GURU & SATGURU

Question: Guruji, in Mahabharatha Arjuna takes his bow against his own Guru Dronacharya. Is it correct to do that? What is your opinion about it?

Guruji: Even if anyone does something wrong, can be a Guru because he is teaching you to do the right. In this case Dronacharya was a Guru but not a Satguru. Only Sri Krishna was the Satguru, only He was the Jagatguru. The one who only teaches an art or a skill, cannot be a Guru. For example, if your headmaster who taught you in your school, encroaches on your property, will you say, its ok he was my guru. He was only teaching you some art, or some theories. He did not teach you the Atma-gnayan (self knowledge)

You learnt driving from someone right? Then the one who taught you driving, also becomes your Guru. Tomorrow you find him involved with some underworld connection, would you say, Oh, no its ok he is my Guru!!

There is a vast difference between the west and the east. In the west we have linear thinking. Whereas in the east every thing is round about, golegol.. Here in South India, we do not go a full circle around a Shiva temple. We go semi circle and come back (laughter)!! ! That’s why in Sanskrit they say, “Gyanam ecchya Eshwaraha, Moksham Ecchya Janardana”. Which means You can get the knowledge by the grace of the Shiva, but you can get Moksha (liberation) only by the grace of Krishna!!

Also I tell you the Guru becomes happy to see the disciple combating him at the battlefield. And he would always bless the disciple to win over him. Similarly when Dronacharya saw Arjuna at the battlefield, he was happy. He was happy because he thought that finally his teachings are showing up! He feels successful as a teacher.

In the case of Dronacharya, he was tied up to his dharma. He was the appointed teacher of the princes of Hastinapura. He has eaten their food for so many long years. That’s why he was tied up with Duryodhana. Because they paid him for so many years! But seeing Arjuna he was happy. Someone worth was created by him he thought. he knows that Arjuna is in the right place.

But Arjuna was sad to be against Dronacharya, Bhishma and all the others at the battlefield. He was entangled. A satguru is both your friend and your well wisher. While Drona was only a teacher to Arjuna, who taught him an art, while Krishna was his Satguru, his Jagatguru. Then to destroy the entanglement in Arjuna, Krishna had to teach the Bhagwat geeta. Thanks to the entanglement of Arjuna also (laughter)! Because of the entanglement in Arjuna’s mind, the entire Bhagwat geeta happened.

Krishna says, Oh Arjuna! All the people you see are already dead! The history is already created! You just lift your bow and shoot. You will have done no sin since I am telling you to do it.

Then Krishna says, I am the only one in your life. There is no one else in your life. Dissolve in me. There is no you and me anyways. There is no difference in you and me. If you just do as I say, you will not be responsible for any sin. I am only one!!

Even then Arjuna was not ready to do what Krishna said! Then Krishna had to show Him is Vishal Swaroopa! He showed Arjuna that He is the beginning and the end of everything. He is the star, the sky… the entire creation is in Him!

Then Arjuna was shocked. He was taken aback. Then he says, “But Krishna, I thought you are my friend. I ate with you, I sang with you, I played with you, I slept with you. I thought you are like me!

Arjuna got frightened. He said, “You better come back to your original form.. I am not able to relate to you”.

He showed both the soft and the strict side of himself to Arjuna. That’s how we say opposite values are complementary.

Session about Childrens

Q: Children don’t care about their parents when they grow up. So many old age homes are there. Where do we fail as parents and what is your advice to parents so that this situation could be controlled?

Sri Sri: That is why I am saying these three types of trust are very important – Trust in oneself, in goodness of others and in the Divine. A little bit of religion, moral and spiritual values, and the way you treat your parents and ask them to treat their grandparents can make an impact on them. So, you tell your children to take care of their grandparents. They will start doing that way.

Q: How can spiritual practices strengthen academic progress?

Sri Sri: Definitely. you know there has been a research recently from England that the children who study Sanskrit excel in mathematics and linguistic function of their brain become so much better that these children can learn any language from Chinese to English to Russia easily. Researchers worked for 15 years and they find out these results. Three schools in England have made Sanskrit compulsory in the school. They also did research why India is Excellent in IT. Indian brain is more suitable on computer. This is because of the background of Sanskrit language. So, it is good to have your children study Sanskrit. Apart from this there are number of researches which show how doing pranayama enhance the performance of children. They feel more calm, attentive, and more alert. They are able to perceive and digest better. There are number of such benefits that have been proved. You can look into the yes+ website for the benefits that a child gets in academic field.

Q: How do we know children are into drugs or just moody?

Sri Sri: This you can find out. That’s why it is important for you to know them and their friend circle. You will get to know what they do, where they go, keep a tab on them, especially teenage. It is very difficult time. They are undergoing such a biological change. So, they are not just satisfied with the love of their parents, their body is discovering new things. They are looking for some love from outside – an emotional support, a physical pleasure. Their mind is in such confusion. So, to deal with teenage children is a big task. That’s why we have this yes and yes+ course, which is for teens. I tell you, these courses have opened up children in such a way which I cannot even describe.
In one of the courses in New Delhi, 1000 youths participated. We asked a question, “whom do you hate foremost?” 80 percent said their professor, 75 percent of them said the second most hated is their parents. In this country where we say, Maatra devo bhava, pitra devo bhava, aacharya devo bhava, atithi devi bhava, Mother, father, teachers and guests are considered such ideals and manifestations of Divine. It is appalling to see them start hating them. We don’t want violence and stress in our education system at any cost. We do not want gun culture as is happening in America. There is so much violence in class rooms there. Present year report says that campus violence have tripled in America from what it was in 90’s. So, it is very dangerous and we do not want this thing in India. That is why we need to bring moral and spiritual values, ethical values of compassion, friendliness and love.

Q: youth is so aggressive. We give them everything they ask for, yet there is no satisfaction. They are so hyperactive. How to mellow down such hyperactive kids especially when they are hurting others?

Sri Sri: Just bring them to yes and yes+ course. When these kids in Delhi do the course, their parents were wondering what we had done to their kids. They have become so nice. They never thought about the kind of transformation that they saw in their kids after the curse. The same kids who earlier said they hated their parents started caring about their parents, sending them notes expressing their love for them, and asking them what can they do for them. There was total transformation in these kids. In 43 universities of America, yes+ clubs are there. In Cornell University and several other, it is credit now. So if you do yes+ course, do meditation, practices, you get credit. World is recognizing this now and better India start doing it. We will have to teach them meditation and ways to manage their own negative emotions.

~~ SRI SRI
http://wisdomfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/

Who is most Important For Divine?

Q: What created the illusion of Separation from the Divine? Does Divine love all of us equally? Is there any one person in this room more important to the Divine than others?

A: YES, there is.......... and that is yourself! Though there is only one sun, it can enter any number of houses in you town- isn't it? Can you say that the sun's rays have come in through this window, to this house, so how can they be in the next house?

No!

Just because the sun shines fully through this window, it is the logic of the small mind to think that the sun's rays are only coming into this house! There is a natural desire in you to want to be someone special! Each one wants to be someone special, more close, the nearest person.

am telling you, YOU ARE - YOU ALREADY ARE! You are very Special and very dear- irrespective of what you do and where you are.

~~ SRI SRI
Astrology and All Possibility

A Talk About Failure ~~ Sri Sri

Q: Dear Pandit ji, in the past I Have heard you say that we are never given a problem that we don't already have answer to. Would you please talk about Failure then? Thank you! Jai Gurudev.

We are never given a problem that we cannot handle. Every Problem that comes in front of you is to make you realize how many more abilities you have, how much more you can bring out of yourself, how much more skill talent and joy you can bring forth! This is what it shows.

It's all to make our minds, our intelligence function. When do you really need intelligence? When there is a problem-isn't it? If there were no problems, we would be like cows! Cows have no problems! they eat, drink water, and sleep! If your life was so smooth- without any problems- then you would just eat and sleep... and become duller and duller and duller!

The Divine has given you a brain to use! The Divine has given you such a brain, to be alert. Every Problem is there so that you can use this brain! isn't it? However, we do the reverse. We don't use our Brains and we get into more complications, or we use our brains to create more complications rather than solve them! Don't return this Brain to God, Unused! Don't put yourself in the category of unused brains! Use your brain here, as much as you can.

Now, to answer the second part of the question.....

What do you consider as failure? Often, what you consider as failure - a Little, turns out to be a success. As a child, you want to be a Truck-Driver, but later on grew up and you were forced to become a doctor, or an enginerr, then you thought, it was good you became a doctor, or something else! isn't it?

Look back... and you will see that failure, which appear to be failures, are all short-lived. In the long run, every failure has contributed to your own growth- has contributed to making you stronger and more centered. Somewhere deep inside you, every failure contributed in a very Positive manner.

It is very Interesting! You have to look at it through different eyes.

INTERSTING ANSWERS BY BAWA

What is the meaning of total surrender?

Do you sleep? For sleep to happen, you have to let go of anything and everything about yourself and your life. You do it routinely every night. You have no idea at all that you will wake up in the morning. Yet you let go, and willy nilly goto bed. Nature more or less forces this upon you, so that your system can get rest and you are refreshed for the day ahead.

Doing this when you are wide awake is called surrender. You anyways do it for 6-8 hours every day. Doing it for the rest of the day is Surrender.

I just wanted to ask that some people say “There was never a person like you born and there will never be one like you in future” AND others say that “Till u achieve desirelessness there is just one lifetime after another till you clear all your impressions” … Seems contradictory and confusing, I really cant understand which one really exists… Can you please explain?

DNA patterns that you have will never ever be replicated … of course, there is a very very slim chance that it could, but its highly improbable … the same probability that if a monkey sat at a typewriter and hit keys at random the result would be Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

The second is true as well … but you become a different type of person every time you are here (take a body) … very much like an actor takes on different roles in different movies … so they are the same person, but they are not

Life teaches us many lessons as we go along, then why does one need Art of Living? What is its importance in daily life?

That you learn the lessons properly! If you have learnt your lesson you will not commit the same mistake again. If we had learnt our lesson in World War 1, would there have been a World War 2? Would there have been the Vietnam, Iraq or all the other wars? We don’t know how to learn the lessons that life has to offer. We need lessons so that you don’t commit the same mistakes over and over again, like a stuck record. Art of living allows you to make new mistakes in life.

Are there any myths associated with spirituality that you would like to clear?

Biggest myth is that it is not for me. It is for you. There are only three types of people not eligible for spirituality. Type one- you are dead. Too late. Type two- you are enlightened. You are already spiritual. Type three- you are clinically mentally retarded, then Art of Living cannot help you. If you do not fall within these three categories, then spirituality is for you. This is the biggest myth- “I don’t need it”. Until you do it, you have no idea what it is and whether you need it or not.

Not everybody can be Einstein. Can people still have satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives?

Every person has some amazing, brilliant thing with them that they need to contribute to this world. The moment they start giving, they get fulfillment and satisfaction. The moment they start taking they feel frustrated and miserable. The whole purpose is to start giving. Taking is such a futile thing- you take a degree, you take money and within a few years, you are dead. But how will you make your mark on this planet? By giving. Like Lata Mangeshkar gives with her voice, Aamir Khan gives with his acting. So, I give knowledge. Guruji gives us spirituality. Figure out what you can give. Don’t waste your life figuring what you can take. Anyway, it is going to be taken away from you eventually. So learn to give. And know that you have an abundance to give. Don’t think that you are poor or have nothing to give.

Right in the beginning there was a big race, a great race… Three hundred million sperms were fighting, and you won. So never think that you are a loser. You are one in three hundred million! You started your life as a winner, and so continue your life like that!

Jai Guru deva!

love

Bawa

From ~~ bawandinesh.name

PAIN, SUFFERING, TRUST & JOY

“The Pain is inhabitable, Shuffering the optional.”

See, the Nature is that you always get much more than you deserve. If You know this, you will be greatful each and every moment of you life. The more you greatful, more you get. But if you think that you deserve it & whatever you may gain, you feel lack. YOU feel I have not got what I should be gotten. This thing goes into your mind, I should be getting more, I deserve more. The lack consciousness make the same thing grow that brings more suffering in life. Pain is inhabitable, Suffering is optional.

That is Humanity, I don't deserve but DIVINE is providing more than I deserve. If you pray to GOD, God please give me health, people ask you, Why do you want Health? What did you do when you were Healthy?

If God ask you, why should I give u Health? What is the answer you have? OK, I give you health, what is your plan? What are you going to do? You should be prepared. (Laughter)

This is what I am saying, See that is what called TRUST, The Nature is that Divinity is going to give me what I need and it will give me. And whatever little bit Seva I do in my life is very small. I have not done enough.

You See, there are two type of JOY, One is the Joy that you get by GETTING, what do I get. The child says, Oh! What do I get, if I get a toffee, I am happy. If I get a toy, I am Happy. Getting is one type of Joy, this is a joy of a child, CHILDISH JOY. In which we got stuck, doesn’t seems to grow. Beyond that there is mature JOY. Joy, that is in GIVING. The Joy of a Grand Mother, she does eat all the Food but Joy is in Feeding others. Same way Grandfather’s Joy is in giving Gifts to the kids.

We have to make a shift in our lives, The Joy of taking to the Joy of Giving.

See, the Nature is that you always get much more than you deserve. If You know this, you will be greatful each and every moment of you life. The more you greatful, more you get. But if you think that you deserve it & whatever you may gain, you feel lack. YOU feel I have not got what I should be gotten. This thing goes into your mind, I should be getting more, I deserve more. The lack consciousness make the same thing grow that brings more suffering in life. Pain is inhabitable, Suffering is optional.

That is Humanity, I don't deserve but DIVINE is providing more than I deserve. If you pray to GOD, God please give me health, people ask you, Why do you want Health? What did you do when you were Healthy?

If God ask you, why should I give u Health? What is the answer you have? OK, I give you health, what is your plan? What are you going to do? You should be prepared. (Laughter)

This is what I am saying, See that is what called TRUST, The Nature is that Divinity is going to give me what I need and it will give me. And whatever little bit Seva I do in my life is very small. I have not done enough.

You See, there are two type of JOY, One is the Joy that you get by getting, what do I get. The child says, Oh! What do I get, if I get a toffee, I am happy. If I get a toy, I am Happy. Getting is one type of Joy, this is a joy of a child, CHILDISH JOY. In which we got stuck, doesn’t seems to grow. Beyond that there is mature JOY. Joy, that is in GIVING. The Joy of a Grand Mother, she does eat all the Food but Joy is in Feeding others. Same way Grandfather’s Joy is in giving Gifts to the kids.

We have to make a shift in our lives, The Joy of taking to the Joy of Giving.

DOES GOD TEST US?

Testing is part of ignorance. You only test that of which you are not sure. If God is testing you, that means God doesn’t know you well enough. How could people ever think that God is testing them?

God does not test you because he knows you in and out and your past, present and future. He knows your strengths and weaknesses and he alone gives you strength. He doesn’t test you.

Only you can test yourself. Only when you do not have confidence, then you test. If you are confident, why would you test? If you are testing yourself, you do not know yourself.

Are you testing God?

God will never pass your test because He will never show up for your test. If He shows up for your test, then He is not God (laughter).

Whether you get this or not – just laugh!

~~SRISRI