Sri Sri: Jai Gurudev!
Today an incident has taken place. Pitaji, the one who has given me this body, has left his body. Body coming and leaving is a celebration. After living a complete life he has gone to the source. We should know that our bodies are going to be destroyed one day.
There are three Gunas by which ones life can be considered. If we see from this angle, Pitaji's life was sattvic. He has been always enthusiastic, never every complained about anything but took everything as challenging. Every one's life is a story.
In his childhood he was born in scientific and learned family. His parents were in Gandhi ji's ashram for 20 years and worked for a India's independence. His parents gave all the gold and wealth at home to Gandhiji for the struggle that finally got India its independence. At that time Pitaji was 10 years old. He was studying in an English medium school in Bangalore. He quit school during the Quit India Movement. His father expired when he was just 16 years old. At that tender age, he took care of his family including his brother and sister financially. He used to walk 17km daily to do the job. He used to work and he started a shop which his brother used to manage. Pitaji's younger brother was very innocent. He wasn't managing the business at the shop so well but Pitaji never said anything to his brother about not talking proper care of the shop.
When Bhanu and I were born, he ensured that we always had everything. He used to tell us new stories everyday that were very inspiring. Every evening when he would come, we would clap hands and make everyone smile for sometime. He would serve the poor. He never bothered or used to worry about tomorrow. When the Bangalore International center started, he took care of the ashram. He would come to the ashram everyday to take care of the requirements and he would bring vegetables too for the ashram kitchen. He would travel by bus, even though I would tell him to go by car. In a village nearby the ashram, 100 young girls were about to be sold, Pitaji stopped that and taught those girls tailoring to support their life by themselves. He has had a enthusiastic and happy life. I would like all the elderly to live with enthusiasm till their last breath. Its very important because nowadays after 50 years, people are loosing enthusiasm.
Pitaji used to say: there are three kinds of people: VIP, VVIP, and VOC. VOC: Very ordinary chap. Pitaji used to call himself a very ordinary chap. He was a down to earth person. Till his last breath he was involved in service projects. He never believed in long rituals.
When rituals for the dead would go on for too long, Pitaji would say that the person performing the rituals for the dead would die :)
A few days ago, Pitaji expressed his wish that he wants to depart. He breathed his last when I landed in Bangalore. He was so energetic. Even when he would walk, he would walk like an elephant. He has experienced a wide spectrum of life.
Remembering all his qualities mean that we should imbibe those qualities in us. He was so deep in faith and commitment. We need to imbibe all those qualities that he represented and lived all his life. His sense of humor and humility.
He designed a car when we were young. He was very fond of making a 4 wheeler car in India.
At that time he went to Delhi to get a license for the same. At that time Maruti car was also getting launched. He tried to get the license for 4 years. He said OK the government is refusing to give license for 4 wheeler car, so I will take one wheel away. He made a 3 wheeler vehicle. There was so much corruption at every step of the way and since he was not ready to pay bribe to anyone, he couldn't make it. I told him, why are you doing all this?
I told him to get into service, social service. Then he started VISTA India. In Sirsi, 450 km from here he started work. He has worked in 33 villages and created many groups. He used to go to these remote villages and take care of those women and children. In fact, till now I haven't been to that place yet. His wish was that I should visit the 33 villages where he has worked. I will go there.
Q: What is the most important/Valuable thing in life?
Sri Sri: Life itself is the most valuable thing. Things/objects should gain value from life, life shouldn't get value from things. When we value life, things also get valued.
Q: If everyone goes to heaven then who will serve people?
Sri Sri: I received a funny SMS. As soon as I opened it, the first line was Goto Hell. Then it was followed by "Because only you can transform hell into heaven". You know any one would get shocked by seeing the first line :)
Hell and heaven are right here. It depends on the state of mind. When it is happy, heaven gets created whereever it is.
Q: How to go beyond happiness and sadness?
Sri Sri: Days of happiness and sadness come and go, but life keeps going on. Between clouds of happiness and sadness, see the sky - that is what we are.
Q: Why wasn't Sudarshan Kriya come earlier?
Sri Sri: Bhagvad Gita was given to this world 5000 years back.Why it was not there before it. The nature knows what is required when and it comes at the right time.
Q: Why doesn't God teach the corrupt people as lesson?
Sri Sri: So that you can do something. God has created corruption and has given some work to you. Dont expect everything do be done by God only. We never think let God himself come and feed us. We put in efforts to fulfill our needs, similarly we need to put in efforts to fulfill the needs of our country. Our work is to support dharma.
In Germany, every 2 years, 1.5 lakh people gather at a evangelical church. They asked me to come and I went. Everyone loved the program. Then on the next day I saw in the newspaper that they had called me because they knew that people who are seekers will come when they hear my name. They had kept a ticket.
They wanted people to come and there was a lady moderator, and a priest. These two were supposed to cut whatever Guruji says and then all the people who have come to the church will have more respect for the church. This was revealed in the newspapers in Germany later.
The program was a good one and everyone was interested at the end in Art of Living instead in church. The discussion was such that all the people who came said that this is what we want. Though people wanted to fight and win over me, they didn't know how to fight with me, so I already won. In the newspapers next day, they wrote that their plan failed. The plan was of a small group of people. Not everyone is bad here, there are more good than bad. The world is made of all kinds of people.
If there is nothing else, people take a religious cause to fight - my God is better than your God.
Anna Hazare's team (Team fighting against corruption in India) said that we will ask for Chidambaram(a member of Indian parliament) to resign. I asked what will happen even if he resigns? They will replace one pawn with another.
Ask the whole goverment to resign.
I am telling Ramdev ji (One more saint leading the fight against corruption in India) also to stop fasting. You need a lot of energy when you have a big fight. When you are dealing with sensitive people, it is fine. They will feel that you are fasting, they will have some mercy but when you are with insensitive people, you have design and plan new tactics.
Excerpt source:
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