KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

POSTED ON: MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

 

Love and Truth

 

Why would someone tell a lie to their close ones or to their beloved?

 

This is a question most often asked by lovers. Since love cannot stand untruth, this causes relationships to break up. The solution lies in understanding the paradox of love and truth. People tell lies just to save and maintain their love. The fear that the truth might damage their love causes lies to be told between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, parents and children and in family situations.

 

In love you feel weak and truth brings strength. Yet why do people prefer love over truth, i.e. weakness over strength?! (laughter)

 

No one wants to sacrifice love. Thus people are ready to give up the truth for their love. Love takes the luster out of truth. Sometimes truth can make love bitter while in love even lies can appear sweet, like Krishna’s lies to his mother Yashoda! The truth that does not nourish love has no sense and the love that cannot withstand the truth is not true love. When one is assured that the love is so strong that the truth can neither break it nor cause bitterness, then the truth prevails and love shines. Truth has judgments, but true love is beyond judgments. Thus true love makes you weak and yet it is the greatest strength.

 

II JAI GURUDEV II 

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

POSTED ON: MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

 

Q: Guruji, Why is everyone different and not the same?

 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

 

Why should everyone be the same?

 

If we will feed you only potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that too, the same preparation of potato, will you like it?

 

Why do you wear different colours of clothes? You should wear the same clothes every day, like the military people. Would you like it? No, isn’t it? That is why there are so many different types of people on the planet, because nature loves diversity.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV 

POSTED ON: MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2026

It is knowledge that provides liberation, not death. I tell you, liberate yourself right now while you are alive with knowledge.

~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2026

 

Austerity

 

Austerity is often mistaken to be poverty, self-denial. It is neither. Austerity comes out of maturity. It is a sign of social health. Often people who practice austerity are resentful of richness. This is a very pitiable state. Such austerity is not born out of maturity but out of compulsion. The true austerity has tolerance for richness and is never resentful.

 

In fact, one who is mature will have pity for one who is not austere. Austerity is not against celebration and just vanity is not celebration. Celebration dawns in the spirit. Only one who is rich in spirit can practice austerity. One may be rich materially but if he is poor in spirit he can neither celebrate nor evolve. Poverty of spirit is vanity. Austerity brings freedom from the pride of vanity. But taking pride in austerity is again a vanity !

 

Austerity comes out of abundance, and austerity brings abundance. If you feel a lack in any area of life, immediately start austerity. Austerity not only brings freedom but nurtures sharing and caring.

 

II JAI GURUDEV II 

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

POSTED ON: SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2026

 

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: SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2026

Whatever is the truth for you at this moment may not be the truth for someone else.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2026

 

Ram Navami

 

"Ra" in Sanskrit means "That which is Radiant" and "Ma" stands for "Myself". That which shines forth within me, is Rama.That which is radiant in every particle of the Being is Rama.

 

Rama is born to Dasharatha and Kaushalya. Dasharatha (In Sanskrit this means "the ten charioted one") signifies the five organs of sense and the five organs of action. Kaushalya (Sanskrit for "skilled") stands for skill. The skillful reiner of the ten chariots can give birth to Ram. When the ten are used skillfully, radiance is born within.

 

Rama was born in Ayodhya (Sanskrit for "the place where no war can happen"). When there is no conflict in our mind, then the radiance can dawn. Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, was born of Sumitra Ö the good friend. When the ten are cooperating with you then Awareness is born.

Often we try to look for radiance within. Just realize that you are radiant. Once when Guruji was 5 or 6 years old, he closed his eyes and asked a visiting saint, "Swamiji, I do not see any light". The saint replied, "You are the light! How can you see the light?"

 

II JAI GURUDEV II 

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2026

 

Q: Gurudev, you said there were three people fortunate to see the supreme form of Krishna. One was Arjuna, second was Krishna’s mother. Who was the third person?

 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

 

Uddhav. Lord Krishna gave the last Gita to Uddhav -- The Uddhav Gita.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

POSTED ON: SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2026

 

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.

 

~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2026

 

Faith is your wealth

 

Faith is a wealth. If you think, by having faith in God you are doing a favour to God, you are mistaken. Faith gives you strength instantaneously. Faith brings you stability, centeredness, calmness and love. You’re having faith in the Guru or God does not do anything to Guru or God. Your Having Faith Gives You Immediate Strength. Faith is a great wealth; it is a blessing.

If you lack faith, you have to pray for faith. But to pray, you need faith. This is a paradox. (Laughter)

People have faith in the world - but the whole world is just a soap bubble. People have faith in themselves - but they don't know who they are. People think that they have faith in God - but they have no idea of God. If you want to doubt, you have to doubt everything

 

There are three types of faith: faith in yourself, faith in the world, and faith in God. You need to have faith in yourself -- without faith, you think, “I can't do this. This is not for me. I will never be liberated in this life”. You must have faith in the world. Without this, you can’t move an inch in the world. Banks give you loans having faith that you will pay it back. You deposit money in the bank having faith that it will be returned. If you doubt everything in the world, nothing will happen. The same is the case with faith in the Divine - have faith in the Divine and you will evolve. All these faiths are connected. You must have all three for each to be strong.

 

Bill : Atheists have faith in themselves and faith in the world, but not in God.

 

Sri Sri: They don't have complete faith in themselves. Lack of faith in God, in the world or in the self brings fear. Faith in the world cannot be constant because there are always changes.

 

Faith makes you full - faithful. If you have faith, you are full.

 

Rajesh : What is the difference between faith and confidence?

 

Sri Sri : Confidence is the result. Faith is the beginning.

 

Faith in yourself brings freedom.

 

Faith in the world brings you peace of mind.

 

Faith in God evokes love in you.

 

You can be at peace by having faith in the world and without faith in God, but it is not complete peace. If you have love, there is automatically peace and freedom. People who are extremely disturbed should only have faith in God.

 

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2026

 

Q: You talked about the body. I want to know what the connection is between the body and the five elements.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

 

Earth, water, fire, air, ether - the five elements. If any one of this element is missing, this body cannot stay or sustain. Isn't it? Earth element - food, water element, then you need fire element or heat. Without heat, this body cannot survive. Then is air – impossible for body to exist without it, and space or ether. The five elements have been the cause or reason for the body's existence and what happens to this body? It has come out of the five elements and will go back to the five elements, this is science.

 

There are five elements in the dead body also. So what is the difference between a living and a dead body? In a living body, there is life and what is this life?

 

When the question begins then you see oh, 'PRANA' - there is life force, and then you go deeper into the study of 'PRANA' and you see there is something more than 'PRANA'.

 

What is that, that is the mind! Oh, then what is the mind? How many types of mind are there? How many functions of the mind are there? This curiosity takes you to the 'Art of Living'.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV 

POSTED ON: FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2026

Breath is the biggest secret that nature has put in you. It is linked to your emotions. Through breathing exercises, you can control your emotions.

~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026 

The Divine Beyond Time

An ignorant person either disbelieves or believes the individual. The wise neither disbelieves nor believes the individual. His faith rests on Kala (time). When the time is good, a foe will behave like a friend. When the time is not good, even a friend will behave like a foe. The wiser one believes in Mahakala (the Grand time or Shiva). An ignorant person disbelieves in time and the Divine beyond time.

In the world and in time there is always room for improvement. You can improve your time and your nature. Only the Being is perfect all the time. Take refuge in the Being and become incorrigible.

"I am" incorrigible.

II JAI GURUDEV II 

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

 

Q: Is there any connection between DNA and our ancestors? If so, please throw some light.

 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

 

Yes, absolutely there is. Where do you think your DNA originated from? It didn’t drop from the sky. Obviously, it has come from your ancestors. But I can tell you one thing that you may not know, a banana contains 50% of your DNA. A human being and a banana share 50% of the same DNA which means two bananas equal to the DNA of one human being. or one banana is equal to the DNA of half of a human being. This is what the scientists say.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

POSTED ON: THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2026

 

When one's vision is imperfect, and they seem to find fault in everything around them, such a person is called Asuya. But Anusuya is one who does not keep finding faults in everything. So whom can you tell a great secret to? One who is Anusuya!

 

~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2026

The Other Side Of Friendliness

Secretaries, police, judges, accountants and people in key positions should not be friendly!

The main disadvantages of being friendly are:

You come under obligation

You lose your freedom

You can't have a free and fair perception. Your thoughts and actions may not be impartial

Your focus, commitment, creativity and above all your time will be wasted

     You will pick up bad habits and negative moods easily

It takes a lot of wisdom to be free from the burden of obligation and not be influenced by your friends' opinions and feelings. In many occasions, it is better to be unfriendly than be friendly. Being unfriendly does not mean being aggressive and inimical. The best secretaries, personal assistants, security personnel, and judges have to be unfriendly. Those who are aloof and indifferent get centered more quickly than those who are too friendly. A certain degree of aloofness in every relationship will strengthen your personality and connect you to your source.

Vinod Sethi: It's very easy to be very aloof or very friendly. But to be friendly and aloof is a Sadhana.

Harish: Be an unfriendly friend!!

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2026

Q: Gurudev, could you please speak about the Astral and Causal planes, and your role in these planes.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There are three planes – the physical plane, the astral plane and the causal plane. These are all right here with us. Anything that we see in the material plane first takes place in the subtle planes. That is why people also experience Déjà vu. Do you know what Déjà vu is? It is a feeling that you have been somewhere before or had a certain experience before in the past. You feel “I have been here before” or “I have seen this sometime earlier”. Meditation is the first step to deepening your understanding of these planes.

See, from time to time people criticize and insult you. At other times they also appreciate you and encourage you. It keeps happening in life. So many people criticized and insulted Lord Krishna. He did not have any lesser share of troubles and difficulties in life. In the same way, all the saints and prophets of the world also had to go through pain and many difficulties in life. But the great thing is that they endured all the pain and suffering with an unshakeable smile. They would remain untouched by it from the inside. In the same way, we should also face pleasant and unpleasant times in life.

Now that you are here, just drop all those problems and botherations right here in the Ashram. Do you all know the one rule of the Ashram? The rule is that you have to drop all your problems right here. You are not allowed to take them back with you. Got it?

See, we all are relaxed and sitting here in peace. But it saddens me to see the unfortunate state of violence in Kashmir (referring to the incidents of violence in Uri province). Kashmir is surrounded by so many problems. Many young people and women there are very troubled. We should all pray that peace is restored in Kashmir and that an atmosphere of harmony returns very soon.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2026

 

Don't judge others, you never know what they are going through and how they feel inside.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

Posted on: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

 

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

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

Posted on: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

 

Q: Gurudev, you have often said that you are not the doer. Please help me understand this as I have been stuck in the self-blame game for past incidents.

 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

 

Come on, wake up! All that happened in the past is finished, it is like a dream, it is done! You did something wrong and you learnt a lesson from it, it is finished. Now, move on. Broaden your vision, and don’t worry about doership and non-doership. Leave all that.

 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

WISDOM QUOTE BY GURUDEV

Posted on: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

 

Life always flows in search of joy and the highest joy is in the Divine. We must always aim to attain the Divine.

 

~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Monday, June 15, 2026

Joy and Sorrow

The inability to experience joy and sorrow is inertia.

Experiencing joy and sorrow is a trait of consciousness.

Being happy in one's own joy and sad in one's own sorrow is a trait of animals.

Being happy at another's joy and saddened by another's sorrow is a trait of humans.

If you are saddened by other’s sorrow then sorrow will never come to you.

If you are happy at another's joy then joy will never leave you.

Seeing that every relative joy is also a misery is a sign of dispassion.

And seeing both joy and sorrow as just a technique is a sign of the wise.

Considering sorrow as mere illusion is divinity.

Transcending joy and sorrow and being established in the self is perfection.

As the late Swami Sharanananda used to say, "Pray for the strength to serve in joy and to sacrifice in sorrow."

IIJai Guru DevII

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Monday, June 15, 2026

Q: Dearest Gurudev, some young people I know use Marijuana and say that it is their spirituality which helps them connect to different realms. Please speak on the long term effects of Marijuana use.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Marijuana use is the most horrible thing one can do. You know it can give you a temporary effect of an elevated consciousness but it destroys the body. It destroys your nervous system. It is very bad for your physiology.

Though I have never tasted, but people say they got some elevation after having it. But this elevation doesn’t show up on their face. They still look so dull.

If you have experienced bliss like we do in meditation, then you will glow. Look at everybody’s face here, they are glowing. There is joy radiating, there is love oozing out of people’s body when they experience meditation or a higher state of consciousness. But we don’t find this in people using marijuana. Instead you see that they shrink, they look so sad, depressed and sick. It is a crime you are committing against your own body.

You know, it’s the same whether you commit a crime against someone else or your own body. Marijuana is an assault on one’s own body. It is not the right thing. It may momentarily give you some high, but my dear, why do you want to go for that? You do meditation, go for higher energy. In meditation you get higher states of experiences, which makes your body strong, your mind sharp, and your heart compassionate. It makes you very healthy and happy. Why not go into this rather than marijuana? Substance abuse is a crime against one’s self.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Monday, June 15, 2026

Like bubbles come up in water, the whole world has come up in the Consciousness.

~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Sunday, June 14, 2026

Celebrating Diversity

When it comes to interfaith, inter-religious or intercultural dialogue in the world, I would say that there are ten major religions in the world and 600 and so branches of all the religion. If our children know a little bit about all these other religions and they grow up seeing all these are part of one divinity, don’t you think the world will be such a better place? It is not through elimination that we can make a better world. It is through assimilation that we can make a better world.

So the process of elimination should stop. Whatever is the belief system that is prevalent in the world (except if it is a superstitious thing which is harmful for society) have got their own beauty and their own uniqueness. We need to celebrate the multicultural, multi-religious events more and more.

Every child, if he learns a little bit about all these ten different religions, even a couple of pages from each one, then they will know that we live in a very diverse world, and we should honor, love and appreciate these differences. If children grow up with this tendency, I think we can put an end to terrorism, which is taking over the world today. Don’t you think so? This has been my dream from long time.

I would like the UNESCO to take up this one subject of multi-religious education to the whole population of the world, so that every kid learns a little bit about all the traditions in the world and appreciates and celebrates them.

Similarly, we should have more multicultural festivals. In India, we have this ancient saying 'Vasudeva Kutumbakam', which means the world is one family. When you are well-educated, when your heart is larger, the world becomes your family. Technology has shrunk this globe into a village. Distance is no longer a matter of concern. I think it is the humanness and human values that should be the spirit of human education, and that alone is what can make this world into a family.

IIJAI GURUDEVII

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Sunday, June 14, 2026

Q: Gurudev, today you ignored me again; why don’t you want to look at me?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Let me tell you a secret; you are very special. I ignore only very, very, special people, otherwise I attend to everybody.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Sunday, June 14, 2026

The purpose of words is to create silence. Silence is joy, love, pleasantness, peace.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Saturday, June 13, 2026

Tarka Vitarka And Kutarka,

To know yourself or to judge your actions you need to know Tarka, Vitarka and Kutarka.

Kutarka is wrong logic. Most people apply this logic and get caught up in ignorance. For example : The door is half open means the door is half closed. Therefore, the door is fully open means the door is fully closed!

Or: God is Love. Love is Blind. Therefore, God is Blind!!!

Tarka is sequential logical understanding; it increases scientific knowledge. When sequential logical understanding changes, then scientific conclusions change. For example: Pesticides and antibiotics were considered to be very useful in the past, and are now proven to be more harmful. In tarka, the paradigm changes.

Vitarka is asking questions to which there are no evident answers....Who am I? Where am I? What do I really want? These philosophically appealing questions bring forth spiritual knowledge, increase your awareness and bring about the blossoming of Consciousness, i.e., Atma Gyan increases.

The wise know to distinguish between the three. They will not apply kutarka or tarka for vitarka, and vitarka for tarka.

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Saturday, June 13, 2026

Q: As a biologist I believe that both our genes and the environment affect who we are for generations. What’s the connection between DNA, spirituality, our practices and enlightenment?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, the connection between matter and spirit is very strong, very dear, and definitely very deep. You know one Dr. Fari, he’s doing research on DNA. Dr. Fari in Oslo University is doing research on the affect of Sudarshan Kriya on DNA and he found some very startling results. One of them that he says is there are 300 genes in the body which cause cancer, which cause some serious illnesses. And pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya have found to suppress these chromosomes. They get suppressed by them, they don’t become active. That’s one the reasons why remission doesn’t happen in many people who got it. That’s what he was all saying. More details, Ronnie Newman.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Saturday, June 13, 2026

If we can wipe the tears of even one person, then we can consider our life worthwhile.

~ Sri Sri

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Friday, June 12, 2026

Knowledge And Faith

In science you have knowledge first, and then faith follows.

In spirituality, faith comes first, and then Knowledge follows.

For example, the knowledge that pesticides and chemical fertilizers are good for plants came through science, and people had faith in it, and all over the world they were used. But then knowledge came that they were not good and the faith shifted to organic farming. The same with antibiotics.

The knowledge brought faith, the knowledge changed, and then faith changed. The knowledge and faith of science is of "happening." In spirituality, faith is first and Knowledge comes later. Like Kriya, Yoga, and meditation -- first you have faith and then Knowledge follows. For example, if you do pranayama faithfully then you get the Knowledge of the prana; if your do your meditation faithfully, the Knowledge of consciousness follows. Even an illiterate, through faith, attains deep Knowledge.

Vinod: Human is the best composite material. (Laughter -- this is the NASA scientist mind)

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Science considers even human as matter, and spirituality considers even earth as mother, even rivers and mountains as living beings.

Science regards life as matter and spirituality regards even matter as life.

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Friday, June 12, 2026

Q: It is said in Yoga Vashishta that one of the four gatekeepers to liberation is satsang (the company of truth). Please elaborate.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes, one of the four gatekeepers to enlightenment is satsang, which means having the right company because it is a good company that uplifts you.

How do you realize what is a good company? Just sit with someone and talk to them for over 30 minutes. When you get up, observe your state of mind. Do you feel happy? Do you feel depressed? Do you feel angry, agitated or sad? That says it all!

If you sit and discuss your problem with someone, and they appear to be insignificant, then that is good company. But when you discuss your problems with someone and you come out feeling, "Oh, I thought it's a small issue. It feels to be much bigger!" When the problems appear to be much bigger, then that is bad company. It's not satsang.

Satsang is one in which even the big problems appear to be much smaller. Your enthusiasm is high, you feel confident, you feel happy and you want to serve people. You don't become greedy - that is satsang. Satsang creates positive energy in you, uplifts your spirit, gives you insight and gives you courage.

Sometimes you live inside a bubble, satsang will bring you to ground reality. Suppose you are imagining something or hallucinating, satsang will make you realize the ground reality. It will bring you to a point where you realize that you are imagining, or whatever you were doing is not correct.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Friday, June 12, 2026

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

~ Sri Sri

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
Posted on: Thursday, June 11, 2026

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 GURUDEV II

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QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
Posted on: Thursday, June 11, 2026

Q: Dearest Gurudev, some young people I know use Marijuana and say that it is their spirituality which helps them connect to different realms. Please speak on the long term effects of Marijuana use.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Marijuana use is the most horrible thing one can do. You know it can give you a temporary effect of an elevated consciousness but it destroys the body. It destroys your nervous system. It is very bad for your physiology.

Though I have never tasted, but people say they got some elevation after having it. But this elevation doesn’t show up on their face. They still look so dull.

If you have experienced bliss like we do in meditation, then you will glow. Look at everybody’s face here, they are glowing. There is joy radiating, there is love oozing out of people’s body when they experience meditation or a higher state of consciousness. But we don’t find this in people using marijuana. Instead you see that they shrink, they look so sad, depressed and sick. It is a crime you are committing against your own body.

You know, it’s the same whether you commit a crime against someone else or your own body. Marijuana is an assault on one’s own body. It is not the right thing. It may momentarily give you some high, but my dear, why do you want to go for that? You do meditation, go for higher energy. In meditation you get higher states of experiences, which makes your body strong, your mind sharp, and your heart compassionate. It makes you very healthy and happy. Why not go into this rather than marijuana? Substance abuse is a crime against one’s self.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar