Saleel Pulekar

Once somebody asked Guruji about Ramayan saraansh [summary] and this was his one-liner reply : "Jab mann roopi Sita, Hiran roopi indriyo se mohit ho jati hai, tab wo Ravan roopi ahankar ke vash me aakar, Ram roopi Atma se door ho jati hai; phir Laxman roopi sajagta aur Hanuman roopi Shwaas ke dwara use Ravan roopi ahankar se mukt karke Ram roopi atma se punah milaya jata hai." [ When Sita (mind), gets attracted by the Deer (sense objects), it comes under the clutches of Ravan (the ego) and goes away from Rama (the Self); then with the help of Laxman (awareness) and Hanuman (the breath), it is freed from Ravan (the ego) and united with Rama (the Self). ] Is your Sita with your Rama? :-) Love n Jai Gurudev

I have no words to express what it is to be staying in the ashram in Bengaluru. The very air is permeated with Sattva and Grace. Its a blessing to be here. Yesterday there were stormy winds followed by heavy showers. I guess one has to have an extremely expanded consciousness to be able to absorb the divine beauty of the atmosphere. My mind fails to comprehend how can some thing or place be so so so good! The best part of the day is the satsang in the evening with Guruji. His presence engulfs the entire hall with a warm benevolence, so obviously evident. Today in the Satsang, Brijit asked about some apparent contradiction in the Gita. Guruji narrated an anecdote. Former American president Mr. Nixon once travelled to Japan. He had the occasion to have the company of a Buddhist Zen monk on his left and a Shinto monk on his right. When asked as to how much percentage of the Japanese population is following Buddhism and how much is following Shintoism, both replied 80%. Nixon could not und...

This must have been in 2003 or 2004. Guruji had stayed back in Mumbai at Sangeeta Jani's house in Juhu. We went there to catch him the next morning before he could leave for the airport. Around a couple of hundred of us were huddled in the drawing room eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of him. Though the huge 5-storey house has an elevator in it, Guruji came down by the staircase. Heads turned around, some stopped singing the bhajan they were singing, for some others the tempo of the bhajan increased and yet a few others just shouted, "Guruji!" I could notice that he had just taken a shower. He looked like a freshly blossomed flower with the morning dew drops still sparkling on it. As he walked down, the bottom of his white veshti (dhoti) gently caressed the staircase. His glowing face, radiant like the Sun was partly hidden in his long hair let loose, still a little wet. What a sight that was! A hair brush in his right hand was finding its way through the dark black tress...

GURUJI'S TALK IN SATSANG @ ASHRAM, BANGALORE, MON 20 SEP'10 (Transcribed by Aditya Kamalapurkar) Vipaksha Bandhana Pratipaksha Bhavane - Whenever you feel negativity - you should overcome it by having the opposite emotions (increasing the positivity) Look at who you are angry with and why? Who is the person and why is he acting that way? He's not the master of his mind and has no control over the waves of emotions and thoughts - just know that and be compassionate and friendly. See how each emotion affects you and they start a whole chain of reactions in you and what happens to your mind and body. Hence we should be awake and aware. Vipaksha Bandhana Pratipaksha Bhavane. As soon as you think of someone else's mistake how agitated you get, isn't it? How many of you feel this way?? (so many hands were raised up in VM) Then that's why you should think of the guru instead! See how you feel then.... So what's the sutra?? (and almost everyone is quite in...

This full moon is dedicated to the seers - the rishis. It is also called the Raksha Bandhan . Bandhan means bondage, and raksha means protection. A bondage that protects you - Your bondage to the knowledge, to the master, to the truth, to The Self, all save you. A Rope Can Be Tied To Either Protect Or Strangle You. The Small Mind and Mundane Things can strangle you. The big mind or knowledge saves you. Raksha Bandhan is that bondage that saves you. You are bound by your bondage to the satsang, your bondage to the master, to the truth, to the ancient knowledge of the rishis, and that is your savior. Bonding is essential in life. And let the bonding be divine in a life free from bondage. - Raksha Bandhan message by Sri Sri, Copenhagen, Denmark, 20 Aug, 1997

30 July 2010, France   Q: Because I travel a lot to places where vegetarian food is hard to find, and I have to eat with office colleagues. I eat wrong foods and find energy is really low. What to do in such situations? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:   You know when people have some allergies, they don’t eat those foods for which they have allergies just because of company. Suppose you have milk allergy, and because the company is all drinking tea and milk, you’ll not say, ‘Ok, I’ll also drink.’ Because you’ll suffer. Right?   So similarly, you can choose your food in any company, you can say, ‘Ok. I am going to eat only chips, or vegetables, or bread..’ You are not compelled to eat non-veg if you don’t want to. Ok? Or unhealthy food. You don’t need to drink Pepsi or Coke if you don’t feel it’s good for you. Right? See, when people drink lots of Pepsi and Coke, it burns the lining of the stomach and the intestine.   Later on you develop so many problems. All these carbonated ...

Sunday, 20 June 2010 Satsang @ Bangalore Ashram After explaining a few verses from Ashtavakra Gita in Kannada, Guruji said, "Today we have lot of people from Tamil Nadu (and of course the elated Madrasis cheered), so today no Hindi, no English, I will talk in Tamil (this was like offering Idlis and Dosas with a double helping of curd rice to a hungry Tamilian)." A few excerpts from his Tamil talk are given below.  And if you are wondering how I could make sense out of the curvacious tongue twisters? Well, the twists and turns were ironed out by our superb camera guy GauriShankar (who is the official cameraman of WAYE) and better known for his lead role in Anand&Benaifer, the rocking superhit YES!+ Musical performed in the 1100 people YES!+ course in Mumbai and now to be performed at Summer Magic! A 2 hour and 40 min non-stop stomach aching comedy interspersed with world class singing and Yollywood (Yes!+ ka Bollywood) dances, complete with action, suspense, family drama,...

INTELLIGENT WITTY HILARIOUS FUNNY LIGHT EASY EFFORTLESS EFFECTIVE CUTE SIMPLE DIVINE Such was the Philosophy Yoga session Guruji conducted today in Vishalakshi Mantap for Art of Living Teachers and Ashtavakra Gita Course participants. Some quotes that he came up with so spontaneously: Jaisi drishti waisi srishti. Hat na kariba, pade na rahiba, dheere dhareeba pav. Balance...Samata Nasika....Na Seekha Dimag se Dil tak Haat Pav chalana zindagi ki nishani hai. Hum deewaro se takrate rehte hai, aisi deeware, jo hai hi nahi! Kuch kehte hai hum logo ko jeena sikhate hai, Kuch kehte hai hum logo ko marna sikhate hai, Hum kehte hai hum logo ko jite ji marna sikhate hai! It was the best Yoga session I have ever attended. Jai Gurudev

Here is what Guruji's wisdom blog missed: Documented by my friend who was in the ashram. I liked the disclaimer he put - the words may not exactly match, but the bhav does :-) 20th June Satsang in Vishalakshi Mantap (VM) Q: Thank you for giving us an opportunity to ask questions. It is said that Christ died because of our sins..... Sri Sri: It is a wrong interpretation to say that Christ died because of our sins. The bible was written after many years of Christ's death. If a person takes this understanding he would continue sinning and say that Christ has already died for our sins. Q: How can one remain silent and yet say what is to be said so that nothing remains unsaid? Sri Sri: Did anyone understand the question?..(There was no response) It is best kept unsaid. Q: Of recent times, I have no questions left. Does that mean that I have become "Murkh" or very "Samajhdar"? Sri Sri: There is this one question at least! That means you are not "Murkh" ...

Friends, This is an awesome blog. The latest wisdom from Guruji is posted on this. http://wisdomfromsrisri.blogspot.com/ The latest post talks about: "You be a role model. It is only spirituality t hat can bring transformation in the nation. Devoid of spirituality, politics becomes so corrupt." “Save your mind at all costs. We talk about saving the environment, saving the world but not the mind. Tell yourself: I am in charge of my life, my mind. Nobody can make me unhappy.” "When you feel that you have everything now, you will have more. Do you know who gets invited to dinners? The one who has plenty to eat. Feel the plentitu de." Q. What is the secret behind the ever-green smile? A.: I have no idea. Perhaps it’s because I always walk my talk and talk my walk.) Q. How to become an angel? A.: There is no way. You already are one! Q. Do you ever get hurt in love? Q. Can students be equal to their Guru? If yes, then how? Q. Are the Mahabharata an...

10 pm Sat, 28 Feb' 09 Its the last evening before the THE MARCH - Against Corruption & Terrorism, 2 pm Sunday, 1st Mar'09, Parliament Street, Delhi. I was figuring out a good method of SMSing a few thousand people database that we now have, as registered entries for the event tomorrow. I called up Shiv, a good friend of mine, who works for Sumeru Software and is an Art Excel teacher in Bangalore, to find out some options. He didnt answer my call, and I realised, the bugger must be enjoying satsang in the ashram with Guruji. My work was important and urgent, and so I was disappointed that Shiv was in satsang when I needed his help. Very soon Shiv called back. Even before discussing work, I first asked him what did Guruji say? Shiv said he was in satsang for just 10 min. Guruji had returned from a function in the city to felicitate octogenerians and nonagenarians. A 95 year old man gave a speech in a clear strong voice. Another 87 year old person spoke and so on...All thes...

Elaborated here :-)

MORE EXCERPTS OF GURUJI'S INTERVIEW : SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR (AOL) WITH ANURADHA SENGUPTA (CNN-IBN), FEB 2006 1. I was reading what you have said, there are different points. Some of the things that you say are so lucid and yet they are like motherhoods, they are like axioms, they are like home truths. Why is it that we need to find a Guru before we can understand any of this? Sri Sri : Why do you want the answer for this question? You want the answer, right? When you want the answer, whoever gives the answer and you accept it, they become a Guru. If there is no need, then the question does not arise at all. 2. I mentioned that when I came into Bangalore, at the airport, I saw delegates waiting. You reminded me that it is at the train stations, at the bus stops. Why is it that the Art of Living is only for the elite or the upper strata? Sri Sri : I think that it is a wrong perception. If there are 25 lakh people, who were only the rich and famous in this country, the shape of this co...

MORE EXCERPTS OF GURUJI'S INTERVIEW : SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR (AOL) WITH ANURADHA SENGUPTA (CNN-IBN), FEB 2006 1. You have studied Christianity deeply. Today, if you pick up any newspaper, you can't miss the fact that there is all this factual information as well as analysis and this great debate about - If and is Islam on a collision course with the rest of the world i.e the Western world. What are your thoughts on this? Sri Sri : India can stand as an example. In India, we have lived with many religious traditions for centuries in peace. 2. But not without moments of tumult? Sri Sri : That is very minimal when you compare it to the conflicts that the world has faced. We have always lived together and this the world needs to understand. In the rest of the world there is this conflict - only I will go to heaven and the rest of us will go to hell. Only my way is the correct way and if you believe in this set of principles, only then will you go to heaven, otherwise you will go to h...

MORE EXCERPTS OF GURUJI'S INTERVIEW : SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR (AOL) WITH ANURADHA SENGUPTA (CNN-IBN), FEB 2006 1. You have said that relegion is like the skin of the bannana, spirituality is like the banana and we all left holding the skin. Why does that happen, why do we get so caught in the trappings of customs, rituals and symbols? As human beings, we seem to be, it is like a manufacturing defect. Sri Sri : I don't think that it is a manufacturing defect. The nature has manufactured us perfectly. I think the maintainence department needs to take care. 2. There is this conflict of not being able to grasp what you have said - the values that all the religions preach are the same. And yet we do not seem to grasp this and civilisations seem to an end? Sri Sri : You know, there are many people who do understand this. The thing is that they are very passive and the few who do not understand are very aggressive. That's how it all appears that the entire mass is not understanding a...

EXCERPTS OF GURUJI'S INTERVIEW : SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR (AOL) WITH ANURADHA SENGUPTA (CNN-IBN), FEB 2006 The Art of Living turns 25 this week and followers are trickling from all aver the world. There is a sense of expectation in the air and a sense of belonging. We are going to try and cut through this haze of feel good and find out what is like being Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Who is the man behind the Guru? 1. I know we are doing a longer interview, but on the eve of the Silver Jubilee celebrations, the three days, all the world leaders, 2.5 million people, to what purpose? Sri Sri : What purpose? To reinstate the faith in human values and to dedicate our self to doing good in the society. 2. You have explained why people need a Guru and why they need to look up to somebody, to the philosophy. How do you keep the philosophy going when the charisma and the personality of the Guru have passed? Sri Sri : You should go beyond the personality and charisma and go deep within to the silent co...

Anger is Energy... says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urging Mumbaiites to channelise this energy after 26/11MARK MANUEL Times News Network (Times of India, Bombay Times, 08 Dec 2008, page 1. This time, the smile of welcome didn’t quite reach Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s dark and mischievous eyes. The face was troubled, the mind still burdened by the pain of the hundred thousand people he had addressed the previous evening at Priyadarshini Park. Some survivors of 26/11, others bereaved family members of victims, everyone a Mumbaiite let down by the state — all looking for a shoulder to cry on, a spiritual hand to apply the healing touch. That Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had already done. “I told Mumbai, if you stay with anger too long it will take a toll on your health, your mind, your thinking,” the Art of Living guru explained to me at the bungalow of Yash and Avanti Birla yesterday morning. “We need to channelise our energy,” he added. Energy or anger, I asked. “Anger is energy in a more proactive way,” ...

Jai Gurudev, It feels great to be in the ashram (in Bangalore) after a long time. I was here this holi in March, but that was for advance course. This time I am not on any course, no fixed schedules to adhere to, just being to myself, chilling out with Bawa, Dinesh bhaiya and Vishwas bhaiya and other YES!+ ashramites Rashmin, JD, Devang. And the highlight of course is satsang with Guruji. The last time I spent like this in ashram was in 2006. Yesterday the satsang happened in VM - Vishalakshi Mantap. @ 3000 people . There was no place to sit, many were standing. After a rocking ' Narayan Narayan Jai Jai Govind Hare ' Guruji started answering questions. Yesterday I was feeling ill and also worried about an issue. But when Guruji started talking it was as if layer by layer he removed the worrisome thoughts. He spoke about being alipt , meaning being untouched like the lotus though floating in water does not get wet, the water does not stick on to it, similarly we can stay in the ...