KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026

How To Deal With Humiliation?

Know that humiliation does not weaken you -- it strengthens you.

When you have a sense of belongingness, you don't feel humiliated. The more egotistic you are, the more humiliation you feel. When you are childlike and have a greater sense of kinship then you don't feel humiliated.

When you are committed to truth and not to your ego then you also don't feel humiliated.
If you are afraid of humiliation, you can neither make progress in your material life nor in your spiritual life. When you stand above humiliation, you get closer to the Self - to God. When you are steeped in love, with the Existence, with the Divine, nothing whatsoever can humiliate you.
So, the way out of humiliation is:

Get humiliated!

Be childlike

Be crazy

Get steeped in love with the Divine

Total commitment to Truth-Knowledge

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026

Q: I am happy and calm now. What can I do to maintain this state throughout life?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Share it with more and more people. Joy or wisdom if not shared with others starts dwindling. Now this does not mean you go to others and start teaching them Bhastrika Pranayama, or the Sudarshan Kriya. Unless you get properly trained, you should not go about teaching meditation and these practices to others. This is why we had to put a quality control for Yoga in the country today. There is a QCI (Quality Control for India) body and the government has asked it to do something for Yoga also. It is because it is observed that people learn something from somewhere and then go around teaching it to others without proper training. Then when some unwanted or unexpected things happen it becomes a problem. There is a proverb in Sanskrit – “Yasya kasya tarur-mulam yena kenapi churnitam; yasmai kasmai pradaatavyam yatvaa-tatvaa bhavishyati” (From the Subhashita). It means that someone may bring the root of any tree, grind it into a fine powder and give it off as medicine to others. And something or the other may happen to the other person by taking that (untested) medicine. The same is what is happening with Yoga also these days. People practice Yoga for just a week and proclaim themselves to be Yoga instructors and teachers. There needs to be a proper quality system in place for Yoga also, and there should be levels or stages of training and certification. Until then, do not just go and train others. But you should always talk to other people about Yoga and bring more awareness about it. You should definitely inspire and encourage others for this.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026

It is not the people who hurt you. It is your own mind, your vulnerability and your own emotions that entagle you and make you feel hurt.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2026

Bhakti

In Bhakti there are four letters. It's made up of "bha", "ka", "ta", and "i" (ee). "Bha" stands for fulfillment and nourishment. "Ka" stands for knowing - a means of knowing. "Ta" stands for redeeming, for saving, for salvation. "I" (ee) stands for shakti.

So in Bhakti four things are there: fulfillment and nourishment; means of knowing; "tarana" or salvation; and energy. Bhakti saves you. Bhakti nourishes you. Bhakti is the means of knowing, the right knowledge. When Bhakti is there the doubts don't come. It gives the most energy. So Bhakti contains as the seed all the four qualities.

All the emotional upheavals one undergoes is because one doesn't know Bhakti. When all intense feelings flow in one direction that is Bhakti, it becomes Bhakti. What is the difference between a canal and a flooded field? In a flood what happens is the water does not have a bank to flow in. When the water flows within banks you call it "river". When water is scattered all over, it's all flooded. So when the emotions get flooded everywhere, mind is in a mess. If it is intensely flowing in a direction, then that is Bhakti. And that is most powerful.

A sign of Intelligence is Surrender or Bhakti.

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2026

Q: Gurudev, if all of us are Gods anyways, then why do we need a Guru?

Gurudev: Ok tell me do you want this answer? Why do you want this answer? Will you accept the answer I tell you? That means you have already accepted me as your Guru! Ask your self why. Because there are certain question, which comes to your mind, and you don't have an answer for, you come to someone who you think knows. That's your Guru. The one who answer your questions is your Guru. There could be two reason why you may not need a Guru.

(A) You are already enlightened and you have all the answers to the questions.

(B) When you are too inert like a stone, then no question comes to your mind. But when there is intelligence, the questions come. It comes from discrimination (viveka). You need a mirror to see your own face right? You cannot see it on the pillar or on the wall. You only can see it on the mirror. The Guru is that mirror who shows you your true self to you.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2026

When you wonder about things around you, know that Yoga has begun in your life. You are already uniting with that which is wonderful. The universe is full of wonders and it invites you to become wonderful.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR 

POSTED ON: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 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. 

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 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, OCTOBER 30, 2026

Being in utter love and yet undisturbed; caring yet not worried; persistent yet not perturbed, are all the obvious signs of the Selfshining through.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026

The Five Aspects of the Universe

You have five aspects to yourself: Asti (is-ness); Bhaati (Knowledge, expression); Preeti (love); Nama (name); and Rupa (form).

Matter has two aspects: name and form.

Consciousness has three aspects: "is-ness" - that it is; knowingness/expression - it knows and expresses; and love - it is loving.

This is the secret of the whole universe.

Maya is not being aware of the three aspects of consciousness. Ignorance is when one is caught up in the name and form.

Question: Why are we imperfect?

Answer: So that we can grow to perfection. Life is a movement from imperfection to perfection. A seed contains the tree but the seed has to cease to be a seed to become a tree. The seed is not perfect. The sapling is not perfect. It has to cease to be a sapling to become a tree. So in life you can either see imperfection at every step, or you can see a movement from one perfection to another perfection.

Wherever you put your attention then that will grow. If you put your attention on the lack of something, the lack will increase.

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026

Q: How to go beyond physical suffering?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

When you sleep, you go beyond the body and beyond pain. But if you meditate, you can consciously go beyond pain.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026

Marriage means sacrifice. Sacrificing your desires for the good of the other and for the sake of the whole family. Marriage is compromise.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2026

An Awkward Situation

Why do you feel awkward? And how do you get out of it?

If you have always been the center of attention, and are suddenly sidelined, you may feel out of place. Similarly if you have always been on the side lines, and are suddenly pushed to center stage, you may experience restlessness. If you are used to ordering, and suddenly have to take orders, or, if you usually follow orders, and you are made to give them, you may feel out of place. A very busy person with nothing to do, or a laid back person who is faced with a lot of responsibilities may experience restlessness. Very often, feeling out of place blocks the reason and distorts the logic.

If the situation you are in is inevitable, tolerate it. If it’s avoidable, walk out of it. If you feel that it can expand your abilities, smile through it. Every awkward situation increases your comfort zone. Every awkward situation is a test for how deep you are in the Knowledge.

Love something of an awkward situation. This will increase your comfort zone. When your comfort zone increases, no one will be able to push your buttons and you will become so centered and unshakable.

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2026

Q: How to deal with my child asking too many questions?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Children ask questions and often they are not looking for an answer, they move on whether you answer or not. Children are not stuck in questions like adults. Adults get stuck in questions, and ask the same questions ten times; children don't care. The spirit of inquiry comes to their mind, they ask a question and move on. So, you shouldn't take it too seriously.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2026

Love cannot be measured because it is infinite. There is no boundaries to it.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2026

Feel blessed

Break through all the barriers and feel that you Are Blessed. This Is The One And Only Step You Have To take - the rest will all happen.

This deep sense of feeling that "I am blessed" can help you overcome any obstacles in life. It gives you courage and confidence and it will open your lid for grace to be poured in.

Once you realize that you are blessed, then:

All the complaints disappear
All the grumbling disappears
All the insecurities disappear
A sense of feeling unloved disappears
Wanting love disappears.

If you don't realize you are blessed, then the doership begins. If you want to make a difference in your life, feel you are blessed. And especially for those on this path of knowledge, there is no reason for you to not feel blessed. So, feel you are blessed. This is the first step towards the Self.

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2026

Q: You travel all around the world. What do you see when you travel? Is there progress, and is there peace of mind?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

More and more people today want peace of mind. They want conflicts to be resolved. There are other people who are just struggling to make their ends meet.

There are two different aspects:

1. The physical requirements of people.
2. The mental requirement. Many people want solace.

People continue to feel lonely, after 40-50 a sense of depression dawns in them, and they feel they're not wanted by their family, people and society. This sort of anxiety has taken over some parts of the world.

We need to work on both levels. We need to give opportunities to people who are struggling to make ends meet. The Art of living is making some efforts in this direction by educating children, bringing education to unskilled people and unemployed people and giving them some hope to live. At the same time, those who have enough, we give them inner solace and make them see what life is all about. And we tell them that there is no point in crying and being worried all the time.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2026

There is no choice between good and bad. Choice is always between bad and worse, or good and better. If you understand this then you see that there is no choice.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2026

To Say Sorry Is A Good Mistake?

Often, in establishing your righteousness, you are insensitive to othersÔ feelings. When someone is hurt, arguing with them and establishing your righteousness will be in vain. By saying a simple "Sorry", you can uplift the other and take away the bitterness. In many situations saying "Sorry" is better than establishing your righteousness. It can avert much unpleasantness. This one word of five letters, when said sincerely can remove anger, guilt, hatred and distance.

Many people feel pride in hearing "Sorry" from others. This boosts their ego. But when you say "Sorry" to a wise man, it evokes compassion at your ignorance. However, when you say "Sorry" to your Guru, He will get angry and say, "Go! Listen to Ashtavakra!" (Laughter) For your saying "Sorry" indicates doership. You feel that YOU have MADE a mistake.

A mistake is part of an unconscious mind. An unconscious mind cannot do right. A conscious mind can do no wrong. The mind which makes the mistake and the mind which realizes the mistake - saying "Sorry" - are entirely different, aren't they? The mind which says "Sorry" cannot be an unconscious mind. Therefore, saying "Sorry" sincerely is a BIG MISTAKE!!!

Did you get it or are you confused? If you didn't get it, don't feel sorry or u can feel sorry!! (Laughter)
How strange - truth is paradoxical!

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 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: MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2026

Our life becomes richer when there is some music, dance, philosophy, science, service and silence. If you miss on any one of them, then life is not complete.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2026

Advice from Hawaii

What type of time do you give the Divine? Usually you give the time that is leftover, when you have nothing else to do, when no guests are coming, there are no parties to go to, no nice movies to watch, no weddings to attend. Such time you give. This is not quality time.

Give quality time to the Divine. It will be rewarded. If your prayers are not answered it is because you have never given quality time. Give Satsang and meditation your highest priority. Give prime time to the Divine. You definitely will be rewarded.

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2026

Q: Many times the ideals, principles and beliefs taught to us by our parents and grandparents are in conflict with the teachings of The Art of Living. We feel responsible to carry forward their teachings but are in confusion after listening to some of your knowledge. Please help.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I don't see what you are referring to? How could this be confusing with any knowledge, or what parents have said about anything?

Which parent will say no to celebrate life, or to adopt violence as the core value in your life? Which parent would tell their children to go and be violent? Yes, if some people are saying, "My God is the only God, my way is the only way, everyone else is going to hell", or, "Those people who do not subscribe to my God have no right to exist, they are traitors", then I would say do not follow that path. It is only ignorance.

If any parent is saying that you will go to hell if you do meditation, they are ignorant. You don't have to tread the path of ignorance. You educate them, and if you cannot, you walk your path.

The whole world is one family. Uplift yourself beyond race, gender, religions, skin color, and all that. We are all part of one divinity -- which parent will say we are not? Okay, may be your parents want you to follow some rituals, then do it for their sake. Why do you want to resist that? You don't need to behave like a communist. If your parents say that you have to go to church or the temple, go visit it, even if you do not feel much devotion or any such thing. Listen to them and make them happy. If you follow what they want, i.e., to have a certain celebration at home, it can make them happy. But when it comes to your breathing exercises, your food habits and whatever your personal things are, I think you have to take a call, and you cannot say this is all in conflict. Do you see what I am saying?

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2026

A very pleasant and committed mind set is a sign of good health.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 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!!

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026

Q: Dear Gurudev, I would like to hear you talk more about the mysterious power of human sexuality. Can you give us some ideas as to how to deal with the power of sexuality?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I don’t know about it. But remember you are all born from sex. We have a tendency of saying it is bad or a sin, or on the other side you indulge in it too much. You must walk the middle path. Moderation in everything. Life should have moderation.

Sex is an act to bring the mind to the present moment. And there is expenditure there. It is not just the body that is there, it is the movement of energy within you that gives you a sense of relief or ecstasy.

Like, smokers feel a sense of relaxation when they smoke. It is not the smoke that is elevating you, it is the way you breathe, in a particular pattern that elevates you. A particular channel - what we call nadi – opens up. It brings a little relaxation.

When you do breathing exercise (pranayama), the same thing happens. A certain nadi opens up inside of you, and you feel relaxed, without the harming affect of the smoke that you fill in your lungs. You don’t need to do that.

So with sex also, an energy channel opens. When this energy channel opens up within you, it brings a certain relaxation first, and then you to have a scintillating heightened blissful sensation. This one can get in meditation also.

So in the ancient times, they have measured Samadhi or deep meditation as 1000 units of sex -- if sex brings one unit of joy, Samadhi is 1000 units of that. If sex is one little bulb of zero watt, Samadhi is a thousand watt bulb. That is the comparison they have given. That is why when you are in Samadhi, you naturally move out of the base tendencies. You naturally get transformed.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026

Give in such a way that the other does not even feel they have taken. This is generosity, and this is beauty.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026

Shortcut!

If you think you are stupid

Then...... you know who you are. And if you know who you are......

You are enlightened!

And if you are enlightened ,

Then ......you are certainly not stupid .

If you think you are intelligent ,

Then you don't know who you are.

And if don't know who you are.....

Then you really ARE stupid!

Better realize your stupidity ....and Be Enlightened!!!!!!.....[laughter]

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026

Q: What is fear?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Every seed has a membrane around it. That shell is there to protect the seed, but when you soak the seed in water, at some point the membrane breaks and the sprout come out of it. In the same way, fear is a mechanism around the life to protect it; at the same time, there is a way to go out of it.

If you see, very young kids, they don’t have fear when the mother is taking care of them. But when a kid starts walking on its own, then he looks around here and there very carefully. So, fear comes around that time, and it disappears when the mind or the intellect get mature. A mature intellect has no fear.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026

Love is giving everything and taking nothing.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

POSTED ON: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026

Education

Education has five aspects

1. Information -- Often we think information is education, but it is only one aspect of education.

2. Concepts -- Concepts are the basis for all research. You need to conceive in order to create.

3. Attitude -- An integral aspect of education is cultivating the right attitude. Proper attitude at the right time and place determines your actions and behavior.

4. Imagination -- Imagination is essential for creativity, for the arts. But if you get stuck in imagination, you may become psychotic.

5. 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

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 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: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026

If you are a social worker, then you have to bundle all your wants, feelings, likes, dislikes and throw them into the ocean.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026

Two types of knowledge

There are two types of knowledge. The first one is pure knowledge and the second one is applied knowledge. Applied knowledge may benefit you directly and immediately but pure knowledge benefits you indirectly in the long run.

If there are some things that you have studied or understood that you are unable to put into practice, do not get disheartened. Sometime in the future, if you do not discard the knowledge you have as impractical, it will be of use to you.

Often people discard the pure knowledge for its lack of immediate application. In fact these two types of knowledge compliment each other. Applied knowledge without pure knowledge remains weak. And pure knowledge without application will remain unfulfilled.

Do not discard or label the knowledge as impractical. Do not label yourself as weak or unworthy because you are unable to apply the knowledge in your day-to-day life.

Sometimes when you are alone in nature, silent, taking a walk, looking at the sand on the beach, a bird in the sky, or while meditating – suddenly the knowledge will emerge and you will recognize the knowledge dawning in your life.

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026

Q: How to overcome doubts?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Where are you?
Which planet are you on?
What is your world?
Are you sure you are not dreaming?
Are you sure you are here on this planet?
Are you sure earth is beneath you?
What is it you are hanging on to?
How long will we continue this play, this drama?
What is happening?
What is the origin of this mind?
Where do all these thoughts arise from?
Where does all this grumbling arise from?
Where do all your concepts rise?
How do they rise? How do they fall off?
How do your likes and dislikes of people arise and fall off?

If we don’t get these doubts, we will not ask ourselves these questions. Not that they don’t arise; they do but we brush them aside. We don’t ride on the horse of these questions. We don’t ask very basic questions. Instead, we keep asking silly questions in our mind. Our doubts are all so silly! Our questions are also insignificant. They mostly concern trivial matters, like a dress, a tape recorder, etc. These are the types of questions we ask. We spend all our lifetime asking questions that do not mean anything; which do not take us anywhere.

In Sanskrit, doubts are called sandēha. Dēha means body. Sandēha means doubt. They’re very close. It is a state of mind. Doubt is a state of mind. Do you know when there is this state of mind? It is when we are body-conscious or body-bound, and are not aware of the life within us.

When a child starts becoming aware of its own body, it starts asking more and more questions. And when the body matures into the adolescent stage, there are ever so many questions that reel in the mind.
Doubt is that state of mind where it’s not fully alive. Answers cannot satisfy doubt. Hearing and seeing cannot eliminate doubt.

The life in you is dull. The wick in the lamp is going down. On the day you do prāṇāyāma or Sudarshan Kriyā, you are so alive. Every cell in your body is alive, and then there is no doubt in the mind. You feel so wonderful because of this. There is no split in your consciousness. Doubt is the split. A portion is awake and another major portion is asleep — the unfulfilled state of consciousness.

When the prāna is low, you feel unfulfilled. And when the prāna is full, you are so fulfilled. So when you have doubts, do more sādhanā or practice. This is called shraddhā or faith, the opposite of doubt. It starts with self-doubt — doubting the self, doubting everything in the world and doubting the Divine. There are three types of faith in the world (being Hindu, Muslim or Christian, is not what I call faith). There are only three types of people who have faith, i.e. there are three types of faith — in the divine, in the universe and in the world.

Faith in your Self, faith in the world and faith in something we do not know, the Divine. You can start from anywhere. Any one point will lead to all three; all three come together. When doubts arise in you, fast, meditate, do prāṇāyāma and prayers, and see whether the doubts remain. There is a shift in your consciousness.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026

“Human evolution has two steps - from being somebody to being nobody; and from being nobody to being everybody. This knowledge can bring sharing and caring throughout the world.”

― Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2026

How to conquer jealousy or envy

Know that the person that you are jealous or envious of has done some good karma in the past and they are now reaping the fruit.
Take it as an inspiration to gain merit now.
Create a sense of belongingness with them. See that they are a part of you.
Think of all you have that they don't have and feel grateful.

Ananda says, "Observe the sensations."

Join hands and form a team with them.

Realise that in the current of moving time all will perish.

Think of everyone that is jealous of you for what you have. Stephano added: "And see that all that people envy you for has not brought joy anyway."

Stephano: "Go and ask them 'are you happy?' " Caroline: "And what if they say 'Yes?' " (Laughter!). If the answer is "yes" then they must be in the Art of Living (Laughter!) "What to do if others are jealous or envious of you?" Ananda: "What to do if others are jealous or envious of you?"

Praise them in superlatives.
Create a sense of belongingness in them by your kind actions.
Know that their feelings are temporary.
The best is not to recognise their envy or jealousy at all. If you recognise a feeling as a reality it only makes your ignorance grow.
Know all feelings and emotions are just like passing clouds.
Do not show off your talents to them.
Know that they are puppets. They will all perish like apples and tomatoes - just a longer shelf-life (Laughter!).
If nothing else works just go to sleep (Shirley: "And don't forget to take a pillow").

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2026

Q: Dear Gurudev, is there a difference between the soul and the mind?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Mind is that which perceives. See, 'you are looking at me' is through the mind. If mind is elsewhere, you can’t see me, right? If you’re not paying attention, if you’re not being mindful, you can’t hear what I’m saying. When mind is elsewhere, can you hear what I’m saying? No, right? Though the sound is falling on the ears, if mind is elsewhere, you cannot hear. So our perception depends on the mind. But the totality of energy is what the soul, or you, are.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

WISDOM QUOTE OF SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR
POSTED ON: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2026

If someone deceived you, they are going to face the consequences. That is the law of karma. If you got deceived, you were not careful. You should have been careful. You have learnt your lesson by being deceived. Now move on!

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

 

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR

KNOWLEDGE SHEET BY SRI SRI RAVISHANKAR
POSTED ON: MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026

Jesus - Embodiment of Love

Love is the most sought-after but least expressed mystery of life. We try to express love in so many ways, still it remains a mystery. And it rarely happens that love is expressed in its fullness, in its totality.
Jesus and love are synonymous. If you say love, you need not say Jesus and if you say Jesus, it means love. Jesus once said, “If you call God in my name, whatever you ask shall be given. For God is love.” You find such a complete expression of love in Jesus. Whatever little glimpses you may get here and there indicates that fullness, that ultimate expression of the inexpressible that life is striving to express all the time.

Love makes you weak, but brings you the kingdom of heaven. However strong you are, you are the weakest when you are in love. Yet love is the strongest force on this universe. Since love makes you weak, it also is scary. Among thousands, just a few followed Jesus. Many heard, but just a few came. Even after performing many miracles, only handful of people could recognise him.

Jesus said, “I have come to put man against man, father against son, daughter against mother.” Very few people have really understood what it means. Whom you think is your friend is really not a friend because he or she makes your faith on the matter strong, and spirit weak. “I have come to put one against each other, I have come to put fire, not make peace.” Jesus said this because he knew the depth of slumber.

When you talk something nice, peaceful, everybody will go to sleep and when there is something sensational, people wake up and listen. This is how the human mind operates. And Jesus made all efforts for one to cross the mind and get into the soul, the spirit, the source of life, the Self. You break through the limited identities and recognise the Divinity within you. You are much more than just a human; you are part of the Divine. And you inherit the kingdom. And that kingdom is right here, right within you.

Love has no name, nor form. Love is abstract, yet it is very concrete. It has no name or form but manifests in all names and in all forms. This is the mystery of creation. You can see love everywhere in this creation if only you have an eye to see it. Just see a bird, and a small one in the nest. The bird comes and how it feeds its young one. See how the young one waits for the mother bird to come. There is love in it. There is love among fish. There is love in the sky. There is love underneath the water. There is love on the ground. And there is love in the outer space.

Every form is full of love and every name represents love. And that is how Jesus is One with the Father. Father is One with his creation. In India, the creation and creator are compared to the dance and the dancer. You cannot have a dance without a dancer. Dancer is in every move of the dance. The creator is in every spec of the creation. That is what is omnipresent, omnipotent. If God is omnipresent, he is present everywhere, isn’t it? The creator, if he is different from the creation, then he is not present in his creation. Then he is not omnipresent. The whole definition of God is gone.

Love is present everywhere, but somewhere it finds total expression. And the knowledge of the Self leads you towards that total expression of love, of blossoming of love. It lifts your eyes from all tiny little things. One Divine is providing for everybody. Neither the python goes to work nor the birds toil. Everybody is taken care of. Everything is taken care of.

Jesus said, “Love each other as much as I love you.” What more do you need to see that embodiment of love?

II JAI GURUDEV II

 

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV

QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GURUDEV
POSTED ON: MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026

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