Guruji satsang - Perfection

Gurudev SriSri RaviShankar :

“If you find any imperfection in another, don’t get frustrated and criticize them, instead volunteer to help them grow!

There are some very talented people in the world, but they too have some negative points. Now, if you look only at the minus points, their talents become invisible. When you are looking for perfection everywhere around, I tell you, you forget to see the imperfection inside of you. You want everything to be perfect, but are you perfect? You have to look for that.

When you gain perfection at something, you will stop pointing out imperfections and you will stop getting frustrated about the imperfections of others, and instead contribute to their growth – to help them become perfect.

Everyone has flaws, and everyone has some very good qualities as well. But if you see only flaws, then you will miss out on their plus points. Nobody can become perfect overnight. It is a gradual process, and we need to encourage them to help them get there!”

Q. Gurudev, you are always in a hurry ?

Sri Sri : Yes, I am always in Hari.

'Being in a state of equanimity, and enduring whatever comes, whether it is hot or cold, good or bad, praise or criticism, is tapasya. Can you listen to an insult with the same equanimity as when you listen to compliments? That is tapasya. 

Forbearing the opposites is called tapasya, and it is essential in life.

The extent to which we follow tapasya in life, to that extent we become stronger and stable.'

Guruji satsang - Asangoham

Q:Dear Gurudev, kindly explain the meaning of Asangoham (a phrase often chanted by Gurudev in the advanced course).

HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

I am not this – that is what Asangoham means. For example, I am wearing the cloth, but I am not the cloth.

The body is mine but I am not the body. I am not the thoughts, I am not the mind. Like this you go on to negate one by one all the layers of identity. And finally when you ask, ‘Who am I?’ You will find nothing!

‘I am nothing, I am just the space.’ That is what Asangoham is.

Sangoham means being one with it. If I think I am my clothes, then that is a problem. I am beyond all these layers of existence.

If I think that I am my thoughts, my emotions, my sensations then I lose track of my vast nature. Therefore to reach the realization of our vastness we say, ‘I am not this and I am not this’, repeatedly.

(Gurudev sings)

Mano Budhyahankaar Chittani Naaham, Na Cha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghraana netre Na Cha Vyoma Bhumir Na Tejo Na Vayuh, Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham

- From the Atmashtakam (By Adi Shankaracharya)

I am not the mind, intellect, memory or ego. I am not this, not this, not this. 

This is the way of negating and going into that hollow and empty space. This Shiva Tattva is what I really am. This realization is what meditation is; that is Samadhi.

Guruji satsang - Ramayana

The significance of Ramayana ~ Sri Sri 

The Ramayana is not just a story which happened long ago; it has a philosophical, spiritual significance and a deep truth in it. 

The words ‘rays’ and ‘radiance’ come from the Sanskrit root word ‘ra’. ‘Ra’ means light, ‘Ma’ means within me, in my heart. So, Rama means the light within me. That which is radiant in every particle of the being is Rama.

Rama was born to Dasharath and Kousalya. Dasharath means ‘Ten Chariots’. The ten chariots symbolize the five sense organs and five organs of action. Kousalya means ‘skill’. The skillful rider of the ten chariots can give birth to Ram. When the ten are used skillfully, radiance is born within.

Rama was born in Ayodhya. Ayodhya means ‘a place where no war can happen’. When there is no conflict in our mind, then the radiance can dawn.

The Ramayana is not just a story which happened long ago; it has a philosophical, spiritual significance and a deep truth in it. It is said that the Ramayana is happening in your own body.

Your soul is Rama, your mind is Sita, your breath or life-force(prana) is Hanuman, your awareness is Laxmana and your ego is Ravana.  When the mind was stolen by Ravana (the ego) then the soul got restless. Now the soul cannot reach the mind on its own, it has to take the help of the breath – the prana. With the help of the prana, the mind got reunited with the soul, and the ego vanished.

Guruji satsang - Prayer 🙏

Prayer is a vital tool to improve your life. It also nurtures values like integrity and honesty. Prayer happens in two situations, or in a combination of situations. When you feel grateful or when you feel utterly helpless. If you are not grateful and prayerful, you will be miserable. In either case your prayers will be answered. 

What you can do, you do. What you cannot do, you pray for. It is said the divine dawns in you when you pray for it, when you sing for it. The divine is only waiting for we you to dig a little deeper into yourself. Because, it can then fill you with much more nectar.

Divine wants you to create more space in you. Cry from your soul for help. This is for those seekers who are weak. Those seekers who are strong with the power of knowledge can sing with that joy of what they have achieved. 

The moment you sing in gratitude, in glory of the divine, it immediately dawns in you, and fills you up again. One type of people are grateful for all their growth. The other type are helpless and weak. Both will be helped. Spirituality is not same ritual, or doing something. 

It is a very pleasant, uplifted state of being and seeing the whole world is all spirit or consciousness. Use prayer to bring integration your personality. Whatever you do, know that the higher power has the final say and it will always be the best.

Guruji satsang - Take out time for yourself

*Take Out Time For Yourself*

If for the whole day you are engaged in only gathering information, you do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect. A few quiet moments are sources for creativity. 

Some time during the day, sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. But, during the day be 100% attached to the work. 

Eventually, you will be able to be both attached and detached. This is the skill of living, the art of living. Renunciation refills your energy. Creativity cannot happen only just through efforts. There is a beautiful story about Chhatrapati Shivaji. 

At one time Shivaji became so frustrated about ruling his kingdom that he went to his guru Samarth Ramdas and told him that he is fed up and that he just wants to renounce everything. Ramdas told him that he can renounce everything. 

Shivaji became so happy and relaxed at the very thought. Then Ramdas told him “Now I am the king and you are my servant. Will you do whatever I ask you to do?”

Shivaji - For you I am ready to do anything. 

Ramdas - Very good. Will you run this country for me? 

Shivaji - Yes, I will run the country for you. Total renunciation has brought zeal and enthusiasm in him. Creativity springs up when you are relaxed. You have to renounce all work you have done the whole day, only then can you rest in the night. 

Though many times pain, struggle and frustration have brought out creativity in some people, these are not the only reasons for a person to be creative. 

Millions of people in the world are struggling or frustrated, but they are not creative. So, taking out some time for yourself improves the quality of your life.

If for the whole day you are engaged in only gathering information, you do not take out time for yourself to think and reflect. A few quiet moments are sources for creativity. 

Some time during the day, sit for a few minutes, get into the cave of your heart, eyes closed, and kick the world away like a ball. But, during the day be 100% attached to the work. 

Eventually, you will be able to be both attached and detached. This is the skill of living, the art of living. Renunciation refills your energy. Creativity cannot happen only just through efforts. There is a beautiful story about Chhatrapati Shivaji. 

At one time Shivaji became so frustrated about ruling his kingdom that he went to his guru Samarth Ramdas and told him that he is fed up and that he just wants to renounce everything. Ramdas told him that he can renounce everything. 

Shivaji became so happy and relaxed at the very thought. Then Ramdas told him “Now I am the king and you are my servant. Will you do whatever I ask you to do?”

Shivaji - For you I am ready to do anything. 

Ramdas - Very good. Will you run this country for me? 

Shivaji - Yes, I will run the country for you. Total renunciation has brought zeal and enthusiasm in him. Creativity springs up when you are relaxed. You have to renounce all work you have done the whole day, only then can you rest in the night. 

Though many times pain, struggle and frustration have brought out creativity in some people, these are not the only reasons for a person to be creative. 

Millions of people in the world are struggling or frustrated, but they are not creative. So, taking out some time for yourself improves the quality of your life.

Guruji satsang - Life Struggles

Life Struggles

All our struggles in life is to know more. You are trying your level best to understand feelings and emotions, and you get into more and more confusion. This is what has happened with psychology today. It tries to explain to you why you fell like the way you are feeling. 

The 'why' arises always when you are unhappy. You ask "Why this problem to me of all the people?" Nobody ever asked, "Why am I so happy?" You wanted to understand, "Why am I not feeling good?", or "Why am I angry?", or "Why is this not happening?" 

The more you try to understand and try to dig in, you seem to understand less and less. The mystery deepens, an illusion comes as though "I know it". But that is for short while. We ourselves do not know and we try to explain others. 

Stop your explanations, put you into a soup and also make other people more confused. You don't know what is happening in your mind. Mind is like a roller coaster. It's a crowd. Just be in the simple and innocent state of "I don't know". This life is a mystery, it's beautiful live it. 

Living the mystery of life totally is joy. Becoming the mystery is divine. You are a mystery. When you see life in this context, clarity dawns in your mind and improves.

Guruji satsang - hate and emotions

The most intelligent thing to do is not to hate anybody because whomsoever you hate, you get those impressions embedded in you. A gardener is working in the garden. When you work in a garden, you will definitely get dirty. 

Your gloves will get dirty, your hands will get dirty, and your clothes will get some mud splashes. But after you come inside and wash up, you don’t identify yourself with the mud that got splashed onto you while you were working in the garden, right?

In the same way, while we are in society, moving among people, the emotions of others get splashed onto our subtle mind and we start to identify with them. This is what becomes a problem. We identify, “Oh, this is my emotion - my anger and my greed”. 

Whether the emotions are positive or negative, we identify with them and then we try to get rid of them. And it’s not an easy job. It’s like the gardener who thinks some mud that is on him will not go away.

For example, you’re peacefully working in your office. You have done your morning meditation and you feel good, but your boss is uptight. Suddenly, there is some problem that comes up and you get agitated. Someone else’s agitation has latched on to you and you think, “Oh, I am angry.” 

The clever thing to do is to not identify yourself with the emotion that has nothing to do with you. You can realise, “I am different from the emotions. The emotions are different from me.

Guruji satsang - what to do to stay calm

Q:  I am happy and calm now. What can I do to maintain this state throughout life?

 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Share it with more and more people. Joy or wisdom if not shared with others starts dwindling. Now this does not mean you go to others and start teaching them Bhastrika Pranayama, or the Sudarshan Kriya. Unless you get properly trained, you should not go about teaching meditation and these practices to others. This is why we had to put a quality control for Yoga in the country today. There is a QCI (Quality Control for India) body and the government has asked it to do something for Yoga also. It is because it is observed that people learn something from somewhere and then go around teaching it to others without proper training. Then when some unwanted or unexpected things happen it becomes a problem. There is a proverb in Sanskrit – “Yasya kasya tarur-mulam yena kenapi churnitam; yasmai kasmai pradaatavyam yatvaa-tatvaa bhavishyati” (From the Subhashita). It means that someone may bring the root of any tree, grind it into a fine powder and give it off as medicine to others. And something or the other may happen to the other person by taking that (untested) medicine. The same is what is happening with Yoga also these days. People practice Yoga for just a week and proclaim themselves to be Yoga instructors and teachers. There needs to be a proper quality system in place for Yoga also, and there should be levels or stages of training and certification. Until then, do not just go and train others. But you should always talk to other people about Yoga and bring more awareness about it. You should definitely inspire and encourage others for this.