Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Sesbania grandiflora or Agase Did you know that Sesbania grandiflora or Agase in Kannada language, a flowering small tree, is culinary wonder used as Agase soppu (leaves) Saru or rasam, Agase Hoovu (flowers) for thambuli (a dip, thick gravy), and Agase Beeja (seeds) to make chutney powder? Sesbania grandiflora or Agati grandiflora, a botanical name commonly known as Vegetable Hummingbird, Swamp Pea, White Dragon tree, West Indian pea, is called in Indian languages as Agase (ಅಗಸೆ) or Agastya in Kannada, Avisa (అవిసె) or Agise Chettu in Telugu, Agathi Keerai (அகத்தி கீரை) in Tamil, Akatti (അകത്തി) in Malayalam, Bok phool (বকফুল) in Bengali, Gaach-Munga (गाछ मूंगा) in Hindi, Hadgyachi phoole (Hadga) in Marathi, Katuru murunga in Sinhala language, is a small tree in the genus Sesbania in the legume family. In Sanskrit it is called Muni pushpa (meaning sage’s flower), Muni Priya (that which is dear to the sage), Vakra Pushpa (curved flower).  In the Ind...

*Chapter 8 - Beyond Miracles* *Day 38* Question - Gurudev, please talk about the connection between experiencing unconditional love for others and understanding the unknown, understanding the Brahman, experiencing the Brahman. Gurudev - Love is not just an emotion. It is what you are. Sometimes you feel love. That is a blessing given to you. Even when you don't feel it is there. It is there because you are made up of it.  There is wind here, but when you stand close to your fan then you feel it blowing on you. It's fan that makes you feel the wind. In the same way sometimes you feel love.  That means just remember you have come close to that fan which blows air and you are feeling it, but even otherwise there is air everywhere. Question - What is your view about recent scandals of sexual misconduct even with so called enlightened people? Is such a thing possible? Gurudev - Yes especially in India, there are half a dozen Swamis scandals on the television everyday. I...

*Chapter 8 - Beyond Miracles* *Day 37* So many miracles happen. There are so many, plenty of them we can do but we don't get trapped or entangled in it. If it happens it happens naturally.  If someone says I am bringing out a ring or this jewellery, don't get charmed by those things. No. So many Yakshas are ready to come and do the miracles.  A siddha, a sadguru will not utilize all those things. You hear so many of the miracles that Jesus did. They are all done by Yakshas. One loaf of bread fed to so many people, and these things happen.  It happens all the time with us. There are people bringing food for four people and forty or fifty people eat that. There is plenty of food available. Things happen in a inexplicable manner.  There is no logic or reasoning for it. Especially in Russia - stanislav who is here will tell you many miracle stories from Russia. I don't go there so much but people have experiences all the time.  There are people who are d...

*Chapter 8 - Beyond Miracles* *Day 36* May everybody be happy. You all bring peace to everybody. I want nothing. What do I want? But you give everybody everything. The power of blessings works.  One would think the collective consciousness of New York must be so stressed but it is not. It was a presence with very sweet nice energy. Many psychics have a little access here and there. Psychics predict things for you. There are lower level of spirits as well. The devil which speaks to you in your ears. When someone comes, the devil will say that this person is coming here for this desire and so this man can write down that you came for this problem or this desire.  There are people who can read the past very well but they cannot say anything about the future. Have you come accross any such people? Nadis and psychics are supported by the spirits, which give them a little more vision into the future or past. So the Yakshas are much lower than the devas. It got into their...

*Chapter 8 - Beyond Miracles* *Day 35* So the first chapter says, the Brahman won for the devas. All the devas formed their glory from the victory of the Brahman. They started thinking, "This glory is ours".  Any talent you have, you think it is yours? No. It is a gift. If you have money and if you think you have made a lot if money, no it's a gift. You think you have a great voice and you made an effort to earn that great voice? No it's a blessing.  What is there, your progeny is a blessing or a curse, your money is a blessing or a curse. If you have money, you have comfort. But you have money you can have problems too.  You don't even have a friend, you can't know who is your friend. If you don't have money at least you know who your friend is. If you have money you don't know whether they are friendly with you because of you or for your money. Money is a blessing.  Your voice is a blessing. Progeny is a blessing. Everything is a blessing...

*Chapter 7 - The Universe Unveiled* *Day 34* When the creator has created such diverse fauna and flora, you think he would like to express himself in a single uniform? The spirit which loves diversity expresses itself in diverse forms.  These diverse forms of that One Spirit are Devas. Similarly, when one white light breaks up through a prism, seven major colours emit, but then so many shades and mixtures of those seven colours gives you a multitude of colours.  In the same way, one step higher from the yakshas are devas and devtas or devis. There are so many different types of devi devtas or types of spirits.  You can call them angels, all only benevolent. Deva has several meanings : deva means benevolent, divine qualities, very playful, mischievous, effulgent, divine.  The word Divine comes from the original Sanskrit root called deva. Deva has become divinity or divine in English. There led various qualities in us which are expressed. They are all a par...

*Chapter 7 - The Universe Unveiled* *Day 33* In the Chinese culture they have ancestral worship. Also in Brazil, Argentina and in other Latin American countries they do ancestral worship. I think in the Christian tradition there is 'All souls day" where you respect the souls and ask for their blessings. That is one of the reasons that bodies are buried behind the church - to make that place more powerful. So ancestors have got one step more power. In sanskrit, they are called pitru.  There is one spirit which is one grade higher than the pitrs. They are kinnars. Kinnars are those souls who are behind big social work or political set ups etc. Then comes the Ghandarva spirits, who are behind every successful artist.  A great musician is not an individual person who is singing. Through him there is a spirit called as ghandarva, and ghandarva bring you great fame. Although they bring joy and happiness to the population, they make the person very miserable.  See, M...

*Chapter 7 - The Universe Unveiled* *Day 32* Back on to the informal seat from the formal. So we saw the two aspects in life - one is practical things that you do and the other is ethereal things that you have to hold on to, like applied science and pure science.  In pure science there is no difference between a table, door, chair stool because they are all made up of the same material, same atoms. But for practical purposes you can't use this table as chair or the chair for a door, though they are made up of the same material.  You can't say they are all the same or they are all one. Yes they are one, yet they are different. They are one sure it's the same wood and yet they are different.  You can't sit on the door or use your seat for a door. They are all different. So we are dealing with the practical aspect till now. Now we are going to the ethereal mode. Are you ready for it? Audience - Yes We saw the subtle Brahman is only one, but yet it is not one. T...

*Chapter 6 - Experiencing Infinity*  *Day 31* Question - Gurudev, is creativity then, a function of intellect, like you were describing bringing together these factors? Gurudev - As I said, creativity is a product of perception, memory, intellect, and intuition. All together creates something new, that's what I think. Maybe right, maybe not. Question - Gurudev, can you talk a little bit about the fourth dimension of time and the way it unfolds. Gurudev - I think it's time for us to go into the fourth dimension right away. Then we will come to other questions. Check your nostrils. Both? Audience - Both. Gurudev - Both. How many both? Chaka chak (playfully exults) Everybody's both. It's the right time to go deep. -  Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji Kena Upanishad

I'm Manisha and I've been an Art of Living devotee since 2015. My life has become full of happiness and joy after becoming a part of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision of a One World Family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). I would like to share my experience how I received the greatest assistance when I needed it the most.  A few years ago, I lost my mom. I was the only child and I did not have any relatives. There was absolutely no one to assist me. Even then, the Almighty took care of me & I was accommodated at a centre for orphans. I was grateful since I got a place to live. However, I was unsure about my career and my future as I had always been ambitious. Worriedly, I spoke to the caretaker of the centre.  After hearing my interests & dedication, she offered to take responsibility of all of my educational needs. She made me join school, took care of my studies, and later also enrolled me in college where I was professionally trained as a nurse. It was dur...

I have been an Art of Living volunteer for almost two years and have experienced many miracles in my life, but there is one particular incident which requires a special mention. I was working in a Company as an   Assistant Manager and was in a comfortable position. However for further growth I was looking to switch my job. One company offered me a good job with high salary in Ghana, and I was supposed to join them. So I resigned from my existing company. Unfortunately, during the notice period, the new company suffered some problems mainly because of the EBOLA outbreak hence my joining got delayed by three months. My marriage was on the cards as well, but things started to look worse. I had started to get worried. And one particular night I couldn’t control my sorrow and became teary eyed, as I tried to sleep. I felt restless, filled with deep anxiety. I knew not what the future held and felt uncertain. Guruji came in my dreams that night. He held my hand and put His hand over m...

"Not a single scratch on my body despite such a steep fall! It was a moment of reckoning, a feeling of deep gratitude was all I felt". Way back in 2004, when I was this teenager in grade 11, I went through a phase of doubt and questioning of my faith in Gurudev. I would think that the miracle stories that I heard were perhaps some kind of far fetched imagination or a strategy.   One day, while reading the book 'Sri Sri as I Know Him' that has a collection of personal experiences and anecdotes on Gurudev, I had a discussion with my mother as she was leaving to conduct an Art of Living Happiness Course. I told that if "her" Guru really has the power I have been reading about, I want him to prove it to me in whatever way. For some reason, the conviction in my challenge was so intense as though wanting to reinforce my faith in the Divine through this.   And what followed, was truly a miracle, a defining moment in my life. Our home...

I did the Yes+ course 12 years back, after a good 3 years of persistent insistence from my best friend. To give you a general idea about the kind of person I used to be, I was cynical and rigid. I expected the worst from people and situations. I always doubted my abilities, and assumed that things will not work out. I approached any task with intense anxiety, thereby clouding my ability to think clearly. My mind was restless and in a state of chaos, and I spent a larger part of my life feeling depressed and suicidal. And then I experienced something truly magical. After I started practising the Sudarshan Kriya, something in me changed.   I wouldn’t say my life instantly turned around, but a very gradual but steady process started taking place. I started developing clarity in my mind. It became easier to be spontaneous and take steps I usually wouldn’t, without worrying too much. I went from being a very confused person to being very decisive. The positive outcomes of these decis...

Once Guruji was returning to the German Ashram from Caracas, Venezuela. However, due to unavailability of a direct flight to Frankfurt, he landed in Paris before going to the Ashram. It was a surprise visit for all Parisians. It also happened to be Guruji’s birthday according to the Hindu calendar. So a surprise satsang with a cake was planned in the hotel where he was staying. At around 6 pm, about 150 people had gathered, who had about 1 hour notice to reach the venue. It was a beautiful, intimate satsang and birthday party. One of the volunteers asked Guruji, “How did this plan for Paris come up?”. It seemed like a very mundane question. Here’s what Guruji said – “There are plans at many levels. There is a room plan, what colour to paint the walls, where to keep the flower vase? Then there is a house plan, street plan, city plan, country plan and so on at various levels of detail. The biggest plan is that we are all here at the same time, one in saudi arabia, one in Germ...

Being in the software industry, I used to work late hours, eat lot of junk food, have meals at irregular timings and would not even do any kind of physical activity or exercise. On the contrary, I used to feel that nothing would happen to me at such a young age, and thus I would keep procrastinating the idea of living a healthy and fit life, in spite of knowing that my father and wife were already facing health issues. Putting a brave front, I would try and move forward. But my health was deteriorating significantly. I used to get frequent headaches. I would wake up early in the morning with severe headaches. Then one fine day, I reluctantly went to the doctor, only to be told that I had high blood pressure. At that time, I was not aware of the reasons for high blood pressure and its long term impacts. I was asked to take BP medicines for a few weeks and then called for a review. While it looked to have settled, the doctor advised me to continue with the medicines. Upon res...

I never had the guts to speak to Guruji. I used to make plans about things I would ask him, things I would tell him when I would meet him. But when I would be near Him – ‘woosh!’ my mind would go blank. All the planning would go in vain and I would just flash a smile and say Jai Gurudev! This happened very often, so much so that I was jealous of all those who seemed to tell him hour-long stories! Once, he was at the starting of the line and my mind was doing the usual planning. It seemed to be a repeat telecast of what my darshans used to be. But what happened different here was, just as He went past me, I half shouted to him “Guruji will you always be with us?” He slowly turned back and said “Of course, I will always be with you!” Few weeks had passed since this incident. I was back in my normal life, which seemed eventless. I had my classes, which were sort of hectic. One fine evening I was walking home with a friend after few hours of class-room session. All of a sudden,...

Although there are many miracles that have happened in my life however I would like to share the most memorable and an unbelievable Guru story. During my final year of engineering, I was going through depression because I failed to get a company offer in spite of having good academic background. But a regular practice of Sudarshan kriya, hard work and faith in my master gave me confidence that I will be placed and also get selected in a decent organization. After the exams, I was the first person from my college to join the company while the rest waited for more than 6 months almost. Owing to the rotational shifts in the company, my health suffered and my mind moved away from the spiritual path for more than 2 years. During these 2 years I was going through a monotonous life and lost all interest in the spiritual path. Then I noticed that my father was going through a sleeping disorder so we consulted many doctors but all in vain. I decided to do something for my dad and me...

Question - Gurudev, where do you see The Art of Living 25 years from now? Gurudev Sri Sri - I leave that vision to you. Now each of you must think about how you want The Art of Living to blossom. It’s for you to think about. Today, The Art of Living is all over the world. See it was not too long ago that cell phones were introduced. But it has reached all nooks and corners of the world. Why? Because, it is useful. Similarly, the knowledge of how to connect to one’s mind, how to handle one’s emotions. This knowledge is useful and it will spread.

Question - Gurudev, how can I find my life's path? How do I know when I have found it? Gurudev Sri Sri - If you have a doubt, that means you have found it. This is because doubt is always about something positive. You never doubt something that is negative. You doubt in the honesty of a person, you never doubt in the dishonesty of a person. If someone tells you, 'I love you so much' you ask them, 'Really?" If someone says, "I hate you, you never ask them, ‘Really?’ You doubt in your happiness. When someone asks you, 'Are you happy? you say, 'Well, I am not sure. You never doubt your depression.

Question - Gurudev, people often change when they come to power. What should one do so that power does not corrupt one's mind? Gurudev Sri Sri - For this, one must continuously take the support of the spiritual path. Have a spiritual perspective towards life. Always consult and take the advice of good people. When you come to power, do not simply think that you know it all too well. Take the advice of wise people and always have a steadfast devotion to God. Then you will not get caught up in any kind of arrogance after coming to power.

Question - Gurudev, I tend to hurt people whom I love and push them away. Why do I do so? I am scared of love now. Gurudev Sri Sri - Listen, these patterns will change, don't be scared. If you love somebody, serve them. Don't latch on to them, don't police them. Be centered. You go and tell someone, love you, I love you, I love you'. They say, 'Yes, okay' But then what will they do? They don't know how to respond, so they feel like running away from there. We should not express our love too much. If you express your love too much, the person to whom you express doesn't know how to handle it. If they are enlightened and centered, they can smile and they can take it. If they are not enlightened, they don't know how to handle the love. Like people don't know how to handle anger and hatred, they also don't know how to handle love. This is the reason why many times people run away. So, you should be very measured in your expression of ...

Question - Gurudev, devotees who visit the Tirupati temple donate their hair as offering at the shrine. Also, in India there is a tradition of shaving off one's head when a dear one passes away. Why is this so, and what does shaving off one's head have to do with our mind and our actions? Gurudev Sri Sri - This is more of a conventional norm that has become a tradition over the years. It is not prescribed as mandatory by our scriptures anywhere. There are two aspects to any ritual in India. One is that prescribed as a norm or a social convention, the other is that which is mentioned and prescribed elaborately in our scriptures, which becomes tradition and for which the scriptures also narrate the benefits of practicing that particular ritual or practice. For example, many people wear collared T-shirts. Why is the collar there and what is its purpose? In winters, in the foreign countries, people fold the collar up and protect themselves from the cold, and in the summ...

Question - Gurudev, I want to come to you when you are passing by but there is so much crowd. If I am not running to you, does that mean I don’t have devotion and love? Gurudev Sri Sri - You don’t have to copy anyone else’s expression or behaviour. Wherever you are, I know your heart, I think sometimes better than you do. So you don’t need to worry about anything. You be relaxed and keep smiling and just ‘be’, that’s all. Keep doing what you need to do, and if you feel like coming to me, just come, no problem. My car goes quite slow and stops. I have no control over my journey as well! If someone comes, I have to stop. I have never ignored any person and gone. It’s not in my nature. I attend to people, as much as I can physically, but otherwise, I do attend to people in other ways too. Other ways are also there. No need for elaborating these things. Some things we should not elaborate, this is one of them. There are many ways you can connect with each other in the subtle. S...

Question - Gurudev, if God is everywhere, why are we told to pray in the prayer room only? Gurudev Sri Sri - You can pray anywhere, but if you sit and pray in one room you make the vibrations very nice. You can eat anywhere, you can eat in the verandah, you can eat sitting in the drawing room. But there is a dining hall where you sit on the table, and there is water, there is everything, isn't it? Like that, when you eat, you have a place to eat. So it is nice to keep a place to sit and pray also. You can sleep in the living room, you can sleep on the sofa, why do you only go to the bedroom to sleep? Because there is some arrangement. Similarly, in the pooja room there is a little arrangement. There is a lamp burning, there are some flowers kept and you can sit there and do your prayers.

Dalchini (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum)  Did you know that Dalchini (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum), popular as Ceylon cinnamon, the spice derived from bark of several species of its tree is a "Prakriti Ka Khazana-Treasure of Nature"? Dalchini, a bushy evergreen tree, of the laurel family Lauraceae, with Latin name Cinnamomum Zeylanicum, English word "cinnamon", old English word "cassia", also called Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), grows in tropical regions only. Due to its dry bark's instant aroma and flavor can enhance the taste and smell of any dish and is a very popular spice choice since olden days; it is world’s one of the popular flavours. The spice, consisting of the dried inner bark, is brown in colour and has a delicately fragrant aroma and a warm sweet flavour.  The genus of cinnamomum has 250 species and many of them aromatic, and flavouring several cultivars are known, but mostly sweet or honey types are cultivated extensively. The plan...