Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Question - Gurudev, why should one have only one Guru in life?  Gurudev Sri Sri - You forget about the Guru. Just walk your path and grow in knowledge. When you benefit and have someone to thank, that is your Guru. The word guide in English came from Sanskrit word Guru. If you want to play soccer, you need a coach. If you want to play violin, you need a coach. Similarly, in life, one needs a coach for managing the mind, and relieving you of the tensions, stress, fear uncertainty, jealousy, greed, hatred and all these negative emotions. So this is the role of a Guru - to relieve you from all negativity and infuse positivity in you.

Question - Gurudev, when we are children, we complain to our parents. When we go to school, we complain about our teachers and our friends. When we start working, we complain about our boss or our colleagues at work. How does we get free from this habit of complaining all the time? Gurudev Sri Sri - Once you have realised and become aware of this tendency about yourself, then just know that you are out of it. A complaining mind usually complains about things that happened in the past. When we do not look forward to the future with a positive mind set, and when our prana (life force energy) is low, then our mind tends to get entangled with the events of the past, and it starts to regret or complain about them. That is why the wise ones around us who have foresight encourage us by saying, ‘Drop all this garbage of the past. Just smile and move forward. Your complaining does not help improve or resolve anything’.

In 1997, I met Meenakshi, an Art of Living teacher in the Bay Area of California, and I was taken in by her enormous energy and enthusiasm. She introduced me to Art of Living and invited me to see Gurudev at the Swaminarayan Temple. I saw him, but he did not even look at me, and I felt disappointed. In the next few years,  I did the basic course with Mark Ball and the advanced course with Gurudev. My only motive and interest in the Art of Living was to improve my singing skills. I was very irregular in my sadhana practices and almost never went for the long kriya. A few years later, I was very depressed and a nervous wreck when Meenakshi urged me to do the DSN. I went to Sangeeta Ji and asked her if I could do the DSN. She asked me if I could place my life in Gurudev’s hands with no questions asked. I said YES, and life after DSN has not been the same. DSN taught me how to value time and abundance, take responsibility for myself and society. As I became more regular in my practices...

सशरीरमिदं विश्वं  न किंचिदिति निश्चितं। शुद्धचिन्मात्र आत्मा च  तत्कस्मिन् कल्पनाधुना॥२-१९। यह निश्चित है कि इस शरीर सहित यह विश्व अस्तित्वहीन है, केवल शुद्ध, चैतन्य आत्मा का ही अस्तित्व है। अब इसमें क्या कल्पना की जाये॥१९॥ Definitely this world along with this body is non-existent. Only pure, conscious self exists. What else is there to be imagined now?॥19॥ Ashtavakra Gita

शरीरं स्वर्गनरकौ  बन्धमोक्षौ भयं तथा। कल्पनामात्रमेवैतत्  किं मे कार्यं चिदात्मनः॥ २-२०॥ शरीर, स्वर्ग, नरक, बंधन, मोक्ष और भय ये सब कल्पना मात्र ही हैं, इनसे मुझ चैतन्य स्वरुप का क्या प्रयोजन है॥२०॥ The body, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, and fear, these are all unreal. What is my relation with these when I am consciousness.  Ashtavakra Gita

द्वैतमूलमहो दुःखं नान्य- त्तस्याऽस्ति भेषजं। दृश्यमेतन् मृषा सर्वं  एकोऽहं चिद्रसोमलः॥ २-१६॥ द्वैत (भेद)  सभी दुखों का मूल कारण है। इसकी इसके अतिरिक्त कोई और औषधि नहीं है कि यह सब जो दिखाई दे रहा है वह सब असत्य है। मैं एक, चैतन्य और निर्मल हूँ॥१६॥ Definitely, duality (distinction) is the fundamental reason of suffering. There is no other remedy for it other than knowing that all that is visible, is unreal, and that I am one, pure consciousness.॥16॥ Ashtavakra Gita

बोधमात्रोऽहमज्ञानाद्  उपाधिः कल्पितो मया। एवं विमृशतो नित्यं  निर्विकल्पे स्थितिर्मम॥ २-१७॥ मैं केवल ज्ञान स्वरुप हूँ, अज्ञान से ही मेरे द्वारा स्वयं में अन्य गुण कल्पित किये गए हैं, ऐसा विचार करके मैं सनातन और कारणरहित रूप से स्थित हूँ॥१७॥ I am of the nature of light only, due to ignorance I have imagined other attributes in me. By reasoning thus, I exist eternally and without cause.॥17॥ Ashtavakra Gita

न मे बन्धोऽस्ति मोक्षो वा  भ्रान्तिः शान्तो निराश्रया। अहो मयि स्थितं विश्वं  वस्तुतो न मयि स्थितम्॥२-१८॥ न मुझे कोई बंधन है और न कोई मुक्ति का भ्रम। मैं शांत और आश्रयरहित हूँ। मुझमें स्थित यह विश्व भी वस्तुतः मुझमें स्थित नहीं है॥१८॥  For me there is neither bondage nor liberation. I am peaceful and without support. This world though imagined in me, does not exist in me in reality.॥18॥ Ashtavakra Gita