Guruji, what is Hatha yoga. Is it different from normal yoga? What is specific to this tradition of yoga?

Sri Sri:
No, Hatha yoga is one in which force or effort is used, like asanas, different kinds of difficult postures – these are all part of Hatha yoga.
A little bit of Hatha yoga is there wherever asanas are done, it is part of hatha yoga, but you don’t need to go very deep into it. If you want to go deep into it, it has to be started in childhood. It will take many years to master it.
You can stop a moving truck or a moving vehicle with Hatha Yoga. You can master pranayama and break a metal rod into two with your hands – many people have done this. They are able to break iron rods with their hands.
Doing a little bit of Hatha yoga keeps the body healthy and strong. So, it is good for that.

Which is of these is more important: Karma (action) or Bhagya (destiny)?

Sri Sri:
Do you want to watch the television first or hear it first? Both of these go hand in hand. If there are two shops adjacent to each other, then one gains while the other loses. Why? There is something invisible. But we can build that something which is invisible. Don’t curse your destiny. You can change your destiny. The youth of India is so powerful that they can change their own destiny. There is no reason to lose hope. If any of you feel that there is no way left and that you are very depressed, then do contact our Art of Living teachers. If any of you feel like committing suicide then know that you first have to take my permission before you take any step in this direction. Otherwise, you will neither get an entry here nor an entry there. You will be stuck in between. And you know that I will not grant you the permission.

"2012 03 07

Matyk Dievą šalia esančiame žmoguje – tai yra tarnystė."

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Q: Guruji, in the Bhagavad Gita there is a phrase, ‘sarvarambha-parityagi yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah’ - one who renounces all beginnings and is not striving for some result is a devotee. How will such a person move forward, if he doesn't start doing anything?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘I am beginning something’, drop this.
‘Everything is happening through me’, one who realized this is a devotee (bhakta).
A devotee understands that, ‘I am not doing anything, but through me it is being done.’
One who is in this witness consciousness is a devotee and this devotee is dear to me.

Q: Guruji can we donate our organs after death or is it essential to offer them into the fire?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, you can donate your organs. Nowhere in the scriptures has it been prohibited.

"Pirmasis problemos sprendimas yra iš viso neturėti problemos. Antras dalykas yra noriai priimti problemą ir pažiūrėti į ją kaip į iššūkį. Trečias – tiesiog pažadinti liūtą savyje."

.... ir "išgąsdinti" problemą...

When I educate someone, or ask someone not to steal, it is only out of compassion for that person. I never tell anyone not to steal or speak bad words because it hurts me, no!
Nothing and nobody can hurt me.
If you speak bad words you will have to bear the fruits of those actions.
That is why I say speak pleasant words and do not say anything unpleasant. It is not because I feel bad if you speak bad words. Words are words, it does not matter what you speak.
But some people have such behaviour; what can be done?
Whatever wrong deeds one does, he will have to bear the fruits of those actions. That is why it is said that if you are repentant for your mistake, you will not repeat the same mistake again.
You should not be saddened by others’ mistakes. You should understand that they are here to bear the fruits of their karma and that is what they are doing.
You should be compassionate towards the mistakes of others and repentant for your own mistakes. When you are compassionate towards the mistakes of others only then can you educate them. Do you see what I am saying?
If you have committed a mistake, take a sankalpa not repeat that mistake again. Even after this, if you commit the same mistake again and again still hold on to the sankalpa not to repeat the same mistake again. If you are not able to get out of this circle of mistakes even after taking a sankalpa, then pray and surrender it to God. These are the two ways to protect ourselves from our own mistakes.
To protect another from committing a mistake, compassion is required.
‘It will bring you harm, why don’t you understand?’ You will have to say this.
Still if they commit the mistake, what control do you have? In this world nobody has ever been able to stop a person who is destined to commit a mistake. What one has to do, he will do!

Q: Guruji, what roles can a common man play in transforming the society?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:The person who considers himself as a ‘common man’ only can bring about a change. One who thinks himself to be special can never bring about a change. And don’t think you cannot do anything just because you are a common man. You can do a lot

"2012 03 12




Ramybė yra tikroji tavo prigimtis, tavo įgimta esmė – ji negali tavęs palikti."

Q: Gurdev, are all the five elements equal, or is the space element superior to the other elements?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes, among the five elements, the space element is a little different.
Space is just a witness – like the soul.
All other four elements exist within the space element. There is no Earth, Water, Air or Fire without Space. The basis of these four elements is the space element and the space element does not oppose any of these four elements.
If you see, there is a deep relationship between water and fire and they are also opposing in nature. Water puts out fire and fire converts water into vapour; fire dries up all the water.
Similarly, air fuels fire and air can also put out a fire.
If you look at it from this angle then you will find that the five elements are opposing in nature and they also complement each other. One cannot exist without the other.
That is why the five elements are grouped together and called Prapanch
So the space element which is the witness of the other four elements is untouched and unaffected. It is a witness. That is why the space element is synonymous of the soul.
Similarly, in human beings, mind, intellect, memory and ego; these four are present and the soul is a witness to all these.
These four are present in the soul and they function based on their nature. Sometimes there are disturbances in the mind and sometimes the mind and intellect get into conflict. Sometimes the memory and ego play games, but the soul is just a witness to all these.

Q: How to overcome insecurity?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Insecurity is because you feel there is nobody for you. Wake up and see there is so much humanness, there is so much love in the world, and you don’t need to feel insecure.
You are walking in the street and somebody needs some help. They cannot carry their bag; won’t you go and help them? Right?
You know when we feel insecure? When we feel there is no humanness, there is no compassion, nobody is kind and nobody is friendly. Only then we feel the insecurity.
If you wake up and see, in this world there is so much love, so much compassion, so much a sense of belongingness, then there is no need of insecurity, okay! Pranayama, breathing techniques and meditation definitely helps you to get over this feeling of insecurity. It has already happened.

"2012 03 13

Malda yra subtiliausias jausmas, bangelė, suvirpinanti visą tavo Būtį."

"Viskas, ko reikia, kad gyvenimas taptų harmoningas, priimtinas, palaimingas, vadinama Gyvenimo menu. Šešios gitaros stygos turi būti suderintos, būgnas turi skambėti. Panašiai ir įvairūs gyvenimo aspektai turi derėti tarpusavyje. Mūsų santykiai su pačiu savimi, šeimos nariais, bendradarbiais, visuomene – visa tai turi būti dermėje.

Fizinių, socialinių ir dvasinių aspektų puoselėjimas yra Gyvenimo menas. Kad jaustume pilnatvę, santarvę su pačiu savimi, kad širdis galėtų šypsotis, mums reikia kai ką žinoti.

Yra keturi energijos šaltiniai – maistas, miegas, kvėpavimas ir meditacija. Kvėpavimas yra labai svarbus, be jo mūsų kūnas neturi jokios vertės. Tačiau nei mokykloje, nei namuose mes nebuvome mokomi pažinti kvėpavimą. Jei tik mes suvoktume kvėpavimo galią, mes galėtume suvaldyti savo mintis ir emocijas. Galėtume suvaldyti pyktį ir negatyvias nuotaikas. Lygiai taip pat keletas minučių gilios meditacijos suteikia mums daug energijos.

Jūs sukurti iš nekintamos būties esmės, vadinamos meile. Taip kaip kūnas sudarytas iš aminorūgščių ir kitų elementų, mūsų dvasia sukurta iš meilės. Vis dėlto kiek nedaug dar esame suvokę. Visi norime mylėti ir būti mylimi, tačiau nesame prisilietę prie pačios meilės esmės. Meilės galia - tokia gili. Ji gali išgydyti žmones nuo dvasinių, fizinių ar emocinių negalavimų.

Gyvenimo menas yra tai, kas leidžia išplėsti šią vidinę meilės erdvę mūsų gyvenime ir aplink mus. Tai yra meditacija.

Jei medituojate, palankios situacijos ima kurtis aplink jus. Meditacijos taip reikia pasauliui šiandien, tiesiog kiekvieną valandą. Meditacija suteikia ramybę mums ir keičia vibracijas aplink mus.

(Iš Šri Šri pašnekesio su mokiniais Budapešte, Vengrijoje, 2009 m. birželio 23 d.)

Q: I am an emotional eater. When I am sad, depressed, angry, I automatically start eating and eating. How to control this as I am gaining on a lot of weight?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Yes. I don’t want to give you any ideas or suggestions now. Do you know why? Because you will forget them, and when you remember, you will feel even worse, ‘Oh no, I didn’t follow those instructions.’ Right?
When you feel upset, you know what will be good? Put on some music and just dance. Even if it is sad music never mind, just dance. When you dance, you will put on less weight and you will lose what you have. Okay! At least at that time you will eat less.
Maybe after finishing the dance, you may feel more hungry and eat more. Unless you determine yourself to do something about it, nobody else can do anything about it. So on your own, you have to come to a conclusion.

"2012 03 14

Beaistriškumas nėra apatija. Dažnai manome, kad beaistriškumas reiškia būti visiškai neentuziastingu, prislėgtu, niekuo nesidominčiu, - bet tai ne beaistriškumas. Beaistriškumas – tai karštligiškumo nebuvimas. Nėra jokio džiaugsmo, kurio beaistriškumas tau nesuteiks."

truputis aistros - prota astrina, perdaug - ji slopina.

Q: How can dispassion be practiced with close relations like family? Won’t that make me indifferent?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: You know when you broaden your vision, dispassion is there, it comes naturally. It is not something that you force yourself to practice and say, ‘I am going to be dispassionate’. The mind says, ‘You want to do this’ and you say, ‘No, I need to be dispassionate’. It is not an intellectual exercise but a phenomenon. Dispassion happens when knowledge expands, awareness expands and when you are more alert. The state that comes in you is dispassion.

...hmmmmm.... O praktiškai bandei truputį aistros atseikėti?

p.s. retorinis klausimas.