Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
It is said that love is a divine quality. But I find that others get troubled by my love. Please guide me.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is because you have understood love as an act or an emotion. Love is your very nature, my dear. Your persona always radiates and exudes love. A candle or a lamp does not make any efforts to spread its light on to others. It remains where it is and radiates that light. Do you see what I am saying? .
When others get disturbed by your love, then it means that you are over-expressing your love to them. You should reflect on this and hide your love a little sometimes.
It is very difficult to express love completely. So you should only express that much love which the other person can receive and appreciate. Do not go over-board in expressing your love, otherwise the person will feel suffocated.
If you go on repeating to someone “I love you so much”, then they will end up saying, “Ok, so now what?” Then they will think to themselves, “O Lord, what am I to do with him now?” Everyone has a different capacity to give and to receive love. A wise person has a much greater capacity to give and receive love from everyone. But you should not think everyone has the same capacity. A normal person may have a lesser capacity to share and receive love. Their capability is limited. So when you shower too much love on someone with a limited capacity to receive that love, then naturally they will get troubled by it. Then the same love becomes such a burden. The other person will feel like running away. So hide your love and express it wherever needed. Do not go over-board in expressing it.
Gurudev, when one gets initiated into Sanyasa (renunciation), then one is asked to burn off the Janeuu (sacred thread worn across the shoulders), and it is considered that one cremated oneself. What is the actual secret behind this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
No, it does not mean that. See, just like a snake sheds off its old skin, in the same way this ritual symbolizes that one should drop off everything from the past and be firmly established in the present.
Burning the thread at the time of Sanyasa means that one no longer needs to shoulder any responsibilities or duties. The reason behind wearing the thread is to remind oneself about the responsibilities one has to fulfill. Once a person has fulfilled all responsibilities and commitments, then he takes off the sacred thread. This also means one become centered and at peace. They do not have any more desires to be fulfilled.
How is spirituality going to combat materialism, separatist tendencies, corruption and criminality in the coming generations?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Do you know the reason for criminality to exist? It is because of stress. And what is the reason for stress? It exists because people want to achieve a lot with very little energy and even lesser time. This creates stress and misunderstanding. They have never been taught how to meditate, how to be peaceful and how to find joy within themselves. It is in the search of joy that people engage in criminal practices. It is in the search of happiness that people are becoming corrupt. That is why education and growing up in good culture is absolutely essential.
See, you are brought up in a certain culture. At home people have taught you decency and good behavior. Just imagine another house where children have never been taught all that. Parents were always fighting with each other. They were throwing cups and knives at each other. What kind of samskaras (habits or tendencies) would this inculcate in children? They will get the same samskaraas. They will go out and throw plates and stones at each other.
If you are brought up in an environment where you are taught, “Violence is shameful”, then you will not indulge in violence. But if you are taught, ”Take pride in violence. More violence makes you a macho man”, then you will indulge in it.
As a fresher joining the corporate world, what should I give importance to? Salary or other things?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Improve your communication skills. This is very much needed for anyone in business. A businessman cannot afford to be impulsive, short tempered, incommunicable, unfriendly and lacking in confidence. In the presence of these things one will not be able to do business properly.
Gurudev, if somebody in the team is not able to perform for some personal reason, then how do we motivate them to work for the team in spite of their problems?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
There is no way. When they have a personal problem, then they are stuck with it and you cannot make them perform better. You can only give them confidence and say, “Okay, you will get over your personal problem, at least focus on your profession”. You can tell this to them, but you have to see how far it works.
How do I know the purpose of my life?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Just make of list of all the things which do not fit your purpose. Life’s purpose is not just eating and watching television. It is not fighting with other people. It is not depositing money in your bank till you die. We work our whole lives to earn money. We deposit it in bank and even before making a will, we die. Later on, children who lived happily together, start to fight over this money. This is what happens in this world.
What are the things which are not the purpose of your life? Just make a list. Then you will understand what the real purpose is.
Gurudev, I am from Argentina. The medical treatments are changing now. I need to know what you think about this. According to you, what do the medical doctors need to know?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Medical doctors need to have a new paradigm. They cannot be fanatic about what they studied 20 years ago. They should know that the field of medicine is changing very fast. What was thought to be the ultimate cure, today has been discarded. What was thought to be the right way, today has become the wrong way.
Firstly, medical science is developing, growing and changing. If doctors understand this, they will not be fanatical about what is stuck in their mind through what they studied several years ago. Secondly, a holistic approach needs to be adopted. Usually in Allopathy, they only prescribe medication, they do not prescribe diet or lifestyle changes.
Holistic approach is needed as present in Ayurveda. Even when it comes to Ayurveda, you cannot be a fanatic about it. Some people say, “I want to have only Ayurveda”. You need to have a broad outlook. Education regarding preventive medicines should be given priority in order to stop diseases even before it comes.
One is hearing so much about the ill-effects of radiation from cell towers. In our home, when we measured the radiation levels from cell towers, it was not in the danger zone, whereas the Wi-Fi was emitting radiations which were very much in the danger zone. Could you comment on this and how do you see things going forward?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
Wi-Fi should be limited to office hours. Later on you should switch it off. Even at home you should switch off the Wi-Fi after use. Similarly, there should be zones where there is no Wi-Fi. In moderation it is okay.
Our nervous system gets used to it after sometime. The adaptability is inbuilt in our nervous system and this can function only when there is no stress. If you are stressed, your adaptability decreases. And when adaptability decreases, you are prone to the effects of radiation and diseases much more than others. So increase your adaptability by being free from stress. Keep yourself happy and definitely do pranayama, yoga, meditation and eat healthy food. This would help to a great extent.
Gurudev, I have heard that one should let go of their desires. How can I stop my heart from wanting something that it cannot have?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You have said that you cannot have it, so somewhere you need to drop it otherwise you will get into depression. When you have a goal in life, when you are here to contribute towards something positive in the world, then you will not be bogged down by your needs and cravings.
Sometimes your cravings are silly and they are not going to help you. Still if you crave from them then it means you have a lot of free time, and you don’t have a goal to achieve. I will give you a goal. We have the World Cultural Festival coming up, and millions of people are going to come for it, you can volunteer for that.
Gurudev, in society, the press blames the politicians, the politicians blame the bureaucrats, the bureaucrats blame the system, and the system blame the people. Where does the buck stop?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
The buck stops at you. What do you want to do? You need to think if you can you create awareness in people about this. No point in discussing what others are doing, let them do what they want to do. What is it that you want to do, that is worth thinking!