'Guruji is within you!'

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Kundalini simply means the energy in your body. Unless it is awakened there is no life. And in the very first kriya you do it is already awakened. It doesn’t have to be dramatic. There are three types of kundalini shaktis, one is sattvic. The most harmonious, gentle awakening of the kundalini shakti. And you don’t even know that it’s awakened, automatically you start being very happy, generous, large hearted, big minded, compassionate, intuitive. All these things keep happening spontaneously. Second is the rajasic type where you find this jerk and all this drama happens. A lot of dramatic intense experiences come, this is the rajasic way. There is no tamasic way of developing kundalini. If at all some people consider tamasic the people who use some powers and black magic and this and that sort of thing. But I don’t consider it as tamasic kundalini at all but it is some spirit powers you know. You appease some lower spirits and get some powers from them. And then you dance for some days and then you collapse, that’s what people do. So don’t run after some of this so called magic and miracles, many of them are from these lower spirits. They appear to be doing something to you and then you feel miserable later. So sattvic are the most harmonious, best type of kundalini and it is what happens already in Sudarshan Kriya. Doesn’t it happen? Tingling and every cell of the body wakes up. Does it happen or not? Remember the very first Sudarshan Kriya you did, everything awakened?! That’s it! Did you have peaceful meditation? Did you start feeling I am not the body but I am the spirit? Did you get that experience? That’s already happening. If you have no experience in kriya, you have so much dullness all the time, then you have to watch your food. You must be stuffing yourself with too much food, number one. Or you must have indulged in too much sex that there is no energy in your body to experience anything else. Then also it doesn’t happen, I tell you. Someone has been very very busy day and night and didn’t have good sleep, enough rest then there is no way that they can experience any kundalini shakti. So these are some of the criterias, got it? When your energy is conserved then you find that elevation. And if good meditation is happening you should know it is already functioning. If when meditating, inside you feel the expansion, a calmness, a serenity, it is all sign of kundalini shakti.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  The conch has not yet been blown for start of war! Krishna showed the Vishwa roopa only to Arjuna. First you become Arjuna. How to become like Arjun? What is Arjuna? To prayerfully request for knowledge and to progress is Arjuna.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Bhagavad Gita has all the topics. We have to understand that. It has knowledge as per the time.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  It was good no? Devi Puja is so nice. See the corn is hard, but when you put it in the popping machine with a little butter and little salt, what happens? The corn pops up and becomes popcorn, fluffy and very nice. Similarly within everyone, every individual, the energy (Shakti) is there. In Puja, what happens? The energy blossoms, gets uplifted and opens up. There is no place that is devoid of energy. But in many places it is sleeping. Here in Devi Puja it awakens up. Devi energy (shakti) is there within all of us. Devi is not somewhere else, not in some other world. It is within us - Devi Shakti. To make that shakti grow stronger is called Puja. If we sit deep in meditation, the glow within the body will brighten, and will expand and spread outside. That is Devi Puja.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Drop (the word) 'always'. Whenever it is possible, stay in Sakshi bhaav, that is enough. It is (the word) 'always' that creates complications.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Just know I am with you. Do sadhana, seva, satsang, that you don't leave or forget. Do your duty, meditate, do your duty.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  Dharana is keeping your mind on a specific spot. Like what we do in the beginning of meditation. Like what we do in Yoga Nidra, we take our mind to different parts of the body. Similarly we keep the attention on the breath or the top of the head, somewhere. This is called Dharana, fixing your attention on some part. Sankalpa is an intention. Though they are cousins, they are not the same.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  To see Guruji means, when you sit and close your eyes, you can see Guruji. Guruji is within you. When the heart blossoms, that is Guru tatva. The heart that continues to remain in the blossomed state is Guru. That is why Guru tatva is that tatva (state) which has both love and peace in it. How can you get that? Not by looking outward, but by turning inward. That is what you are doing now (in the Art of Meditation course) with your eyes closed from morning till evening. Become aware of your breath, nose, tongue, being said in different ways. You may feel, oh have I come for this, they have made me sit with closed eyes. In the olden days, when people would take the dead body for cremation, they would tell the children, a swami with eyes closed is going by. You may think, 'these people are making us sit with our eyes closed and making us closed-eye swamis. Without any work they are making us sit with our eyes closed', and the mind runs and thinks, 'let's open the eyes and see these people and see those people what they are doing.' When you open your eyes and see, everyone else will be sitting happily and peacefully. Then, the thought comes to the mind, 'they have all got peace, and only I didn't get it'. You might think, 'my mind (manas) is constantly running.' Many such thoughts that you like and dislike will arise, and it will go away on its own too. Sit peacefully and follow what you are asked to do in the guided meditations. As you continue to do all that you are told, after some time your mind will become peaceful. Is that happening? There must be difference between yesterday and today. If you compare morning and evening, then you will notice that your mind was more peaceful in the evening.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  If you have satisfaction right now that is enough. While coming into the world, we come with desires. While leaving, if you leave with satisfaction and fulfillment, you will have a good life. If you have good thoughts in the mind, you will get a good life. You don't have to worry at all.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  That love which is free from expectations. We show love and based on that we carry out a business. How? 'When you were young, I brought you up, right. What have you done for me?' This is business. Do you understand that? A love that is free from all expectations is Divine love.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  No, some other time we will discuss Mahabharath. Right now the Mahabharath is against corruption. So all of us, everyone should join the fight against corruption. To eliminate corruption and set things right, all should take effort. You have done well in Tamil Nadu. You did good work to eliminate corruption. The work is not over with that. More work is there.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  In this world, there are some things that we can do, and some things that we cannot do. For example, how much is your height? Say 5 feet 6 inches. Beyond 22 or 23 years of age will your height increase? No, it won't increase. We have to accept that as it is. But (consider) your weight - if it is 50, you can make it 60. If it is 100, you can make it 70. Is it not so? That we can change. In the same way, when a cow is tied at one place, the distance the cow can move depends on the length of the rope. But the cow cannot go beyond the length of the rope. It can roam around only as much as the length of the rope permits. In the same way, in life there is some freedom, some things that we do, and there are some things that are not in our hands.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  I am your fan; when it is very hot, I am a fan that gives a cool breeze - that is what I think. When you come tired,I am a fan that gives comfort.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:  By knowledge; the knowledge that they have gone today, and after some years even we have to go. All of who have come here on this planet, have come only to depart. All those who have departed, have departed only to come back. This we should think is certain. That is why, to those who depart say, 'you go ahead, and I will come later and see you. I will complete my work here and after some years I will meet you'. Saying this, show them the way. Don't sit and keep thinking, 'Oh no! They have gone away.' In our nation, they have stated very nicely in our Sastras (scriptures), 'for ten days only you be in that sorrow; forget it on the eleventh day. Leave that and live happily'. They doRekyam on thirteenth day - it means celebration. There are celebrations on the thirteenth day, wearing new clothes and eating special sweets and snacks (bhakshanam). And then sesame seeds are offered as tarpanam for the departed soul, do you know why? If you have any desires, leave them as they are like sesame seeds. Why do you suffer with small desires, go with satisfaction (tripti). That is why they say 'Tarpanam' means may you get tripti. After leaving the body let the soul (atma) get tripti. Doing tarpanam for mother, father, and their parents and calling out forefathers' names and saying, 'be satisfied, leave small desires that are in your mind. They will get fructified on their own. It is just like sesame seeds so don't worry.' In those days, mustard and sesame seeds were examples of very small things. An insignificant thing was referred to as a sesame seed, in a belittling sense. In our country we have had this wonderful custom (sampradaya) of conveying messages to our forefathers and deceased and so we do the practice of giving the pindam. 'Pindam' refers to body. The spirit, that has left the body, will have desire to get another body. At that time, the son, grandson, some relative, or daughter offers 'pindam' which means, 'don't worry you will get another body. Go forward. Don't look back, be peaceful. Many more worlds are there to see, so go forward. You will get another body.' This consolation is giving 'Pinda'. 'Be in bliss. Why think of the body? You can be born in our family itself'. It is mostly for satisfying the mind. But it is enough if you do meditation. Then it is not necessary to do other things. In meditation, mind is at rest and peaceful with the feeling, 'I am not this body; I am beyond this body.' So do meditation without fail.