Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Question - Gurudev, there are many smart people in my company. Now when I introduce a spiritual course to these smart souls, I fear they would get awakened and may start feeling a dispassion for business, and the true meaning of life would attract them elsewhere. I would like to bring this program to the corporate world. So what is the best way to introduce them to something like this without having this fear? Gurudev Sri Sri - Actually, what The Art of Living gives in this course is something to develop their personalities. Their sharpness of intellect, calmness of their mind, and to bring an inspiration from within. That is what we focus on. So, you can be assured that they won't run away, or become dispassionate. Millions of people have done this course, we have not seen anyone run away. Otherwise World Bank would not have taken this program as a part of their leadership seminars. It all depends on how you present the inner calmness. I understand when you say your inner calmness...

Question - Gurudev, I try communicating with my father, I try to talk to him but he acts freaky. He gets high and creates chaos. I do not know what to do and how to communicate with him. I know he is in lot of pain and problem which is why he is not able to communicate with me or anyone. What do I do? Gurudev Sri Sri - Win him over with love. You know sometime you should walk the same path as the ones who create chaos and then slowly make them understand and change. Just do this, do not oppose him for two days and do whatever he says. Give him so much love that he will melt. Did you understand? Did you get what I mean? Have you tried this way? (Devotee - Gurudev, I have tried talking to him but it does not work) Talking is not good, have you asked him, 'Papa, what do you want? What can I do for you?' Have you asked him that? (Devotee - No, I have not) See, not once you have asked him, 'Papa, what do you want? What can I do for you?' Now go and ask him this? Do you know ...

Question - Gurudev, what to do when our mind plays tricks. Please guide us? Gurudev Sri Sri - Just let it be. That is the secret to handle the mind. Just let it be. That is the secret to handle the mind. If you try to get rid of the mind, it becomes a monster. If you just let the mind be, it will vanish. When you are not aware of the tricks and the mumbo jumbo going on in the mind, then life is misery. This is because life is based on the mind. When you recognise that all this is in my mind (judging people and situations, holding concepts about the self and others), you recognize that you are making a mess of everything in your mind. 'This is how it should be', or, 'It should not be like this', whenever such thoughts come, it means the mind is coming into play; this is all part of the world. This is where you need to latch onto that non changing, abstract, invisible energy or power. When you latch onto it, you are no longer caught in the grip of the mind. When we are in...

Question - Gurudev, what is heaven and what is enlightenment? Gurudev Sri Sri - You still have a lot of time left to know about heaven. There is no use in knowing about heaven now otherwise there will not be any excitement left when you actually get there. But it is important to understand enlightenment now. When you feel content you are enlightened. When everything feels like a dream you are enlightened. Just tell me, whatever has happened so far in your life, does it not seem more like a dream? You went to school, then college, got married, so many events took place in your life, all that is like a dream now. Isn't it? Now you are sitting here among so many people, does this not seem like a dream? After today, many days and many years are going to come and pass and eventually we are all going to die, then will it not seem like a dream? If you look into the past or the future or if you decide to wake up to the present everything will still feel like a dream, you will realise you a...

Question - Gurudev, how can I get more happiness and joy from everywhere? Gurudev Sri Sri - This race for more and more is killing us. More and more and more, how can I get more? Relax, my dear. We don't even have enough time to enjoy what we have. We should think how we can be more useful to the society, how can we serve more? One who is always thinking of getting something is like a beggar. Everything comes to the one who thinks how she/he can contribute more to the society. There won't be any shortage for such a person.

Question - Gurudev, what is your biggest wish? What can I do to get closer to your heart? Gurudev Sri Sri - You are already close to my heart. I want more children to be educated in spirituality in order to create a violence free and stress free society. We need to globalise wisdom. There are one thousand of us here. If we each sponsor a child, we would do a great service. Do service. Donate 2% of your income. It would be of immense benefit to you and to those who need it.

Question - Gurudev, I’m not sure about what I want to do in life. I want to ask you but I don't even know what to ask and what exactly I want. I get bored doing anything in very little time. I find myself being very moody. I’m not satisfied or happy doing anything. How can I live my life with this kind of mental state? Gurudev Sri Sri - You want comfort too much. Get out of your comfort zone. You are only thinking of your comfort and pleasure; that is when you get into this sort of stage or state. You are here to be useful to somebody else. You are here to do something useful to someone. How can you be bored? Even if you are bored, you have to do that, because what you do is useful to someone else. If you are self-centered, and you think, 'If I like it only then I will do it', then that is not seva. That won't bring you satisfaction. Do you see what I'm saying? I don't like meeting people', but you are meeting people for your sake or for their sake? If you a...

Question - Gurudev, how do we experience fullness? Gurudev Sri Sri - What is it that you lack? Recognise this first. Because of this lack you feel sad. When you feel sad and helpless, then you pray. Offer your limitations, instead of only offering money in places of worship. The Divine is ready to accept all your weaknesses or limitations. That Divinity which is complete, resides in you. The Divine is eternal, omniscient and omnipotent. Knowing that you are a part on that Divinity, how can you feel limited or incomplete? Know that you are complete with the help of knowledge, devotion and rightful actions. Even if you do not know, have faith that you are complete. You do not have to achieve it. There is air around us. We have to know it or believe it but we don't have to achieve it because it is already there. Similarly, without the Divine, we do not exist. How is the Divine? What does He do? These are meaningless questions. The Divine is there. The Divine is my very own. I am a par...

Question - Gurudev, how to deal with my child asking too many questions? Gurudev Sri Sri - 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.

Question - Gurudev, how to recognise that we are all unique and valuable? Gurudev Sri Sri - You are a Masterpiece. A plum once said, 'just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know who I am. How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover. Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there is no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate. Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you will regret that you traded your greatest glory - your uniqueness, for momentary validation. Even Gandhi was not accepted by many peopl...

Question - Gurudev, often we read in the puranas committing some sin. We never read of agni, varuna, vayu, or any of the other Gods committing sin. There must be some significance or some learning from this as well, just like the story of Ganesha. Could you please explain the spiritual meaning of this? Gurudev Sri Sri - Indra is the mob psychology. What we call mob mentality? A group has a mind of its own. That group mind is called Indra. Indra is supposed to have 1000 eyes. 1000 eyes do not mean that somebody has eyes all over. It refers to a group which has 500 people, one mob. So the group creates a consciousness, a mentality and that is what Indra is. That is why, when an enlightened person is born, Indra gets so offended, because the mob psychology cannot exist then. A person of enlightenment and awareness does not allow mob psychology to grow. Do you see what I am saying? He puts sense in to the minds of the people. He tells everyone, 'Hey, think with your mind, wake up. Each...

Question - Gurudev, why do you have 2 Sris in your name?  Gurudev Sri Sri - Oh, I thought three is too much. Actually, my name was getting confused with the sitar player. Even big media channels, when Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away, had put my photograph. And all were thinking and saying that I am no more on this planet. I am still here. So at a point of time, Pandit Ravi Shankar's name was getting confused with mine. And if you put just one Sri Ravi Shankar, that would be common. So Gurudev could make it a little bit more specific and clear a lot of confusions which were arising, because many times people think that I am playing sitar and come to my program. Many times, our famous Sitar player got calls to inquire when he was conducting meditation classes. So to save both of us from this problem, we both agreed that I should keep it in this way.

Question - Gurudev, what is your message for everyone? Gurudev Sri Sri - Every face on this earth is the book of the universe, the book of God. Everybody is a fountain of love. Let this love be expressed, let this fountain flow, and enrich our planet at this time. Love and blessings to all of you.

Question - Gurudev, all the knowledge that I have listened to, seems to vanish out of my being when my mother in law comes to visit. How can one forget and forgive someone who is constantly behaving in a harsh manner? Please give the advice to the mother in law. Gurudev Sri Sri - Listen, I want you to just take a look at how your mother behaves. How many times did you have arguments with your own mother, and how many times was she frustrated with you? Haven't you gotten scolding from your own mother? I don't think any girl or boy has grown up without being scolded by their mother. have gotten many scoldings from my mother. She used to always think that I was not doing things as well as her and that she always knew better. Even about the running of the ashram, she would say, "No, you don't run the ashram properly". My biggest critic was my own mother. So you have this experience. When your mom criticizes you, you just fight with her and then you forget it. It doesn...

Question - Gurudev, how to handle so much competition around us that brings jealousy sometimes? Gurudev Sri Sri - Question papers of medical entrance examination leaked. AIFF suspends 16-year-old football sensation for being overage. CBI catches two for cheating in civil services exam. How often is this the front page news that you read? Competitions have become cut-throat businesses, and when they seem manipulated or rigged, you disbelieve the people and organizations involved. Consequently, you lose your own sense of fair play too. So, there is little faith when dealing with competitions. Do we really need them? What do they prove after all? That there are always loopholes and ways to cheat? Fortunately, or unfortunately, from the earliest times, humans have wanted to compare and weigh themselves against others. It helps in setting standards, knowing where you stand in a crowd, assessing your aptitude and skill levels, and being the best and excelling. Also, a little study of economi...

Question - Gurudev, how can I build trust again when I only see things are not going my way? Gurudev Sri Sri - See life from a bigger picture. How many of you think that you are going to be here forever? How many of you are thinking that you are going to be here for the next 30 years, raise your hands. How many of you are thinking that you are going to be here for more than 50 years, raise your hands. And how many of you are going to be here for the next hundred years? We don't see life from a bigger perspective. My dear, you are not going to be here forever, just remember. But all of this is going to be there, Malaysia will be there, Kuala Lumpur will be there, but you won't be here. This was here even before you. You will be here for the next 30-40 years, then what, where will you be? What is life? Who are you? These questions should arise in you and when they do, that shows that our intellect is maturing. Are you with me? Do all of you agree with what I am saying? So when we...

Question - Gurudev, for a yogi this world is a penance, and for a bhogi being alone is a penance. Can there be life beyond penance? Gurudev Sri Sri - Penance makes us strong. A Yogi is all alone in the forest and he feels happy. But when he is amongst people, and they pounce on him, pull his leg, or cause him pain, yet if he does not get angry and remains calm in his mind, then he has won. For a Yogi being alone is very easy. But for him to be comfortable and happy amongst people is a penance and a skill, which is necessary. Similarly, a bhogi is very comfortable in a crowd. But if he gets depressed being alone, then eventually he will be unhappy being in a crowd too. Why is this? It is because there is no fulfilment inside. If you cannot be happy with yourself, then how can you be happy with others? That is why, when you spend some time in silence, and sometime by yourself, you become so content from inside. Then you will not long for attention, or for some praise from others.