Mahasatsang at Bhodgaya, Bihar
Life is priceless. It is a gift from God. If we don’t care for it, we remain unhappy. When we care for it, we start receiving what we desire. I have come here to remind you one thing, do you know what? No, that is why I have come here to remind you of it (laughs). You don’t know why I have come here, right? I have come to remind you that there is one power that exists; God exists. If you don’t believe me then ask me. I’ll say, God exists. And He loves you a lot. Then you’ll ask, ‘Why did He give me suffering? If God exists, then why is there misery’? When we go against him or become ungrateful, then sorrow increases. When we are troubled, then we will have to seek God. Then we come to know that in times of pain, there has been someone by my side.
It is said that God measures and then attaches the tail on each animal. He did not attach the tail of an elephant to a goat, because it will not be able to carry it. Every animal is assigned a tail as long as it can carry. Similarly, every person’s problem is his tail. You face only those problems that you can handle. I have come to solve those problems that you cannot handle. All the Gurus and intellectuals in the society are there primarily to solve your problems. The whole world, and your friends and relatives are there with you. You are not alone. So, ‘God is there, He exists’; I have come here just to remind you of this fact. God is there and He loves you a lot and He is in you.
If for small and frequent intervals we quieten our minds, we will be able to establish that connection with him. Then, whatever you desire, will no longer remain impossible. ‘Jo ichcha kariho manu maahi, prabhu prataap kachhu durlabh naahin’ (A saying in a language spoken in north-central and eastern India that describes the previous sentence). This is a proven fact. All of us have gathered for a satsang here. The benefit should be that this smile that you are now wearing should never wither from your face. You have got your troubles here, leave it here, and go back with a smile, and be assured that your work will be done. It might take some time for it to be completed, but it will happen for sure. It may take some time, but it is not necessary that it will take time.
It has been thirty years since I have moved around the world. Today, you’ll find that in every corner of this world, the Indian culture and spirituality is being respected. If you go to the last city of the North Pole, Tromso, or to the last city of the South Pole, Tierra del Fuego, you will find people doing kirtan, pranayama and meditation. If you go there and say, Jai Guru Dev, you’ll find thousands of people. India is a wonderful place. The feet of God is attached to this place (referring to Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India where the satsang was organized). ‘Vishnu Paad’ (The feet of Vishnu) is attached here. This is the significance of Gaya. Buddha received knowledge at this place. Siddhartha became Buddha here and spread his knowledge all over the world. You are living on such a pure soil.
I want to reassure you that there is a power within you, which you are not utilising. If you utilise it, then you will have no reason to be sad. ‘Dukh main tyaag, sukh main seva’; Surrender in times of sorrow, and serve in times of happiness and joy. If we do this, then continuously, a wave of devotion will arise within us. If we are happy, we should do seva. And if we are upset, we must surrender it and have faith that our work will be done. Today, you make two lists; one consisting of what you want and the other consisting of what responsibilities you want to undertake. If our responsibilities are lesser than our requirements, then we will be unhappy. But, if our responsibilities are more than our requirements, then we will be happy. If we feel that we don’t want anything for ourselves, then a mystical power arises within us such that we are able to bless others as well. Then our ‘sankalpa’ (intention), what we require, starts happening. We are also capable of fulfilling others’ wishes. This is a proven science and not a superstition.
So, what do we need to do? What are our responsibilities? First, we should encourage chemical-free farming i.e. promote organic farming. All those who do farming here, should engage in organic farming. The Art of Living will help you get in touch with the market. You say that you don’t get the right price for your yield. That will not happen. Alright? Second, how many youths here are unemployed? We have opened a bureau on behalf of The Art of Living, the Employment Bureau. Those of you who are unemployed, file your names today with the bureau. Give your name, your qualifications, and your expectations, and we will definitely work it out. Do you know, many people from Bihar have come and have been trained at Bengaluru (Bengaluru, India). They are handling the Ashram there. The youth of Bihar are very brave and hard-working. Hard-working, brave and faithful; these three qualities are imbibed in them.
In between, something went wrong. For some years, it was known for the tension boiling here, for fights. But I know the inside story. The youth of Bihar are jolly and strong, and I want such youth. To construct this nation, we need the power of the youth. We are facing so much corruption. Do you know where corruption starts? Where the feeling of oneness ends, corruption begins from there. Where there is no spirituality, there starts corruption and selfishness. All of us are fed up of corruption and to eradicate it, all of us will have to put in some efforts. How do we do it? Firstly, we will take this pledge that neither will we give nor will we take bribe. If there is an officer sitting here, who accepts bribe, then I would like to mention that all these years he has been taking bribe and so has experienced what it is. He has spoilt his own name and caused bitterness in the hearts of others.
And what do we do with so much money? We collect this money, keep it in the bank and then we die! After our death, our children fight over that money in the court. You have made brothers, who are like Rama and Laxman, fight over money that you collected through your corrupt practices. Don’t do this. You stop taking bribe for one year. I am not asking for much. Just one year. But if things don’t work out, you can do what you want to. And all the youth of this place, who want to work for the nation for six months or one year, you are most welcome. There is a lot to be done for this country. All of us together would like to see a violence-free society. I remember, I came here around twelve years back. That year, things were a little serious out here. People used to say, ‘don’t go there, you can’t go there, there is a lot of danger out there’. Bihar meant fear. This was the condition. ‘A congregation was impossible. Who knows what will happen and when’? But that is not the case today. There has been a remarkable improvement since then. People are moving around fearlessly, and this is one good thing that happened. However, we have to walk a long distance. We have to do a lot.
All of us have to vow that neither will we give nor take bribe. If somebody asks for bribe, to issue a birth or death certificate, then go along with ten more people to them, not alone. Tell them, ‘We have vowed in Guruji’s satsang that we shall not give bribe, and so we can’t do this’. And ‘dharma’ is one such thing, that if you vow in a satsang, you will have to stick to it.
Second, alcohol is destroying this nation. We are very agitated to see this addiction to alcohol. The sale of alcohol has increased three times in our country in the past few months. It is being sold for lakhs and crores of rupees and people are becoming poorer. As long as the river of alcohol flows here, there will be no prosperity in this country. If the country wants to prosper and eradicate poverty, then we need to firstly shut down all alcohol shops. I tell all those addicted to alcohol to come to my ‘bar’, the intoxication you will absorb here will never die out. If you dance in the intoxication of a satsang, all other addictions will look trivial to you. People drink alcohol in marriages, when a child is born, and also when somebody dies. If a party wins an election, they drink alcohol, and in case they lose, then to forget that sorrow, they drink again. Whether people incur a loss or earn surplus profits, in either case, they drink alcohol. A chain of alcohol consumption is maintained in life, no matter what happens. We will have to change this condition. Do pranayama, kriya and meditation, you will realise what level of energy you have. You will automatically stop alcohol. To take care of our health we must use Ayurvedic products. In case of a headache, we use allopathic medicines. Use Ayurvedic medicines, do pranayama and meditation and all aches will vanish.
A person from the audience: We should stop the production of alcohol in India.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: That is why I am here. When there will be no buyers, where will they sell it.
Do you know why we have headaches? That is because of the chemical-rich food we consume which holds all fertilisers and urea used to grow crops. If we go for chemical-free farming, then the crops that grow don’t cause pain in our body, you are happy and your memory is sharp. It is, therefore, very necessary that we do yoga and pranayama for a short while daily. Your body will then be very strong and you will be happy. My blessings are always with you. There will be no dearth.
This is the magic of yoga. Yoga has the power of fulfilling all your wishes. I have heard that a small Gyan Mandap Ashram has been built in Bodh Gaya. I have come to inaugurate it. Today, more than two hundred people have come from China, Japan and other nations. Even in China, they respect the spirituality in India a lot. Our bodily problems vanish, we become healthy, happiness spreads in the society, problems are sorted out, and people experience an enhanced brain power. This is such a beautiful and sweet knowledge but it is we who have brushed it aside, disregarding it and never paying attention to it. This is a mistake we all committed.
How many of you are feeling cold? In case you are, hold your thumb such that you keep it warm. If you keep your thumb warm, your whole body will be warm. When I go to cold countries like Switzerland, I go in this same attire and they say, ‘don’t you feel cold’? And I say no. Even you can do it. Do a little bit of pranayama, yoga and meditation, and then neither heat nor cold will affect you. You’ll grow strong!
