Eternalizing Problems

Whenever a problem comes in front of us, we eternalize and generalize it. We should stop this. If there is a problem and you say, I want you to say, ‘Oh, I will face this problem!’

Instead what is it that you do? When there is a problem you eternalize it, you say, ‘Oh, everybody is foolish, everybody is bad. Nobody likes me'. This is generalizing. How can this be possible?

In our mind we blow it up, generalize and eternalize the problem. When you sow such seeds (in the consciousness), such things will occur more and more.

Q: What is the meaning of ‘Annadata Sukhi Bhava’?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: ‘Annadata sukhi bhava’ means ‘those who are providing me with this food, let them be happy’. Will you all say this one mantra every day before your meals?
When you say this, you are wishing prosperity for three people. One is to the farmer; the second is to the trader who buys from the farmers and sells the produce, and the third is to the woman who cooks the food and serves it to you.
First, we wish well for the farmers. When the farmers are happy, then the ones who eat the food will also be happy. But, if the farmers are unhappy, and they are shedding tears and giving us food, then when we eat that food, we become sick. So, you must wish the farmers good health and happiness.
In this country we are ignoring the farmers. Farmers are committing suicide because they are sad and unhappy. When they are sad, then the food they produce brings us only misery. So, all of you should wish them happiness.
Second, we should wish well for the traders. If the merchants do their business properly, by not being greedy and not hoarding things, then there will be no dearth of food in the country. If there is a problem in our country, it is because of wrong government policies and the hoarding attitude of businessmen. As a result of this, it is the farmers who suffer the most. Can you imagine, three years ago, food companies were making 300 per cent profit, while the farmers were going bankrupt? This shows that there is a serious flaw in our system; we need to look into it. Hoarding is the biggest crime.
Third, we should wish well for the women at home who cook the food and serves it to us. There should be no tears in the eyes of the lady of the house who is cooking the food. It is not going to do you any good. So, when you say Annadata Sukhi Bhava every day, you are praying for the lady of the house to be happy; you are praying for the merchant to conduct his business in a fair and just manner (not out of greed), and you are wishing the farmer a happy life. If these three people are happy, then the society is happy.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: If you really look at it, the true Annadaata (the Giver of Food) is none other than God himself. And God is always happy and content. Does God ever become unhappy? No! Yet, at the level of this gross material world that we are in, we pray to God who is the ultimate nurturer, for the happiness and well-being of these three people who help to provide us with food. We all should chant this every day, both before and after our meals. Bless them before and after you have had your food.

What Is Stress and How to Get Rid of It?

Stress is too much to do, too little time, and no energy, Do you agree with me? In a short time, we have to do a lot, but there is no energy, and this causes stress.

How to get rid of stress?

• By reducing the workload - This does not appear to be a possibility these days.
• By increasing the time - This is which we cannot do. It is fixed, unless we go to another planet.
• By increasing the energy level within us - And this is the only option we are left with.

When we have enough energy and enthusiasm, we are able to handle any challenge.

One aspect of the yoga way is to provide us with tools and techniques to lead a stress-free life and a tension-free life. On the other hand, I would say, yoga is also the greatest wealth of humankind.

The Real Glory

It is often believed that glory and dispassion are contradictory and cannot
co-exist. Glory and luxury without dispassion is a nauseating pomp and
show. Such glory does not bring fulfillment for anyone, it is shallow.
Alternately, the dispassion that is afraid of glory is weak. True
dispassion is oblivious to glory.

The glory that comes with dispassion is something that is true, that is
permanent and authentic. When someone runs after glory they are shallow.
Like movie stars, politicians and religious leaders who try to hold on to
their status, to their glory, they are certain to lose. If you run after
glory all you get is misery. When you are dispassionate, glory comes to you.

If you are afraid of glory, that means you are not well-founded in
dispassion. In India, the Sadhus run away from glory. They think they will
lose their dispassion and get trapped in the web of the world, the circus.
The dispassion is so blissful, they get attached to the dispassion.

They are afraid of losing the dispassion, the centeredness and bliss that
comes along with it. This is weak dispassion. Dispassion is a state of
being and glory is the happening around it. True dispassion can never be
lost or overshadowed by glory. True dispassion is glorious! Real glory is
true dispassion!

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

How to Relate to Someone

Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita: 'The foolish think of me as the un-manifest coming into manifestation, knowing not my higher immutable unsurpassed nature. 'I am un-manifest, but people only see my manifested aspect. They only see my outer appearance'.

See, whenever you relate to somebody, you only relate to their external. In fact, it is the self or the mind, or the spirit inside them which you are relating to, but you never pay attention to that. Do you see what I am saying? When you are relating to someone, what is it that you are relating to, the body or the spirit? You have never even thought about this.

Krishna continues in Bhagvad Gita: 'People think of me only as the external human being, they do not see that space, that consciousness which is in fact speaking and which is doing everything. They only see the eight fold prakruti, nobody sees something beyond that. Such people are not intelligent'. Then he says, 'And it is not their mistake also because I don't reveal myself to everybody'.

How to Relate to Someone?

Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita: 'The foolish think of me as the un-manifest
coming into manifestation, knowing not my higher immutable unsurpassed
nature. 'I am un-manifest, but people only see my manifested aspect. They
only see my outer appearance'.

See, whenever you relate to somebody, you only relate to their external. In
fact, it is the self or the mind, or the spirit inside them which you are
relating to, but you never pay attention to that. Do you see what I am
saying? When you are relating to someone, what is it that you are relating
to, the body or the spirit? You have never even thought about this.

Krishna continues in Bhagvad Gita: 'People think of me only as the external
human being, they do not see that space, that consciousness which is in
fact speaking and which is doing everything. They only see the eight fold
prakruti, nobody sees something beyond that. Such people are not
intelligent'. Then he says, 'And it is not their mistake also because I
don't reveal myself to everybody'.

|| Jai Guru Dev ||

Spread The Smile and Happiness

Keep smiling and spread the smile and happiness. There is so much work to be done in the world. There are conflicts in Syria, in Egypt, in Ukraine, in Pakistan, in Columbia, and in many other parts of the world. We should see what we can do.

If this is too big a task, you can take smaller tasks. In your city, in your town, wherever you are, spread happiness. Start happiness centers and let people come there, sit and breathe, and learn some knowledge, and become happy. Tell them, "Leave all your stress and tension, and smile more!". That is what we should do – put more smiles on the faces of people, don’t you think so? Give them confidence to move on in life. I think this is what you all can do.

You can tell at least five of your friends, "Hey come, let’s breathe together, let’s get rid of tension, let’s spread happiness and not hatred. Let us learn to manage our mind".