Question & Answers with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

In our country, we see this with a great deal of symbolism. Riddhi (intelligence) and Siddhi (extraordinary abilities) always go hand in hand with knowledge. A wife is one who is always with you in every aspect. So Riddhi and Siddhi were represented as wives of Lord Ganesha and always shown along with Him.
This is just a symbolic representation. There are no celestial or divine ladies by the name of Riddhi and Siddhi as such. Do not misunderstand this.

The wife of Lord Surya is called as Chhaya Devi (“Chhaya” in Hindi means shadow). This does not mean that there is some Goddess by this name seated high up in the Heavens. We have interpreted this all so foolishly, that we have not been able to grasp the deep and hidden meaning behind all this symbolism.
People construct a Sun temple for Lord Surya and then install the idol of a goddess alongside Him. They have started having a marriage ritual for the two as well (laughter). Wherever there is sunlight, there is shadow. They go hand in hand, isn’t it? Whenever light falls on an object, it also casts a shadow as well, isn’t it? When the sun rises and there is sunlight, do not all objects cast their own shadow? In order to represent this symbolically, they have depicted Chhaya Devi as the consort of Lord Surya.

Lord Ganesha is said to be the Lord of Wisdom. So the representation of two goddesses on His sides is only to depict that both Riddhi (intelligence) and Siddhi (enhanced abilities) go together with wisdom. We have forgotten this deeper meaning and instead have started keeping two lady idols carrying rice or flowers on each side of Lord Ganesha. When you do not understand the deeper meaning, then you become foolish and this does not bring you any Siddhi also!
You mindlessly perform Puja of the idols without knowing the significance. I tell you, there is no use.

Adi Shankaracharya says so beautifully, "Atma tvam Girijamatihi sahachara prana shariram griham. Puja te vishayopabhoga rachana nidra samadhi sthithihi. Samchara padayoha pradakshina vidhi stotram sarvagiro. Yadyat karma karomi tat-tad-akhilam Shambho tavaradhanam" (Concluding verse, Para Puja by Adi Shankaracharya)

It means that Lord Shiva is your very soul, and Goddess Parvati is your intelligence, your intellect. The Prana (subtle life force) or the Pancha-Prana (five types of subtle airs or life energies) constantly circulates within your body. Your body is like the temple that houses the Divine. This is what has been said. Lord Ganesha is a Shakti (divine force or power), and Riddhi  and Siddhi go hand in hand with that Shakti.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Different knowledge points are spoken at different times and in different contexts. There is a different context to every knowledge. You need to understand that and see it in totality, rather than understanding each in isolation.

Whatever knowledge has been given, as per the time and context, you must understand it in that context rather than generalize. Listen to the complete Shiva Sutras and you will understand what is being said. If you randomly pick up a few knowledge points from Shiva Sutras and put those in the context of the Bhagavad Gita, then you are bound to get confused and deluded. You have to listen and understand that knowledge in the context of that particular knowledge talk or series rather than mixing up any two together.

To reach a destination, someone may say, “Go straight and take the last left turn”.
Someone else may say, “Go straight and then take the last right turn”.
Yet again someone else may say, “Just go straight, do not turn left or right”.
If you mix up all three instructions, or try following all of them together, you are bound to be confused and lose your way. The directions or instructions are given depending upon where you are at present. At least become wise enough to understand this intelligently.

No doubt there is no greater purifier than knowledge. But if you get stuck in knowledge only at an intellectual, or literal manner rather than assimilating it deep within, then the same knowledge becomes a source of bondage rather than liberation.

There are three different types of knowledge:
1. Indriya-janya Jnana: knowledge which is received from the senses. 2. Buddhi-janya Jnana: knowledge that comes through the intellect. 3. A kind of knowledge that is more subtle and deep, and is beyond the intellect.
Being stuck at the lower levels of knowledge can become a bondage or obstacle in rising to the higher and more subtle knowledge. You should sit and listen to knowledge again and again with attention.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See, until now, your whole world was limited to your children and their wellbeing, isn’t it? Your world was restricted to a small boundary. You only thought about 'My children; me, mine”, etc. Now that you have more time on your hands, I would suggest you to involve your neighbours and dear ones and conduct satsang regularly. Get engaged in some social service projects, and work for the society. There is so much you can do.

If you know children who are in need of a loving parent or grandparent – then make yourself available for them and take care of them. Engage yourself in some service project. Or, you can sit and read the scriptures and other books. You can take up writing as well. Today you need not even go anywhere, just by being at home and writing, you can reach out to so many people. You should always share knowledge with others.

This kind of social arrangement or framework has been in existence in India since many ages. This stage of life is called the Vanaprastha Ashrama (the third phase of the Vedic Ashrama system which starts when a person hands over household responsibilities to the next generation, takes an advisory role, and gradually withdraws from the world).
Once your children have grown and become independent, hand over the keys and responsibilities of the household to them. This is the way to be happy. If you cling onto the keys of the house till your last breath, then you will become miserable and also make others miserable around you. You should not do this. As time progresses, you should hand over the responsibilities to the next generation and let them lead their lives independently. Do not become like the Queen of England. Her son has turned 65 years old, yet he is still a prince, he has not become king and taken the throne. He often thinks whether or not will he ever become king. The mother has turned 85 or 87 years of age, but she still hangs on to the throne instead of letting her children take up the throne and come forward. People feel quite disturbed by seeing this.

There are many industrialists who are like this. They have grown so old, they have become hard of hearing, they are not able to see properly, their mind is no longer as sharp as it used to be, but they still do not pass on the reins and responsibility of their business to their children. The children keep waiting and thinking, “When will I be able to take charge of the family business and contribute?” The concept of Vanaprastha Ashrama is such a good arrangement for life. After reaching a certain age, one should simply hand over everything to the children to take forward and lead their life freely thereafter. Often the children live in fear or insecurity that they will have to constantly remain dependent and accountable to their parents. This is the greatest insecurity prevalent in society today. Even after becoming grandparents, people have this constant fear whether or not to give the charge of the house and business to the children. They fear whether the children will look after them in the old age after handing over the property to them. And we have seen many incidents like this in the society. This is one side.

On the other side, there are also some children who turn out to be so irresponsible and unworthy even when they grow up. Why does this happen? It is because they never had to care for much, other than food, shelter and clothing. They never got any spiritual knowledge and understanding of human values and so they become so irresponsible.  When people see such kind of incidents happening around them, then they also reserve some things for themselves till the very end (instead of letting go and handing over to the children). In recent times, we have seen an increase in the number of such unfortunate incidents. Children go to any length to wrongly acquire their parental or ancestral property by wrong means. Some children wrongly accuse their parents of mental imbalance or insanity to claim their property. I tell you, if you call your parents mad, are you also not behaving equally mad by trying to hoard their property in this manner? Often the children produce false certificates to prove their parents are of unsound mind.
Such incidents have been on the rise on society today. Why is this so? It is because we have not inculcated right values in children and have not educated them properly. It also happens because we have not led our lives as per the cultural values and norms of our society.

The essence of the Vanaprastha Ashrama is that after reaching a certain ripe age, one must share all that one has received in life with others. Whatever wisdom you have learnt in life till that age, you must share it with others. So after reaching the age of 50 or 60 years, one should act in accordance with the Vanaprastha Ashrama. By this age, you have had enough running after “Me; mine; my life”, etc. Now you must dedicate your life to helping and uplifting others. You must now expand your boundaries of care and concern for others, rather than limiting it further. This entire framework of the Ashrama System has been so intelligently conceived and put in place in our society.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

See, until now, your whole world was limited to your children and their wellbeing, isn’t it? Your world was restricted to a small boundary. You only thought about 'My children; me, mine”, etc. Now that you have more time on your hands, I would suggest you to involve your neighbours and dear ones and conduct satsang regularly. Get engaged in some social service projects, and work for the society. There is so much you can do.

If you know children who are in need of a loving parent or grandparent – then make yourself available for them and take care of them. Engage yourself in some service project. Or, you can sit and read the scriptures and other books. You can take up writing as well. Today you need not even go anywhere, just by being at home and writing, you can reach out to so many people. You should always share knowledge with others.

This kind of social arrangement or framework has been in existence in India since many ages. This stage of life is called the Vanaprastha Ashrama (the third phase of the Vedic Ashrama system which starts when a person hands over household responsibilities to the next generation, takes an advisory role, and gradually withdraws from the world).
Once your children have grown and become independent, hand over the keys and responsibilities of the household to them. This is the way to be happy. If you cling onto the keys of the house till your last breath, then you will become miserable and also make others miserable around you. You should not do this. As time progresses, you should hand over the responsibilities to the next generation and let them lead their lives independently. Do not become like the Queen of England. Her son has turned 65 years old, yet he is still a prince, he has not become king and taken the throne. He often thinks whether or not will he ever become king. The mother has turned 85 or 87 years of age, but she still hangs on to the throne instead of letting her children take up the throne and come forward. People feel quite disturbed by seeing this.

There are many industrialists who are like this. They have grown so old, they have become hard of hearing, they are not able to see properly, their mind is no longer as sharp as it used to be, but they still do not pass on the reins and responsibility of their business to their children. The children keep waiting and thinking, “When will I be able to take charge of the family business and contribute?” The concept of Vanaprastha Ashrama is such a good arrangement for life. After reaching a certain age, one should simply hand over everything to the children to take forward and lead their life freely thereafter. Often the children live in fear or insecurity that they will have to constantly remain dependent and accountable to their parents. This is the greatest insecurity prevalent in society today. Even after becoming grandparents, people have this constant fear whether or not to give the charge of the house and business to the children. They fear whether the children will look after them in the old age after handing over the property to them. And we have seen many incidents like this in the society. This is one side.
On the other side, there are also some children who turn out to be so irresponsible and unworthy even when they grow up. Why does this happen? It is because they never had to care for much, other than food, shelter and clothing. They never got any spiritual knowledge and understanding of human values and so they become so irresponsible.  When people see such kind of incidents happening around them, then they also reserve some things for themselves till the very end (instead of letting go and handing over to the children). In recent times, we have seen an increase in the number of such unfortunate incidents. Children go to any length to wrongly acquire their parental or ancestral property by wrong means. Some children wrongly accuse their parents of mental imbalance or insanity to claim their property. I tell you, if you call your parents mad, are you also not behaving equally mad by trying to hoard their property in this manner? Often the children produce false certificates to prove their parents are of unsound mind.
Such incidents have been on the rise on society today. Why is this so? It is because we have not inculcated right values in children and have not educated them properly. It also happens because we have not led our lives as per the cultural values and norms of our society. The essence of the Vanaprastha Ashrama is that after reaching a certain ripe age, one must share all that one has received in life with others. Whatever wisdom you have learnt in life till that age, you must share it with others. So after reaching the age of 50 or 60 years, one should act in accordance with the Vanaprastha Ashrama. By this age, you have had enough running after “Me; mine; my life”, etc. Now you must dedicate your life to helping and uplifting others. You must now expand your boundaries of care and concern for others, rather than limiting it further. This entire framework of the Ashrama System has been so intelligently conceived and put in place in our society.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You know, if you believe something then it will manifest and be like that. That is the first thing you should know. The mind has enormous power. If you have such thoughts or belief system, then it will start happening that way.

The second thing is that there are vibrations – both positive and negative. Negative vibrations also come and there are remedies for them. Do you know what remedies are there? The use of salt and oil is one of them. In India and in China also, people use salt and oil to ward off the negative vibrations and it seems to work.
This is actually also a common practice around the world. In many places when people feel negative or low, they go to the beach and take a walk near the shore. The salty air can help bring a change in the way we feel.

In India, the custom is that people take a handful of salt and rotate it around the person's head and then throw it away in flowing water nearby. It is to take away the negative vibrations. Singing devotional hymns and chanting also will help to dispel the negative vibrations.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

No, the real meaning here is that it is not our true nature to sin or do wrong deeds. It is like dirt that has come from the outside. You can separate yourself from this. This does not mean that if you have done some wrong deeds, then you go and take a dip in the holy Ganges and think that you have got the license to do more wrong deeds now (laughter). It is not like this. Sin is anything that leaves an impression on your consciousness, and you undergo misery and suffering because of sin. That is what sin is.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

It means you must recollect whatever you have done till now. When you remember and bring it into your awareness, all the good deeds that you have done till now, or whatever good results have come from your actions till now, then you are able to become a witness to all of it. And if there have been some wrong deeds also that have happened, then also just by remembering them, you are able to become a witness and overcome them all (meaning one overcomes the attachment or bondage to one’s actions or the results).

The verse is, " "Vayur anilam amritam athedam bhasmantam shariram. Om krato smara kritam smara krato smara kritam smara". (V.17, Ishavasya Upanishad) It means you become a witness to all that you have done, or that which you will do in the future.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Three kinds of trust are important in life.
1. Self-confidence or trust in the self. You must have complete faith in yourself. When you have total faith and yourself and firmly believe that 'everything good shall happen to me', then the same starts happening in life.
2. You must have trust in the goodness of people in society and the world. This trust is also important. If you look at everyone around you with an eye of suspicion, if you keep thinking, "This person is a thief”, then I tell you, you will not be able to take even one step forward in society. Suppose you are waiting at the railway station with your luggage, and suddenly you need to go to the restroom. If you are travelling alone, then you would naturally look around you and ask someone to keep an eye on your luggage until you return from the restroom, isn’t it so? Does this not happen often at a bus stand as well?
We have to have faith in others; life does not work without it. You have to trust a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. If you have to purchase or rent a house, then you have to trust the builder or the owner when you pay the advance rent and deposit that your money will be safe. Similarly, you have to trust the milkman who comes to your house daily. He delivers milk to you every day with this trust that you will pay him the due amount by the end of the month. You get electric supply with this faith that you will pay the bill regularly every month. Suppose the State Electricity Board started doubting you whether you will pay the bill or not, and decides to first take the payment in advance before supplying electricity, will this work? It does not happen this way at all. First they supply the electric power to you and at the end of the month they give you the bill for the amount consumed.
Society cannot work without trust, it simply cannot. So you need to have this trust that there are many good-natured people in the society. If you do not have this trust in society or its framework, then you will have no choice but to retreat to the jungles.

3. You must have trust in the divine. You must trust that there is some supreme power by which all of life is run, by which everything in this society functions. This divine power or consciousness is all-powerful, vast and encompasses everything. You may call it by any name – whether God, or Ishwara, or Allah. Without having this trust in the divine power, you cannot experience that totality or wholeness of life.

So, without having faith in oneself you cannot move a step forward in life. Second, without having faith in society, you will not be able to live and co-exist in society. And thirdly, without having faith in the Divine, life can never be complete. It is important to have all these three kinds of faith in life.

Now this does not mean that you remain foolish or blissfully ignorant and let others fool you. You should keep your intellect alert and have awareness. Do not get stuck in ignorance or false beliefs.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Everything that you have done till now is Karma. All that you are doing at present is also Karma. And everything that you are going to do in the future; or the inspiration for every action that you are going to do in the future – that is also Karma. Everything that is happening in the World is Karma.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Yes. You should love your friends and relatives but do not demand anything from them, or get attached to them. You should serve them in whatever way possible. When you set out with a sincere intention to serve then you will never face any misery or sorrow. But if you act towards others with an intention to gain something from them, then you will have to face sorrow and pain.