True Urban Development

Every year the newspapers and magazines come out with the analysis of which city is the best place to live. Our dear Mumbai ranks 142 out of 205 cities. Last year it was holding 148th rank. A marginal progress!

The question that popped up in my mind is what do the best cities have in common that mumbai does not have? What is the one factor that makes a city worth living. After considerable research, the answer was Urban Public Transport. And mumbai is currently facing a real challenge on that front. Especially considering so many people from all over mumbai shifting their base from their shanties in rural areas to customised slums near the pipelines and railway lines of mumbai!

While developing any city, great care and diligence is needed to decide how much portion of the navigable space should be road and how much should be footpath for pedestrians. And in city like mumbai even an inch of space matters a lot. Allocating more space to roads means more preference is given to motorists rather than pedestrians. If it were any city in America where population is less, most people have cars; then this approach, of more road space than footpath, would have been justified. But in Amchi Mumbai. There is plentitude of motorists and pedestrians. This will eventually lead to traffic jams not only for motorists but also for human beings. The railway bridges of major station of the central and western line are jammed by the human traffic during peak hours. The day won't be too long when there will be traffic lights for humans to move and stop.

The only solution for this would be efficient Public Transport. In the span of one hour on a busy road, all the cars and transport more than 4500 passengers. (assuming all cars are running on car-pool) But the same road in the same time can transport more than 40,000 people. Our mumbai locomotive trains transport more than 90,00,000 passengers on a daily basis, no exaggeration!! But if you look at the Mumbai transport system, least importance is given to Public transport. while private transport is given a great scope! Not that I am against private cars or motorists. In fact I too have a motor vehicle which I drive everyday.

What I mean here is a city like mumbai should improvise on the public transport more than what is now. Expansion of roads will mean more room for motorists to ply on but a dedicated lane for bus will mean faster bus movement. Certain cities have special areas where motor vehicles are not allowed. Only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed. This model can bring a lot of eco-friendly-ness in the city. But all this is very much hypothetical to begin with. What we need now is something more practical to begin with. The MMRDA has mooted the sky-bird plan. That is the mono rail that will ply along side the roadways of the city. But how much this will help is what I doubt!

This is one city where the people will never stop pouring in. The problem of public transport will be always a unsolved issue. But the development of a city mainly depends on it public transport system.

Pearls of Wisdom (15th Nov 09)

Bangalore ashram, Nov. 15, 2009

*Q.* Guruji, why is it that sometimes you answer certain questions and sometimes you don’t?
*Sri Sri:* There is a right time and place for every answer. If questions are asked at the wrong time, then silence is the answer.

*Q.* What kind of siddhis (powers) are required to be able to know what is happening in other places?
*Sri Sri:* An ordinary person through spirituality can know what is happening all over. Mansik shakti (strength of mind) is enough. When you put your attention somewhere, you can know what is happening there. Practice and you will see it is easy.

*Q.* When we sit for meditation sometimes we are disturbed by other people. If we are humble, then they take advantage of it. How do deal with this situation?
*Sri Sri:* Just leave it; you will see it will settle on its own. If it goes beyond a limit, then you can also roar. A lion simply sits, doesn’t roar all the time. Inside you must be pleasant, outside you can roar. To roar you need inner strength.

*Q.* How do you recognize that somebody is your real guru and for you? How do you know if someone is a true disciple?
*Sri Sri:* I don’t test anybody nor do I let anyone test me. If anyone will ask me, I will say, “No!” and move on! Divine really doesn’t test anybody. We think we are very good people and when difficulties arise we assume that the Divine is testing us. We don’t get into trouble because of our goodness: it is because of our foolishness. Some things are your karma. Some difficulties teach you lessons. Look back and see all those problems you have come out of. You will see that you have become stronger. This is what you should recognize.

*Q.* What is a sign of the dawning of wisdom?
*Sri Sri:* Prasanna chitta (pleasant state of mind) is a sign. Friendliness, foresight, intuition, a mind in the present moment – these are signs of wisdom.

*Q.* What is the truth behind this Universe? Is everything an illusion?
*Sri Sri:* This universe has come from one unchanging principle. Vedanta also says the same. Everything you see in creation is Maya- like dolls in a laser show, what you see is not the truth. The wave is not the truth, the water is the truth. The form and name are not the truth, the Tattva (the principle) is the truth. The pot is not true but the mud is the truth.

The same brahma tattva (Infinite, Supreme, eternal principle) is the tree, grass, stone and everything else in creation. Brahmatatvamasi bhavayatmane - All has come from that Brahman. This is the ultimate truth. Knowledge of the truth, that this creation has come from Brahman, comes through meditation - Sarvam kalvidam Brahma.

*Q.* How can one attain Siddhis (power)? How does it affect a person to
strive for Siddhis?
*Sri Sri:* A Sadhak or seeker will get many Siddhis on the path. However if you misuse them or start running behind them, you will be lost. Only when you are established, you can receive the true knowledge. One who knows never loses his equanimity.

The tradition of the Masters (parampara) is very important. If anyone moves away from the parampara, it may seem good for some time, but then it bringslot of misery. A sadhak should toe the line of the parampara. The sign of a devotee and seeker is to pick up the best and not try to find all the negative things about others. But if someone cheats, misuses the powers, they undergo the consequences. This should not deter from the path. You move on the path of knowledge.

*Q.* What is the ultimate goal of meditation?
*Sri Sri:* A pleasant equanimous state of mind. A blissful life without sorrow.

*“That which you cannot express is Love.
That which you cannot reject/renounce is Beauty.
That which you cannot avoid is the Truth.”*
*~ Sri Sri*

Wise Guru Part 2

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream.
The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him.
She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But, a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.
"I've been thinking," he said.
"I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone."

Sometimes it's not the wealth you have but your wise advice & insight is what others need.

Wise Guru Part I

A Guru or an Enlightened master is one who is so deep in wisdom that one line uttered by a guru can possibly transform a person's life. It is said that it can even turn a stone into a diamond! Wise Guru is a series of stories of such masters who have brought a revolution just by staying in wisdom. I sincerely hope that you'll love it

And for those who are eager to read more such stories they can hit Seeds of Wisdom

The story goes as below...
Once upon a time, a Master was to arrive in a village with his entourage. A villager, who was skeptical about the "Enlightened-ness" of the Master, thought of a plan to trick the Master and defame him. He decided to hold a butterfly in his palm, and ask the Master whether the Butterfly was alive or dead? If the master says it's alive, he would crush the butterfly to death. If the Master says its dead, then he would release the butterfly free and thus prove the Master wrong!

The Master, after entering the village, was addressing a large crowd of the villagers. The skeptical villager asked if he could ask a question. The Master agreed. The villager asked if he could come near him to ask the question. Again the master agreed. Skillfully, the villager trapped the butterfly in his palm and went near the master. The villager asked the Master, "You see, I am holding a butterfly in my hand. If you are truly enlightened then you will be able to tell me whether the butterfly is Dead or Alive? So is the butterfly dead or Alive???"

The master thought for a while and said, "My dear, It is all in your hands!".

What's the value of your "Peace of Mind"??? Part II

Part I of the story

Now, I saw that my hand was almost trembling with anger. That very moment I realised that I was not being myself. I knew it was time to apply knowledge! The first thing I did was Accept the People and situation as they are…

OK!! This is how my friend behaved; this is how the situation turned out. So What??? Accept it as it is. Next was to take right action. What could I do now? My mind started rummaging through the volumes of knowledge sheets I had read in past 5 years of AoL Life.

I then remembered Rishi Nityapragya's verse, often telling people: “Keep your mind happy. There is nothing in this world for which you can trade your peace of mind for!” I realized that I was losing my peace of mind for Ravi, the crowded trains, for my stupidity of listening to ravi, etc, etc. I firmly decided to keep my mind Calm, peaceful and happy; not subjecting my mind to the whims and fancies of the environment. That moment every illusion in my mind started evaporating. Things became still. Peace returned in my mind. By then the train towards home arrived. I boarded the train and stood near the doorway. The cool breeze actually cooled my hot mental engines! The train halted at Vitthalwadi. A voice within, quietly coaxed me to attend the Satsang. Mind agreed. After vitthalwadi, the train halted at Kalyan. I got down and sauntered towards the Satsang venue.

Suddenly, I realised how grateful I was to Ravi. It was due to him that I got to apply the knowledge points. I felt elated after applying the knowledge points. That very moment, all the acrimony against Ravi got washed away. Love for Ravi blossomed in my heart. If it had not been for Art of Living teachings, then I would have done unimaginable things with Ravi. The priceless relation I share with him would have severed within moments!!!

The Satsang that followed was simply amazing, something that can only be experience when you are on an advance course.

Jai Gurudev.

What's the value of your "Peace of Mind"??? Part I

Guruji has no need to test us, because he knows us very well. However, he puts us in such a position where we start doubting his divine existence? At times of trouble we pray hard, but prayers seem to be unheard by HIM. But no! HE is there to take care of even the silliest of the blunders we commit. The situation he puts us in always has a lifeboat. At anytime you feel you cannot handle it anymore, all you need to do is surrender. He takes care of the rest! That’s his “Role”. To make you realize that you are nothing without him. To make you realize that you are everything with him!


An incident that happened with me, yesterday, is just an example of what you just read above. I play guitar at Satsangs. One of the YES!+ teacher and close friend of mine, Ravi Kadam, asked me meet him at the Dombivli Station by 6:45pm so that we could go together for Satsang. The Satsang was at Kalyan, just two stations next to Dombivli. We both had train tickets and were waiting on the platform for the train. The slow train was so slow that, it seemed to take eternity to arrive. On the fast track, a train, “relatively empty” just passed by. Then a train arrived, “L'horrible: Ambernath Local”. It was so crowded that the ribs would have got crushed and our Bon Ami Ravi persuaded me to board the Ambernath Local.

The crowd was hostile. It was so much packed that even an ant would have found it difficult to pass through. And to my sheer craziness I boarded the train with my delicate piece of wood called guitar. The next challenge was to move from the one end of the door to the opposite end as the platform of Kalyan was to come on the other end. But my movement was restricted by the guitar I carried. I clutched my guitar with dear life. I made a barricade of flesh and bones to avoid the mindless people from throwing their obnoxious weight on the guitar. To my utter disappointment, I could not get down at Kalyan. I could not even move an inch forward. Then I decided to get down at the next station Vitthalwadi. But my fate had something else in store. The situation repeated. I moved partly towards the other end but could not get down. The train moved. Now I had to get down at Ulhasnagar. I prepared myself to get down at least at this station. Somehow, the divine grace (Read the Maddening crowd) managed to purge me out of the train. I almost tumbled out with my guitar.

The first thing I did after getting down at Ulhasnagar was to check the condition of the guitar, Any Torsioned “nuts”?... Sprained “neck”?... Cracks or ruptures on the body?... Any broken Strings?... NO!
But that had no effect on my boiling blood. In my mind, world war III had started. I already had some "problematic issues" with Ravi which I wanted to discuss and sort out with him. Frankly they were unresolved till that time. Over and above that, despite knowing that fact that the Kalyan local (The train which took eternity to arrive) would have deposited us directly to Kalyan, he took me on a hell ride in Ambernath local. My mind began to think how selfish Ravi was. He conveniently got down at Kalyan and left me in distress with my guitar. I knew he would not wait for me much and would walk off calmly as if nothing happened. My “Buttons” were pushed too deep!!!

I also knew Ravi would get anxious, a little, and would place a call. But my mind was not ready to hear his voice so soon. Enraged, I switched off my mobile. I crossed the bridge to the other end to go home. Yes, I did not want to go to Satsang now. So I got on the other platform and sat on the bench.

Now, I saw that my hand was almost trembling with anger. That very moment I realised that I was not being myself. I knew it was time to apply knowledge!... What I did then was amazing...

Part II

The world is not going to end in 2012

The reassuring voice dispelling fears of an apocalypse in that year brought a collective sigh of relief to the audience at the SMX convention center.
"We are going to see 2013, as good as 2012," declared international humanitarian leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

The spiritual head of the UN-affiliated The Art of Living Foundation gave this assurance not as a prophet but as a social activist who has taught people of different traditions and faiths the "art of living" through techniques that calm the mind and instill self-confidence.

It was a question begging to be asked amidst the anxiety generated by cataclysmic changes in the earth, fanned by a viral marketing hype for an upcoming disaster movie called "2012" directed by Roland Emmerich.

Forecasts of this cataclysmic or transformative event are based mainly on the fact that the Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21 or 23, 2012, the so-called ancient Mayan calendar prophecy.

It is not a doomsday scenario but a new beginning in humanity's consciousness, explained Sri Sri, echoing what the modern-day Mayan elder, Guatemalan Chile Pixtun, has been saying about the prophecy.

"During this time, the planet and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era," said the white-robed Indian teacher, a namesake of the popular Indian musician, called Sri Sri (meaning His Holiness) by his students.

"We are going to see a new consciousness developing, that of humanism," he told a small media group that he met before his public talk.

Unfounded fears

He recalled similar events in the past that stoked similar unfounded fears.

"Remember 1999, featuring the famous Nostradamus prediction? The second millennium came and the world is still existing."

"Remember the fall of communism? It took another 20 years to bring capitalism to collapse."

"Today, we live in a culture of caution and uncertainty of the times where banks can no longer be trusted. We live in a time when one's savings and livelihood can be wiped out overnight," he said.

He enjoined people to seek inner peace in the midst of a dynamic changing world, "to develop new attitudes and new ways of coping with the difficulties and hardships we are facing such as disasters, typhoons and flooding."

Ignorance creates problems

Saying that ignorance creates problems, Sri Sri travels to nearly 40 countries every year, committing to his role of "educating people, removing prejudice, teaching compassion."

Sri Sri was a Nobel Peace Prize nominee in 2008, in recognition of his work in peacemaking and conflict resolution in such areas as Iraq, Kashmir, Sri Lanka and Cameroon.

Before coming to Manila for his second visit, he was in Bangkok, Thailand, to speak at a Unesco conference about the need to eliminate a major social disease—depression—indicated by the growing incidence of suicides and drug abuse.

He said he was visiting Manila to see for himself the trauma relief efforts of AoL's Philippine volunteers on the victims of the recent twin calamities of "Ondoy" and "Pepeng."

Trauma relief

Local AoL volunteers have teamed up with the Red Cross to provide not only food but also trauma relief workshops, called the Breath, Water, Sound program, for thousands of people in the evacuation centers. The course consists of breathing exercises and sound meditation with lots of drinking water (for detoxification) to help manage stress.

Volunteer Denise Celdran has conducted the course for 12 street children that Childhope street teachers had gathered at the Museo Pambata. She remarked that the children don't have the judgmental intellect that too much education can sometimes bring.

"They are open and accepting and treat everything as fun and games," she said.

Every Saturday, for two to four months, the kids ranging in age from 7 to 13, learn breathing exercises and meditation in addition to regular schoolwork conducted by the Childhope street teacher. They are taught how to still the mind and feel safe within themselves.

The children were presented to Sri Sri during his public talk. The street teacher reported how they have shown a remarkable transformation, particularly in attention span and attitude.

Major social disease

Sri Sri considers depression a major social disease. "Conflict and stress steal human satisfaction, " he said.

His approach places sustainable development and social uplift side by side with value education.

Through programs that help people rid themselves of stress and inspire them to see the bigger meaning of life, Sri Sri has been successful in making violent aggressors calmer, happier and less prone to destructive emotions.

People who came to listen to his public talk, called "Let Love Win," did not hear a lot of words being said but were treated instead to two hours of destressing into music and positive affirmations.

It was long enough for Sri Sri to make his point: Why worry about 2012


Courtesy: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20091108-234915/No-apocalypse-in-2012-says-guru

Charging Cell phone battery... Wirelessly!!!

Imagine a situation... You are in the Express train, and your cell phone runs out of juice. You normally would set to find the Charging terminal in the train. But to my experience on years of traveling in the train, most of the charging points are "screwed up" and unusable. You then hop from bogie to bogie in search of a "perfect point". Finally, if luck is in your favor your phone gets refueld else you end up wondering how all the passengers seem to have chosen the very time to charge their cell when your cell is out cold?

There are many times in our lives when the cell phone is indicating low battery and we are desperately seeking a way to get the cell phone charged like a thirsty fella searching for a glass of water...

Very soon the "finding a charging point" would be a thing of the past. Enter the world of Wireless Charging.In near future you may just have to enable your bluetooth and pair it up with the "Recharger" Bluetooth. You Cell phone will be then ready to rock the world! That's quite like the stunt taken out from Sci-Fi Movie, you'll say! Well no...

The idea of wireless power transmission is not new. In 1899, Nikola Tesla wirelessly transmitted 100 million volts of electricity 26 miles to light 200 bulbs and run an electric motor. However, at that time direct current (DC, which is the wired method) and alternating current (AC) were competing technologies. DC, backed strenuously by Thomas Edison, emerged the winner.

But how does the Wireless charging work? For that we'll have to learn the technical basics.

Lets get Technical!!!
Wireless charging is any of several methods of charging batteries without the use of cables or device-specific AC adaptors. Wireless charging can be used for a wide variety of devices including cell phones, laptop computers and MP3 players as well as larger objects, such as electric cars. There are three methods of wireless charging: inductive charging, radio charging and resonance charging.

Inductive charging is used for charging mid-sized items such as cell phones, MP3 players and PDAs.
In inductive charging, an adapter equipped with contact points is attached to the device's back plate. When the device requires a charge, it is placed on a conductive charging pad, which is plugged into a socket.

Radio charging is used for charging items with small batteries and low power requirements, such as watches, hearing aids, medical implants, cell phones, MP3 players and wireless keyboard and mice. Radio waves are already in use to transmit and receive cellular telephone, television, radio and Wi-Fi signals. Wireless radio charging works similarly. A transmitter, plugged into a socket, generates radio waves. When the receiver attached to the device is set to the same frequency as the transmitter, it will charge the device's battery.

Resonance charging is used for items that require large amounts of power, such as an electric car, robot, vacuum cleaner or laptop computer. In resonance charging, a copper coil attached to a power source is the sending unit. Another coil, attached to the device to be charged, is the receiver. Both coils are tuned to the same electromagnetic frequency, which makes it possible for energy to be transferred from one to the other.The method works over short distances (3-5 meters).

At least my mom will be pleased to know this as she dislike the wires dangling from the electric point. Also the wires add pretty decently to the clutter on the desk.

Enjoy the freedom of Clutter Free life!

Guru Parampara: The Lineage of the enlightened masters!!!

Spending even few hours with bawa and dinesh is sufficient for anyone to get loads of vital information and profound knowledge. They both always have something new and fresh to share with the youth, inspiring them to work for the betterment of the society.

Yesterday, Bawa shared a gracious story of our guru parampara. Guru parampara is the lineage of the enlightened masters. The lineage is actually very very long. But it is said that Adi Shankaracharya revived the hindu bhagwat dharma.  And the lineage continues from him.

Shanakaracharya had four disciples. First was Padmapada. It is said that once when Shankaracharya called Padmapada, who was walking at the opposite bank of the lake, he ran across the lake without any hesitation. And wherever his feet fell on the water the lotus sprang up to support his feet. Hence the name Padmapada. Second was Hastamalaka. Malaka means berries. Holding berries in the hand is very easy. Similarly for Hastamalaka living life was as easy as holding berries in the hand. Hence the apt name.

Third was Vatikakara. Vatikakara was very erudite person. He engaged a debate with Shankaracharya which went on for fifteen long days. There was a tie between the two even after fifteen days. So vatikakara's wife then came up with an idea. She put a garland of flowers on both, announcing the a tie between the two. The same evening, She surprised everyone in the audience by announcing Shankaracharya to be the winner. When questioned how she arrived at the decision she said that the flowers which she put on her husband had wilted due to the body heat which rose due to the agitation he had in mind although he did not reflect it.

Fourth was Trotakacharya. Trotakacharya was like a dumbo amongst the four. He was not interested in learning the scholarly texts. He would immerse himselfe in the service of his master. He would make food dor him, prepare his bed, and attend to all his needs. However Shankaracharya would never start his discourse without his presence. Trotakacharya would usually dose off to sleep during the discourse. But Shankkaracharya would never ever start the discourse without Trotakacharya. Once it happened that Shankaracharya was waiting for Trotakacharya to attend the session. Other three disciples were getting impatient waiting for him. Trotakacharya soon enters the hall singing the most difficult raga, in the utmost difficult meters, and that to the song which speaks of the philosophy of the master (guru) in only Ten lines!!!

It is said that when you do seva of the master, then even in that service, you get the knowledge which master wants you to get.

Our lineage decends from Trotakacharya. The names of the guru in our lineage after Trotaka is not known but it transcends down to Bhramanada Saraswati. Then to Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, then to H. H. Sri Sri RaviShankarji.

And from Guruji to Bawa and from Bawa to Me (and all of us). Well, Make good use of the opportunity you have got!

Guruji's Address at Jerusalem

Peace and prosperity go together. If there is peace, there is more prosperity. The whole world today is interested in having peace in the Middle East. But we know that the problem that the world faces is terrorism, which is not going to vanish so quickly.


There are two major communities in the world which are struck by terrorism – one is India and the other is Israel. No other country is affected by terrorism as much as these two countries are, especially India. Every month in the last year there has been a terror attack. This is due to fanaticism and fundamentalism, which I feel can be quelled through educating children in a multicultural and multi-religious manner. When a child grows up thinking, “Only I go to heaven.
Everybody else is going to hell,” they create a hell for everybody else.


So we need to change the Mindset among children to embrace everyone with love. This is the effort we have been making irrespective of their religious and cultural backgrounds so the mind can become calm. The mind vacillates between the past and the future all the time. We need to bring this mind to the present moment, where it is able to move forward forgetting about the past and not being anxious about the future. I would say that we have all taught people everything
other than how to learn to manage the mind. From childhood, children have anger, jealousy and hatred. We tell them don’t get angry, don’t get jealous, don’t be greedy, don’t feel depressed. But we don’t tell them how not to get depressed, how not to undergo all these negative emotions.


This is where I thought we have to use the power of the breath because the breath is the link between the mind and the body. With the power of the breath, we are able to calm the mind and improve our perception, observation and expression. Breathing has helped millions of people cleanse their own mind. Though some yoga techniques have been there since the last 5000 years, they were not shared with everybody, but kept to a few. They were very precious and only to be given to the right person. I thought that today we should open up and give this – which is so
useful to people, to everybody, irrespective of their religious background, cultural identity – something that is useful to calm the mind and to feel happy from within. I felt that it is the property of the whole world, so we must share it with everybody.


Since then we started sharing this knowledge and we have got a very good response from the people getting rid of anger, hatred and also fear. Here also, in Israel, all along the border fence, people have had so much fear that they couldn’t sleep at all because anytime, at any moment, there could be an explosion, a bomb attack, or terror attack. These people also could get over those anxieties and become calm and have that endurance. This type of work is happening.


More relevant to the business world, as you know how business markets have crashed: It took nearly 10 years for communism to go from the world. It took less than 10 months for capitalism to collapse, just less than 10 months. It’s just the greed of a few people that has made millions of people suffer. This is unfortunate.


So we have this conference, Corporate Culture and Spirituality, where we have to sit and think how we can overcome this. There are many examples among you who have done your job with integrity, truthfulness, but your example has to come in front of people. They should see this company has been very responsible or this company has been doing business with integrity and honesty. That would inspire the young business people in the world. With this idea we have been doing this Corporate Culture and Spirituality conference where people realize that trust is the
backbone of business and that if trust is lost then everything is lost. This idea is being promoted more and more so that young people have an opportunity to be inspired.


When we were all children we used to hear so many stories of Mahatma Gandhi and get so inspired by him. But today, leading examples are needed in the field of business for young people to do business with honesty and integrity. So we have started this project called Corporate Culture and Spirituality. Spirituality, to me, means that which uplifts the spirit – anything that brings up that joy, enthusiasm and harmony and creates more compassion and a sense of belongingness with everybody.


Today the Jewish community is so strong in America and very well organized. I have been a keynote speaker at their century celebrations two years ago, I think. They were so well organized and they contribute to the growth of the American economy. In India as well, we have the Jewish community. It’s a very small, but very powerful and strong community. There’s been an old Jewish community in Kerala for thousands of years and in Mumbai also. The two streams of thought, Torah and Vedas are the most ancient on the planet. The oldest of all the religions is Judaism on
one hand and on the other hand the Hindu way of life, Hinduism.


There are a lot of similarities, we both say one thing: you say, “Shalom,” and we say, “Om Shanti, Om Shanti”— “Let there be peace!” Let us all be united. The world is one beautiful family. This message we need to take everywhere, to every doorstep. One is individual peace – peace is not just absence of conflict. It is a positive inner emotion. When we feel happy, only then would I consider that we are peaceful. That happiness has to be rekindled.


In Israel, among the youth, there is lot of frustration. Quite a few suicidal attempts are also happening. These youth need to be guided to inner peace, and this can happen just with the breath. I usually say we need to secularize religion, socialize business and spiritualize politics. Secularize religion means any religious leader cannot say I care for only my people. He should care for all the people in the world. An Imam cannot say my responsibility is only to Muslims.
He should say my responsibility is to see that all the people in the world are happy. Similarly, a Christian priest or a Rabbi, they can only say I care for all. In Sanskrit we say, “Sarvejanah Sukhino Bhavantu,” – “Let all the people on the planet be happy.” This is what I mean by secularize religion. Then fanaticism and terrorism will disappear.


The second is to spiritualize politics. If politicians are spiritual, then they care for people. Corruption and nepotism will disappear from politics. We will get back to the era of Mahatma Gandhi where politicians really cared for people. Then socialize business, which means to say every business takes some social responsibility: helps out institutions, helps out women and children – not just gives them money, but also cares for their well being.


If all your employees are happy, if they are integrated, then they will have integrity and commitment. If not, call them and sit with them, talk to them. If you don't have time for it, we can do it for you in what we call the APEX program for which four days are needed. Two to three hundred business companies have used this APEX Program where the youngsters who are the employees are given commitment and happiness from within because happiness is something that comes from within.


Q: Let’s take one idea - that the Imam will say, “we take care for all believers, not only the Muslims”, and the Rabbi will say not only the Jews, but for everyone. So what actually do we have to do to evolve because at the moment the extremists dictate the course of events?

Sri Sri: First of all, inter-faith dialogues and education for those people is essential. Second is that the people of the same community will have to identify the extremists and isolate them. For this, a neutral person needs to be there. A third party will have to come and facilitate the dialogue, re-orient them and bring them together. As you saw, we worked in Kashmir. There were 1500 Hezbollah Mohadin group terrorists who were transformed. These people came and shared, “We were doing something that was wrong. We were killing people.” They were caught in a prison in India with whom we worked.

So the first step tomorrow, I would say, is to work in the prisons with those terrorists. Through them contact other terrorists who are out there in the world. Bring them this education, this spiritual experience, a transformation in their mindset. I know it is not an immediate work; it gives results in the long term. In 2001 nobody could go into Kashmir. Businesses were shut. There were no electoral processes. The state of Kashmir was in a mess. Then, with our work till 2004, a big shift has happened. Today 69% of the people voted in Kashmir, and businesses have started though it took between 5 to 7 years. Drop by drop we would bring some difference, some transformation.


Similarly, if we can have 100 youth working for this cause in Israel and Palestine and train these people to think from a different perspective, I’m sure we can find greater peace, because I have seen this work in Iraq. I would like to give you an example of Iraq. You know, in Iraq we started the work between the Shias and Sunnis. There was such a big animosity between them. 8000 Sunnis were driven away from the Shia village. When we met one of the Sunni people, we took them to the Shia village and made them understand. Eventually they [the Shias] said that they
[the Sunnis] may all come back. This is just one example.


I know there is so much more to be done. I know we have not achieved total peace in Iraq, but we have moved significantly. We invited about 50 youth from Morocco and 50 from Iraq to India. These people were so fanatical. They would not accept us because we are Hindus. Hindu means idol worshippers. But just in a matter of 3 weeks they started shaking hands and started dancing with us. There was such a harmonious atmosphere.


We had 22 people from Israel and about 150 from other Arab countries. When they first arrived in Bangalore, the Iranians, Iraqis, Arabs were so furious. They said, “Why didn’t you tell us that you brought Israelis also!” It was as though we had committed a very big crime. They said, “You have cheated us.” But just in three days there was a difference – they started liking each other and honoring each other. We had 150 Arab youth singing Shalom and Om Shanti. That gave us big hope that we can do something.

===========
Q: A lot of our youth in Israel are leaving the country seeking opportunities elsewhere. Wouldn’t this adversely affect our economy? Please comment.


Sri Sri: If it is just 25% of the people going outside, I would say it is good. They will create a sense of belongingness to their country, to the place of their origin. It is good that people go and spread this everywhere. At the same time, if it is draining the economy of a university, of a state – like suppose you support a child to get educated, but then the child goes elsewhere and does not contribute to the government or system – that drain has to be addressed. This is a universal
problem. It is not just confined to Israel. It is there in Asia, Japan, everywhere. I would say it is the sense of responsibility to the university, to the government, to whosoever has given you education, to pay them back. That has to come into people.


Spirituality is uplifting the spirit, the consciousness. Money is for your comfort. It brings you comfort on the material level. We spend half our health gaining wealth and then spend half our wealth gaining our health back, and usually it doesn’t work. So take care of your health because your health is your wealth. It is part of spirituality. Money should be kept in the pocket, not in the mind. If you keep thinking about money all the time, you can’t even enjoy the money that you have produced. So money is needed, but something which is more necessary than money is that humaneness and that happiness that money cannot buy.


The present generation doesn’t worry what others think of them. They are not interested in showing off as much as the previous generation used to. Wealth is a status symbol, a symbol of respect, but that is no longer so in the younger generation. This is something very good. They earn money just for themselves and not to show their status, not to show it to others. And the younger generation, I would say, has become much more intelligent because they see that many people have a lot of money, but no happiness. They are not friendly, not happy, and they are
always stuck. The younger generation feels that they need to get the maximum out of their lives. That difference is there. The only thing is that the generation gap needs to be bridged. This can happen with understanding, through education. I would say that youth are very brilliant these days, very thoughtful and useful, if they don’t fall into the trap of alcohol and drug addiction. This is the danger for them – if they are deluded into all sorts of intoxication, which is a sorry state.

QnA with Guruji at Israel

*Q: What is the way to free myself from attachments, especially emotional
hurt of the past as well as trust and mistrust? How can I free myself to be
able to trust again after betrayal and not remain suspicious or cynical
because of that?*

*Sri Sri: *One thing we need to remember is that the whole story will be
finished here! All of us will be gone! We will all go under ground. Life
will come to an end, right? If we look back and see so many people we once
knew are now gone. Those who were with us, they are all finished. More will
go. Everybody will go and one day we will also be gone. This is the
permanent truth, the definite truth in life.

I was just thinking today is my mother’s 10th death anniversary. Already 10
years have passed! Time goes, things change, when we see life from a broader
angle what is emotional hurt then? Somebody said something and it hurt us
and we cried; somebody said a good thing and we laughed. What’s the big deal
about it? Sometimes you’ve said something and it hurt someone, but that was
not your intention. Hasn’t this happened to you? How many of you have
experienced this? You have scolded your daughter/son many times haven’t you?
What if they hold on to that all their life and say I will not forget that
you hurt me. What would you say to them? “Come on let it go, I didn’t mean
it”. Isn’t it? Or “I was stressed I was upset, I was not in a good mood so I
said something”. Don’t you expect people to let go of the hurt that you have
caused them?

You want people to let go of the hurt you caused them. In the same way don’t
you have to let go of the pain they have caused you? If someone has hurt you
earlier, it is due to selfishness and because they don’t know how vast life
is, how beautiful life is. They are selfish because they are afraid. They
are selfish or self-centered because they don’t have knowledge in their
lives. Nobody taught them how to love people, how to be silent, how to be in
this beautiful knowledge. It is not their fault. Is it their fault? If you
have not learnt how to read and write, is it your fault? Society teaches
you. Your teachers, parents take you to school, make you learn and then you
learn. In the same way there was no system for them to learn about life from
a broader angle. So you can only be compassionate towards them. They have
not had a chance to learn, there was no guide, no teacher. They were not
exposed to spirituality. They were not exposed to mannerisms. So they were
small-minded selfish people. That was their up-bringing. So what will you
hold on to? “Oh you hurt me!” Come on let go! Life is moving. When you die,
you will be asked two things: How much love have you given and how much
knowledge have you acquired in your life? It shouldn’t matter what others
have done to you but from your side you should be compassionate. If people
are good towards you, be happy. If they do wrong, have compassion. Life can
only swing between happiness and compassion. There is no third option. In
our life we have lost people who have been very dear to us. What do we do?
That is how life has been designed. We move on. We will also die one day. So
let’s move on with commitment. When we are sad, we pray for strength and
when we are happy we pray for the strength to serve.
====
*Q: Is wanting to find a lot of love in your life considered to be
feverishness? *

*Sri Sri:* If you are aware of the feverishness, “Oh I want it”, then it is
feverishness. Otherwise you just relax. Suppose you want to go to Jerusalem.
You think about it and then you go. Your feverishness is ‘Oh I want to go to
Jerusalem, Oh I want to go…’ Feverishness is ‘Oh I want a boyfriend, or I
want a girlfriend’. Looking at every girl and every boy, running after them,
annoying them, this is feverishness. Have you seen sometimes how people
annoy you? Girls here may know better. A boy is in love with you and keeps
running after you. How many of you find it irritating? So, only you can
decide if it is feverishness or not.
====
*Q: How can I free myself from the polarity of dependence and independence
so that I will be free for real?*

*Sri Sri : *There is nothing called total independence in life. Forget about
it. If you are thinking I want to be totally independent you are not. Till
the age of 15, 16 or 17years you were not independent. You were born
dependant. Somebody had to lift you up. Somebody had to change your diapers.
Somebody had to wash you. Somebody had to feed you. Somebody had to bathe
you, put you to bed. You were born dependant and in the end will also remain
dependant. When you die you are not going to cremate your body. When you are
sick somebody has to attend to you. You cannot operate yourself. You cannot
be your own doctor. After 50 – 60 years, it becomes so obvious that you are
dependent on somebody. To some extent you can’t say I am totally
independent. Somebody has to do something for you. Just the fact that you
pay them some bills, it doesn’t mean you have become independent. You are
just getting it done as an exchange. You are helping them a little bit but
you are still your dependant on them. Suppose no one wants your bills,
nobody wants to work for you, what will happen to you? Because you have some
paper bills and people want those currency bills it gives you an illusion
that you are independent. Money gives you a false notion that you are
independent. You may have money, but what if nobody wants money, then what
will happen to you? You are dependant. So life is a swing between
independence and dependence. At the same time you are independent to think,
you are independent to act, you are independent to have a say over you
feelings, control your feelings, if you want to feel good, it is your
choice. If you want feel bad it is your choice.

You should listen to the *Ashtavakra *knowledge. I have spoke about it in
this. Life is a combination of both independence and dependence. If you want
to be kind you are totally independent to be kind. If you want to have good
manners you are totally independent to have good manners. It doesn’t depend
on others. If you want to speak sweetly its totally dependent on you to do
that. If you want to blame somebody or be rude to others you are totally
independent to do so. You have to choose what you want to be independent
about and what you want to put yourself through. You may think financially
you are independent, but I tell you if you cannot endure certain derogatory
remarks from one of your friends or family or someone, you are not
independent. If someone blames you or tells you bad things about yourself
then you will come to know how independent or dependent you are. If you are
really independent then nothing can bother you. You move with zeal, with
vision, with a smile.
====
*Q: How to get joy in life?*

*Sri Sri: *Forget about getting joy, it will come to you. You should just
relax.

*Q: I am a very happy woman and blessed with a lot of things, so why do I
bother about being over weight?*

*Sri Sri: *You know a man or woman cannot live without botheration. That is
why I started the Art of Living, to get more botherations! So this is a good
botheration, at least it will put a break on you not to take a second scoop
of ice cream. You will not stretch your hand for the second piece of
dessert, or second piece of apple pie. You will stop at half. It is good to
have a little concern, otherwise when you grow older you may have to pay a
lot of bills to the doctor. So it is better to keep a check on the weight
unless you want the doctors to become rich. That is your choice!
====
*Question: What do I do about the guilt I have of not being able to love
some people in my family or even blood relatives?*

*Sri Sri: *Don’t force love out of yourself. Take it for granted that
certain feelings, connections or love is already there. You don’t examine it
every day right? Do I love my mother or my father, or that person? - though
you may not like their behavior. If your father and mother are old and
cynical you may feel very irritated and may not like their company because
they put you down or sing the same old song. Likes and dislikes arise from
the head. I’m sure deep in your heart there is love, a certain feeling
there. It is because it exists that you are asking this question. So it’s
just that you don’t want to recognize your love for them although you love
them. There is a deep connection of love but you don’t like their behavior,
the way they act or their mindset. It’s just an external thing. It’s
perfectly okay. Never doubt your love for people. The love is always there
and it will be there. Just take it for granted.
====
*Q: Whatever I did this year professionally did not work. I studied Hindi,
Massage, Physiotherapy and Anatomy. I really want to succeed. Please help!*

*Sri Sri: *There is a lot of work to be done. There are a lot of needs. 30%
of the Europe is depressed and we have this beautiful knowledge that can
help people overcome depression and suicidal thoughts. It would be very nice
for us to work together towards a vision of a world with less suffering. I
would like to have many youth to do Art of Living work full time. 3 - 4 days
to go out and teach everybody. Once you become a teacher you can teach,
create a community for Art of Living here. You can have your own ashram
here. Meditate here. Each one can do their job, and still contribute. It’s a
common pool where everyone can contribute. You can start up a community
kitchen. You don’t have to worry about grocery shopping. One person can go
shopping, one person can cook, and everyone can take it in turns. A small
community of 60 to 100 people can live like this. There can be celebration,
meditation and yoga.

The whole atmosphere will become so uplifting! In the Bangalore Ashram, we
have 800 people living together. Before we were only 10 to 12 people. Now
there are so many people who want to come and live here at the ashram that
we don’t have place. It’s because nobody needs to worry about their
electricity bills, house, tax, and food. It is all being taken care of and
everybody can contribute in whichever way they want to. The same is
happening in Germany, Canada, USA and has recently started in Argentina. Our
life is too short to spend time on unnecessary and unwanted things. Half of
life is anyway spent on sleeping. The Next 40 to 50 years or for however
much longer you will live on this planet, do you need people to take care of
you, do things for you, or do you want to do something for others and for
the society? Helping others and serving society, wouldn’t that be a good
idea? There should always be somebody to think about others, to care for
them and to help them. I want you all to think about this. I don’t want to
call it an old age home. These old age homes are very depressive. Ashram is
a place where there are old people, young people, children, everyone lives
together. So the younger generation is enriched by the experiences of the
older generation, and the older feel enthusiastic with the young. We can
create this type of atmosphere. What do you think?
====
*Q: I am a coward. All my life I have been afraid of every little thing. I
see risks and danger in my way and fear everything and everyone. I’m afraid
to get hurt. How do I overcome all this?*

Sri Sri: First of all remove this label – ‘I am a coward’. Who said you are
a coward? Drop this label. When you label, like the saying in the bible ‘As
you sow, so shall you reap’ you go on encouraging that. You are wonderful.
We are all here to support you, and I am here to support you, and everybody
here will support you! Don’t think you are weak. Just drop it.
====
*Q: Can one do hollow and empty meditations at home as well?*

*Sri Sri: *At home you don’t need to do that. Just sit and it will start
happening. You give a car to the servicing garage and then you when you get
the car you simply run it. It’s already ready. Everyday at home you don’t
need to service it. But everyday you wash the car, so similarly you should
just close your eyes and meditate.
====
*Q: I have learnt to accept people as they are. However we have also learnt
the concept of responsibility. I have a 13-year-old son. He is mature,
breaks rules, leaves school in between, doesn’t learn, doesn’t come home on
time, and hangs around with friends. That concerns me. How do I complete my
role as a mother, accept him and place limits?*

*Sri Sri: *You are already doing it. It is very difficult to manage or deal
with teenagers. Sometimes you need to be strict, and sometimes loving as
well. It’s like riding a horse. Sometimes you can let loose but sometimes
you hold on tight. So managing teenagers is like riding a horse.
© The Art of Living Foundation

Dry Sweets

Do not be surprised if you are offered dry fruits every where you go this diwali. This Diwali, there is a high chance that the sale of sweets will be very low and sales of dry fruits very high. Reason? Since ganesh chaturthi, lots of fake mawa, a main ingredient in making of sweets, and their notorious manufacturers have been held. The market has also seen lots of fake clarified butter (Ghee) occupying the shelves of grocery stores. Even the Ghee-racketeers  have been cracked down. The result is a severe shortfall in genuine Ghee and mawa. Adding to the bitter woes of sweet mart, the prices of sugar have shot up to Rs.35 per kg, from mere Rs.17/kg. The effect is the cost of production of the sweets is too high.


Also there is no guarantee of the quality of sweets. Corporates gift their clients and partners with exotic sweets. But the news of food poisoning due to consumption of sweets are making rounds, so no one is taking chances this diwali to offer sweets. To be on the safer side they are offering dry fruits which entail no risk and the business relation still can be maintained!

I have bought lots of laddoos from the a trustworthy shop. And I now I am going to eat them. So meet you after I finish those tasty laddoos! You too get something delicious to eat...

Jai Gurudev.

Turn down the volume...

An Advertisement shows Ranbir Kapoor asking the tele-viewers to do, this diwali, something never done before! That is turn down the volume by avoiding noisy crackers. I feel so proud that I have been doing this since last 14 years.

It makes an economic "non-sense" to buy noisy crackers and burn them down in matter of seconds. Now-a-days you can hardly buy any good crackers in Rs.1000/-. And what ever you buy in that amount can be burnt down in just two minutes. Wooooooshhhh... You money worth thousand rupees just vanishes in thin air... that too polluting it, making the air difficult, for the people with respiratory problems, to breath.

It happened exactly 14 years ago, when my dad had to sit at home because of the lock-out at the company dad worked at. No salary for one month. That too during diwali. We had to face very dire circumstances. My family had to live life with a very tight fist that month. Even the daily newspaper had to be stopped. That diwali, I decided not to buy any crackers, The money that had been kept aside for crackers, I used it to buy clothes. And asked dad to save the money that was to be spent on clothes to keep the family-fire burning. It was my first lesson on austerity. That diwali taught me a very precious lesson. You do not need riches to enjoy the moment. In fact, One needs nothing to enjoy the very moment. Because joy is the very essence of the moment.

Since then I have celebrated every Diwali by buying new gadgets, clothes, games CD etc. etc. but not the crackers. They simply cause noise and sound pollution. Its up to you to choose wisely what to do? Diwali is the festival of lights and celebration. Not a festival of cacophony and suffocation! If I can celebrate 14 Diwali's without bursting crackers. So can anyone! Finally its your decision... Isn't it?

Jai Gurudev.

Conquering my fears!

An incident that happened with me on Sunday made me realise that FEAR per se is an illusion. It is what we cook-up in our mental kitchen. I swim regularly but in 1.5 meter dept of the pool. The deepest end of the pool is 2.0meters. That's were my feet do not touch the pool floor. I had a big mental block of going to the deep end. In the pool I swim the majority of the crowd is at the shallow end (1m. deep) And at the deepest end there are hardly 2 to 3 swimmers. So I always wished to reach that end one day. Yesterday was the day! My friend, Nikhil, coaxed me towards the deep end. I mustered great courage and moved forward. The experience after reaching the deep end without breathing-in the water was ABSOLUTELY EXHILARATING!!! Its true that Dharr se age badho, Dharr ke age Jeet hai! (Move beyond fear, Success lies beyond fear.) I have a goal of completing 4000 meters of freestyle swimming in one shot. And conquering the primal fear has helped me move ahead towards completing the goal. If any one of you (readers) are interested in knowing the techniques or tips on swimming then you can mail me at the address given in the Mail Me section (on the right-side of the blog). Jai Gurudev!

Pocket Money is Recession-proof!!!

In past one and a half year, most parents have witnessed the tyranny of economic recession. It has definitely affected their wealth. However, The pocket money of their children seem to be recession proof. According to surveys conducted by the major research houses, like Nielson Survey, the pocket money levels have remained inelastic during the recession period. The primary spending of the teens remain dining and shopping. And the latest entrant is the mobile bills. Even after spending hours together in schools, classes, sports park, these kids have something or the other to talk. A humorous message must be circulated to at least 20+ friends else you are labeled as "uncool" or unkewl as they say. The bill ranges from modest Rs.250 to Rs.2500 per month. And this is no exaggeration! Kids in south mumbai just seem to have much to talk about. Nowadays, Teens and kids have much say over their spending habits. Earlier the parents decided whether the kids persistent demand should be met or not? Lately, dual income parents have serious lack of time to pay any attention to their kids. All they do is deposit some of their income into their kids bank account and the kid rightfully withdraws the moolah whenever needed. In my yonder days, Dad would hand over Rs.100 in denominations of ten, and would say, 'This is your pocket money for current month spend wisely.' Now kids just SMS or mail their parents notifying that their bank account needs a "Cash Reload". Within minutes, thanks to the internet banking facility and online fund transfers, the transaction is met in minutes! It is observed that the kids emulate the spending habits of their parents from a very tender age. Kids from tight fisted family will develop a habit of saving more than spending. Kids, belonging to family who shop till they drop, end up dropping their bank balance to near zero! Some families who are financially literate teach their kids how to maintain statement of expense. These kids for sure will be the next Kishore Biyanis and JP Morgans of future!Parents spend most of their income on kids for their education. Apart from education, seventy percent parents spend on additional learning tools and tutorial classes for their children, over 80 percent spend on toys and entertainment for their children and over half spend on extra-curriculum activities such as sports and musical instruments learning etc. Despite a sticky economic environment, two thirds of the parents think their current spending on their children is just right and 83 percent do not have plans to cut back, it's music to the ears for children-oriented businesses. It is good that kids nowadays are taking the decisions to purchase the products they want by themselves. Ideally, this can help the kids a lot in planning their own financial future. Parents can involve these kids/teens in their decision involving financial acumen. Our next generation is going to be financially smart and excellent decision makers. Only a good parenting can harness the best talent from the young generation Jai Gurudev

Creativity, Ctreator and Creation...

Today is Sonali Patkar's Birthday. I made a Chinese lantern for her out of candy sticks and tracing paper. I also copied the chinese symbols of good luck on the paper. Her squeal of joy when she saw it was just sufficient reward for my hard work. After putting in lot of effort the structure started taking the form. I started with the idea of creating a mobile stand which never stood. But the burning desire manifested in a simple cute lantern. While making the lantern my mom asked why was I making it? Wasn't it a waste of time? What is the use of making it? Maybe because of attending Patanjali Yog Sutra evey evening, another question popped up in my mind. Why did this whole creation take place? What was the need, especially when every thing is just an illusion, a dream? What is the purpose behind it? An astonishing question was greeted by marvelous revelation! The answer for the above question is that what ever we all see is just never made? There has been no creation, there is no creation, there will be no creation. It is just the disequilibrium that has created ripples in the form of world around us! ... I am sure there is enough disequilibrium after reading this blog. Do not worry too much because as Stevinus said...

The balancing of force thus brought about a stable equilibrium

Swimming with Intensity?!?

Have you ever done swimming with intensity? Well, I just did it... On Aug 2, 09 I participated in the picnic to a water resort near Ambernath. My love with water is unparalleled. I can even make out the proximity of the water body just by smelling it. I'm not kidding!! When we reached the water resort, we first did our long kriya in a nice cool open-hall. After kriya we had a swift breakfast. Everyone was eager to take a plunge in water. After a hot cuppa coffee, everyone got into their swimming clothes and started entering the pool. Most were crazy to enjoy the thrill of the water slides. Some wallowed in the other pool. I have no problem with water or staying in water except that I didn't know to swim then. We also had company of Savita di. Before entering in water she said how each volunteer should become. She said that if bawa tells us to take a course in Andaman, you should not hesitate a bit by thinking how to go there, how to take a course in Andaman, in the midst of the ocean! That was actually the seed of my intensity! I entered in the pool only due to one reason. It was shallow enough for me to stand in pool. I played in the pool, checked out the water slide by slipping down over them, did all that the resort had to offer. Then while in the pool, I firmly decided that I will join swimming class ASAP!! I came out of water just before Lunch. Lunch was a gastronomic delight! It was the best buffet lunch I had. Everyone savored the scrumptious Lunch. Especially because everyone was famished after so much of fun in water. After I came home, I declared my intentions to my parents. Father's expression was like; OK Finally you want to learn it, good. Its still not late! Then I joined Yash Gymkhana. Most people who knew to survive in water told me that I should have joined KDMC Swimming Pool. But I do not repent my decision. It's ultimately a municipal property, who knows how the coach will be. Well, At least in Yash, I (and Aman) have a good instructor. At first, I thought 45 min. in pool would be too short time for practice. But the Leg exercises in pool made me change my opinion. For the first four days, I was completely exhausted when I came out of the pool. But I entered the pool with the undying intensity. I practiced with passion. Although my legs were aching, I continued with the leg work. Then on the fifth day, I untied the safety float off my back and checked out if I could still propel myself in water? VIOLA! EUREKA! Om Namah Shivaya! I was moving ahead!! But there is still along way to go, because I was practicing without the float in the shallowest end of the pool. I still have to learn it completely! Very soon, I will be fulfilling my dream of swimming like a pro! All with the grace of the master ;-) Very soon

Q n A with Guruji

Dear Ones. Jai Gurudev.These are amazing. Q: Why do we feel that something is lacking inspite of having everything? Sri Sri:Thats lack of knowledge. If you have knowledge and love, you won't feel any lackings in life. Q: Guruji in one of your books you have said that "God is an illusion",how? Sri Sri:I have never said "God is an illusion", I said "Surrender is an illusion", because anything you surrender anyway belongs to HIM only. Where is publication department?( Huge Laughter) Q: How can we give in our 100%? Sri Sri:Meditation is deep relaxation. 100% activity precedes or follows meditation. Q: When you know maya is an illusion, does it cease to exist? Sri Sri:A. Is your question a reality or an illusion. Q: What is truth? What is love? Sri Sri:Truth is that which does not change. To know what is truth, you need to go through all that is not true. So, all that changes is not truth. Life is a quest to find what is truth, don't be in a hurry. Truth can be realized in deep meditation and love is truth. They are two sides of the same coin. In short, truth is that which never changes and love is that which is undescribable. Q: Beloved Guruji, this course is so wonderful. How can I keep this wonderful state at home? Sri Sri: Don't try to hold on to the state of mind. Integrate wisdom in day to day life. Sometimes up & sometimes down. They'll come & they'll go. Q: Don't you get tired of wearing white all the time? Sri Sri: No. Because I am colourful myself! Isn't it? Q:. Dear Guruji, What to tell people at home who are very suspicious of what I am doing here? Sri Sri: When you go back give them gifts, show them all the nice pictures, give them a big smile. The depth of silence, the depth of meditation no one can know unless one has experienced himself. What beautiful wealth we all possess in our Self, that we have not explored. Every human being can go into that depth of meditation. That little experience, little skill to do that is missing. We are so fortunate to go into such stillness within ourselves. Q: How do I free myself of old & boring patterns in life? Sri Sri: The more whiter the cloth is, a small dot stands out. As you move into unconditional love, small imperfections in you become unbearable. The small moods of the mind can't touch the Self. Q: How many people are there in the world right now? (Question not complete...) Sri Sri: Tell me how many hairs you have on your head! There is no count. There may be few teachers. Knowledge is hidden in everyone like rice is hidden in paddy. Every child comes into the world with that innocence. We have to remove these outer veils, curtains that have been put on our mind.. Q: Missed the question. Sri Sri: When a baby tastes sweet, it wants to taste sweet all the time. It wants it again. You don't need to do anything too much. Only as much as is necessary. Q: I want to go deep in Meditation. What can I do? Sri Sri: This is an old question. You have already gone deeper. Q: Today my Seva was garbage cleaning & all I found was Paradise! When are you going to give me a proper job? Sri Sri: I don't have a job myself! Okay. Smile at everybody. Every morning give yourself a smile, come what may. Smile more. Take life easily. All will be provided. It's happening, no? Our prayer, meditation has such an impact, such an effect,that things happen before you desire. You need to strengthen yourself in Knowledge. Three types of peace are needed: First is material peace. If there is fighting around you, you cannot sit and stay peaceful. You need peace in your environment; Second you need peace in the body, in the mind. Third thing is peace in the soul. You may have peace in the atmosphere, you may have health in the body, to an extent peace in the mind, but if the soul is restless, nothing can comfort. So that peace is also essential. Only when all the three types of peace are there, can peace be complete; without one the other is not complete. So that which gives rest from all the three angles - physical, mental and spiritual, is ratri. And Shivratri is transcendental Divine consciousness, which brings solace to all layers of consciousness. Shivratri is where the shiv tatva and the shakti become one. Like mind, like memory, like intellect, Shiva is also a tatva. Shivratri is auspicious because it is more alive in the environment. That's why you don't sleep in the night, people say to be awake". Q: Lately I have begun to enjoy silence a lot. I feel like being silent all the time. Is this right? Sri Sri: It is alright for sometime. You can meditate and keep silence for sometime during the day, but not always! Q: Why do we come behind you like the mice ran behind the pied piper? Sri Sri: That's what I wonder too! [Looking behind Him] Anyway, there is no one behind me, all of you are sitting in front of me! We keep everyone in front of us and we push them forward! I am behind you! Q: There is a saying that even if God grants a boon, the priest denies it. Why is this so? Sri Sri: Mmm...so that you become the priest? What is the priest's role? He is the middleman between you and God. Why do you need a middleman? You deal with God directly. Maybe this is the reason why..... Q: After seeing you, I don't feel like going to temples to worship the idols. Sri Sri: It is okay....initially we need forms to worship and we gradually move towards worshiping the formless. The Divine is present everywhere. Q: What is the meaning of "So Hum" ? Sri Sri: What is the meaning of a seed? It means the whole tree, the roots, the leaves, the fruits, the flowers etc. Similarly the meaning of the mantra is everything in life, the tree of life. Q: I used to suffer from depression. After doing the course, I have become enthusiastic about life. I too have desires now to dress up and live life like others. Are these desires going to be obstacles for spirituality? Sri Sri: If you want to dress up for yourself it is fine. But if you want to do it because others are doing it, then... Why do you have to compare yourself with others? You do whatever you have to do. Q: Parents often complain that the youths who come to ashrams are brainwashed. They lose interest in their careers etc Sri Sri: If you are talking about other ashrams, I don't know! It is better that the youth get into satsangs and meditations rather than negative habits like drugs, drinking etc, isn't it? At least here they are on a positive track. Q: Both cows & buffaloes give us milk. But only the cows are worshipped. Why is this? Sri Sri: That is a good question! Maybe because when you worship, the one being worshipped should realize that they're being worshiped! You know, buffaloes are a little slow in realizing it. Maybe that's why! You know, when we worship, we do it for ourselves not for the one being worshiped. When we worship someone, we want them to know that we are worshiping them. That's why we see that there are no temples for Brahma. He is the creator. His job is completed. So nobody bothers worshiping Him. Vishnu is the maintainer, His work is still going on; that's why we worship Him! And we're scared of Shiva, after all He is the destroyer so we worship Him also! Q: I have been chanting Vishnu Sahasranaama from quite some time. But lately, I feel sleepy while chanting it. What to do? Sri Sri: Don't worry, He also sleeps! Q: What is more important: intelligence or innocence? Sri Sri: Both are important. Why do you want to choose one over the other? Q: What is life? What is death? What, if any, are the similarities between them? Sri Sri: What is life? You are finding out now. What is death? You will find out in the future; you will not miss it! And when you know both, you can compare and find out the differences or similarities between them! Q: I need to believe in a God. But I need some miracles as proof in order to believe. Sri Sri: Just look around! Everything is a miracle! A seed sprouts and grows into a huge tree. Is that not a miracle? When I was visiting Chennai last year, they brought a little boy who was born deaf. I just tapped him on his head and he started making noises. The next day, they brought 20 boys! Now, miracles happen naturally, and spontaneously. It cannot be forced. When everything falls in place, miracles happen on their own. Q: What is the difference between Veda and Vedanta? Sri Sri: Veda is knowledge. Vedanta is the end of knowledge, the ultimate knowledge. (He spoke more on this, but I can't remember all that He said.)

To B'lore with Eunuchs!

Travelling in the Indian trains and not pestered by the "Chakkas" or the Eunuchs is quite impossible to think. Well, that happened actually in the train I took to bangalore. In the partition next to ours were a family of Eunuchs travelling from Mumbai to Bangalore with reserved tickets. When ever any Eunuch would barge in the train to get some alms they would squeal with joy when they would see "Apne biradari ke log" (poeple of our kind). They would sit with their mates and spend time chit-chatting. These gate crashers would then ask a tea vendor to pour out a couple of cups for their travelling friends! The travelling eunuchs would have it free of charge.

Moreover people travelling with them got a chance to interact with them and listen to their stories. Their lives are nothing less than a challenge, momen to moment. But there are few advantages they have that ordinary people do not have! When I overheard their conversation, then I just felt that they too are human. What if our guru's knowledge touches them. Will that be able to bring change in their lives. Or is it only for the "normal" people like us? Nahh.. They too are taken care of!!

Confidence, Commitment and Responsibility - Sri Sri

A Talk by H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

I once happened to meet a fragile-looking woman from a cottage industry. She had stitched a handkerchief, and she had 17 points on why her handkerchief was the best in the whole world. It was just a handkerchief after all, but the way she presented it made all the difference! She was so confident and she took so much pride in sharing it's size, colour, stitching, corners and other qualities - 17 such points that made her handkerchief the best in the world. When people take such pride, then they can come up very well. Set goals in life and then revive them. What are the goals that you have set in life? There may be many obstacles, but don't drop your highest goals in life - they bring direction to life. I don't say life will be smooth always: It will not always be a bed of roses, but if your vision is large, and if you go on - if you continue with the same zeal, you will be given the strength. What stops you from taking responsibility? Sheer laziness; or fear - whether it is right or wrong, whether you will be able to complete it. You are afraid of failure. Even if there is no failure, just an indication of failure upsets you. If you can merely become aware of this, it is good. Support needs to come from within. It's not just food and water that is needed. Spiritual strength is something that can lift you. In order to find satisfaction in life, you need to do some service and to sustain seva activities, you need sadhana (spiritual practices), otherwise you will experience burn-out. Also, be ready to take criticism. Whenever you do public work or social work, you should be ready to take criticism. You need to be like a solid rock. Nothing can shake you! You should welcome criticism. Sometimes, criticism can come out of anger or jealousy, but no criticism should make you fade or shy away. When someone criticises you, behave as if you are the third party. Then, you will be untouched. You will take something from it, but you will not fume; you will not burn inside. You will be able to drop it. You should be able to give criticism as well. Friends who do not criticise when needed are useless. The purpose of criticism is to improve, adopt, change. But if your mode of criticism is unpalatable, how will others accept it? An arrow should reach it's mark. See that your criticism is not wasted. You need to develop this skill; it cannot be learnt. By fostering a sense of belonging, see that the person is in a mood to take criticism. When you want to do something, look at your strengh. Your weakness is that you start looking at other's strengths! When you running, you can only look at the track below, not at who is next to you! Like a horse with blinders, look at your path only! Let anybody else do whatever he or she wants to. Also, any job that you do, should be done with commitment. Otherwise, you will do the job when you enjoy it and stop doing it when you don't. Our likes and dislikes change so often. You can find real joy only in service. Responsibility and commitment do generate some stress and worry. The best way to handle this is not to resist stress. It is okay to be stressed for a while, but don't get distressed!

Thanks & Regards., Ln.Ch Mohan Vamsi Krishna M.C.A 9379911234 9902371777

Journey from Charcoal to Diamond

For the first time in his life he was sitting co close to the master. It has been hardly some months, after he came into the space surrounding the master. There was a big crowd surrounding the master. He was looking at the master, wondering at his wisdom. But he never called himself a disciple of the master. He was not even attached to him. It was the ability of the master as a powerful orator and his immense knowledge that attracted him. He did not even believe in God. His life, the path traversed by him was not filled with flowers, but thorns. Even when he was listening to the master, he was in his own world. His mind was as usual traveling through the miseries that he underwent. His principles were based on his experienced. He had a strong point in not believing in the God. "If a woman has to sell her body for earning bread for her family, if a child has to become a thief just for quenching thirst and hunger, and if it is the decision of god, then that god is not mine." He could find logics only communism and rationalism. He saw intelligent children suffering to earn higher education, for they were not having economical support. At the same time he saw his friends climbing up the ladders only because the pockets of their father was heavy. God acted funny in his life. So there was no other option for him to go away from the God, and all the so-called masters. He hated them. He was even rude to his loving parents, they were not having any answer to his questions, and his mother cried a lot for she was not able to bear his rude words. The Earth has orbited the sun for many years; the wisdom of this master has pulled him near to the master. His mind was wandering. Suddenly he woke up, the master was standing right in front of him. He carried a microphone, a cordless one, in his hand. He looked at the master, and the master looked into his eyes. There was a naughty smile on the master's face. What happened? Do you have any problem?" the master asked. He did not tell anything. No words came out of his vocal chords. He wanted to ask many questions, including the sufferings, and credibility of the so-called God. But he could not utter a word. He was astonished to see the master so close, and to hear him asking this question. At last he managed to tell the master "No, No Problem". The master moved ahead. Three steps. The master stopped. Master looked at him. There was the same smile on the master's face. "Have you seen Diamonds?" The crowd shouted… "Yes", but he kept quiet. He wondered, "Why the master is looking at my face and asking this? " Master asked again "Why diamonds are so special, tell". So many answers came at a time from the disciple folk. "They are very strong!" "They shine even at night!" "Beautiful females wear them on their ornaments, even Aishwarya Rai!!" "They are rare" "They are very costly" There were so many answers… Master asked… "Do you know that the diamond is carbon? The same carbon with which charcoal…koyla… is made of…" "Yes… There is some difference in the chemical structure", some learned disciple made it clear. "Yes, that charcoal, the carbon was hidden under the stones, under the earth for years before it became the diamond. The charcoal had undergone years of chemical changes, pressures, heat, cold, for years… a lot of sufferings… at last the diamond was evolved.", he was wondering at the master's words… "Where is he going? What is diamond and charcoal? … bu** **** " Then one day the charcoal became a stone, paTHar. Many people saw it. But they did not understand that it was a special stone. They just overlooked it. One day one man who was a diamond merchant saw that stone. He just took it to his lab. He started cutting it into shape, filing it, polishing it and again suffering time for the stone… at last it started to shine. The diamond!! "The master looked at his face, with the same smile. Were his eyes filled now??? He was intelligent; he smelled something in the master's words. "Do you know how much suffering that charcoal, koyla, has undergone to evolve into the strong diamond?" still the masters' eyes were on him. "When sufferings come to our path, we curse everybody, even the God, the master. But know that those sufferings are given to you to make him stronger and stronger… like a diamond. He want to make you strong, for he loves you so much…" The master again looked at him… This time his eyes were filled… He had never seen that expression in his life before. The master's eyes talked to him everything. He saw the endless sky of love in the master's eyes. The master's hands waved in the air… "You are a diamond… You will be made stronger…stronger… " The master continued… "Know that you all are special… I never collect ordinary stones; I collect diamonds and pearls…" master walked ahead taking his mind along with. He understood that it was the end… He told to his mind…" Here is your master…the God you were searching for… The source of the unconditional love… your own existence… yourself." He folded his hands, with tears in eyes. The garbage that he was carrying in his mind was carried away by his master, his own master. Without him telling anything, without uttering a word, his mind was cleansed. He walked out and immediately made a telephone call to his loving mother…"forgive me for all those disrespectful words that I uttered to you… I was ignorant… I was lost… but now I am found… by my master…" his words were trembling… his mother was silent.. My Friend, this is master, the guru. It is not you who are selecting the master. He is selecting you. You need not to tell anything to him. He knows everything. You need not to open your mind before him; your mind is an open book for him… Personalize him; he is your divine. Nobody else in this planet can give you what he gives. His love is endless, everlasting, in this life and next lives. Be in that love. Hey… can you guess, who that master was???? Of course he must be none other than our Guruji.....We love u Guruji...... ..

Celestial Movements sparks up debate!

Eclipse is just another Celestial Movement in galaxy... the scientists claim. But is their impact so limited? Moon... It's 384,403 kms away, yet it influences our plant and can cause tides. 70% of earth is covered with water. Due to the gravitational influence of moon, there are high tides and low tides on planet earth. Similarly, our body is composed of 60-70% water. If a phasing moon can influence such a huge mass of water then can it not influence water in our body. So in a way, although we call them celestial bodies they have certain influence in our lives. Eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Total solar eclipse has many myths attached to it. But just considering them fake does not eliminate the influence of eclipse on humans and the nation. Astrology is not goobledygooks! It is a mathematics-based scientific study of the effects of the planets on human psyche and body, extending the impact even to the nation. Yes, I do agree that some people call themselves astrologers and sow the seeds of fear in their clients just to make them buy some of their products, which they claim, can reduce their malefic planetary influence. They are nothing but charlatans fooling gullible people. But I have seen and met some astrologers who predict the exact date and time of any malady or benefice event. Such astrolgers also give sound advice on how to reduce the on-coming ill-effects. For meditating masses, the effect of eclipse is already reduced. Meditation and Chanting acts like a shield that can reduce the effects of eclipse. Now some people will say that all this is superstition. For them I have got one thing to say. I'll meditate, you may not do it. Let us see what happens. If something bad happens on their part they may start meditating. Whatever happens on my part, I will not stop meditating!! What say??

Crazy but not Stupid

One truck driver was doing his usual delivery to IMH (Institute of mental health) He discovered a flat tyre when he was about to go home. He jacked up the truck and took the flat tyre down. When he was about to fix the spare tyre, he accidentally dropped all the bolts into the drain. As he can't fish the bolts out, he started to panic. One patient happened to walk past and asked the driver what happened. The driver thought to himself, since there's nothing much he can do; he told the patient the whole incident. The patient laughed at him & said "can't even fix such a simple problem... no wonder you are destined to be a truck driver..." Here's what you can do, take one bolt each from the other 3 tyres and fix it onto this tyre. Then drive to the nearest workshop and replace the missing ones, easy as that" The driver was very impressed and asked "You're so smart but why are you here at the IMH?" Patient replied: "Hello, I stay here because I'm crazy not STUPID!"

Five ways of eliminate sorrow...

If you are human and alive then sorrow is an indispensable part of life. Like it or not, we have to live with it. Sorrow never remains for ever, but when in sorrow we feel like everyone has deserted me. There are five ways of eliminating sorrow from our lives. 1. Know that every thing changes: All the happiness and sadness you have faced has changed. Nothing has lasted forever till now except you! Only one thing is certain, that every thing is uncertain and changing. 2. Serve when you feel low or dejected. We, generally, think of serving people when we are full and plenty. It is easier then to so such social service. But what when we are sad? The best and the fastest way out to get out of depression, suicidal feeling, dejection is to serve. When one feels low, the person asks only one type of question. "Why me?" "What will happen to me?" All the questions are related to "I" ME" or "MYSELF". Just turn the direction of the question and ask "What can I do to be of any help?" and serve the needy. There is no dearth of opportunity around. It just requires an alert and aware mind. The joy of serving others make you more joyful! Many bad things happen in the society just because the so called good people are inactive. Chanakya, the great visionary, once commented that it is not the tyranny of evil doers that bothers me, it is the insensitivity and stupor of good citizen that troubles me. 3. Know that some force is protecting you. There is a famous line from the movie STAR WARS, "The force will be with you... Always" It is 100% true. There is some force that is always with us, protecting us. You see, when a child is born then automatically the nature makes provision for milk. When the child grows old enough to eat solid food then automatically teeth appears. When there is summer the trees provides us shade, in winter when sunlight is limited by the haze, the trees undergo leaf-shedding in autumn, so that maximum sunlight reaches the earth. What we see is just one percent of the real word. 99% of the real world is invisible. Like your mobile phone, You only dial and hold it by your ear. You hear the ring on other side, you talk. But the whole work (transmission of data & Voice) happens in the invisible force field, which cannot be seen. 4. After giving your 100%, Surrender the rest. After doing all that you could do and giving it 100% leave it up to your Ishtha Daivata, Guruji or the lord your often pray. Know that it will be taken care of. 5. Yoga se bahut kuch hoga (Many things can be achieved by practicing yoga)! With the help of Yog Sadhana, Meditation, Satsang also, you can overcome problems in life. How this influences life is a different dynamics by it self. But doing so will never do any harm, It will always be beneficial! Happy Living!

Made in Japan!

Had a good laugh after reading this one! Japanese man was in a hurry to go to the KLIA airport, so he took a Proton taxi. The taxi driver took his sweet time driving within the speed limit but the Jap was getting impatient. The following is their conversation on the way to the airport . A Toyota Camry overtook the taxis.....zoom. ... Jap: Look ...look ... Toyota !! ...very fast!!!.... made in Japan ! Proton...no good.... made in Malaysia . Driver: yah.... After a few minutes a Nissan overtook the taxi....zoom. Jap: Look.... look.... Nissan!!!... .. very good!! very fast! Made in Japan ! Proton.... no good.... made in Malaysia Driver: yah....yah.. . After a few minutes a Honda overtook the taxi...zooom. ! Jap: look.... look... Honda!!.... very GOOD!!....very fast!!....made in Japan ! Proton....no good... made in Malaysia Driver: yah...yah... yah....! Arriving at the airport, the Jap is about to pay the taxi driver. Jap: How much? Driver: RM200/- Jap: Oh... very expensive... .. you overcharge ! ! Driver: Noooo.... look.... look.... Sony meter!!.....very good!!....Very fast!.... Made in Japan !

Another Frankenstein in making...

Science and the scientist seem to have a deadly passion in making Frankenstein Monsters out of experiments! This one comes from UK. Today's newspaper flashed headlines about the UK Scientists being successful in creating Artificial Human Sperms from Embryonic Stem Cells "....They "prompted" embryonic stem cells to divide their chromosomes, then grow tails and become sperm cells." It quoted. These scientists claim that the technique could eventually allow infertile men to become fathers. Although it is illegal to use artificial sperms to make babies in UK, these scientists have asked the UK Lawmakers to amend the law to make the unlawful lawful! If science has got that power to manipulate anything then why not restore the fertility in men. Instead, scientists think they have become "gods" by creating an artificial sperm. This regressive ways of working will have its deep wrecking impact in near future! Is science so weak that it cannot help men regain their lost fertility. History has lot to teach us. Taking an example of Indian Agricultural Practices, Farmers earlier (Before the advent of chemical fertilisers) used home made compost manure in their farm fields. Then the chemical fertiliser manufacturers showed government how their "Chemicals" had a superior impact on the farm output. But they completely neglected (actually, overlooked) the effects of chemical on the fertile land. Instead of making the land more fertile, these chemical fertilisers only deteriorated the farm land fertility. Soon the farmers were debt ridden due to massive borrowing for purchasing the chemical fertilizers and declining farm output due to loss in farm fertility. Now many N.G.O. like Art of Living Foundation and many others have started "Chemical Free Farming" or "Organic Farming" practices to revive the fertility in farmlands. Is there any semblance between the two? Yes! A Lot!! Science does shed light on new things, but if the act is done out of absolute ignorance then there is no difference between those scientists and the evil villains from the super-hero comic books who are out to rule over the world with their evil power. I am least bothered if this discovery makes men redundant in the task of making babies. We, time and again, forget that it is the nature that has created us and it is nature that sustains us. If we make any manipulation in Nature then it's going to backfire badly!

...With greater power, comes greater Responsibility... - Spider-man I

Science has given us unimaginable power, from diving deep underwater, flying across the vast sky and travel in infinite cosmos. But it is our responsibility to take care of mankind. Science without conscience is a definite way towards destruction. P.S. The second reference does mention about restoring fertility in men, but the long term vision of science is to create almost defect free sperm without the help of male testicles that will fertilise a female egg. References: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090708/tuk-scientists-create-artificial-human-s-45dbed5.html http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article685515.ece