Wisdom from Sri Sri

Q: Guruji any particular message you want to give us, anything at all?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Have a vision. Move with confidence. I am with you. Move with that vision in
your life and share this joy with others. The happiness that we have got, we need to bring this joy to more and more people around us, don’t you think so? How many of you feel your lives are transformed?
Audience: Yes
It is our duty to share and spread the happiness that we have got.
Q: Guruji, I did the course a few days ago, my experience was awesome. I am from
Dhanbad in Jharkhand and I want a lot of people from Dhanbad to experience this. Also I want you to come there to address the youth and guide them on to the right path.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes sure. You work there.
Q: Guruji, Do I have your blessings on me?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have a lot of blessings. I shower blessings in abundance.
Q: Guruji I love you.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You have no choice.I haven’t left you with an option.
Q: Guruji, please take us along with you. I need to have a long conversation with
you. It is not possible here in one minute. We have to reach college in 5 minutes. Please do some miracle so that we can spend whole day with you.
Sri Sri: Where to take you along. I am everywhere. I keep on coming and going. You are studying at present. Do your studies properly, ok.
Q: Guruji I love you, and please be with me all the time.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sure
Q: Guruji, when are you coming to my home? I want to cook Rice pudding (Kheer) for
you and serve it to you.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you have to make a wish then make a great wish. This is just a small wish. If many people wish to do the same then I would have to change my name to Ganesh. So make a wish that everyone stops the use of alcohol and drugs, and takes interest in meditation. More and more people start to walk on the spiritual path and start to live in knowledge. Drop your small wishes and start blessing people with the wish that their work is done. This knowledge has such power that you can do anything in the world. All of us have that capacity. You start using your
will power, mind power. This will benefit you and others also. How many of you have already experienced this?  See a lot of people have such experiences. You know you keep stepping up from success to success. There is no option of stepping down.
Q: Could you please tell us something about ego and surrender.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Ego is something that restricts your blossoming. Ego is you not having enough
confidence in yourself. Ego is not wanting to be a fool. One who doesn’t want to be a fool ends up being a fool. So you have no choice. You either have to accept that you are a fool and become wise or not accept that you are a fool and really become one. Egotism does not like that. It says I am not a fool. I am somebody. Trying to impress someone else and become a real fool. Got it? Self confidence is that which gives you comfort. At home feeling, simply a sense of naturalness with everybody. Sense of belongingness with everybody. And not minding being a …
Audience: Fool
Q:Guruji is there any special message for us?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Special message is that that you are very special. All of you. When I say you, it is not for any one person but for us. All of you are very special.
Q: Can a husband fast for a good wife on Karva Choth (Indian Festival)
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When you keep a fast your whole body is cleansed. When toxins are removed from the body your mind gets sharpened. Then whatever wish, whatever goal you have in mind gets fulfilled. This is a faith, a law and it also has a scientific base. But along with fasting you need to strengthen the determination in mind. So on that day you have only one thought in the mind, that good happens for your spouse. In ancient days people used to fast with this wish only. It’s all the power of mind. That’s it. But if your mind is somewhere else and you don’t eat then it won’t have that much benefit. Yes but the machinery (body) gets a little
rest. The liver keeps on functioning 24/7. So this was a way to give it rest. Ok?
Q: What is sattva and what is it’s contribution in our lives?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sattva means that which brings harmony, that which makes you happy, that which makes you enthusiastic, that which brings knowledge in you. This is all sattva.
Rajas makes you go too much up and too much down. Either you get too excited and you feel I can’t even handle this excitement or it is so down. This is rajas.
Tamas is when you feel so lazy and so negative that you don’t want anything. You dislike everybody. That is tamogun. So When you feel tamogun get up and start working, then rajogun
will come. Then when you are too much into action, I would say just sit back and
relax then you will get into satva. So, before meditation do some exercise. When
you do all this the restlessness or rajas in you calms down. Then you are able
to meditate. Didn’t it happen to you today? (Audience:Yes). How many enjoyed the
meditation. Raise your hands (Lots of people raised their hands). You meditated
nearly 20 minutes.
Q: How do we rise above our senses?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You were sitting in meditation now? Your eyes were closed? Did u have any wish except to listen to my voice? That means in a way ears were also closed. Mouth was also closed? You were not speaking anything? So all senses were shunned, and then only you were able to meditate. Meditation happened, yes?. When you sleep for 6-8 hours, you remain in your senses or in non-sense.  Are you getting it? So rest. Be satisfied in the mind. Be happy. And when you are in that state of Divine love, nothing will bother. See, during exam time lust doesn’t bother you. When does it disturb you? When you have nothing to do, when you are sitting
idle, isn’t that right?
Q: This is for the youth of Yes+. What seva/service can be given to the youth of Yes+ ? We tell them to organise courses and bring more people into the knowledge. Is this enough or can something else can be done?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know you can do these things. Speed it up, and mainly introduce people to do more meditation, and courses.
Q: How to make the most important decisions in life, decisions that change our entire life?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: So far what are all the decisions you have made. Are you happy with all these
decisions? (Response: Somewhat, and somewhat not). So life will continue like that, got it? Sometimes you made good decisions, and then you see the positive side. See everything has a positive side and everything has its lapses. So if you focus only on the lapses then every decision you make you will regret. But if you see the positive side then you will be happy and contented. And the more you are happy and contented more such things will happen in life. Got it?
Q: I don’t easily get things in life? Recently, my case was going on and it got dismissed?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, you have made this notion in mind that you don’t get things easily in life. Who has said this? First remove this label from your mind ok? Whatever you want you
ask for that and go ahead with confidence, ok? Don’t think that you always fail, your things get haphazard. This is wrong. It doesn’t happen like that. Everyone faces some problems initially. It has never happened that nobody faces no problem initially, and it will never happen like that.
Q: I did the Basic course 4 days ago. Somehow I have gathered courage to ask this question. I haven’t ever heard you before. But this moment I am getting some vibrations. It’s different. I don’t know if I am able to express it or not. I want to ask what is the essence, the power in you?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I have no idea.
Q: How do we free ourselves from bad karmas of previous births?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sri Sri sings “Paap kya punya kya to bhulade, kal kal kal ki chinta mitade” Forget what is bad karma, what is good Karma, be free from the worries of tomorrow. There is
nothing greater than Pranayama which can make you free from your past impressions. Seva, Satsang & Sadhana
(Service,Dance & Celebration and spiritual practices) will help.
Q: I have been listening to your talks and reading your knowledge sheets. Now I want to reach that level where I am able to live that knowledge, to be sensitive like you, being able to listen to the pain of plants also. I too want to reach that level.
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Ok, where there is thirst, water will also be made available. And if you have any conflicts in mind, don’t worry. Aren’t conflicts reducing in mind. This will continue to happen. Increase the level of Sattva in you & Conflicts won’t remain with you with time.
Q: I am not able to sustain any work I do. What should I do?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Whatever work you do you’re not able to sustain it for too long. You don’t need to sustain it for too long. Do you sustain it for sometime at least? Sometime? Good. Then slowly increase that sustainability little longer, little longer, little longer.
Q: Sometimes I am confused whether it’s my mind or whether it’s my true self. How do I clarify which is which?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know doubts always come when something is positive. Do you know about it? How many of you don’t know? Raise your hands. You know if someone tells you ‘I love you very much’. You say ‘Really’? But if someone tells you ‘I hate you’, you never say ‘really’, - correct? And similarly you doubt your capabilities; you never doubt your weaknesses. If someone asks you are you happy you say oh I’m not too sure. But you’re so sure about your depression. Correct? So that’s why our doubt is always about something that is positive. We doubt in the honesty of someone, we never doubt in the dishonesty of someone.
Q: What do you mean by atheist?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Atheist? You know it is very difficult to be an atheist. Because an atheist says ‘I don’t believe in anything’. If he really says I don’t believe in anything then he should not even believe in the words that he is saying. I say I should not believe in anything except myself. That’s what he should say. And ask him do you really believe in everything that you say? Then that means you are stagnant. You are not progressing. Because when you progress in your life everything changes. So it is extremely difficult to be an atheist. If you have to be an
atheist you have to say I don’t believe in anything that means even that word that you say you don’t believe, you don’t believe in it also. Got it?
Q: Guruji in your weekly knowledge you have said never to have an ambition. Will you please comment on that?
H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I haven’t said like that. Be ambitious but don’t be over ambitious.
(From the Office of H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar)
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