Gurudev, I have heard in the news that a group of naxalites somewhere in India have given up the violent path of using guns instead embraced the path of non-violence after learning Sudarshan Kriya. Can you elaborate what changed in them before and after doing the Art of Living course?

Question - Gurudev, I have heard in the news that a group of naxalites somewhere in India have given up the violent path of using guns instead embraced the path of non-violence after learning Sudarshan Kriya. Can you elaborate what changed in them before and after doing the Art of Living course?

Gurudev @SriSriRaviShankar ji - Let me share a recent incident, I was in Bihar a few days ago (from when this was said). Around 100 youth from different villages and rural areas had come to visit me there.

Three weeks back, before they all attended the Art of Living Happiness workshop, they had made up their mind to take up guns and arms to claim their rights by force. They had decided to adopt the Maoist (Naxalism) way of life.

In the Art of Living Happiness Program, they practiced Pranayama, they meditated, and they experienced such a big change in their lives and their perspective. After finishing the workshop, they all came to meet me.

Their eyes were moist and they said, 'Gurudev, we will never again take up arms and violence. We surrender all our arms at your feet'.

Seeing the change that had come in them could have made anyone’s eyes well up in tears. They were all such good hearted people, but they had strayed onto the wrong path.

Do you know why? This is because no one advised them to not do so, and because they had never experienced such peace and joy in their lives. They had not tasted the sweet nectar of knowledge, meditation and singing