Sri Sri: There is a saying in Hindi, ‘jaisa anna, waisa mann’. What you put in your tummy, that’s how your mind works. This is an ancient saying. It’s almost in every culture. If someone behaves strangely, they ask ‘Hey, what have you eaten today?’
Sri Sri: These are three different levels, primary, higher secondary and college. A student only wants to take some knowledge and leave. A disciple goes one step further and forms a relationship, he is connected with the heart and mind. And a devotee, well he controls God himself, he makes God is servant! If one is a master he is a devotee, if he wants to do seva, he is a disciple and if he wants to simply takes something and go then he is a student.
Sri Sri: Just be in the moment, feel fresh and alive! See the entire past as a dream and doubt the present as to whether this could be a dream, then you are already in wonderment.
Q: Guruji what is the use of Seva? How does it help meditation?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, suppose you are stranded in some place and you need someone to give you a lift in their car or taxi and nobody stops their car to give you a lift, how would you feel?
You are carrying two bags and you have to go to the restroom in a railway station. You can’t leave the bags unattended and you have to go to the restroom, what will you do? You will find some nice elderly person, go to them and keep the bags with them requesting them to take care while you go for five minutes to the restroom. Don’t you need other’s help? If they refuse to help you then how can you survive? You know in this world as human beings we have to help each other and that is what seva is.
Seva means what? ‘Sa’ means ‘him’ which refers to God and ‘Eva’ means ‘like him’; doing things like him.
God does so many things for you but does not expect anything in return from you. Whether you pray to him, thank him or not he will still continue to do. He is not doing you a favor. When you thank God, that is for your own joy, it does not matter to God. In the same way whether people acknowledge your work or not, whether they thank you or not you still do it because you find that it is important to do!
Q: Guruji, I can understand being centered and doing sadhana and seva but when criticism and jealousy turns to harmful proportions, what should I do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Be aware, be alert. Is it jealousy in you or in others? If it is in you wake up and see what are you jealous about, everything is going to finish one day. Know that everything is going to be gone, everything is going to finish, your jealousy will right away go down.
If it is others’ jealousy, don't recognize it, they will bear their cross.
Q: When my wrong deeds hurt somebody, how do I handle this situation?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Okay, if your wrong deed has hurt someone, resolve you will not repeat it. Say,' okay, I did something that has hurt someone; from now on I will not do it'. This resolution may help, you may fail once, twice, thrice but continue with the resolution.
Q: Why is spirituality needed?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Okay now, you are both matter and spirit right? Are you only matter? No! You are matter and you are also spirit. Our body is matter, our mind, intellect, emotions, they are part of the spirit. So anything that nurtures the mind, that keeps you sane, that keep you intelligent, that keeps you good hearted, kind-hearted, loving, creative is all spiritual. That which uplifts the spirit is spirituality. What can uplift the spirit? Meditation, knowledge! Knowledge about what is true, what is not true; what is real, what is not real. And then service activities, sharing yourself with others, those who are in need. Contributing to the poor, having compassion, all this is part of spirit.
And anything that uplifts the spirit is spirituality.
So in spirituality, meditation is the first thing. 60% of spirituality is meditation, going in and cleansing your heart and mind and then 20% is service and then 20% is knowledge, wisdom and that makes spirituality. This is very much essential for you to be a good human being. Spirituality is essential. It is because of spirituality that there is honesty, there is creativity, there is compassion, there is service to society, dynamism and most of all, energy. If people are getting depressed in the world today it is because of the lack of spirituality.