Guruji's discourse at Bangalore Ashram

Q. Why is this that good people like Ram suffer?

A. For you it might be a suffering, for them it may be joyful. You may not like doing laborious job, but at the same time people go for body building, they go to gym. lift weight and enjoy. Similarly, you might not like climbing a mountain, but for some it is a big joy. They climb big mountains for joy, isn't it? In case of Ram, he was full of joy from within. To him nothing mattered, he was so centered that he could find joy anywhere. He had seen the royal life and was not attached to it. He was so obedient that he felt joy in obeying their parents, so to him it was all fun.

Q. What is more important knowledge or devotion?
A. They both go parallel. Its like a chair if you pull one leg the other will also come. So both, knowledge brings devotion and devotion brings knowledge.

Q. If there is "shiva" inside us then why do we do bad things?
A. Hmmm. Shiva is sleeping. When you do bad things your shiva is sleeping. When your shiva wakes up, he tells doesn't matter go ahead and everything will be alright. He brings back the power, the enthusiasm, the energy to move on and on.

Q. Why there is carry forward of karma?
A. See its all for fun. If everybody would be same there would be no fun. There should be some variety, some excitement.

Anyway you don't worry about this, at the end YOU WILL BE SAVED. (I guarantee you will be saved and back home :)

Q. (Something about religion)
A. There is some problem everywhere. Now the time has come to come out of this. Take everybody and walk on the path of spirituality.

Through art of living we can combine all the people together.

Recently there was a course of 40 people in a mosque and everybody cried with the tears of gratitude. Recently in Kashmir also there was a course of 200 people and they were filled with joy.

Q. Should Hindu's also become hard-cored Hindu's?
A. If it is there in one religion it will also come in other religion.

Q. What is liberation? Where does the soul go and from where does it come?
A. That anyways you will come to know. Lets see the life first.

Q. I have heard that you yourself should not make a Guru, if there is a
Guru in your life he will find you. Is it right?
A. Just know that you are a devotee. Don't try to become a devotee or makea Guru. Just walk with it.
"Pyar ko pyar hi rehne do koi naam na do"
( Let love be love, don't give it a name)

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Q. Guruji, I'm not feeling happy, what shall I do?
A. You are not happy now. What is the cause of you not being happy. Argument in the family.Relax, are you here now. Just be here 100%.
You know, you want perfection in relationship that is what is bothering you. Different people behave differently at different times.So don't bother and do sadhna, pranayama and kriya, it will help.

Q. We say that "Don't be football of other people's opinion", then why did Rama leave Sita on opinion of Sita? Was he not aware of this?
A. Rama was "Maryada Purshotam", so he obeyed the rules.That is why, he took rebirth as Krishna and broke all the rules.

Q. Even when faith is there, sometime it breaks just because of small events. Why?
A. The faith is not strong.

Q. Guruji, you gave me peace. What is next?
A. I'll keep telling.

Q. Is an atheist condemned by God? If a person doesn't do any religious activities but is very virtuous in worldly things, is that a good person?
A. You cannot be 100% atheist. Yes, to be a good person your mind and heart should be full of love and purity.

Q. What is the story behind Gurupurnima?
A. Acharya gives knowledge and Guru gives height of awareness. Guru makes you alive. Acharya gives information; Guru gives intelligence, an awakened intelligence.Mind is connected with moon. Full moon is completion, the pinnacle.In GuruPurnima the devotee wakes up in full gratitude. Devotee becomes like an ocean moving in itself. Its the time to come in fullness. Its a time to celebrate.Its also called "Vyasa Purnima". Vyasa had given knowledge on each and every subject.

So in Gurupunima you remember all guru's of the past. It is the day when devotee arises in full gratitude, they turnback and see how they changed and developed in the last 1 year. They assess what lessons they have learned and how they are growing in knowledge.

Its reviewing yourself in knowledge. Mind needs to be reminded again and again, so we review it.

This is a translation from Tamil to English and not verbatim.

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Brain has two sides. Left side is logic and Right side is music. Both are needed for wholeness. If only music is there brain won't function properly. If only mathematical, logical mind is there than there will be no feeling, there will be nothing in life.So both are needed. When you have both then it becomes a satsang. Good song is a satsang. Don't think what is there in singing, sing about whom, why sing. Just sing open your mouth and sing, sing from heart.

Silence, so far it is done only during mourning. Here its different, its not like a silence in mourning. In mourning, we can't stand a silence for say 2 minutes. Here its a special silence, joyfull silence. Before you go to silence don't keep any troubles in the mind, put it in the basket.

We are here to calm the mind and when mind is peacefull that is what is true peace.

Q. Does the means justify the end?
A. In our history, there was one King, Satya Harishchandra, he always told truth. So he got an ego that he always tells truth. So he had to undergo a lot of problems. Now,"Why shall I tell the truth and suffer?" this feeling can come. But people who lie, are they joyfull in the end?

Lies should be like salt in the food, thats all.

In life 4 things are needed:
1. Mukti - Freedom
2. Bhakti - Devotion
3. Yukti - Tactic
4. Shakti - Strength

First freedom, without freedom there will be no love. In freedom mind has no conflicts it is free from inhibitions.

Then love comes.

Then yukti happens, like how a mother feeds the child applying different yukti's like showing him the moon.

Then shakti, there are different types of shakti's
1. Intellect
2. Mind
3. Body
4. Material

If there is only shakti and yukti then life is not whole. Feel that you have all.

Q. Why there is birth?
A. That you should have asked me before birth. What use asking now?It has already happened. Now ask God what work to do?

Q. Is an atheist condemned by God? What if he does all the worldly things well?
A. If you think God is somebody sitting in the heaven waiting to punish you, then there is nobody like that. To become an atheist it is the most difficult thing, almost impossible. Only God can say whether something exists or not, because he only created it. Only if you have total knowledge you can say things don't exist. Even scientists can't prove God. God is love, wherever there is love there is God, earth, water everywhere. An atheist cannot say there is no love and that is God.

Q. (Something on sudarshan kriya)
A. You know why temples are built on mountains and high places. Because
when you go to the temple you breathe as in Sudarshan Kriya and get exhausted. So actually when you go to the temple you are doing Sudarshan Kriya.So when you do Sudarshan Kriya temple comes to you.

Q. Why do people fight if there is only 1 God?
A. I have the same question. See our tongue will not be burnt if we sing of Allah or Jesus. Here in art of living we sing of Allah, Jesus, Krishna, Rama. We have to get all the people together, bring them to art of living.