Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Sometimes you need to sacrifice your desires for others but those acts of sacrifice will definitely pay you back. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

When your heart is filled with love, and compassion, you are so powerful. Never underestimate yourself. Miracles are in abundance! ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

If you are a man/woman of perfection then you are bound to get angry. But know that not everybody can be as perfect as you are. People have their own pace of growth. You cannot expect everyone to be at your level. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Be non-violent, not just in your actions, but also in your heart, in your speech, in your thoughts. Keep the purity of your mind, speech, and body. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Anger should be used as a tool, and you should not be a tool of anger. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Who needs to change first? You need to change first, then all others will start changing simultaneously. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

For your personality to blossom, you need spiritual education. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

From whomsoever you receive love, just know that it from the Divine. You are getting love from the one supreme energy. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Life appears to be a burden when you are stuck in misery but when you appreciate life it's a celebration. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Dispassion means that you decide on what you are going to do and then if you get the result you want, fine, otherwise also fine! Normally people give up out of frustration but dispassion is when you give up happily and it is the most wonderful thing I tell you! ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Usually, we spend half of our health to earn wealth, and then spend half of our wealth, to regain our health! This is bad economics. Caught up between gaining and losing, people lose their entire life. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Any impression which is compelling is what karma is. Every habit is nothing but a karma pattern. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

People who are tough to handle, whether at the office or at home, only help you to develop your skills. You should really thank them. They make you more skillful, more refined, and more compassionate and all your good qualities can start manifesting. Master the skill of expressing and communication, and grab this as an opportunity to do that.    ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Do not make an effort to impress others. When you come from the self, your expression is perfect and your impression lasts for ages. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Whatever is necessary to be done in the world, just do it. What time and place requires you to do, do it. That is Service. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

You say ‘I give up,’ out of frustration, but letting go, knowing that nothing stays forever—that’s dispassion. It connects you to the vast energy within. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Shivratri is a combination of stillness and dance, silence and music.  ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Question - Gurudev, How come you manage to smile at all times? Gurudev Sri Sri - It is our brand mark. Our logo is smile. If you see some people who are not smiling, and they tell you that they have done 'Art of Living', don't believe them.

When you have to wait, you can either be frustrated or meditative. Feeling time is Meditation. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Why should you spoil your own nervous system because someone said something. You know, 72 muscles are strained when you frown. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The knowledge that unites love and wisdom, that uplifts the spirit is spirituality. The knowledge which gives you a broad vision and a big heart is spirituality. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Question - Gurudev, What is Mumukshtatvam? Gurudev Sri Sri - Mumukshtatvam is asking God for mukti (freedom). When you tell God that you have done everything, met people, talked to people, eaten enough, gone to enough parties and now you want to be free, that is mumukshtatvam.

ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं तथा ज्ञाता  त्रितयं नास्ति वास्तवं। अज्ञानाद् भाति यत्रेदं  सोऽहमस्मि निरंजनः॥ २-१५॥ ज्ञान, ज्ञेय और ज्ञाता यह तीनों वास्तव में नहीं हैं, यह जो अज्ञानवश दिखाई देता है वह निष्कलंक मैं ही हूँ॥१५॥  Knowledge, object of knowledge and the knower, these three do not exist in reality. The flawless self appears as these three due to ignorance.॥15॥ Ashtavakra Gita

अहो अहं नमो मह्यं  दक्षो नास्तीह मत्समः। असंस्पृश्य शरीरेण  येन विश्वं चिरं धृतम्॥२-१३॥ आश्चर्य है, मुझको नमस्कार है, जो कुशल है और जिसके समान कोई और नहीं है, जिसने इस शरीर को बिना स्पर्श करते हुए इस विश्व को अनादि काल से धारण किया हुआ है॥१३॥ Amazing! Salutations to me who is skilled and there is no one else like him, who without even touching this body, holds all the world.॥13॥ Ashtavakra Gita

अहो अहं नमो मह्यं  यस्य मे नास्ति किंचन। अथवा यस्य मे सर्वं यद्  वाङ्मनसगोचरम्॥२-१४॥ आश्चर्य है, मुझको नमस्कार है, जिसका यह कुछ भी नहीं है अथवा जो भी वाणी और मन से समझ में आता है वह सब जिसका है॥१४॥ Amazing! Salutations to me who either does not possess anything or possesses anything that could be referred by speech and mind.॥14॥ Ashtavakra Gita

अहो अहं नमो मह्यं  एकोऽहं देहवानपि। क्वचिन्न गन्ता नागन्ता  व्याप्य विश्वमवस्थितः॥ २-१२॥ आश्चर्य है, मुझको नमस्कार है, मैं एक हूँ, शरीर वाला होते हुए भी जो न कहीं जाता है और न कहीं आता है और समस्त विश्व को व्याप्त करके स्थित है॥१२॥ Amazing! Salutations to me who is one,who appears with body, neither goes nor come anywhere and pervades all the world.॥12॥ Ashtavakra Gita

अहो विकल्पितं  विश्वंज्ञानान्मयि भासते। रूप्यं शुक्तौ फणी रज्जौ  वारि सूर्यकरे यथा॥ २-९॥ आश्चर्य, यह कल्पित विश्व अज्ञान से मुझमें दिखाई देता है जैसे सीप में चाँदी, रस्सी में सर्प और सूर्य किरणों में पानी॥९॥ Amazingly, this imagined world appears in me due to ignorance, as silver in sea-shell, a snake in the rope, water in the sunlight.॥9॥ Ashtavakra Gita

मत्तो विनिर्गतं विश्वं  मय्येव लयमेष्यति। मृदि कुम्भो जले वीचिः  कनके कटकं यथा॥ २-१०॥ आश्चर्य है, मुझको नमस्कार है, समस्त विश्व केनष्ट हो जाने पर भी जिसका विनाश नहीं होता, जो तृण से ब्रह्मा तक सबका विनाश होने पर भी विद्यमान रहता है॥११॥ Amazing! Salutations to me who is indestructible and remains even after the destruction of the whole world from Brahma down to the grass.॥11॥ Ashtavakra Gita

यथैवेक्षुरसे क्लृप्ता  तेन व्याप्तैव शर्करा। तथा विश्वं मयि क्लृप्तं  मया व्याप्तं निरन्तरम्॥२-६॥ जिस प्रकार गन्ने के रस से बनी शक्कर उससे ही व्याप्त होती है, उसी प्रकार यह विश्व मुझसे ही बना है और निरंतर मुझसे ही व्याप्त है॥६॥ Just as the sugar made from sugarcane juice has the same flavor, similarly this world is made out from me and is constantly pervaded by me.॥6॥ Ashtavakra Gita

आत्माऽज्ञानाज्जगद्भाति  आत्मज्ञानान्न भासते। रज्जवज्ञानादहिर्भाति  तज्ज्ञानाद्भासते न हि॥ २-७॥ आत्मा अज्ञानवश ही विश्व के रूप में दिखाई देती है, आत्म-ज्ञान होने पर यह विश्व दिखाई नहीं देता है। रस्सी अज्ञानवश सर्प जैसी दिखाई देती है, रस्सी का ज्ञान हो जाने पर सर्प दिखाई नहीं देता है॥७॥ Due to ignorance, self appears as the world; on realizing self it disappears. Due to oversight a rope appears as a snake and on correcting it, snake does not appear any longer.॥7॥ Ashtavakra Gita

प्रकाशो मे निजं रूपं  नातिरिक्तोऽस्म्यहं ततः। यदा प्रकाशते विश्वं  तदाऽहंभास एव हि॥ २-८॥ प्रकाश मेरा स्वरुप है, इसके अतिरिक्त मैं कुछ और नहीं हूँ। वह प्रकाश जैसे इस विश्व को प्रकाशित  करता है वैसे ही इस "मैं" भाव को भी॥८॥ Light is my very nature and I am nothing else besides that. That light illumines the ego as it illumines the world.॥8॥ Ashtavakra Gita

यथा न तोयतो भिन्नास्- तरंगाः फेन बुदबुदाः। आत्मनो न तथा भिन्नं विश्वमात्मविनिर्गतम् ॥२-४॥ जिस प्रकार पानी लहर, फेन और बुलबुलों से पृथक नहीं है उसी प्रकार आत्मा भी स्वयं से निकले इस विश्व से अलग नहीं है॥४॥ Just as waves, foam and bubbles are not different from water, similarly all this world which has emanated from self, is not different from self.॥4॥ Ashtavakra Gita

तंतुमात्रो भवेदेव  पटो यद्वद्विचारितः। आत्मतन्मात्रमेवेदं  तद्वद्विश्वं विचारितम्॥२-५॥ जिस प्रकार विचार करने पर वस्त्र तंतु (धागा) मात्र ही ज्ञात होता है, उसी प्रकार यह समस्त विश्व आत्मा मात्र ही है॥५॥ On reasoning, cloth is known to be just thread, similarly all this world is self only.॥5॥ Ashtavakra Gita