Anyashrayanam tyago ananyata – letting go of all supports. Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita: ananyaas chinteyeh janha paripaas – I am there for the one who is one-pointed and does not look for other supports. “I become the feet for those who do not look for crutches, I become the eyes for those who do not look for glasses.”
Loka vedeshu tadanukul aacharanam tadvirodheshu udasinta – In the world, as well as in spiritual matters, act towards that which nourishes this love, accept that which moves you in the direction of this love and be indifferent to that which is not supporting this love, because life is full of opposites. In life both things, events will happen – those that will support your hatred and destroy love, and those that will destroy hatred and support love, because the field of activity and life is full of opposite values. The same occurs in the scriptures, too – one scripture will authenticate this and another will authenticate that and if you go into all this, you may get really confused. Even in the name of dharma – righteousness, people can make a lot of mistakes. If Jesus was crucified, he was crucified since it was thought that he had been blasphemous – that he had committed a blasphemy against god.
Loka vedeshu tadanukul acharanam tadvirodheshu udasinta – if the activities in the world become an obstruction for your growth, then act skilfully. Often people prepare for pujas or ceremonies, but the preparations eat up all their time. So when they actually sit for meditation, their minds are caught up in insignificant little things.
All the preparations have been in vain. Your aim is to sit and meditate, but you are upset because someone next to you is snoring. So the whole exercise has become futile. You then sit in an angry mood and cannot meditate. So when opposites come your way, take it with ease. Be indifferent. If you are sitting for meditation and someone is irritating you, take it lightly. Otherwise, there is no point in sitting with your eyes closed, getting irritated. Just be indifferent to anything that seems to be opposing it.
If you can be in love, be in love. If you cannot be in love, at least be indifferent. Don’t swing to the opposite of love, that is hatred. You cannot force your self to love something that you don’t like, but you can definitely be indifferent to it. Don’t force yourself to love things which you cannot. Just be indifferent and wait. It is a great secret – indifference. But you know, indifference will irritate people more than hatred! If you hate somebody, they are at ease, but if you are indifferent, they will feel uncomfortable. To anything that appears to be a conflict, indifference is the solution. Conflict has never brought joy. Even in the time of the Ramayana, Rama fought the war and there was no joy later, only misery. Same with Mahabharata– after the war there was no joy.
Conflicts cannot bring peace.
Whether solved or resolved - there is no question of peace.
With indifference, there is hope.
Loka vedeshu tadanukul acharanam – behave in such a manner that it is supporting to love and be indifferent to anything that appears to be opposing love. Again, love is not just an emotion, it is not being mushy-mushy. Love is the innermost strength, love is the force that you are. We depend so much on the expression of love. This is not ananya bhakti. If you are dependent on an expression or a gesture from someone, to feel love for them, I tell you that you are mistaken and you have not grown. If you can see love beyond expressions, beyond the physical gestures, if you can peep into the Being, you can see that there is no other – there is no difference, there is only absolute oneness. That is ananyata. Like when the child is sometimes cranky, rebellious, the mother sees beyond the expression. That ‘connectedness’ of you with the divinity, with the whole world, with the creation makes you perfect, makes you stable, makes you intoxicated, makes you fulfilled. Otherwise you go with a lack consciousness, with a craving - “I want, I want.”
Excerpts from the book An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
this blog is related to the worlds best organization called the art of living run by volunteers
Friday, December 13, 2013
SIXTH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S CONFERENCE FROM FEBRUARY 7-9
The sixth International Women’s Conference (IWC) will be held in the International Center of the Art of Living International Foundation in Bangalore, India from February 7-9, 2014. The conference, inspired by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, humanitarian and founder of The Art of Living Foundation, will bring together eminent personalities and women leaders from over 100 countries around the world.
A press release said that under the leadership Bhanumathi Narasimhan, chairperson of the IWC, the focus of the conference will continue to be on the relevance, inner strength and deeper insights in, and valuable contribution from, women who will discuss and share innovative solutions to restore harmony at both the societal as well as individual level.
Bhanumathi stated in the release, “As a woman on the path to success, we expect to feel a sense of achievement when we reach the top. We might wonder, how does it look from there? Will the world and people around you look more beautiful? Will the journey to the top be pleasant and memorable?
“For many women I have met, this journey has certainly not been easy. It is not always a journey of mutual support, collaboration, and friendliness. Instead, you are being constantly careful about who is conspiring to push you down. There are many challenges, not just due to gender bias, but also due to jealousy from other women. This kind of a journey can be very stressful and takes its toll on our body and mind. Moreover, many women impose limitations on themselves, believing that they are not fully qualified, and often talk themselves out of achieving their potential.
“So what do successful women do right? I believe that successful women are able to find their inner strength to make the most of opportunities – be it at the workplace or at home. A woman has to balance her work, family, relationships – all of these and more on the road to success. When you realize that you are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, you know you can handle different roles in life. This realization dawns when you are in a calm and serene state of mind – which can be achieved through meditation.
“I find that meditation can help us be more productive. It is my experience that when you meditate, a task that would take four hours to do, gets done in two hours. I believe it is necessary that we give prime time to ourselves – to relax and rejuvenate, to realize that we have so much more potential than we think we do. Otherwise we limit our capabilities. When you meditate, you realize the expansion within you – the limitlessness within you. Such an expanded awareness can help you perceive the connections between people and lead you to realize your purpose in this world. Connectedness and commitment are a byproduct of meditation. Meditation brings us in touch with our inner source of strength.
“True success is when it extends to both the material and inner realms. It is not just about getting promoted at work, accumulating a lot of money, or appearing on magazine covers. Are you enjoying the little things in your life? Have you recently observed the glistening dewdrops in the grass? The birds chirping, the sparrows sipping water, the Blue Jays feeding, the eagles circling overhead, the beautiful flowers… Have you cleaned your windowpane, have you watered the small little plants in your garden? Have you observed the lucky bamboo plant with two new leaves, enjoyed craftsmanship of your carpet – all the beautiful colours, made a new salad dressing, and experimented with your sandwich? I believe that living every moment to the fullest with an expanded awareness is a sign of a successful woman.
“The whole essence is summed up in a quote by Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway: “I have always believed that a woman is the heart of the society – she brings families together, and has a multitude of talents and abilities to lead. A society that empowers women to succeed is a society on the path to prosperity.”
A press release said that under the leadership Bhanumathi Narasimhan, chairperson of the IWC, the focus of the conference will continue to be on the relevance, inner strength and deeper insights in, and valuable contribution from, women who will discuss and share innovative solutions to restore harmony at both the societal as well as individual level.
Bhanumathi stated in the release, “As a woman on the path to success, we expect to feel a sense of achievement when we reach the top. We might wonder, how does it look from there? Will the world and people around you look more beautiful? Will the journey to the top be pleasant and memorable?
“For many women I have met, this journey has certainly not been easy. It is not always a journey of mutual support, collaboration, and friendliness. Instead, you are being constantly careful about who is conspiring to push you down. There are many challenges, not just due to gender bias, but also due to jealousy from other women. This kind of a journey can be very stressful and takes its toll on our body and mind. Moreover, many women impose limitations on themselves, believing that they are not fully qualified, and often talk themselves out of achieving their potential.
“So what do successful women do right? I believe that successful women are able to find their inner strength to make the most of opportunities – be it at the workplace or at home. A woman has to balance her work, family, relationships – all of these and more on the road to success. When you realize that you are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, you know you can handle different roles in life. This realization dawns when you are in a calm and serene state of mind – which can be achieved through meditation.
“I find that meditation can help us be more productive. It is my experience that when you meditate, a task that would take four hours to do, gets done in two hours. I believe it is necessary that we give prime time to ourselves – to relax and rejuvenate, to realize that we have so much more potential than we think we do. Otherwise we limit our capabilities. When you meditate, you realize the expansion within you – the limitlessness within you. Such an expanded awareness can help you perceive the connections between people and lead you to realize your purpose in this world. Connectedness and commitment are a byproduct of meditation. Meditation brings us in touch with our inner source of strength.
“True success is when it extends to both the material and inner realms. It is not just about getting promoted at work, accumulating a lot of money, or appearing on magazine covers. Are you enjoying the little things in your life? Have you recently observed the glistening dewdrops in the grass? The birds chirping, the sparrows sipping water, the Blue Jays feeding, the eagles circling overhead, the beautiful flowers… Have you cleaned your windowpane, have you watered the small little plants in your garden? Have you observed the lucky bamboo plant with two new leaves, enjoyed craftsmanship of your carpet – all the beautiful colours, made a new salad dressing, and experimented with your sandwich? I believe that living every moment to the fullest with an expanded awareness is a sign of a successful woman.
“The whole essence is summed up in a quote by Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway: “I have always believed that a woman is the heart of the society – she brings families together, and has a multitude of talents and abilities to lead. A society that empowers women to succeed is a society on the path to prosperity.”
Inner truth: Devotion of the Seer
Throughout their lives people desire small things, like a promotion, or more money, or a more fulfilling relationship. But all of these are very limited in that all these cannot give everlasting joy or contentment. People who spend their whole lives in achieving these desires are actually putting so much effort for very small gains in life. By being devoted to the scenery outside — with these goals and desires, one only reaps short-lived results.
But one who is devoted to the seer within receives eternal gains. Meditation is a process to shift your focus from the scenery back to the seer. You place your faith on the scenery because you get something from it. But whatever you gain is because of the devotion you have within, which is the devotion of the seer. When our senses, which are always focused outwards come to rest, we can go inward, and that is when we can experience the bliss that springs forth from going inward. The fruits of such devotion never diminish.
But one who is devoted to the seer within receives eternal gains. Meditation is a process to shift your focus from the scenery back to the seer. You place your faith on the scenery because you get something from it. But whatever you gain is because of the devotion you have within, which is the devotion of the seer. When our senses, which are always focused outwards come to rest, we can go inward, and that is when we can experience the bliss that springs forth from going inward. The fruits of such devotion never diminish.
In a devotee's heart, every desire gets fulfilled
In the next sutra he says:
Yad prapya na kinchid vanchati na shochati,
na dveshti, na ramate notsahi bhavati
Having attained which, there is no desire left.
Na shochati - nothing to grieve about.
Na dweshti - nothing to hate, nothing to be so excited about.
Notsahi bhavati - nothing to be motivated about.
For every action there is a motivation behind that action. Something motivates you because you are going to get something out of it. But one who has attained love has no other motivation at all. Whatever you desire, the ultimate goal of all desires is to be in love. When that is already there, what is there to desire? One of the signs of siddhi is you have things even before you feel the need for them. Before you feel thirsty, there is plenty of water. And before you feel hungry, people are already offering you food to eat. Even before desires arise, they are already fulfilled, so where is the question of galloping on a desire?
We are not even aware where our desires are taking us. We are galloping on such a horse of desire, without awareness, without knowing where we want to go, what we want to do. Na kinchid vanchati — no desires are left to be fulfilled. In a devotee’s heart, as soon as a desire arises, it already gets fulfilled. Nature awaits to fulfil the needs of one who is in deep love with the entire existence.
Buddha has said desire is the cause of misery, of sorrow. When there is no desire arising, where is the question of sorrow? There is nothing to be grieved about. Na, dveshti — hatred comes behind the grievances. They are all linked, do you see that? You have a desire and when that doesn’t get fulfilled, you become upset, sad and when you are sad, you don’t want to be in a sad state, so you start hating that person, or that object, or that thing. Hatred is behind sorrow or pain. A relationship causes pain and pain is not palatable to any living creature. So one starts hating the source of pain, not knowing it is one’s own mind. We project that on to the other person. So then there is no question of hating anybody here. Na dveshti, na ramate notsahi bhavati — nothing to be motivated, nothing to be excited about.
Is it a very dull state then? There is no excitement, there is no hatred. Is it so? It does not mean you are devoid of enthusiasm or that you are not enthusiastic about anything.
Yad prapya na kinchid vanchati na shochati,
na dveshti, na ramate notsahi bhavati
Having attained which, there is no desire left.
Na shochati - nothing to grieve about.
Na dweshti - nothing to hate, nothing to be so excited about.
Notsahi bhavati - nothing to be motivated about.
For every action there is a motivation behind that action. Something motivates you because you are going to get something out of it. But one who has attained love has no other motivation at all. Whatever you desire, the ultimate goal of all desires is to be in love. When that is already there, what is there to desire? One of the signs of siddhi is you have things even before you feel the need for them. Before you feel thirsty, there is plenty of water. And before you feel hungry, people are already offering you food to eat. Even before desires arise, they are already fulfilled, so where is the question of galloping on a desire?
We are not even aware where our desires are taking us. We are galloping on such a horse of desire, without awareness, without knowing where we want to go, what we want to do. Na kinchid vanchati — no desires are left to be fulfilled. In a devotee’s heart, as soon as a desire arises, it already gets fulfilled. Nature awaits to fulfil the needs of one who is in deep love with the entire existence.
Buddha has said desire is the cause of misery, of sorrow. When there is no desire arising, where is the question of sorrow? There is nothing to be grieved about. Na, dveshti — hatred comes behind the grievances. They are all linked, do you see that? You have a desire and when that doesn’t get fulfilled, you become upset, sad and when you are sad, you don’t want to be in a sad state, so you start hating that person, or that object, or that thing. Hatred is behind sorrow or pain. A relationship causes pain and pain is not palatable to any living creature. So one starts hating the source of pain, not knowing it is one’s own mind. We project that on to the other person. So then there is no question of hating anybody here. Na dveshti, na ramate notsahi bhavati — nothing to be motivated, nothing to be excited about.
Is it a very dull state then? There is no excitement, there is no hatred. Is it so? It does not mean you are devoid of enthusiasm or that you are not enthusiastic about anything.
Divine love is not an object of desire
In the next sutra he says: Yad gyatva, matto bhavati. Knowing which one is intoxicated! When you go through all this paraphernalia of negative emotions, that is when you just want to forget everything. Then people just want to drink and intoxicate themselves. But love is the best intoxicant available. Divine love is such an intoxication. Yat gyatva, matto bhavati - knowing which you become drunk, you get intoxicated, spaced out.
Stabdho bhavati - what else will any of this excitement do to you? It brings you to a state of amazement, doesn’t it? “Ahh, wow!” This feeling arises in you. Love takes you to that state. Knowing which you become so stunned, smitten, completely awestruck! Atmaramo bhavati - you become so still, you repose in yourself. You are in such deep rest, deep peace. You are rejoicing yourself and - atmoramo bhavati - reposing in the Self.
All these are the glories of love. “How can I have it now? I just want to have that, nothing more, finished with everything else - no job, no work. I will leave everything, I want just that. How can I have it...?”
This desire to have such an ultimate love, which has been painted into such a glorious picture, this feverishness, if it arises in you, then Narada is there waiting with a stick, right in front of you. He says: Sa na kamyamana, nirodha rupatvat. It is not an object of desire, stop wanting it. You know, when you want to sit for meditation, the more you want that thoughts should not come, the more they come. The mind works on a completely different set of laws.
Sometimes people say, “I want nothing, I just want liberation.” This desire for liberation or desire for the ultimate sometimes makes them go around in circles. When it comes to knowledge, you must have a little desire for liberation to be free. But when it comes to Divine love, he says, it is not an object of desire.
Love is not an object of desire. Love is what you are. So nirodha rupatvaptvat — settle down, calm down, quiet down. It is like you are wanting to rest, but you keep running from room to room saying, “Oh, I want to sleep. I want to sleep.” All that you want is to relax, but you are running.
How can you relax if you are running? If you can relax here, you can relax there also. If you can relax in your living room, you can relax in your bedroom. If you cannot relax in your bedroom, running around the house cannot bring you relaxation.
Whether it is on the street or under a tree in the park or at home or on the bus, anywhere, wherever you are, you can relax. Isn’t that so?
Stabdho bhavati - what else will any of this excitement do to you? It brings you to a state of amazement, doesn’t it? “Ahh, wow!” This feeling arises in you. Love takes you to that state. Knowing which you become so stunned, smitten, completely awestruck! Atmaramo bhavati - you become so still, you repose in yourself. You are in such deep rest, deep peace. You are rejoicing yourself and - atmoramo bhavati - reposing in the Self.
All these are the glories of love. “How can I have it now? I just want to have that, nothing more, finished with everything else - no job, no work. I will leave everything, I want just that. How can I have it...?”
This desire to have such an ultimate love, which has been painted into such a glorious picture, this feverishness, if it arises in you, then Narada is there waiting with a stick, right in front of you. He says: Sa na kamyamana, nirodha rupatvat. It is not an object of desire, stop wanting it. You know, when you want to sit for meditation, the more you want that thoughts should not come, the more they come. The mind works on a completely different set of laws.
Sometimes people say, “I want nothing, I just want liberation.” This desire for liberation or desire for the ultimate sometimes makes them go around in circles. When it comes to knowledge, you must have a little desire for liberation to be free. But when it comes to Divine love, he says, it is not an object of desire.
Love is not an object of desire. Love is what you are. So nirodha rupatvaptvat — settle down, calm down, quiet down. It is like you are wanting to rest, but you keep running from room to room saying, “Oh, I want to sleep. I want to sleep.” All that you want is to relax, but you are running.
How can you relax if you are running? If you can relax here, you can relax there also. If you can relax in your living room, you can relax in your bedroom. If you cannot relax in your bedroom, running around the house cannot bring you relaxation.
Whether it is on the street or under a tree in the park or at home or on the bus, anywhere, wherever you are, you can relax. Isn’t that so?
Moderate activity is essential to eventually retire in life
When you want to swim in the lake, you can jump from any side of the lake. Even if you take a boat and jump from the middle of the lake, it is the same as jumping from the shore. You cannot learn swimming unless you are in the water. You cannot say you will first learn swimming and then get into the water. “I don’t want to wet my feet, my socks will get wet, but I want to swim.” This is not possible. Sa na kamyamana - it is not an object of desire, you cannot make it into an object of desire. Nirodha rupatvat - it is of the nature of restraint, of relaxation, of retiring.
If one is in a corridor and is walking from this end to that end, and all the person really wants is to relax, what you will say? “Wherever you are, just sit and relax. That is called nirodha - withdraw. No, withdraw is not the correct word, retire, repose. Repose wherever you are - nirodha rupatvat.
Nirodhastu loka veda vyapar nyasah
What are you retiring from? From all worldly and religious activities. You do worldly activities in order to gain comfort and religious activities in order to gain some spiritual merit. You do so many charities and work so that when you die and go to heaven, there you will enjoy these comforts. There is this desire to gain a better accommodation in heaven, to have a more comfortable air conditioned room if you have earned the merits (laughter)!
A gentleman came to me and said, “Guruji, my mother wants to see you. She wants to ask a question.” When she met with me, she said, “See, I am going to die in a few months or maybe a few years, but I am not used to new places. How is it there in the heavens? I think you know how it is there. Can you tell me what I should do to prepare myself? You see, I don’t get any sleep when I change places. When I go to New York from Connecticut, I cannot sleep. So I am a little anxious to know how it is there, on the other side.” I told her; “Don’t worry mother, all will be very comfortable. You will sleep well there also. You better sleep here. Thinking about sleeping there, don’t lose your sleep here.” She kept saying, “I’m not used to new places you know...” (laughter)
Relax from both worldly and religious activities. Retire from all activities. Sometimes people retire easily from worldly activities but they go on doing other things non-stop - using rosaries non-stop, chanting non-stop, doing something. And this non-stop doing wears you out.
You feel worn out and tired and all that you do is fall asleep. Loka veda vyapar nyasah - retiring from both spiritual and secular activities, religious and social activities. In any activity maintaining that calm.
Another meaning for nyasah is not acting out of feverishness.
How can you retire? Does that mean not doing anything at all? Just sit? Do neither worldly activity nor spiritual activity? No. When can you really retire? When you are really into the activity. Only then does retirement really mean anything. If you never got a job, there is no question of retirement. An unemployed person cannot retire. Only one who is in some employment can retire. So when can you retire? When you are engaged in an activity, then you can retire. So moderate activity is essential.
This word nyasah also means being centred. Being centred in any activity you do - spiritual, social or religious. Be centred, maintain that calm, maintain that balance. Being centred in all activities and in your work - not to act out of feverishness.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation
If one is in a corridor and is walking from this end to that end, and all the person really wants is to relax, what you will say? “Wherever you are, just sit and relax. That is called nirodha - withdraw. No, withdraw is not the correct word, retire, repose. Repose wherever you are - nirodha rupatvat.
Nirodhastu loka veda vyapar nyasah
What are you retiring from? From all worldly and religious activities. You do worldly activities in order to gain comfort and religious activities in order to gain some spiritual merit. You do so many charities and work so that when you die and go to heaven, there you will enjoy these comforts. There is this desire to gain a better accommodation in heaven, to have a more comfortable air conditioned room if you have earned the merits (laughter)!
A gentleman came to me and said, “Guruji, my mother wants to see you. She wants to ask a question.” When she met with me, she said, “See, I am going to die in a few months or maybe a few years, but I am not used to new places. How is it there in the heavens? I think you know how it is there. Can you tell me what I should do to prepare myself? You see, I don’t get any sleep when I change places. When I go to New York from Connecticut, I cannot sleep. So I am a little anxious to know how it is there, on the other side.” I told her; “Don’t worry mother, all will be very comfortable. You will sleep well there also. You better sleep here. Thinking about sleeping there, don’t lose your sleep here.” She kept saying, “I’m not used to new places you know...” (laughter)
Relax from both worldly and religious activities. Retire from all activities. Sometimes people retire easily from worldly activities but they go on doing other things non-stop - using rosaries non-stop, chanting non-stop, doing something. And this non-stop doing wears you out.
You feel worn out and tired and all that you do is fall asleep. Loka veda vyapar nyasah - retiring from both spiritual and secular activities, religious and social activities. In any activity maintaining that calm.
Another meaning for nyasah is not acting out of feverishness.
How can you retire? Does that mean not doing anything at all? Just sit? Do neither worldly activity nor spiritual activity? No. When can you really retire? When you are really into the activity. Only then does retirement really mean anything. If you never got a job, there is no question of retirement. An unemployed person cannot retire. Only one who is in some employment can retire. So when can you retire? When you are engaged in an activity, then you can retire. So moderate activity is essential.
This word nyasah also means being centred. Being centred in any activity you do - spiritual, social or religious. Be centred, maintain that calm, maintain that balance. Being centred in all activities and in your work - not to act out of feverishness.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation
Freedom is essential for love to blossom
Love can only blossom in freedom. When freedom is restricted, love suffocates. You need to be free. Often love stifles.When you are in love or when you love somebody, you feel stifled because you are obliged. When there are so many obligations that you need to fulfil, then these obligations become like a load on your head and you get the added responsibility not to hurt the people you love and who love you. In a subtle sense, this takes the freedom away and slowly demands start arising in you. The moment demand arises in you, know that love is on its death-bed. Love is in an oxygen chamber and it doesn’t live very long.
Demand destroys love. Freedom is essential.
So whether in the world, in religious or in spiritual matters, follow love rather than the rules. This was the sutra that we heard.
A lover is beyond all rules. There is no rule on how to express your love. All expressions are a spontaneous outburst of love and love finds its own expressions - you cannot streamline it. Your eyes cannot hide the love, your gestures cannot hide the love, your steps cannot hide the love. Love flows in all your expressions, in your behaviour, in your walk, in your talk, in your whole life.
One thing you can never fully hide is love. You can hide anger to a great extent, you can eat anger inside you, you can put a big smile on your face. People may not notice your anger, your vengeance - but you cannot hide love. It comes flooding from your eyes, your smile and your gestures. There are no rules on how to express love, because when you are in love, you cannot make a mistake. A lover is beyond all rules, beyond all scriptures, beyond all theories and philosophies.
Yet, Narada says in the next Sutra : Bhavatu nishchaya dadhrya durdhvam shastra rakshanam
Yes, certainly a devotee is beyond all rules, because for a devotee the Divine is the only goal, the only concern. A devotee has nothing of his or her own. Yet you need to follow the scriptures in order to preserve and protect the scriptures and in order to honour the tradition. The tradition needs to be maintained and devotees have always followed. Although it doesn’t mean anything to them, it doesn’t matter to them, yet one honours the tradition, the injunctions; one honours certain rules.
Anyatha patitya ashankaya : Otherwise there is a possibility of falling out of it. If you don´t follow certain codes of conduct, there is a possibility that you will fall out of that love. Anyatha patitya ashankaya - there is the possibility to fall off the knowledge, off the path of love. So just follow and stick to these rules. This is very, very beautiful. No doubt you need freedom to blossom in love, but in turn love brings freedom in all situations, all circumstances. Nothing will be stifling, nothing will be bonding to you, nothing will restrict you, your freedom, in the true sense of love. Are you getting what I am saying?
When you are in love, nothing is a burden to you. When nothing is a burden, how can anything take away the freedom from you? You lose freedom when something is a burden to you. So love in turn brings that freedom. When a rule is imposed on you by someone else, then it is restricting to you. But when you have taken a rule on yourself, on your own, it is not any restriction, it is not suffocating to you. Like when you take on the rule of driving on the right side of the road, then that is it.
Discipline (rules) bring more freedom to us although, on the surface, it appears to restrict freedom. But if you go a little deeper, you will see that your own rules, your own disciplines bring you freedom. Though you are beyond all discipline, yet it is good to have your own discipline. Though it doesn’t matter to you what you do, when you rise, what you eat etc., it is better to have a certain discipline because that gives you such freedom.
-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation
Demand destroys love. Freedom is essential.
So whether in the world, in religious or in spiritual matters, follow love rather than the rules. This was the sutra that we heard.
A lover is beyond all rules. There is no rule on how to express your love. All expressions are a spontaneous outburst of love and love finds its own expressions - you cannot streamline it. Your eyes cannot hide the love, your gestures cannot hide the love, your steps cannot hide the love. Love flows in all your expressions, in your behaviour, in your walk, in your talk, in your whole life.
One thing you can never fully hide is love. You can hide anger to a great extent, you can eat anger inside you, you can put a big smile on your face. People may not notice your anger, your vengeance - but you cannot hide love. It comes flooding from your eyes, your smile and your gestures. There are no rules on how to express love, because when you are in love, you cannot make a mistake. A lover is beyond all rules, beyond all scriptures, beyond all theories and philosophies.
Yet, Narada says in the next Sutra : Bhavatu nishchaya dadhrya durdhvam shastra rakshanam
Yes, certainly a devotee is beyond all rules, because for a devotee the Divine is the only goal, the only concern. A devotee has nothing of his or her own. Yet you need to follow the scriptures in order to preserve and protect the scriptures and in order to honour the tradition. The tradition needs to be maintained and devotees have always followed. Although it doesn’t mean anything to them, it doesn’t matter to them, yet one honours the tradition, the injunctions; one honours certain rules.
Anyatha patitya ashankaya : Otherwise there is a possibility of falling out of it. If you don´t follow certain codes of conduct, there is a possibility that you will fall out of that love. Anyatha patitya ashankaya - there is the possibility to fall off the knowledge, off the path of love. So just follow and stick to these rules. This is very, very beautiful. No doubt you need freedom to blossom in love, but in turn love brings freedom in all situations, all circumstances. Nothing will be stifling, nothing will be bonding to you, nothing will restrict you, your freedom, in the true sense of love. Are you getting what I am saying?
When you are in love, nothing is a burden to you. When nothing is a burden, how can anything take away the freedom from you? You lose freedom when something is a burden to you. So love in turn brings that freedom. When a rule is imposed on you by someone else, then it is restricting to you. But when you have taken a rule on yourself, on your own, it is not any restriction, it is not suffocating to you. Like when you take on the rule of driving on the right side of the road, then that is it.
Discipline (rules) bring more freedom to us although, on the surface, it appears to restrict freedom. But if you go a little deeper, you will see that your own rules, your own disciplines bring you freedom. Though you are beyond all discipline, yet it is good to have your own discipline. Though it doesn’t matter to you what you do, when you rise, what you eat etc., it is better to have a certain discipline because that gives you such freedom.
-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation
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