Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

*Chapter 9 - Living In Truth*  *Day 46* That is the forest. That is the gift. There are two meanings. One of them is a gift. The forest is a real gift. It is supposed to have everything.  Of every single creature, from a zebra to a giraffe, to a bird to an amphibian, to a snake, to a frog, tell me, what does the forest not accommodate? Consciousness is a forest of many dimensions. Although it is one, one Brahman, one consciousness, but that one is like a forest. It has many dimensions, one inside the other. So many doctors worked for centuries of research, then they compiled materia Indica. In the same way so many thousands of Rishis compiled this agama, nigama, the vedas the upanisads and the science of consciousness, without any prejudice.  They never said that you should believe because I am saying it is so. Even Lord Krishna after saying all 700 shlokas tells Arjuna, “Look now you think about it, and if you feel it is acceptable, then you accept”.  If it comes un...

*Chapter 9 - Living In Truth*  *Day 45* It is like in the forest where everything has a place. The deer has a place, the lion, the tiger, the mongoose has a place, and so also the snake. The forest does not exclude or reject anything.  It provides for every single creature and yet it maintains itself clean. The forest never gets dirty. For ages it has not, unless man walks into it with cans, potato chips, cokes, cakes, mangoes and litters the forest.  The forest maintains itself and provides for everybody. The Brahman is a forest. Consciousness is a forest, which has space for so many levels of existence. Also in Gita, Lord Krishna compares it to a tree which is upside down.  The knowledge is like a tree which is upside down, which has roots above and branches below. It is a very different simile from any other. Your roots are high up somewhere.  Whatever you are doing here is only thought branches. Your spirit is rooted in the other world. Life here is just a p...

*Chapter 9 - Living In Truth* *Day 44* When the Devi appeared to Indra, the Lord of the mind, he asked,"who is this Yaksha"? I was telling you about Yaksha, how Yaksha can give you many miracles and do many things. There are plenty of them.  Mother divine energy is a symbol of compassion, of submission, of sensitivity and of beauty. So when the Lord of the mind appreciated the mother divine, she told him that it is Brahman.  The victory of Brahman is the victory of everything. So, when you are open to the unlimited, Brahman, the infinity through the finite, and do not think this finite has an existence separate from the infinity, that is when Upanishad has happened.  With the help of the mother divine, all the devas could understand that this is Brahman and that this is my own nature. But it just came as a flash.  This experience of the devas, comes to you only as a flash. Sometimes in one moment it just comes to you as a flash and disappears. That's why this is call...

Below is an account of my personal interaction with Sri Sri followed by an opportunity to interact with Him open for one and all – November, 2008 was the month that completely gave a new direction to my life.  It was in this month that I first time experienced the Sudarshan Kriya in the Youth Empowerment Skills Workshop (yes+). I felt different at first, didn’t know what was happening within me but I just went with the flow and used to practice the Sudarshan Kriya (meditation) and attend Satsang (singing and chanting divine hymns). The turning point occurred in December 2009, my first interaction with SriSri in the Bangalore Ashram (Art Of Living International Headquarters), I remember I was standing close to Him while He was getting into the car, and I screamed “ I love you Guruji”, He called me towards Him and Lovingly looked at me in-spite of being thronged by people from all sides and asked me “Where are you from ?”, this was my first interaction with Sri Sri. Since then, when ...

I recently conducted a follow-up session at a center in Pune. After the follow-up,  I told the following story which I heard in Narad Bhakti Sutra: “Once a saint visits a city. People start talking about him and his greatness. The king of the city also hears about the saint and wants to meet him. However, the king sends his chief commander to meet the saint first. When the commander goes to the hermitage of the saint, he is received very well. The commander feels happy and informs the king that the saint is very nice. King feels that the commander is thick skinned and may not be sensitive enough to judge the saint. So, king sends his minister to meet the saint. When the minister comes to the hermitage, the saint just meets him and speaks for a few minutes. The minister feels happy and informs the king that the saint is genuine. He does not want anything for himself. He didn’t try to please me. You must go and meet him. When the king goes to the hermitage, the saint comes out of his...

Few years ago, I suffered from clinical depression. The doctors had prescribed me anti-depressants. My family and friends were reluctant about my taking anti-depressants due to its side effects and addictive tendencies.  It was at that time Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar showered His blessings on me! It still remains a mystery to how my husband somehow met ‘Art of Living’ volunteers who were enrolling people for the ‘Happiness’ course. My husband read about the research on Sudarshan Kriya and its healing effects on depression and anxiety, on the internet. He enrolled me in the course. My teacher told the course participants that we are the chosen ones for the course and I truly felt that the Universe decided to protect and save me. For six months, I did Short Kriya every morning/evening and attended weekly long kriya. Also, I shifted my mind from negative thoughts of fear, anger to faith and forgiveness. I am glad to report that I overcame depression fully. Sudarshan Kriya played a v...

Question - Gurudev, when we undergo lot of suffering, it gives rise to weariness. And when this weariness sets in, there is an chance to get cheated by others. How to handle this adverse situation? Gurudev Sri Sri - Don't run, stop. We need to move forward with confidence. There is no problem which you cannot resolve. Growing weary of everything is not a bad thing, but don't let it take you to depression. It should take you towards enthusiasm.

Question - Gurudev, I have seen people blessing the food. What is the significance of blessing food? Gurudev Sri Sri - The carrots, noodles, salad that you ate yesterday are now listening to me. They are sitting here. Everything is alive in this universe in some way or the other. So today, when you have lunch, look at the food and welcome it to satsang tonight, to sing and to dance. Ancient people knew this and that is why they said to bless the food. Thought is nothing but a quantum of energy and consciousness. Food absorbs thought. So, bless the food today for lunch. Don’t think negative while eating. That is where the negative cycle begins. It is very scientific.

Question - Gurudev, how do you bring peace to a relationship with a lot of conflict and arguments? Do you stay in it? Gurudev Sri Sri - There are two ways to handle it : Move away from that place at that time - because when everybody is angry, things are heating up, everyone goes deaf. Angry people do not listen to anyone. The best thing is move away a little bit and wait for things to cool down. Be there, with patience - First, agree with the person, say, 'Yes, I agree with you. Suppose your husband or wife is arguing with you, don't say, 'No', say, 'Yes, you are right, I agree with you. The moment you agree, the temperature comes down. Then in a little gap, as the temperature comes down, say, 'But, this is the secret. Sometimes people come to me with big ideas. I tell them, 'Your idea is brilliant, very good, but it is impractical’. Use your skill to calm the situation, and then get across what you want to the other person.