In an interaction with a popular US podcast host Aubrey Marcus, Gurudev shared answers to four questions every one of us has asked ourselves at some point in our lives.
- Who are we - Are we more than just social animals who eat, work, sleep and repeat?
- Where are we - How did this world around us come into existence?
- What do we want - What do we really want?
- What can we do to help the world right now?
Who are we?
This question is a million-dollar question. This question arising in us indicates that we are maturing. Now, no need to be in a hurry to answer this question. This question itself serves as a vehicle for you to go inward. One who knows the answer will not give you the answer. Because they want you to go inward. This question itself will remove lots of cobwebs around our minds. It will clear the path for us to explore who we really are. Once you find it, there will be no more questions. There will be just a wow moment. No other verbal jugglery will come out.
Who am I?
Once you begin asking, a lot of what you are not will be revealed.
- Are you your emotions?
- Are you your thoughts?
- Are you your body?
Emotions and thoughts are always changing. Our bodies are changing.
Yet, there is something in us that is not changing. The reference point from where we can observe this change is you. It is the same Mississippi River. It has been flowing for millions of years. Yet the water in it is always new.
Where are we - What is this world?
As a 3-year-old, you must have asked all of these questions. Science is asking ‘what is this'. Asking ‘who am I’ is spirituality. People misunderstood and said either this or that. Ancient civilizations had this spirit of inquiry. Science has begun to enhance their cognitive skills. Ancient science has started to shake hands with spirituality. Thirty years ago, when I spoke about Yoga, people thought it is not for everyone. Today, 2.5 billion people are practicing Yoga and meditation. Same with the environment. I have been talking about the need to be more conscious of our environment for 40 years. Today, every country has a Ministry of Environment. We need to sustain our planet. We have to take care of the air, soil, and water. We can’t leave the planet in a broken-down condition for our coming generations.
Is there an origin story?
What is the beginning point of a tennis ball? In a circle, every point has a beginning and an ending point. We are used to thinking linearly. There is another way of thinking - spherical thinking. Beginning less and endless. Today, quantum physicists recognize spherical thinking. We don't have to say energy has an origin. It is just there.
Is there a particular story that you enjoy around creation?
Quite a few. Once, from the ears of Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe came two demons. He battled with them for years but could not defeat them. Lord Vishnu then asked for help from the Divine Mother. She came and relieved him. The two demons, Madhu and Kaitabh were cravings and aversions. If you keep fighting them in your head, you can’t win them. But when you have more energy, cravings and aversions just drop away. The story goes that the Goddess helped Vishnu slay the two demons in water. Only with love, can you transcend cravings and aversions. The Divine Mother represents energy and wisdom. So, don’t fight yourself. Just elevate your energy.
What do we want?
It depends on what state of evolution you are in. If you ask a child, they will say candy. If you ask a teenager, they would want a boyfriend or a girlfriend. When they are a little older, they want a job. Our chase for something goes on until you realize that you are much bigger than all these roles. Then you start asking who am I? Where am I going? Is there anything more? Once you get to this stage, rest becomes easy. Seeking begins. Then it is not so hard to find yourself.
Love is a basic need. The nature of love is to look for the old, for bonding. This interest in humanity is that of the heart. Love is always there. When you start giving, you will find love. If you demand love, you destroy love. Not one being on the planet is without love. It is covered by stress, and small-mindedness. Even in the worst criminal, there is a child hiding inside the person. Love is our very nature. When the heart opens, tears flow. Ancient rishis say, when you encounter the truth, your heart opens. It is all part of the process.
What can we do to help the world right now?
This question may have a lot of answers. We should think of a stress-free society. So many people are committing suicide. When our subtle body shrinks, we feel depressed. This is when breathing exercises help. Meditation and breathing help us to expand our energy. This tendency to harm others dissipates. There is so much aggression in society. We don’t want to live in such a world with so much insecurity. We must focus on creating a violence-free world. For that, we must create a stress-free world. We need to create an inhibition-free society. We are one human family. Right now, we have not educated our population on how to handle the mind. After two years of the pandemic, there is a sense of hopelessness among people. We need to invoke that conviction in us that we can get over our sense of hopelessness. A collective intention from so many of us will definitely have an impact on world consciousness.
