Often we face dualities in life - one or the other - and it becomes seemingly difficult to choose because both are good options. Mind is divided because both are good choices; if any of them was a bad option, it would be a very simple decision.
Seva or Knowledge is one such choice. You have only limited time or some time restrictions - what to do?
Both are important! Neither can be skipped!
Without Seva, knowledge has no application. When you know something, your first impulse is to act on it. Without Action, without Seva, knowledge has no end. You will not get satisfaction.
Without knowledge, Seva will become dry. Whatever seva you do, if it does not help you reinforce the knowledge, then you will feel empty from within. You will feel sucked out of energy. Without knowledge, seva will become an effort and that will weigh you down.
Hence both are required! Both go hand-in-hand!
If you are unable to do both, means either you are not managing time properly or you are not being creative enough to find a solution.
For example, Swati has to maintain certain time at home and if she does both seva and knowledge session then she is practically unseen at home. One solution could be doing Seva with the group and listening to knowledge individually. Another could be Knowledge in a group and Seva individually. Both could be accomplished!
Jai Gurudev!
Showing posts with label QnA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QnA. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
BATIQ (Beautiful Answers To Interesting Questions) Part 2
Q: Can we chant sanskrit mantras without knowing their meanings?
A: Yes, something is better than nothing. Initially one uses mantras, then one progresses to meditation, kriya etc. Ultimately, one needs only silence to realize the divine.
Q: How does God appear?
A: How does the sun rise? Have you seen a sun rise? No? Then you must get up early & see how the sun rises. The universe is a complex thing, full of mysteries...
Q: There are people who are in the wrong path. How can we change them?
A: If you want to change them because you get hurt, you cannot change them. If you want to change them because they will get hurt, they will change automatically. (Thunderous applause that kept resonating for a long long time. People were lifted straight to the heaven with his reply)
Q: If God resides inside our hearts why should we go to the temples?
A: When God resides in your heart you can take God along with you and show him the outside world including the temples. There existed a practice of sitting in the temple for some time after the darshan. This is mainly to close ones' eyes and spend time with the Lord inside.
Q. What does one do when spirituality starts disturbing your social life?
A. Spirituality can never disturb social life, it is a matter of managing your time skilfully.
A: Yes, something is better than nothing. Initially one uses mantras, then one progresses to meditation, kriya etc. Ultimately, one needs only silence to realize the divine.
Q: How does God appear?
A: How does the sun rise? Have you seen a sun rise? No? Then you must get up early & see how the sun rises. The universe is a complex thing, full of mysteries...
Q: There are people who are in the wrong path. How can we change them?
A: If you want to change them because you get hurt, you cannot change them. If you want to change them because they will get hurt, they will change automatically. (Thunderous applause that kept resonating for a long long time. People were lifted straight to the heaven with his reply)
Q: If God resides inside our hearts why should we go to the temples?
A: When God resides in your heart you can take God along with you and show him the outside world including the temples. There existed a practice of sitting in the temple for some time after the darshan. This is mainly to close ones' eyes and spend time with the Lord inside.
Q. What does one do when spirituality starts disturbing your social life?
A. Spirituality can never disturb social life, it is a matter of managing your time skilfully.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Divine Wit & Humour - Part 2
Q: You are so full of knowledge that is equivalent to gold.
Where does it come from?
A: I have a mine with me.
Q: Have you ever had a question that you didn't have the answer to?
A: Yes, this question! (Laughter)
Q: I keep forgetting you. What should I do?
A: See when ever you know you have forgotten me, you are reminded of me and that's good (Laughter)
Q: Guruji who are you? Mahatma or God?
A: I am your servant. You make me run for all your small small works. (Laughter)
Q. Guruji kya aapke man mein hamara hridaya hai?
A. Sirf man mein hi nahin tum poore ho mujhme! Ab agar tum apna man kahin aur rakh aaye ho to alag baat hai (Laughter)
Q. Guruji main apne Aham (ego) ka kya karun?
A. Kuch mat karo usko apne paas rakho , wo meri hai. kyunki agar aham ko chod doge to aham chodne ka aham ho jayega (Laughter)
Q. Guruji do u have any worries?
A. Do I look like worried man to u?(Laughter) My only worry is that you should not worry.
Q. I want u to be forever with me
A. There is no choice for you !!!
Q. Guruji I want to get God
A. Do u have nothing else to get? (laughter). Good to have this thought- how much u want - how intensely u want God which matters.
Having fun with your Guru?
Where does it come from?
A: I have a mine with me.
Q: Have you ever had a question that you didn't have the answer to?
A: Yes, this question! (Laughter)
Q: I keep forgetting you. What should I do?
A: See when ever you know you have forgotten me, you are reminded of me and that's good (Laughter)
Q: Guruji who are you? Mahatma or God?
A: I am your servant. You make me run for all your small small works. (Laughter)
Q. Guruji kya aapke man mein hamara hridaya hai?
A. Sirf man mein hi nahin tum poore ho mujhme! Ab agar tum apna man kahin aur rakh aaye ho to alag baat hai (Laughter)
Q. Guruji main apne Aham (ego) ka kya karun?
A. Kuch mat karo usko apne paas rakho , wo meri hai. kyunki agar aham ko chod doge to aham chodne ka aham ho jayega (Laughter)
Q. Guruji do u have any worries?
A. Do I look like worried man to u?(Laughter) My only worry is that you should not worry.
Q. I want u to be forever with me
A. There is no choice for you !!!
Q. Guruji I want to get God
A. Do u have nothing else to get? (laughter). Good to have this thought- how much u want - how intensely u want God which matters.
Having fun with your Guru?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
BATIQ (Beautiful Answers To Interesting Questions) Part 1
Beautiful Answers To Interesting Questions (BATIQ) is going to be a series and this is Part 1. Here I have collated some beautiful Q & A s from Guruji's talks in December 2009. Enjoy! -
Q: Can charity grant liberation?
Guruji: Charity purifies Wealth. Ghee purifies the Food. Knowledge purifies the Intellect. Bhajan purifies the Mind & Service purifies the Actions.
Q: Tell us something about ‘nadi shodan’ (alternate nostril) pranayama.
Guruji: There are 1,82,000 nadis/ energy channels in our body. When we breathe, these are activated and that is why we are alive. When we breathe through the left nostril, certain nadis are functioning and others function when we breathe through the right nostril. So when we alternate the breath through the nostrils, certain changes happen in the body and in our system. Our system gets purified. Fresh energy moves in the system and the stress is eliminated. The left nostril activates the functioning of the right brain and vice versa. So when we alternate our breathing, all the brain waves get synchronized. Biochemical changes happen in the body. The Endocrine glands function better and any imbalance in body is rooted out. There are many benefits of pranayama.
Q: They say cats are fiercer than tiger. I am relating this to women. Women nowadays are not open to accept men’s opinion. I am concerned about the male species.
Guruji: You mean we should start men empowering seminar. (Laughter). Perhaps!!
Q: Guruji, if souls are immortal does that mean there are finite number of souls on the planet?
Guruji: Have you seen that signboard for advertisements? So many lights are there on it but not all are lit at one time. At some time some patterns of lights are there on board and at some other time some other patterns. Same is with the souls. It all depends on what souls are exhibited at one time.
Q: What are the three most important values? (Asked in a Youth Forum in Melbourne)
Guruji: You want to limit it to three?!
A sense of belongingness with the whole world. You have to take this stand, feel that you are part of the whole world and all are part of you.
Commitment to whatever you take up, and an integrity inside of you which says you are going to see your commitments through.
The third value is living in the present moment, not holding onto the past and getting into trouble in your own mind. Do you know how many problems we can create for others when we hold onto the past?
Q: How does a youth handle the ups and downs of life?
Guruji: I am a youth myself! Life is a mixture of everything: failure & success - they complement each other. If you fail, then you know the value of success, it is a stepping stone.
You need to move forward: ask yourself, what did I learn from the past, and then what is my vision for the future? This will keep you going. For this, you need presence of mind, and for this, you need to get rid of stress.
You are the player, not the pawn. If you are a pawn, someone else is moving you, and you have no control. You have to be the player, empower yourself, and that’s how these Art of Living programs can help you.
Q: How do I do charity?
Guruji: Three quarters can be given to your children, and one quarter to the child next door. Your first duty is to feed your children. As they say, there is enough for the need of the world today, but not enough for one’s greed.
Our centre in Bangalore is surrounded by villages. Unless the villages are kept clean, we cannot keep the centre clean and pure. So I said we need to build individual toilets for each family, and help to clean up the villages. Our center administration said we are always short of rooms in our center, we should build rooms in our centre rather than spend resources on cleaning the surrounding villages. And I said, the number of rooms will never be enough, the number of people visiting our center is always growing. We cannot wait for our needs to be fulfilled, and then one day start working in the village.
You cannot wait until all the needs of your family are met, and then do service. It has to be simultaneous.
Q: Can the common man attain spirituality?
Guruji: Only the common man can attain spirituality! If someone thinks they are very special, they cannot!
Q: I have started schools across the world. Please bless me.
Guruji: Very good. Make Sanskrit compulsory in your schools.A few days ago it was in the newspaper that three schools in the UK have made Sanskrit compulsory as a subject. After so much research it has been found that studying Sanskrit brings brilliance and once learnt, it is very easy to learn any other language. Studying the Devnagri script is very good for the brain.
Q: Can charity grant liberation?
Guruji: Charity purifies Wealth. Ghee purifies the Food. Knowledge purifies the Intellect. Bhajan purifies the Mind & Service purifies the Actions.
Q: Tell us something about ‘nadi shodan’ (alternate nostril) pranayama.
Guruji: There are 1,82,000 nadis/ energy channels in our body. When we breathe, these are activated and that is why we are alive. When we breathe through the left nostril, certain nadis are functioning and others function when we breathe through the right nostril. So when we alternate the breath through the nostrils, certain changes happen in the body and in our system. Our system gets purified. Fresh energy moves in the system and the stress is eliminated. The left nostril activates the functioning of the right brain and vice versa. So when we alternate our breathing, all the brain waves get synchronized. Biochemical changes happen in the body. The Endocrine glands function better and any imbalance in body is rooted out. There are many benefits of pranayama.
Q: They say cats are fiercer than tiger. I am relating this to women. Women nowadays are not open to accept men’s opinion. I am concerned about the male species.
Guruji: You mean we should start men empowering seminar. (Laughter). Perhaps!!
Q: Guruji, if souls are immortal does that mean there are finite number of souls on the planet?
Guruji: Have you seen that signboard for advertisements? So many lights are there on it but not all are lit at one time. At some time some patterns of lights are there on board and at some other time some other patterns. Same is with the souls. It all depends on what souls are exhibited at one time.
Q: What are the three most important values? (Asked in a Youth Forum in Melbourne)
Guruji: You want to limit it to three?!
A sense of belongingness with the whole world. You have to take this stand, feel that you are part of the whole world and all are part of you.
Commitment to whatever you take up, and an integrity inside of you which says you are going to see your commitments through.
The third value is living in the present moment, not holding onto the past and getting into trouble in your own mind. Do you know how many problems we can create for others when we hold onto the past?
Q: How does a youth handle the ups and downs of life?
Guruji: I am a youth myself! Life is a mixture of everything: failure & success - they complement each other. If you fail, then you know the value of success, it is a stepping stone.
You need to move forward: ask yourself, what did I learn from the past, and then what is my vision for the future? This will keep you going. For this, you need presence of mind, and for this, you need to get rid of stress.
You are the player, not the pawn. If you are a pawn, someone else is moving you, and you have no control. You have to be the player, empower yourself, and that’s how these Art of Living programs can help you.
Q: How do I do charity?
Guruji: Three quarters can be given to your children, and one quarter to the child next door. Your first duty is to feed your children. As they say, there is enough for the need of the world today, but not enough for one’s greed.
Our centre in Bangalore is surrounded by villages. Unless the villages are kept clean, we cannot keep the centre clean and pure. So I said we need to build individual toilets for each family, and help to clean up the villages. Our center administration said we are always short of rooms in our center, we should build rooms in our centre rather than spend resources on cleaning the surrounding villages. And I said, the number of rooms will never be enough, the number of people visiting our center is always growing. We cannot wait for our needs to be fulfilled, and then one day start working in the village.
You cannot wait until all the needs of your family are met, and then do service. It has to be simultaneous.
Q: Can the common man attain spirituality?
Guruji: Only the common man can attain spirituality! If someone thinks they are very special, they cannot!
Q: I have started schools across the world. Please bless me.
Guruji: Very good. Make Sanskrit compulsory in your schools.A few days ago it was in the newspaper that three schools in the UK have made Sanskrit compulsory as a subject. After so much research it has been found that studying Sanskrit brings brilliance and once learnt, it is very easy to learn any other language. Studying the Devnagri script is very good for the brain.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Divine Wit & Humour - Part 1
Q. How do we react with adults when we can see their double standards?
G. You police them. (laughter)
Q. I look for love in many strangers but still am lonely. What can I do?
G. Loneliness can produce creativity. Write novels, love songs. You don’t have to read Mills and Boons! (laughter) Meditate and then you will feel that loneliness has gone. Go like a lion or lioness and contribute to others friendship instead of wanting.
Q. What should I use in my career? Heart or brain?
A. Brain. Use the heart for hobbies.
Q. As a teenager, can I make a difference? How?
A. Keep up the enthusiasm. Don’t fall prey to others efforts to pull you down.
Q. Do we need a Guru at our age??
A. You are trapped asking this question. Why did the question come up? Whenever there is a question, a Guru is needed. He answers for a while and then takes away the question.
Q. What is GOD?
A. Generator, Operator and Destroyer. Some power that creates, destroys and dissolves.
Q. My long term memory deserts me. What to do?
A. What was that..??? (laughter)
Q. Why do you have two Sri Sris before your name?
A. Because three is too much. (more laughter)
Q. I feel depressed. Life seems like not worth living. What should I do?
A. I am here. I need you. You do my work. That’s it! Become like me. Keep smiling come what may.
Q. Is there life after death?
A. You won’t miss it. I promise. Keep some suspense otherwise you will get bored afterwards. (more laughter)
Q. How should I select my life partner?
A. No experience. I am still trying to figure that out!! (total laughter)
Q. What is the purpose of life?
A. Make a list of what is not. When you come to the last thing, you will get it!
Q. The concept of stress relieving is adding to the stress. So why to do it?
A. Is it so? Then stress has not reached its peak.
Q. There are so many corrupt politicians. What is AOL doing about it?
A. Waiting for you to grow up and become honest politicians.
Q. Why do bad things happen to good people?
A. Because they are being foolish. No bad things can happen to you. If you sow neem, neem tree will grow, and if you sow mango, mango will grow. If bad things happen due to some past mistakes, you help them.
Q. How can the AOL course help in AIDS, Cancer?
A. There are lots of studies and cases of improvements. The immune system goes up. Wait and see.
Q. Why don’t you get angry?
A. I try to, nobody believes me.!!! (That brought the whole house down with laughter!!)
G. You police them. (laughter)
Q. I look for love in many strangers but still am lonely. What can I do?
G. Loneliness can produce creativity. Write novels, love songs. You don’t have to read Mills and Boons! (laughter) Meditate and then you will feel that loneliness has gone. Go like a lion or lioness and contribute to others friendship instead of wanting.
Q. What should I use in my career? Heart or brain?
A. Brain. Use the heart for hobbies.
Q. As a teenager, can I make a difference? How?
A. Keep up the enthusiasm. Don’t fall prey to others efforts to pull you down.
Q. Do we need a Guru at our age??
A. You are trapped asking this question. Why did the question come up? Whenever there is a question, a Guru is needed. He answers for a while and then takes away the question.
Q. What is GOD?
A. Generator, Operator and Destroyer. Some power that creates, destroys and dissolves.
Q. My long term memory deserts me. What to do?
A. What was that..??? (laughter)
Q. Why do you have two Sri Sris before your name?
A. Because three is too much. (more laughter)
Q. I feel depressed. Life seems like not worth living. What should I do?
A. I am here. I need you. You do my work. That’s it! Become like me. Keep smiling come what may.
Q. Is there life after death?
A. You won’t miss it. I promise. Keep some suspense otherwise you will get bored afterwards. (more laughter)
Q. How should I select my life partner?
A. No experience. I am still trying to figure that out!! (total laughter)
Q. What is the purpose of life?
A. Make a list of what is not. When you come to the last thing, you will get it!
Q. The concept of stress relieving is adding to the stress. So why to do it?
A. Is it so? Then stress has not reached its peak.
Q. There are so many corrupt politicians. What is AOL doing about it?
A. Waiting for you to grow up and become honest politicians.
Q. Why do bad things happen to good people?
A. Because they are being foolish. No bad things can happen to you. If you sow neem, neem tree will grow, and if you sow mango, mango will grow. If bad things happen due to some past mistakes, you help them.
Q. How can the AOL course help in AIDS, Cancer?
A. There are lots of studies and cases of improvements. The immune system goes up. Wait and see.
Q. Why don’t you get angry?
A. I try to, nobody believes me.!!! (That brought the whole house down with laughter!!)
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