Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Dearest Guruji, 19th of March is the day that people are calling the day of the super moon. That is when the moon will be the closest to the earth. Is there a connection with what happened with Japan?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It’s not exactly that but last year you remember we published a book on the three eclipses by D.K. Hari on consecutive eclipses and how from the history, from Mahabharata times, five thousand years ago, when such a celestial position occur a lot of disasters happen.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Yes, these words are said in almost all scriptures. Lord Krishna also says- ‘Maam ekam sharanam.’ you take refuge in me and nobody else. So Lord Krishna’s words are exactly the same what Jesus said- ‘I am only the way.’
There is only one God and not many. One God is worshipped in different languages, in different ways, in different forms, that’s all. When people see others worshipping another form of God, they say that there is another God but there is no another God, there is just only one God! And whether it is said in Gurumukhi (Panjabi), or in Pali or in Latin- it is said the same thing. You may see even some of the names as same. There may be different ways of languages, expressions but the essence is the same. It should not be misinterpreted to believe that only if you are a Christian then you will go to heaven otherwise you will go to hell, or that only if you are a Muslim you will go to heaven otherwise you will go to hell. This sort of fundamentalism comes when you don’t have understanding of others’ ways of religion and wisdom.
All the fanatics and terrorists, they quote from the scriptures that theirs is the only way. One gentle man, whom I met in USA, said that heaven is like where only one religion followers go and rest all go to hell, then heaven must be a very lonely place and not so colorful! And that too they say – if you follow our denomination then you will go to heaven and not by following the other denominations of the same religion. This is true for almost all the religions, the concepts are wrongly understood and misinterpreted. In Vaishnava sect also they say- only worship Krishna and not Shiva, for if you worship Shiva you will not find ‘mukti’ or liberation. Krishna has very clearly said- ‘Sarva dharma tyaja ….’, “you drop every thing and take refuge in me alone. I will relieve you of all the sins. You can’t relieve yourself from your sins, I will relieve you. Don’t worry, don’t be upset and don’t be sad, I will relieve you of all the sins”. Same way Lord Buddha also said- all the devas are coming and protecting you, similar things said in Jain religion also.
So you need to have a proper understanding otherwise misinterpretation happens. Know that there is only one God, one consciousness though spoken in different words, and wisdom given by different people in many different ways. This wisdom has to be understood and grasped properly, otherwise fanaticism will grow. One sect of Christianity will say- this is the only way to go to heaven, and talk to some sect of Islam , they will say- there is no other way, our is the only way! So why different people were saying- ‘this is the only way’- was with the purpose of bringing the focus in the students at that time.
When we take rebirth when does the old soul enter the body?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Rebirth happens! So many times we have died and taken birth. Soul can enter the womb at any one of the three times: at the time of conceiving, or the 3rd month of pregnancy, or at the time of birth. Many souls race and from these souls only one gets the body. In a race only one comes first, right? Sometimes, there are two then there are twins!
Why are there so many different philosophies?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Why not? God loves diversity! What if there was only okra to eat? But you have so many fruits and vegetables. God seems to love diversity. He has created so many of us in different shapes, features and colors. He is definitely not someone uptight waiting to punish you. A spirit that loves diversity must be diverse in itself too. That is what the Rishis or Ancient sages found in meditation. There is only one energy force but with so many different forms. See, we all are same yet different. We like different things, so one can choose the form He/She likes to adore. Any form that one can connect to! See unity in diversity and celebrate diversity. Intelligent ones celebrate diversity, fools fight over it!
There are some schools of thoughts that say that you must always be aware of what your competitors are doing because if you don’t see your competitors, you will be like a bridled horse. You will end up making the best calculator of the world when the world has moved to computers. So how do you reconcile the two schools of thoughts?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The challenge is to manage the two contradictions - that is the job of the youth. One should be aware of the competitors. At the same time, one should have an eye of Arjuna. Be aware of what’s happening around you and one-pointedness towards the goal. However, over ambitiousness will not lead to anything. Improve your intuitive ability, enthusiasm and the quality of relaxation. It will give you everything that you need.
In the Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says that one must not care about the result of his work. But if we do not think about the fruits that follow our hard and Smart work, then what will motivate us to do that hard work?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
If you don’t think of the fruit, how would you know which direction to put your efforts in? Give your 100 percent, but know that there is no control over the fruit of action. If the attention is only on the end result, then you can’t perform. Let us take a runner - if he starts looking behind at whom is running, and not looking at the path he needs to run on, then ultimately he will lose, no matter how good the runner may be. You have to follow your own track, to complete the run whether you lose or win. Lord Krishna is utterly practical in his advises.
You have highlighted the importance of innovation and creativity, but with there comes a lot of risk and uncertainty. It’s only after numerous failures that a successful new technology or product is evolved. So how should one manage the failures that come as a by-product of striving for innovation? How to rise up after each failure and restart the journey to discover something new? (From Conversation with students of Great Lakes institute of management, Chennai)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Failure is a part of the process. Meditation will help you to go ahead in spite of failures. Innovation without failure is possible, if you are able to use your intuition perfectly. Both should act perfectly to achieve zero failure in innovation. If intuition is not in proportion then failure occurs more often.
When someone has done something wrong and don't even realize it how do you forgive them?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
When you forgive then your mind becomes calm. Tell them with compassion and love, not with anger. If you become happy by putting guilt in someone's mind that is not good either. Tell them with skill and then you drop it.
What are the ingredients to be successful? How come Lord Krishna found Success in everything He does?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
For success in life you need yukti (skill) and shakti (strength), Bhakti (Devotion ) and Mukti (Freedom). Freedom and love in personal life! Without freedom you will find no love and without love there is no joy. Freedom doesn’t mean doing anything. You follow some norms, a little discipline. And in social life you need shakti and yukti, strength and skill. And this is what Ramayana and Mahabharata tells you. Though Duryodhana had all the power but he had no yukti, no bhakti. The skill was with Krishna and so he won.
I am into a field of research where I try to figure out the reasons of chaos in the world. In one of my researches when I was finding some conflicting threads in various religious prevalent beliefs, I found both Lord Budha and Lord Shankarya Charya had spoken of Soul. Can you throw some more light on seeming different statements of the Masters as per different times?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Lord buddha said that everything is nothing. Everything dissolves into nothing. He said, I meditated to see the soul and found no soul.
Shakaracharya said: “Who searched? Who found that everything is nothing? Who said I did not find the Atma? That is Atma. That is what upanishads say. Lord Buddha says the whole universe is empty like the space, Lord Shankara Charya says the whole universe is full like space - everything is in space.