all these levels, what is left is the Self.

Everything is changing, isn’t it? Do you notice this?

Just look at yourself in the mirror and then look at your picture taken a few months or a few years ago. Isn’t there a big difference?

Your body is changing, your thoughts are changing, the mind is changing, emotions are changing, situations are changing… But still you feel there is something in me which is not changing. So that something which is the basis of all change, that something through which you notice the change is the self – the atma, the spirit. It is the most amazing aspect of our lives. Just a glimpse of it, a dip into your spirit energizes our whole system – and that is what meditation is.

Spirituality is the skill of nurturing, purifying and blossoming one’s all levels of existence.

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Sunday, June 29, 2025

Q: There is a constant running for importance and recognition in my life. Most of my decisions are based on this. Recognition has been my major motivation in whatever I do including seva. Please advise.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

It’s good that you recognize your weakness. Once you have recognized it, you are already coming out of it. Next time you do seva, tell yourself, 'Okay, I am going to do seva but not tell anybody about it'.

In India there is something called as a secret gift. When you gift something it is called as a 'Gupt Daan'. It means you have given but didn’t tell that you are giving. Quietly you give. You donate but you don’t even want your name to be put on the name plate which says that so and so donated this. When you quietly give, it is called Gupt daan.

What the right hand gives, the left hand also does not know. So, people used to take pride in that. You also take pride in the same thing. At least one time or two times do some seva for which you are not expecting any recognition. This act brings you so much joy. Once you get the taste of that act which is purely seva, you will find it so blissful, so interesting that you will want to go for it again and again. So, if not all the acts, at least some acts you should do without wanting recognition.

For the other things that you do, it is quite natural to want recognition. You do some good work in your office and you want recognition, there is nothing wrong in that. When you find real fulfillment in life, you feel so contented, then you don’t mind whether someone recognizes you or not. You keep doing what is good for you.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Sunday, June 29, 2025

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

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Saturday, June 28, 2025

Tendencies and Influences

Life moves by dual (two) factors:

⚫inner tendencies and
⚫outer influences

Inner tendencies form your attitudes and behavior, while external influences makes strong impressions in your mind. Often your tendencies generate external situations. And situations around you can form tendencies within you. This is what is called Karma. Both these factors - the tendencies from within and influences from outside, can either be beneficial or harmful.

It is the awareness that filters the outer negative influences and it is the awareness that corrects and annihilates the unhealthy inner tendencies. This awareness is called Gyana. The purpose of education is to develop this awareness, so that you can be selective about your tendencies and influences. It is practically impossible to resist the external influences and the inner tendencies without raising one’s consciousness. This can be gradual or sudden. And that is how a human being has both free will and destiny. Freedom is when you have a say about your tendencies and your influences. And only awareness and impeccable devotion can bring this freedom.

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Saturday, June 28, 2025

Q: There is a constant running for importance and recognition in my life. Most of my decisions are based on this. Recognition has been my major motivation in whatever I do including seva. Please advise.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

It’s good that you recognize your weakness. Once you have recognized it, you are already coming out of it. Next time you do seva, tell yourself, 'Okay, I am going to do seva but not tell anybody about it'.

In India there is something called as a secret gift. When you gift something it is called as a 'Gupt Daan'. It means you have given but didn’t tell that you are giving. Quietly you give. You donate but you don’t even want your name to be put on the name plate which says that so and so donated this. When you quietly give, it is called Gupt daan.

What the right hand gives, the left hand also does not know. So, people used to take pride in that. You also take pride in the same thing. At least one time or two times do some seva for which you are not expecting any recognition. This act brings you so much joy. Once you get the taste of that act which is purely seva, you will find it so blissful, so interesting that you will want to go for it again and again. So, if not all the acts, at least some acts you should do without wanting recognition.

For the other things that you do, it is quite natural to want recognition. You do some good work in your office and you want recognition, there is nothing wrong in that. When you find real fulfillment in life, you feel so contented, then you don’t mind whether someone recognizes you or not. You keep doing what is good for you.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Saturday, June 28, 2025

Be happy. This is a blessing and an order!

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Friday, June 27, 2025

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 Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Friday, June 27, 2025

Q: Why is there suffering when there is God?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

So that you can lift your eyes above this material world. Suffering has a purpose, which is to connect you to your self. Suffering indicates that you got too involved and carried away by all the relative and transient things around you. That is what suffering is all about. Once you understand that it is all transient, your eyes get lifted to something that is eternal. That is when real joy dawns in life.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Friday, June 27, 2025

A sincere doubt is good to awaken you towards knowledge. But beyond a limit, it can cause heartaches and drag you backwards.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Thursday, June 26, 2025

Dependence Independence, Interdependence and Oneness,

The body is dependent on the whole creation. In society, somebody has to make clothes, produce electricity, drill for oil. The body cannot be independent of the world. For the body, dependency is absolute. When the Spirit identifies with the body, then it gets pinched and looks for independence. Mind, intellect, ego - they all look for independence.

In looking for independence often you get stuck in the ego and become more miserable. Most people are not aware of their dependency. When they become aware of their limitations and dependency, the desire for independence arises. Independence cannot be achieved unless you start moving from within. When you move within, you discover that you are interdependent. Individual Self/Soul/Jeeva is interdependence and in fact every wise person knows that everything is interdependent and that there is nothing like independence.

On one level dependency is a harsh reality. On another level, it is an illusion because there is nothing else but the Self. It's only when you don't feel oneness, belongingness that you want independence. The Self being non-dual, there is no question of dependence or independence. One who asks for independence is a beggar. One who knows that it is an illusion is a King. When the sense of belongingness is not well founded, then there is a volatile state in the life of a seeker. Then the ego finds some excuse to revert to smallness. It is not yet totally soaked in the totality of knowledge. As it is not used to it, the mind finds every little excuse to revert back to the ego and to be aloof and independent and separate and it would find any small fault and blow it out of proportion. Be aware of these tendencies and come what may, be strong in the commitment to the Satsang, the Path.

Question: How about self-sufficiency?

Answer: Self is sufficient and efficient. . . . [laughter]

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Thursday, June 26, 2025

Q: As a house wife, how can I play a role as a nation builder?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, women should stand up. Even if you are a house wife, stand up. You have equal rights, and you have great responsibilities. Never feel you are weak, you are empowered, you must do and you can do many things.

Keep aside one hour every day for serving the nation. Women love talking, you should go and talk to the people on the streets, in the slums, and to the under privileged people. Go in groups to these areas where there are underprivileged people and sit with them, talk to them, and give them some solace. Just by talking you can reduce the burden and worries of many people. You can bring down their tension.

Instead of just sitting and talking about movies and fashion, or jewellery, why don’t you go and give some solace to people who are suffering. You can contribute a lot. I see many ladies here who are doing such great work in old age homes.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Thursday, June 26, 2025

Service is an act done without wishing for something in return. This act is very important. Service purifies our karma.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Education

Education has five aspects

⚫Information -- Often we think information is education, but it is only one aspect of education.
⚫Concepts -- Concepts are the basis for all research. You need to conceive in order to create.
⚫Attitude -- An integral aspect of education is cultivating the right attitude. Proper attitude at the right time and place determines your actions and behavior.
⚫Imagination -- Imagination is essential for creativity, for the arts. But if you get stuck in imagination, you may become psychotic.
⚫Freedom -- Freedom is your very nature. Only with freedom, do joy, generosity and other human values blossom. Without freedom, attitudes become stifling, concepts become a burden, information is of no value and imagination becomes stagnant.

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Q: How to get a faith that never shakes?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

If it is true faith, let it shake.

Truth will never go, and if the faith is with the truth, let it shake. It will never get lost.
In fact, you should doubt as much as possible.

You can say, 'Don’t doubt', only when a thing is not a genuine thing.

If it is genuine gold, I tell you, go on scratching as much as possible. But if it is just rolled in gold, or gold polish, then you say, 'Don’t scratch too much because it will disappear.'
With true gold, any amount of scratching will not make it go away.

Doubt is simply lack of energy. When you are high in energy, where is the doubt?
Doubt comes when the energy is low. True faith is that which you shake a hundred times and it still stays on. That is true faith, and it will remain.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Wednesday, June 25, 2025

If you try to get rid of the mind, it becomes a monster. If you just let the mind be, it will vanish!

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Prayer

Give me not thirst if you cannot give me water.
Give me not hunger if you cannot give me food.
Give me not joy if I cannot share.
Give me not the skills if I cannot put them to good use.
Give me not intelligence if I cannot perceive beyond it.
Give me not knowledge if I cannot digest it.
Give me not love if I cannot serve.
Give me not desire that doesn't lead me to you.
Give me not a path that doesn't take me home.
Give me not a prayer if you don't want to hear it. (Laughter)

Question : When you pray, to whom do you pray?

Sri Sri : To myself! In prayer the mind goes to its source, the Self. God, Guru, and the Self are the same.

Dean says : Give me not time if I don't know how to manage it.

Daniel says : Gurudev says, "You're all out of time..." (Laughter)

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Q: Gurudev, how to take complete responsibility yet not feel a sense of doership and feel pressured for results?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Look, forget about doer ship, just do what you have to do. Be a doer and do it, never mind. Don’t keep any split in the mind, just do good work. Even if you say, "I have done this", it’s okay, but first do. The rest we will see later.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Out of millions, very few will walk the spiritual path and make the effort to gain knowledge of the truth. Very few will follow the path of yoga.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Monday, June 23, 2025

Yagnas

Yagnas are the ancient method of enriching the subtle. They also purify the individual and the collective consciousness.

Yagna has three aspects:

⚫Deva Puja: Acknowledging and honoring the Divine in all the forms.
⚫Sangatikarana: Hastening the process of evolution by bringing together all the elements and people in creation.
⚫Dana: Sharing and giving what one has been blessed with.

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Monday, June 23, 2025

Q: Why is it so that we don’t feel same for a person all the time? Sometimes we are angry with the same person whom we love.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You know we go through all different types of emotions. We like somebody and the same person we dislike. We trust somebody and same person we start doubting and so all these mixed emotions keep rising and falling in our mind. Don’t be scared. All these emotions make you strong somewhere deep inside. Somewhere you will come out a very powerful human being. When you are aware that all these moving emotions are just a temporary phase, and that you are much bigger than this, you become strong and centered. Don’t get stuck in any of these emotions or make a concept in the mind.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Monday, June 23, 2025

Do not lose the equanimity of your mind. You do not know when and where, what will happen. When a friend will become an enemy and when an enemy will become a friend. Keep your attention on the truth and perform all your duties sincerely.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Sunday, June 22, 2025

Make Everything Personal And Universal

Manatha Sri Jagan Natha My Lord is the Lord of Creation

Mad Guru Sri Jagad Guru My Master is the Master of the Universe

Madathma Sarva Bhutatma My Soul is the Soul of Every Living Being

Tas Mai Sri Guruve Namah I Bow Down to the Glory of My Guru Dev

Often what is universal is not personal and what is personal does not belong to everyone. What is "mine" and what is "universal" are completely opposite. This is the cause of greed, fear, jealousy, and lack of contentment. On this Guru Purnima wake up and realize that the Lord of the Universe is very personal to you. Your personal Guru is the Guru of the whole world. The Guru is your very SELF and your SELF is the very life in every being. Make the universal personal; it makes you richer, wiser, stronger. Make the personal universal; you will find freedom, compassion, love.

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Sunday, June 22, 2025

Q: Who is a yogi and what is a yogi’s way of life?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

A yogi is a child. A yogi is becoming a baby again and again. If you look at a baby, from about 3 months to 3 years he does almost all the asanas. It can even teach you pranayama. You don’t need a yoga teacher if you observe a baby. Similarly, all animals also do some asanas.

A yogi is one who is connected with the infinity; connected with everybody. He doesn’t feel isolated with anyone, at anytime. Yogi is one who is skillful, one who is flexible. Some people have a very flexible body, but their minds are very rigid. A rigid person is not very palatable. He cannot communicate properly and is not open to new ideas.

A yogi is one who is not rigid but at the same time who is not very mushy or wishy-washy; he is very straight forward. He has strength, yet is soft. He has a childlike innocence, yet depth in wisdom. He is childlike, not childish. He has a childlike simplicity, yet is wise. A yogi is sensible and sensitive.

Often people who think they are very sensible are not very sensitive, and people who are very sensitive are not sensible at all! A yogi is a perfect combination of sensibility and sensitivity.
Yogi is one who is loving, yet very centered. Often people who fall in love lose their centeredness, and people who are very centered, they don’t seem to be radiating love. A yogi is the perfect combination of head and heart; being centered and at the same time being very loving.

You can assign all ideal characteristics to a yogi because a yogi is one who is connected to the self, connected to the universe, connected to everybody; because everybody is connected.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Sunday, June 22, 2025

We need to honor the dignity of the Guru. The Guru is the one who leads you to the light of the divine.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Saturday, June 21, 2025

HEALTHY LIVING & YOGA

Thousands of miles away and your words here get into this cell phone which is not even connected to a wire. Usually when something is connected with a wire we take it for granted because we see that there is a connection, but here there is not even a solid connection. A cell phone is your hand, you speak and that gets transmitted in this empty space and goes and reaches somewhere so far away. If you just put your mind on this phenomenon you will be amazed. We take this for granted and we just speak on the cell phone and don't even notice the mechanism behind it.

If you look into the mechanism you will be in awe. This awe awakens the spirit inside you. That awe takes you to the state of meditation. 'Vismaya Yoga Bhumika': ASTONISHMENT is the preface for Yoga. If you are astonished/stunned, that is when yoga begins, means your spiritual journey begins, meditation begins. So you must be astonished in order to get into yoga or whenever you feel that 'wow', that astonishment in you, know that you are connected with the spirit that you are. You are in that state of spiritual elevation. Isn't it amazing, isn't it beautiful!!

How could someone think that the 'oh wow' could create such an elevation of the spirit. All present day crisis and problems can be solved by this change in the attitude, don't you think so?!

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Saturday, June 21, 2025

Q: Gurudev, you often speak about Kripa (Grace). Should we all in The Art of Living become certain and confident about the presence of grace in our lives?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, of course! There is no need to worry at all. Just relax and be confident at all times. But at the same time, also be wise and practical. You should not think, “Oh! I have abundance of Grace in my life”, and then put your hand in a burning fire. If you do so then naturally your hands will get burnt.

Being confident (of Grace) does not in any way mean losing awareness and being impractical. Also, feeling secure and confident should not make you passive and lethargic in life such that you end up doing nothing. You should not become irresponsible. Do your job sincerely and attend to all your duties and responsibilities wholeheartedly. Leave the rest to God with faith.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Saturday, June 21, 2025

The ego or pride getting attached to violence and aggression is one of the causes of violence in society. Today if you are aggressive, you are a hero. In earlier days, if you were compassionate, then you were a hero.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Friday, June 20, 2025

Sublimating Lust

Lust is one of the main botherations that many face. Lust grips the mind and tires the body, and dulls the intellect. Lust, when indulged, brings inertia, and when suppressed brings anger. Lust is nothing but primordial un-harnessed energy. The same when harnessed manifests as enthusiasm, sparkle, sharpness of intellect and love.

What are the factors which can sublimate or transform lust into love?

⚫Playfulness: People who are in the grip of lust cannot be genuinely playful. When you are genuinely playful, then there is no lust there

⚫Generosity: When you realize that you are here only to give and give, and you feel that you are very generous, lust is sublimated. Lust makes one possessive and not generous

⚫Moderate to less intake of food

⚫Remembrance of death

⚫Divine Romance

⚫Cold water baths

⚫Undertaking creative challenges

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Friday, June 20, 2025

Q: Gurudev, I always feel that I have received more than I deserve, and I feel uncomfortable.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You should feel comfortable. When you feel you have received more than you deserve, you become grateful, you feel life is a gift to you. When you feel that you really deserve this, then you become arrogant, dominant, rude, and rough. It is only when you realize that you are not worthy of what you have received and what you are receiving, then you become humble and more grateful! The more grateful you are, the higher you go; humility in you takes you high.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Friday, June 20, 2025

The physical body does not make you as tired as the mind does. Work doesn't make you as tired as your desires do. So what is important is for you to become content. Again and again practice being content.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Thursday, June 19, 2025

Prestige and Honor Your Golden Cage,

Honor reduces the freedom. Your fame, honor and virtue can limit your freedom. Nobody expects a good person to make a mistake. So the better person you are, the higher the expectations people have of you. It is then that you lose your freedom. Your virtues and good actions are like a golden cage. You are trapped by your own good actions, for everyone expects more from a good person. Nobody expects anything from a bad person.

Most of the people are stuck in this cage of prestige and honor. They can not smile. They are constantly worried about keeping up their prestige and their honor. It becomes more important than their own life. Just being good or doing good to keep the prestige and honor is worthless. Prestige and honor can bring more misery in life than poverty.

Many desire fame, but little do they know that they are looking for a cage. It is an art to be dignified, and yet not be suffocated by it. Only the wise would know this. For the wise one it is natural to be in honor, and he has no concerns even if it falls apart. Despite having fame or prestige, he will live as though he has none. A wise person can handle any fame without feeling suffocated, for he is crazy too! By doing good in the society one gains prestige, then enjoying the prestige and honor, one loses their freedom.

Question: Then how do you keep your freedom?

Answer: By being like a child, considering the world as a burden a joke or a dream.

II Jai Gurudev II

http://knowledgesheetsbygurudev.blogspot.com/

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Thursday, June 19, 2025

Q: Whenever I listen to knowledge I sleep. What should I change?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

One devotee asked this question, "How come when I watch any movie or television serial, I am all awake, even if it is in middle of the night. The moment I come for a spiritual discourse, I doze off".

You know, the answer is -- because movies are bed of thorns, it keeps you awake. Knowledge is a bed of roses, that’s why you sleep. Well this is said with humor. But never mind, the deep rest somewhere sends the knowledge to our subconscious mind and sometime it will come up.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Thursday, June 19, 2025

If the actions of someone who you have a lot of regard for is hurting you, then know that it is for some good reason. If a friend is hurting you, know that some karma is getting released. If the hurt is coming from an ignorant person, have compassion. These three attitudes can make your whole personality shine.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

http://quotesfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/