Gurudev, what if someone gets angry with you? What do you do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Oh, you know, when I was a little older than you, I was teaching meditation. And there was an older man, who was a meditation teacher, and he was also teaching meditation, but people wouldn’t go to him, in spite of many advertisements.
I would just sit and people would come and want to learn from me.
Then one day, he got upset and angry, and he came to me with so much anger. He started saying all sorts of things. I just took some water in a glass and kept it in front of him.
I said, ‘Please drink water. I feel you are straining yourself’, and then he just became so quiet. He couldn’t speak a word afterwards.
Then one day, he got upset and angry, and he came to me with so much anger. He started saying all sorts of things. I just took some water in a glass and kept it in front of him.
I said, ‘Please drink water. I feel you are straining yourself’, and then he just became so quiet. He couldn’t speak a word afterwards.
I saw all his neck nerves getting so stiff, and his body getting so stiff. I thought something might happen to him. I did nothing wrong but he was so upset, because people were coming to sit in front of me and learn meditation. So, I just watched how he got angry.
You know, I have never said one bad word in all these 56 years. Till now, I have not used any foul words against anyone, it never comes. Even when I was young, I never used any foul words. I don’t know why, perhaps it is the makeup of this body and mind. But what I am saying is when somebody is angry at you, what you can do is either you get angry or you just be quiet. Just watch them, and then tell them, ‘Peace.’
