Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Question - Gurudev, all my life I have been learning, exploring and analysing knowledge. When I came to the Art of Living, I was told to stop thinking, analysing and just meditate, which I’m unable to do. Please help me how do I follow it? Gurudev Sri Sri - Look, here we are thinking, analysing. You should analyse, but don't use that machinery too much, it needs some overhauling time. Don't you give your car for servicing, after driving it for too long? Meditation is taking your mind to the garage, for servicing. If you keep overworking this machine of analytical thinking, it will break down. So, you need to balance. Meditation is maintenance or servicing of your intellectual machinery. Don't discard it. We never say, 'Don't analyse, lock your intellect'. You must use your intellect the maximum, but time and again, you must service it.

Question - Gurudev, according to the law of karma, things are destined for you based on your past actions, and the law of attraction says you create your own experiences, consciously or unconsciously. I’m confused, please explain? Gurudev Sri Sri - There are certain karmas that you can erase. There are certain karmas that you cannot erase, they are just like exit points in the freeway, you can only exit at these points. If you miss an exit point, then you have no choice but to keep driving till the next exit point. Life is like that, there are many choices that you can make, there are many turning points at which you can turn, but if you miss those points, you have to wait till you reach another turning point. Don't worry, many turning points do come on the way. Now, if you are in between two turning points, then you feel helpless and that is destiny.

Question - Gurudev, I can easily identify and witness my negative patterns, however, it is very difficult to break away from them. How does one break away from these patterns? Gurudev Sri Sri - Whatever you gain by effort has a limited age, and is for a limited time. What you gain by effortlessness is ageless and timeless. The answer to your question is hidden in this answer somewhere, you dig into it. I have given you a formula. In this formula, anything that you achieve with effort will have a result that is time-bound and limited, it cannot be forever. Anything that you get through effortlessness is timeless and painless.

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 35   śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ  para-dharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt  sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ  para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ   Better is one’s own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well-done. Better is death in one’s own duty; the duty of another is fraught with danger.   “Better is one’s own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well-done.” So here Krishna says, “Do your dharma! Don’t try to do other things which are not your duty.” Don’t put your nose into other people’s business! Putting your nose into other people’s business will devoid you of good merit. Even if you think that you are doing something good, if it doesn’t concern you, it will not bring any good to you. It’s better if you don’t do it! Then you won’t bring negative punya to you. When you do your own duty you gain at least good punya.    Krishna says, “Focus on what has been given to you as a duty!” The duty of a docto...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 34   indriyasyendriyasyārthe  rāga-dveṣau vyavasthitau  tayor-na vaśam āgacchet  tau hyasya paripanthinau   Attachment and aversion for sense objects abide in the sense-organs; let none come under their sway for they are the obstacles of the soul in its path.   Krishna tells Arjuna, “Don’t go into the game of the senses! Don’t let yourself be attracted or repulsed by anything.” Whatever one comes into contact with, there is always a certain attraction to it or a certain repulsion from it. These are all games of the sense objects. If one gives way to this game, one gets trapped! If you let go of attraction and repulsion and have them under control, if you see the oneness in all, you will attain the supreme bliss.    “Let none come under their sway, for they are the obstacles of the soul in its path.” When you go into the game of judgement, it becomes a big obstacle to Self-Realisation. When you start judging others, you ...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 33   sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ  prakṛter-jñānavān api  prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni  nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati   Even an enlightened person acts in conformity to his own nature; beings follow their nature; what will restraint accomplish?   Krishna says, “What is the use of external restraint? Let it go! No one can be inactive for a moment.” Each person is driven by his own nature to act. “You, enlightened beings, through renunciation of your duties, you will not free yourself from bondage. Continue to perform your actions with the feeling of surrender.” Bhagavad Gita 

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verses 31-32   ye me matam idaṁ nityam  anu-tiṣṭhanti mānavāḥ  śraddhāvanto’nasūyanto  mucyante te’pi karmabhiḥ   ye tvetad abhyasūyanto  nānutiṣṭhanti me matam  sarva jñāna vimūḍhāṁstān  viddhi naṣṭān acetasaḥ   Those who, having faith and not trusting to the critical intelligence, constantly follow this teaching of Mine, they too are released from the bondage of works. But those who find fault with My teaching and act not upon them, are of an unripe mind, bewildered in all knowledge and fated to be destroyed.   “Those who, having faith and not trusting to the critical intelligence, constantly follow this teaching of Mine, they too are released from the bondage of works.” Here Krishna says that all people are qualified to pursue what He is teaching. He is talking not only to Arjuna. He is talking to the whole world. He says, “Everybody has the capacity to do this! Those who, having faith and not trusting to the cri...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 30   mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi  sanyasyādhyātma-cetasā  nirāśīr-nir-mamo bhūtvā  yudhyasva vigata-jvaraḥ   Dedicating all your actions to Me with a mind centred in the Self, free from desire and selfishness, free from hotheadedness, do you engage in battle. Krishna says, “Fight! Arjuna, fight!” He doesn’t stop reminding him, “You have to fight! Otherwise you’ll be crushed.” Life is like that! If you don’t make an effort, if you don’t go into your power, if you don’t fight all this negativity inside and outside of you, you will never move forward in life. He says, “Perform all your actions! Dedicate them to Me with a mind centred in the Self, free from desire and selfishness.”    The Self is free from desire: it is the mind which has lots of desires and selfishness. But the Self doesn’t have these qualities. The Self is free. Here, Krishna is showing that He is the Self of the Self.“Dedicating all your actions to Me wi...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 29   prakṛter-guṇa saṁmūḍhāḥ  sajjante guṇa-karmasu  tān-akṛtsna vido mandān  kṛtsnavinna vicālayet   Those who are deluded by the gunas of Prakriti are attached to the functions of the gunas, but one of perfect knowledge should not unsettle the ignorant who do not know the whole truth.   Here again Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna, “The one who is arrogant and proud, the one whose mind is trapped in worldliness, remains attached to the gunas and   their actions. These people don’t have any knowledge!” Even though they may talk   about many things, in reality they don’t have any knowledge. Their knowledge is only   based on outside, material things. Such people are ignorant. Their happiness, their   enjoyments, lie only in the world. They are attached to the enjoyment which is the   product of the three gunas, and they are bound by it.   Krishna says, “Because of this ignorance, b...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 28   tattva-vittu mahābāho  guṇa-karma-vibhāgayoḥ  guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta  iti matvā na sajjate   But one, O mighty-armed, who knows the true principles of the divisions of the gunas and of works, realises that it is the gunas which are acting and reacting on each other and is not caught in them by attachment.   One who has the truth inside through meditation, observe the interplay of the gunas, but doesn’t get attached to them. One who knows that these qualities are not the Self, becomes a true yogi. One becomes the Observer. Through your sadhana, when you introspect, you observe and you see that all these qualities are separate from you. All this action is just a play of the gunas, and the gunas are a play of Maya Prakriti. This Great Observer, the Atma, your true Self doesn’t get attached to it, and just observes it. What gets attached to it, is the mind!    Let’s say, for example, that something bad happened in your d...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 27   prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni  guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ  ahaṅkāra vimūḍhātmā  kartā’ham-iti manyate   While all actions are being entirely done by the gunas of Prakriti, he whose self is bewildered by egoism thinks that it is his ‘I’ which is acting.   Here Krishna says that the one who is bound by the three gunas – rajas, tamas and sattva – is bound by the qualities of these gunas. These gunas are born from Prakriti, Nature, so such a person is attached to the fruit of Prakriti. The mind, intellect and ego, are very active in him.   “He whose self is bewildered by egoism thinks that ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’ am acting.” When the mind is blinded by the senses, by the glamour of the outside, by always wanting more and more and more; one is always chanting one’s own glorification. This kind of person who does action in the world is bound by the gunas. He is not free. Krishna says, “He whose self is bewildered,” – ahaṅkāra vimūḍhātmā – this per...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 26   na buddhi-bhedaṁ janayed  ajñānāṁ karma-saṅginām  joṣayet sarva karmāṇi  vidvān yuktaḥ samācaran   The wise should not confuse the minds of the ignorant who are attached to work; rather himself performing work with devotion, he should inspire others to do likewise.   “The wise should not confuse the minds of the ignorant who are attached to work…” Here Krishna reminds Arjuna, “First be wise. Be strong! Be centred in the Divine Self. Be centred into God Consciousness. Don’t confuse the people! They are already confused. They are already in their own pride and ego, and are blind. If you go to them with knowledge and talk about God, they are not interested.” You look at the world nowadays – how many people really are interested in knowing who they are? How many people are interested in serving God? How many people just say, “We are happy in our small world which we have created.” Go outside and you’ll see many people like this....

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 25   karmaṇy-avidvāṁso  yathā kurvanti bhārata  kuryād-vidvāṁs-tathāsaktāḥ  cikīrṣu loka-saṅgraham    Just as the ignorant act with attachment to their work, O Arjuna, so should the wise act without any attachment, and only for the welfare of the world.   Here again Krishna reminds Arjuna, “The ignorant one is attached to the action.” The ignorant one means people who seek gratification of the ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’. They are attached so much to what they are doing. And when they do something, they sing their own glory, ’I have done this. I have done that. I am the greatest one. There is no one better than me.’ Krishna says, “Oh wise Arjuna, if these tamasic-minded people can do like this, you can do the opposite. Be wise! The wise ones don’t sing the glorification of themselves. Rather they sing the glorification of the Lord, who is deeply rooted within the Self. There is no pride in such knowledge. There is no arrogance in it! Ther...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verses 23-24   yadi hyahaṁ na varteyaṁ   jātu karmaṇyatandritaḥ  mama vartmānuvartante  manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ   utsīdeyur-ime lokā  na kuryaṁ karma ced aham  saṅkarasya ca kartā syām  upahanyām-imāḥ prajāḥ   For if I did not continue to engage Myself in action, unwearied, O Arjuna, humankind would follow My example. These worlds would perish if I did not perform action; I would be the author of confusion and the cause of destruction of these beings.   The Lord descends to Earth to establish the rules of righteousness in the society. It will never be possible for Him who is the Lord Himself, to neglect His duty at any time. He never ceases to perform His duty with vigilance and care. Again Krishna reminds Arjuna, “If I don’t perform My action at any time, great harm will come to this world! I am the Creator, the Protector and the Destroyer of this universe. I, God, I am doing My action. If I stop doing My act...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 22   na me pārthāsti kartavyaṁ  triṣu lokeṣu kiñcana  nānavāptam-avāptavyaṁ  varta eva ca karmaṇi   For Me, O Arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be done, nor is there anything lacking that ought to be acquired – yet I continually engage in action.   Here Lord Krishna says, “Look at Me!” Even if deep inside of his heart Arjuna knows that Krishna is the Lord of the universe, God Himself, Krishna is reminding him, “Look at Me, My dear Arjuna. I am free from these three worlds, from this Maya, from this illusion! I am free! I don’t need to do anything because I have created everything! Everything is going how it has to go. I don’t have anything to gain. But I am still doing My duty here. I have manifested Myself here for a reason. My duty here is to help mankind.” Krishna’s purpose is to elevate the mind and the soul, and remind people why they have come here: that one has to realise oneself in this life....

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 21   yadyad-ācarati śreṣṭhah  tat-tad-evetaro janaḥ  sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute  lokas-tad-anuvartate   Whatever an eminent person does, other people also do; whatever standard he sets, the world follows it. Whatever an eminent person does, other people also do – this is fashion! If somebody cuts their hair in a certain style, next week everybody will have the same hairstyle. That’s why Krishna says, “Whatever an eminent person does, other people also do.” Everybody looks at that person and takes the example of that person. Humanity has evolved in that way, by looking at the examples of great personages. If somebody does a certain duty in life, normal people look at them and try to follow their example.   “Whatever standard he sets, the world follows.” Whenever a realised soul gives to the world, people look up to that person. If he is enlightened, if this saint, this man of knowledge is surrendered to the Divine, people will look at...

Karma Yoga  Chapter 3, Verse 20   karmaṇaiva hi saṁsiddhim  āsthitā janakādayaḥ  loka saṅgraham-evāpi  saṁpaśyan kartum arhasi   Verily, by Karma Yoga alone did Janaka and others reach perfection. Indeed, you should act, bearing in mind the welfare of the world.   Krishna says, “There were great souls, great personalities in this world who did their duty without being attached to it. Take for example King Janaka, the father of Sita. He was doing his kingly duty, but he was not attached to his actions and aims. He didn’t have any personal goals. Take Prahlad Maharaj! He was always doing his duty in remembrance of the Lord Himself. Awake, My dear! You must continue performing your duty, like all these great personages. These great heroes, and great saints, reached perfection during their lifetimes. You don’t need ten lifetimes to do that. You only need one lifetime. You just need complete surrender. The willingness to surrender has to be there! If these ...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 19   tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ  kāryaṁ karma samācara  asakto hyācaran karma  param-āpnoti pūruṣaḥ   Therefore, without attachment, perform ever the work that is to be done, for it is by doing work without attachment that man attains to the highest.   This doesn’t mean that God-realised souls don’t act in the world. They do! But they are not bound by their actions. They help to maintain the balance in the world, but they have no attachment to what they do or to what they don’t do. They go with their intuition. It’s not them – they are guided. Everything happens, everything is taken care of automatically. Such a state – this is the highest good for humanity. Not only for them, also for the people around. They are centred in the Supreme. In this state there is no creation of karma. Such a person renounces all, even the punya! Everything is dissolved. Here Krishna says to Arjuna, “Do this kind of work, where you are not attached to you...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 18   naiva tasya kṛtenārtho  nākṛteneha kaścana  na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu  kaścid artha vyapāśrayaḥ   He has no object here to be gained by action done and none to be gained by action undone; he has no dependence on all these existences for any object to be gained.   The realised one doesn’t look for any personal gratification. There is no obligation for him to do something or not do something! In the scriptures there are many rules about what one has to do, and what one has not to do. The Vedas are full of these rules. But here, Lord Krishna says that the one who is completely surrendered and realises that it is only God, Lord Narayana Himself, who is doing everything, is not bound by what he has or has not to do. He is not bound by his activities. He is not controlled by the senses. Nor is he controlled by the scriptures. The scriptures don’t compel him to do or not to do anything. He doesn’t have anything to abandon nor can he f...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 17   yastvātma-ratir-eva syād  ātma tṛptaśca mānavaḥ  ātmanyeva ca santuṣṭaḥ  tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate   But the man whose delight is in the Self and who is satisfied with the enjoyment of the Self and is content in the Self, for him there exists no work that needs to be done.   “But the man whose delight is in the Self”, the one who, through yoga has self-discipline, the one who has a single-pointed mind, the one who is dedicated to one’s path, the God-realised soul “who is satisfied with the enjoyment of the Self and is content in the Self, for him there exists no work that needs to be done.” Very nice, right? Here Lord Krishna says that for a realised soul, the duty is to serve the Lord; and the Lord is the One who is doing everything. If one has reached that state, there is no need to do anything because there is no ‘I’. There is no separation. There is no duality. If one has attained the Ultimate, Narayana Himself, and one ha...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 16 evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānu vartayatīha yaḥ aghāyur-indriyā rāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati One who does not follow this cycle thus set in motion, lives in error, revelling in the senses, he lives in vain O Arjuna. Here Lord Krishna uses the word cakraṁ: ‘this cycle’ of dharma and sacrifice which has been going on since the time of creation. There is a certain dharma in life. The yogis, the sages, and the rishis do their duties, renouncing attachments and selfish desires. They are not trapped in the circle of birth and death. The yogis know that the true Self is Narayana Himself. They know that it is only Narayana who is doing their work through them; they know it is only Narayana who makes them think and act; that it is only Narayana who is the object of their sacrifices. Narayana dances in every part of them. They do their duty with such determination. But if one doesn’t do one’s duty, one is trapped in the wheel of sensual pleasure. When they forget abou...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verses 14-15   annād-bhavanti būtāni  parjanyād-anna-saṁbhavaḥ  yajñād-bhavati parjanyo  yajñāḥ karma samud-bhavaḥ   karma brahmod-bhavaṁ viddhi  brahmākṣara samudbhavam  tasmāt sarva-gataṁ brahma  nityaṁ yajñe pratiṣṭhitam   From food arise all beings; from rain, food is produced; from sacrifice comes rain; and sacrifice is achieved through activity. Know that activity springs from Brahman and Brahman arises from the imperishable Self; therefore, the all-pervading ‘Brahman’ is ever-established in sacrifice.   “From food arise all beings”. Here Krishna refers to the body of the human being. ‘Food’ refers to all kinds of food, including the food which the eyes have seen and the nose has smelled. “From food arise all beings” refers to procreation. What people eat, what people consume in the form of the subtle energy, accumulates in the bodies of both men and women. This subtle energy transforms itself into the reprodu...

Karma Yoga  Chapter 3, Verse 13   yajñā-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo  mucyante sarva kilbiṣaiḥ  bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā  ye pacantyātma kāraṇāt   The good who eat what is left from the sacrifice, are released from all sin;   but evil are they who cook the food for their own sake.   If your life revolves around serving others, and you offer all the ‘good’ that is in your life to the welfare of others, you will have the divine blessing. Here Krishna is talking about doing Karma Yoga. You will become free because you are serving Narayana. That’s why it is said, ‘Manava Seva is Madhava Seva’. This means, ‘Service to humanity is service to Narayana’. The service that you render to others with a selfless heart, with a pure heart is ‘Narayana Seva’ and releases you. Service is also sadhana. Service is also prayer. And if one does such service without expecting any results, one will be free. One will attain salvation.   “But evil are they who cook the food...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 12   iṣṭān-bhogān-iha vo devā  dāsyante yajñā-bhāvitāḥ  tair-dattān apradāyaibhyo  yo bhuṅkte stena eva saḥ   The gods, pleased by sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you desire. One who enjoys the bounty of the gods without offering them anything in return, is verily a thief.   “The gods, pleased by sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you desire.” Krishna says, “When you are doing your service with an attitude of selflessness, God will look after you. He will send His devas. He will care for you, without you even asking. He will nourish you like He nourishes the animals, the birds. In the Bible, Christ also says to surrender to God and don’t worry about life. He who looks after the birds, feeds the birds on time. He who looks after the animals, gives the food to the animals. Aren’t humans more important in His eyes? So one should not worry. In the state of sacrifice, in the state of doing one’s duty without wor...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 11   devān bhāvayetānena  te devā bhāvayantu vaḥ  parasparaṁ bhāvayantaḥ  śreyaḥ paramavāpsyatha   By this, may you nurture the gods, and the gods will nurture you in return. Thus, nurturing one another, you will obtain the highest good.   In this verse, Krishna doesn’t refer to the One God, but to the demigods. He says, “By offering this nourishment to the demigods, you will receive punya, much merit in return for what you offer to them. They will also take care of your needs.”   Here sacrifice also means the service that you offer to humanity, because each person is a manifestation of the Divine. Through the service which you render, selflessly, with a pure heart to humanity, you will receive a blessing which is ten times greater. When you do your service to God, when you help people, when you do service to the sages, to the saints, to the animals, to the birds, to all the species which God has created, then you show that ...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 10   saha yajñāiḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā  purovāca prajāpatiḥ  anena prasaviṣyadhvam  eṣa vo’stviṣṭa kāmadhuk   In the beginning, the Lord of all beings, created humans along with the sacrifice, saying: ‘By this shall you prosper; this shall be the cow of plenty granting all your desires.’   In the beginning, when God created the human being, He placed inside of him this quality to help others, this quality of offering to God. He put the qualities of charity, austerity, and service inside of each human being. He said, “By this shall you prosper; this shall be the cow of plenty granting all your desires.” If people have this attitude, it will be a blessing to themselves. They will become like the wish-fulfilling cow, Kamadhenu – so they don’t even need to ask for anything. Everything will be provided! Everything will be given! The Lord looks after the ones who are surrendered, and takes care of their every need. You don’t need to worry, if...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 9   yajñārthāt karmaṇo’nyatra  loko’yaṁ karma bandhanaḥ  tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya  mukta saṅgas-samācara  By doing works other than for sacrifice, this world of men is in bondage to   these works; perform your actions as sacrifice, O Arjuna, becoming free   from all attachment.  Krishna says to Arjuna, “Do your duty efficiently without any attachment, and do it for the sake of sacrifice alone.” Sacrifice here doesn’t mean that you should go and sacrifice somebody! Do your duty in a detached way, with an attitude of sacrifice. Do it in a way that will not bind you to this world. Do your action in such a way that even the past merits or the sins, which you have from past lives, won‘t affect you! And do your meditation, not to gain something, but to attain the Lord inside of you.  “Perform your actions as sacrifice,” in the state of surrender. Bhagavan Krishna sees that Arjuna is still confused. Arjuna don’...

Karma Yoga Chapter 3, Verse 8   niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ  karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ  śarīra-yātrā’pi ca te  na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ   You must perform your obligatory duties, for action is superior to non-action (meditation). For not even the maintenance of the body is possible by inaction.   “You must perform your obligatory duties; for action is superior to non-action.” If you become lazy you are useless! Here Krishna says to Arjuna, “Wake up!” In the other verses, He says, “Don’t be a hypocrite in whatever you do! Do your duty! There is no point in not doing your duty.” When you do your duty, when you do what the Divine wants you to do, when you learn to accept what God has given you to do, then you even perfect the “non-action (meditation).    If you have not perfected your actions outside, how will you perfect the inside? There will be great difficulties. The mind will always tend to run outside anyway, true? Do your sadhana! Do yo...