Excerpts of the Dharamshala, Himachal pradesh (India) Satsang (25rd March 2011)

Jai Gurudev!

If we are proud about our past/history... then, we can think of a bright future for our country. The Vedas say that... our mind is the sacred place where Shiva and Shakti reside. It is very calm, blissful, and peaceful.

Today I want you to take 3 pledges:

First one is against corruption. We have to stop corruption in this country. There are different levels of corruption. One is at the individual level. You have to stop accepting that giving bribes are a way of life.

The second is at the level of bureaucracy. I want all officials to put “I don’t accept bribes” on their tables. Do this for one year only. You will see a great difference. People will bless you. Sometimes, even when you work hard, you do not see any results or promotion. This is because you have been corrupt. Stop this corruption for one year and see what happens. People will bless you and you will see progress in your life.

Second pledge is to remove addiction. Himachal has more than 500 rivers, but alcohol is more-free flowing than these rivers! This has to be stopped. We all have to work for this. Will you do this? Give me your pledge!

The third is to stop female feticide/infanticide. There is a wrong feeling that only the male child can do the funeral kriyas (anthyeshti). Women can also do this. In ancient India, even women used to wear the sacred thread and do the funeral kriyas. In Bali, even today, women perform all these duties – and these people learnt this tradition from India. Somehow, we have lost this tradition. We need to re-instate this tradition! Girls have the same rights as boys! They should be protected at all costs. The Vedas say that the sin for killing 100 cows is equal to killing 1 brahmin. The sin for killing 100 brahmins is equal to killing 1 sanyasi and killing 100 sanyasis is equal to killing 1 girl. Such is the high regard that we give to girls.

The fourth is that we need to protect our environment. Let us take two hours every Sunday and start cleaning our city. Go to shops and ask them to keep their area clean. When the public puts pressure, it will be more effective when compared to government pushing this initiative. Create groups of 15 – 20 people. Do this right now at the gate, give your names and get this initiative going. I can see people from different cities. You can start this in your own cities also. Then, things will start to change.

Go with the belief that you are taken care of. All sorts of lack will be removed from your life. This belief will bring the strength for you to face any situation in your life. The main objective of satsang is to relax in the self... and be continuously happy. There are so many Saints here... they are giving you blessings in their silence. Everybody has a capacity to bless. When does this ability blossom in you ... when you are contented! Do one thing at home tonight. First... list all your needs. Then, list all your responsibilities. If your responsibilities are more than your needs, you will be happy and contented. When you are contented, you will be able to bless people. Usually, elders are asked to bless people. This is because they have lived a full life and do not need anything at that stage in life. But, we don’t have to be so old to bless others. If we develop contentment in our life, we can develop the ability to bless. You will also get healing powers with this ability. You should watch your diet and meditate go develop this. As far as diet goes, in ancient India, people used to do anna shudhi. A little ghee is added to the rice so that the rice gets digested slowly. This prevents diabetes. Ghee/Butter purifies food, seva purifies karma, donation purifies your money/earnings by doing these things, life becomes pure.

This is art of living... First, opposites are complementary. It is a part and parcel of life. Don’t stop doing your karma because something bad has happened in your life. Things happen, you take them in your stride and keep moving forward. Second, take everybody with you and move ahead in life. No two people are alike. Accept everybody and move on. Third – when we make a mistake... we say it happened, and when somebody else does it.. we point fingers. Treat all mistakes as same... they happen.

Any questions today?

Q: Is it true that the world will end in 2012?

Sri Sri: This is all false... people said this for the year 2000 also... nothing like this will happen. All this exists only in American movies :)!

Q: Does everybody take birth and die or is there anybody who is free from this cycle?

Sri Sri: Some people are bound by this cycle – they have no choice, but others take birth according to their choice.

Q: What should parents do to bring their children on right path?

Sri Sri: Children also ask me the same thing :)! You cannot change your child alone without changing the company your child keeps. Watch the friends closely – if they are going in the wrong path, change them first. Your child will automatically come to the right path. You have to be a good uncle/aunt before being a good parent. If you want to break off a mango from the tree, you don’t hit the mango with the stone. You hit the branch so that the mango breaks off from the tree. In the same way, if you change the friends first, your child will change too! Then bring them to the YES! Course. There are so many youth sitting here.. ask them about their experience. They had fantastic time here!

Q: Guruji, you say that we should be happy. How can we be happy when we are in difficult situation?

Sri Sri: There is a story. Mullah Nassuridin was in a hospital. All his bones were broken. A friend went to visit him and Mullah was smiling. The friend asked, how can you smile in such a situation? Mullah said, if I can't smile in this situation, then I haven't learned to smile. Most disease are related to the mind, not to the body. Accept the pain/problems and keep your mind happy.

Q: When all religions are good, why do people fight in name of religion?

Sri Sri: I met the honorable Dalai Lama today, he said India has advocated non-violence for so long we should be proud of it. Hindu religion is the source for Buddhism, is inspired by it –Indians should ensure that all religions co-exist in please. We are celebrating 30 yrs of Art of living in Berlin in the same stadium where Hitler started his campaign. He started violence – we will end it with a message for peace. People from 152 different countries will come and represent their different cultures. We have to create a Divine society where there is no violence or corruption. We lived in such a society before... we have to take our society back to those times where there is no disease no tension no corruption we can build such a society if everybody is well educated.

Q: Is sacrificing animals is right?

Sri Sri: This practice is prevalent in Himachal. This is very wrong. We should educate people about it and stop it. If you have to sacrifice something, then sacrifice the animalistic instinct. Sacrifice your cowardice instead of chickens :)! Sacrificing poor animals won't get you anything. The Shastras don’t advocate this practice either. When you sacrifice those animalistic instincts, your consciousness will become pure! Priests should educate people properly. However, the priests themselves are not that well educated these days! They advocate practices that are not good. They mix up things and chant wrong mantras. We should encourage people to learn Sanskrit and understand the meaning behind mantras. Mantras are very powerful, but when not chanted properly, their effect comes down. We have to preserve and spread our knowledge.

Q: Is Karma a matter of body or of Soul?

Sri Sri: Karma is neither of the body nor the soul. The body is Prakriti. The soul is Paramatma. Karma is of the mind, which is between the body and the soul. If you drop the mind, you can get out of the cycle of Karma.