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 ...