Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji in Satsang
20-Feb-2015 at
Bangalore Ashram
Ques: Is there any difference between tapas and tapasya?
#SriSri: It's the same thing. What does tapas mean? Endurance. Everybody will have to do this some time or another. And life is a tapas. Tapasya means you fix a goal and when you work towards that goal there are obstacles that come, having the endurance to go through these obstacles is tapasya. Mainitaning your equanimity your poise in adverse situations, that is tapasya.
Ques: Is there any rebirth?
#SriSri: If you go to psychologists, there is something called para-psychology. In all the clinics across the world, there is something called as regression therapy. Past life regression, they take your memory backward. If you do a Google search you will find a lot of evidence for that. Today there is no doubt that there is rebirth. You could've asked this question twenty five or thirty years ago. Today there are so many evidences. I know there is rebirth and I tell you yes there is! Our body goes back to the earth, the consciousness remains, the energy remains and it comes back.
Ques: Is it necessary to do the Gayatri Homa before the Trayambak Homa?
#SriSri: Before we do any homa, usually we start with the Gayatri Homa. We always start with 'Om' and Gayatri. It is said that Universally there was only one word first. That is 'Om'. Everything came out of 'Om', it exists in 'Om' and will go back to 'Om'. When 'Om' expanded it became 'So Hum'. When that expanded it became 'Guru Om', when that expanded it became 'Om Namah Shivayah', and again that expanded to become 'Om Namo Narayana'. So it kept expanding and then came the Gayatri Mantra. What is Gayatri Mantra? It says let our intellect be inspired by the Divine. Let our intellect be soaked in the Divine. It's a collective mantra. Let all our minds, intellect, be soaked in the supreme energy of bliss, of truth and of consciousness.
Ques: If there is nothing called soul mate, why do we celebrate Shivaratri the Union of Shakti and Purusha?
#SriSri: Well, celebration is part of life. You take any excuse to celebrate. Every excuse is justified if you want to celebrate. Celebrate everything, every moment. See God is not a person sitting somewhere. The Vedas say God is Sat - truth, chit – consciousness and bliss. It's the energy, the supreme energy, by which everything else is made up of. Like all the ornaments are made up of gold, all the furniture is made up of wood. Like that this entire creation is made up of five elements. And that which is the cause of all the five elements is consciousness or energy. That energy is what everything is. If you study quantum physics and you study the Vedanta, you will find that it's the same thing! You put it in different words, that's all. It is absolutely the same. So today science has met spirituality. Science has married spirituality. And spirituality is old, from a long time and spirituality is new. That's it.
Ques: In all these pujas and yagnas, what is Your role and what is our role?
#SriSri: My role is to see that it is all happening and your role is to just enjoy it, be part of it! These are ancient knowledge that has somehow been lost. Or people practice it without knowing it, without understanding. At least some of these practices are kept alive from thousands of years and today it's a world heritage. We preserve it and present it to the world so that the world can benefit form it.
Ques: How to attain Bhakti(devotion)?
#SriSri: Bhakti means intense love. Love for the Divine. It is there in you. You don't need to try to attain it. You simply have to acknowledge it. It's like someone has their specs right above their heads and then you keep looking for your specs. And then someone says that it is right on top of your head and then you bring it down. So it is as simple as bringing your specs down, you identify of yes I am part of this Universal Spirit. We part of this Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, part of one human family. The world belongs to me, I belong to the world. Everyone is part of me, I am part of everyone. this realization, that is Bhakti. Bhakti is being grateful in life. Just think of all that you have received. Don't you feel grateful? That gratefulness turns into devotion. Never doubt your devotion! Don't say 'Oh maybe I don't have devotion'. If you don't have devotion you can't do any job. If anyone has excelled in any work, whatever work they are doing, that means they have love, they have devotion, they have dedication. Without that nobody can be successful.
Ques: In the shastras it is said that there are two signs of a Satguru. Could you please elaborate.
#SriSri: Not two, five. Five signs of a Guru is, 'Dukha kshaya', sorrow diminishes, 'Sukha aavirbhava' for no reason you feel happiness, lot of pleasure comes. 'Gyaan raksha',knowledge is preserved, 'Samriddhi' you will not feel lack of anything, contentment, lack diminishes and then 'Sarva samvardhan', talents come up. Those who have never written poems, they start writing poems. Those who don't know how to dance they start dancing.
Ques: How do rituals have a place in Vedanta? I was fascinated by the Shiva Diksha Puja.
#SriSri: In Shiva diksha puja, they write an 'Om' on the floor and the student needs to come and stand on the 'Om' and then they tell him 'See, your basis is Om', that means your origin is Om. Then they blindfold the child and bring them around and then they make them stand again on the Om and say you're origin is also Om and your existence is Om. Then they make the child see the Shiva mandal and they say that Shiva is in you and Om is in your whole body. They make them touch the heart chakra and all the different parts on the body. That is the diksha. The master says that now the Shiva tatva has become your atman, means your soul, it is a part of you. You realize that divinity is a part of you. And to get established in it, you chant. This is called 'Jeev diksha'. Jeev diksha means it goes with your spirit, it is nothing to do with your body but you spirit. Your spirit is soaked in Shiva. That is what is called Shiva diksha.
Ques: Films create a make-belief world and create an impact on society. Do puranas also do the same thing?
#SriSri: Yes, yes! Purana in fact means the modern. In other Indian language, purana means old. But in Sanskrit purana means new.. So in ancient days they created many puranas, it was a sort of new entertainment for people in those days.
Ques: What is the cause of jagat(the world)?
#SriSri: Eshwar(God).. Cause of all causes is Eshwar.
Ques: In the book 'Proof of Heaven', the author describes the all pervading sound of home. I also want to experience this, but I don't want to die.
#SriSri: You don't need to die to experience this! You need to just be still, meditate. One day everybody has to go, but you don't have to wait till that day to experience Om.
Ques: There is a young girl who is not focusing on her studies in spite of doing spiritual practices
#SriSri: Today's environment has become so polluted.. children do get influenced by the environment. That is why it is not enough just to teach our own children, we have to influence all children. All the friend's of your kids, unless they are influenced, you cannot preserve the values of your kids alone. It is impossible. So we have to become a good uncle and aunt before you can become a good parent! Because the friends of your children, listen to you better than your own children. You have to spread the influence, else if the storm is too strong, the lamp will blow off.
Ques: Once you become a teacher, does your spiritual growth become faster?
#SriSri: No no, nothing like that. It's good once you become a teacher you can spread what you know to others, systematically. And that gives you enormous satisfaction because you are teaching, making so many people smile again from their hearts. Isn't that so? All the teachers? When you make other's smile, when you take away all their burdens, difficulties in their life, you make others feel so good. But it's not necessary everyone has to become teacher. You can do any seva and feel happy and make others happy.
Ques: I always feel shy to talk to you. I feel I can talk to you in person but in front of everyone.
#SriSri: I can see that you are feeling shy, it is very obvious! You know, this is personal only. Satsang means, publically personal! And personally public. That is what satsang it. Isn't it? We are all like one family.
Ques: Can there be absolute freedom of expression, ever in the whole society, in the light of the killing in France.?
#SriSri: Life is a balance of discipline and freedom. In the name of freedom, sometimes we discard the discipline. That is not right. Someone's freedom cannot become someone else's pain. This is important. Someone says, my freedom is to chop of the head of people, whomsoever I like! That is not freedom! Twenty one Christians were slaughtered a few days ago. This is a heinous crime. And those people think it's their freedom to kill infidels. This is wrong. Similarly, hurting the sentiments of anyone, any religion is wrong.. You have no right to hurt the sentiment of other people. Freedom and discipline should go hand in hand. Or in the name of discipline, you cannot gag the press or the artist. They should be given the freedom also. And sometimes it's ok to make fun of anything, anybody. You should not worry about it. When I went to Argentina, we had a huge gathering there. Lots of television channels made a spoof of it. They dressed a dwarf like Me, and he came to meet Me also! He had a small bottle and said that in that small bottle he was selling air or happiness or something. He said I am the real Ravi Shankar. I said Thank God, then you take over! Then I am free I can go on holidays. (laughter) So humour is humour, you have to honour humour. Humour can only be countered by humour, not with guns. You have to counter humour with humour only.. Even war is an art. If the opponent has sword, only then you have to right to hold a sword. If the opponent has a mace, only then you have the right to hold a mace. So if the opponent is using words, you also can use only words, not guns. That is the correct war. Pen can only be countered by another pen, not by gun. That is a crime.
Sadasiva Brahman; and many prophets like Buddha and Nanak. Buddha is our flesh and blood.
of life. It prescribes Yoga Sadhana even for a scavenger or a cobbler to attain God-realisation, while doing his ordinary avocation in the world. Hindu Yoga and Vedanta teachers lay great stress on self-restraint, Tapas, renunciation and practical Sadhana which is best calculated to control the mind and the senses and unfold the divinity or attain Self-realisation. Hinduism is not a religion of mere theories. It is eminently practical. In no religion you will find such a variety of practical Yoga practised and such sublime unique philosophy expounded. That is the reason why India is the only glorious land of sages, Rishis, Yogins and saints.