Alpana

Swimming in the grace of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, internet marketer, guide & friend to some...passion for music, travel, trekking, the hills,especially Himachal!..

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

Q: Gurudev, The question ‘Who am I’ has been pricking me since childhood and has not gone away and it drives me absolutely insane. Nothing makes sense. What to do?

@Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - You are such a fortunate person. If other questions are driving you insane, I would not say so, but if this question ‘Who am I’, is driving you insane, you are the luckiest person, and you are the best seeker. This is good. Hold on to it! Don’t let this craziness go away. It is this craziness in you which brings charm in life. Anyone who has any type of craze will have a spark in their life. It is good to be crazy about something and the craze to know about oneself is wonderful.

Don’t read too many books. Reading books is detrimental to this. This question, ‘Who am I?’ should lead you to meditation. That is the best thing. That is enough. Hold on to it, and don’t go and ask anyone else who are you?

Q- Gurudev, How to face Rahu and Shani Mahadasha(astrological planetary positions that bring forth a very hard phase of time)?

@Gurudev Sri Sri - Don’t think that Rahu Dasha or Shani Dasha are bad. If you are on the spiritual path, and if u practice meditation, all these Dashas will do only good things to u.

People think the Shani Dasha is very bad. Shani Dasha pushes u towards the spiritual path. If u are stuck in small things, it relieves u from there and puts u on the spiritual path. If u are already in knowledge and wisdom, Shani Dasha doesn't do anything wrong.

In life, there are ups and down. Some good thing happens. Something which u don't like happens. But every incident is an opportunity for u to grow stronger. So, don't worry about Rahu Dasha or Shani Dasha.

Q: Gurudev, everything seems so simple and so easy when I'm here in the Ashram but once I'm out of here, that’s when all the challenges start.

@Gurudev Sri Sri - That's why it is necessary to be in the Guru's cocoon till u are able to fly as a butterfly. Knowledge is easier here. A worm's intention is to become a butterfly, but it does the opposite, it gets into a cocoon where it cannot even move out. Either u can be a worm or u get into the cocoon and then u start flying. That's why u find it easy here.

Follow @i_am_a_sadhak for more such amazing wisdom by Gurudev

[Sunil | IIT Kharagpur | @ArtofLiving Faculty 🧘‍♂️ @asunil2001]

Before going to bed in the night, you should think of all the success you've had, instead of the failure. Then you're sowing the seed of success in your consciousness !

~ @Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

[Art of Living Free Schools @aolschools]

Learning Through Movement & Play
Building focus, coordination and confidence along the way. 😀

#artoflivingfreeschools #giftasmile #valuebasededucation #learnigbeyondtheclassroom

[Sunil | IIT Kharagpur | @ArtofLiving Faculty 🧘‍♂️ @asunil2001]

How to deal with people who trouble you intentionally @Gurudev?

[Art of Living UK @ArtOfLivingUK]

We spend so long trying to control the world outside us and so little time learning to steady the one inside.

[Alpana @Alps71]

@shaun_on_x Slick!!!!

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

Q: Gurudev, my business keeps me busy but I have this urge of doing some seva. Is there something that I can support financially without giving too much of my time? Will that be counted as seva?

@Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - Yes, that is okay. Some can give time, some can provide resources. Seva happens with both time and resources. So if you can’t give time you can put ur resources into that.

Q: Gurudev, Is it possible to attain self-realization even if I am stuck in a dysfunctional marriage? My spouse’s negativity and anger floods my system. Do I still have a chance?

@Gurudev Sri Sri - Yes, yes, yes, yes! Thank ur spouse. You can grow very well and you can become really solid. They are negative and you are positive, in spite of whatever they accuse you of, you keep smiling. You have all the chances.

Q: Gurudev, my wife and me separated two years back, we want to remarry now. You can say in our case our divorce did not work but we both are scared, are we committing the same mistake again? Please guide. How do I enjoy life if it is going to get finished one day? This thought doesn’t let me enjoy.

@Gurudev Sri Sri - It should make you appreciate life more. See, a flower is going to wither away but don’t you enjoy looking at the flower? You have a gulab jamun (an Indian sweet), ice creams, once you eat it’s going to finish but don’t you enjoy it? Now see, there is the beautiful full moon there and it is going to disappear one day but still we enjoy it today. Good!

Q: Gurudev, you asked us to be dispassionate and you also say that dispassion is a happening. I really want to be dispassionate but I am confused how can I create a happening in my life? Please guide

@Gurudev Sri Sri - Dispassion is not a happening; I would say dispassion is what you invoke in yourself. When you widen ur awareness, when you see everything is going to disappear and death is imminent, we are all going to die and everything is changing; when this knowledge comes- then dispassion is spontaneous. You need to understand and see life from a broader perspective and then automatically dispassion comes within you; but there is some effort. A little effort from you and then it will happen.

Follow @i_am_a_sadhak for more such amazing wisdom by Gurudev

[Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar @Gurudev]

Relationships begin the moment you are born. If there is one presence that nurtures every relationship and transcends them all, it is the Guru. The moment you recognize that you have a Guru, you can never feel orphaned or lonely. Happy Guru Purnima.

[Office Of Gurudev @OfficeOfGurudev]

Negativity cannot remain without support. Positivity and Happiness can exist without any reason. — @Gurudev

[Sunil | IIT Kharagpur | @ArtofLiving Faculty 🧘‍♂️ @asunil2001]

Gurudev overlooking the Beautiful Ganges river in Rishikesh

"Life is like a river, everchanging. Events are like the ripples, that don't cease to exist. Wisdom is like the undercurrent, silent yet strong. Self is like the basin, a witness to all"

~ @Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

[Office Of Gurudev @OfficeOfGurudev]

Your inability to break a habit causes a pinch and when you are deeply pained by something, the pain will rid you of that habit. — @Gurudev

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

Q: Gurudev, What is the difference between worrying and feeling?

@Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - The head worries and the heart feels. They cannot function at the same time.

When your feelings dominate, worry dissolves.

If you worry a lot, your feelings are dead; you are stuck in the head. Worrying makes your mind and heart inert and dull. Worries are like a rock in the head. Worry entangles you. Worry puts you in a cage.

When you feel, you do not worry.

Feelings are like flowers, they come up, they blossom and they die. Feelings rise, they fall and then disappear. When feelings are expressed, you feel relieved. When you are angry, you express your anger and the next moment you are all right. Or you are upset, you cry and you get over it.

Feelings last for some short time and then they drop, but worry eats at you for a longer period of time, and eventually eats you up.

Feelings make you spontaneous. Children feel, so they are spontaneous. Adults put brakes on their feelings and they start worrying. Worrying about anything obstructs action while feelings propel action. Worrying about negative feelings is a blessing because it puts the brakes on those feelings, preventing you from acting on them. Usually one never worries about positive feelings. Worries are uncertain. Worrying takes away your energy; you cannot think clearly when you worry.

Offering your worries is prayer and prayer moves you in feelings.

When you think you are feeling too much then you start worrying about your feelings. Let’s not worry about it and feel our food!

Question - Gurudev, I get bored nowadays. I am contented in my heart but nothing gives me joy except from your talks. What should I do?

@Gurudev Sri Sri - My dear, why do you have so much time sitting and thinking about yourself? If you are happy, go and do seva (service). We have lots of things to do. Care for others, do some service. There is so much to learn. Learn more. Don’t run behind joy. Let joy run behind you. If you follow joy, misery will follow. If you follow wisdom, fun and joy follow. Wherever you go, fun tags behind you.

Follow @i_am_a_sadhak for more such amazing wisdom by Gurudev

[Khurshed (Bawa) @khurshed]

You will negotiate hard for a 20% raise, then hand your entire evening to a WhatsApp group for free. Guard the evening hours the way you guard the money.

[Khurshed (Bawa) @khurshed]

Most people chase a success they never sat down and defined. So they hit the target, feel nothing, and assume they need a bigger target. The maths does not work. You cannot arrive somewhere you never named.

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

Q: Gurudev, How can one experience miracles in life?

@Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - Nothing is permanent in this world, everything is changing. When you think you are right, often you think others are wrong and you feel angry. If you feel others are right, often you think you are wrong and you feel guilty, sad and miserable. In both cases, you lose balance. The mind vacillates between this duality. The whole purpose of life is to get out of this duality. That is Moksha; so swallow these incidents as bitter pills in life.

In Rudram (a Hindu hymn dedicated to Rudra from the Yajurveda), it is said that in this world, there are all types of people. There are people who betray, people who are not faithful, people who don’t keep to their word etc. Sometimes your own mind goes up and down. There could be a million reasons for you to feel down on the planet. Anything can pull you down, because things are not happening the way you want them to. Using knowledge, just sail over it all.

When your heart is filled with love, and compassion, you are so powerful. Never underestimate yourself. Miracles are in abundance! Everyone has had some miracle or the other in life. We don’t look for it, they just happen. Ask, and it shall be given. Ask and ask with faith. Every moment there is a miracle happening; every moment, there is grace. Even if something appears to be not so good for the moment, in the long run, something good comes out of it.

When Sri Rama was building the bridge to Sri Lanka, a lot of monkeys were helping him. The monkeys wrote “Sri Rama” on the stones and placed them in the ocean and the stones would float. When Sri Rama saw this, he wanted to try it himself. He wrote Sri Rama on a stone and put it in the water.

The stone sank! Sri Rama was surprised. One monkey started laughing and said to Sri Rama, ‘Those who you throw away from your hands, how will they float? They will only sink!’ This has a spiritual significance. When the name of the Lord is with you, you will float through the ocean of misery; you won’t sink in the world of misery.

And second, that devotees are so much more powerful than the Lord himself; devotees can do so much more than the Lord himself. So you don’t need to get stuck in material belief only.

Physical laws are there, but there is something higher than them. There is something higher than the obviously seen physical creation of names and forms. The understanding of consciousness – mind over matter, and consciousness over physical reality, is what we need to attend to.

So don’t underestimate your love, your faith and your strength. All that we need to do is to keep our heart clean. When your heart is filled with love, and compassion, you are so powerful. Never underestimate yourself. Miracles are in abundance!

Follow @i_am_a_sadhak for more such amazing wisdom by Gurudev

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

💞 How to be Detached from Relationships? | @Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

This video, "How to be detached from Relationships?" by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, addresses the common struggle of balancing deep love with emotional dependency.

Here is a summary of the core wisdom shared in this talk:

1. Defining True Detachment

Gurudev clarifies a major misconception: Detachment is not indifference.

• Many people fear that becoming detached means losing their love or becoming cold and heartless.

• Gurudev explains that detachment is actually the freedom to love without the "clinging" that leads to suffering. When you are detached, your love becomes stable and unconditional rather than demanding and possessive.

2. The Source of Hurt in Relationships

The primary reason relationships become a source of pain is expectation.

• When we attach our happiness to the behavior of another person, we put ourselves in a state of constant insecurity.

• Because people are constantly changing, depending on them for your internal peace is like trying to build a house on a shifting river.

• Attachment is often a sign that we are looking for "completeness" from someone else, which is an impossible demand to place on another human being.

3. How to Practice Healthy Detachment

• See the "Witness" in Others: Recognize that the person you are attached to is also a soul on their own journey. When you see them as an individual, and not just an extension of your own needs, the pressure on the relationship decreases.

• The "Guest" Mindset: Gurudev often uses the analogy that life is like a guesthouse. People come and go. When you treat relationships with the grace of a host but the wisdom of knowing they are not "yours" to own, you reduce the suffering caused by loss or change.

• Find Your Center: You cannot be truly detached from others until you are attached to the Divine or your own inner Self. If your internal "well" is dry, you will always be thirsty and desperate for the attention or affection of others. Meditation helps you fill that inner well.

4. Practical Shifts

• Shift from "Me" to "We": Move from asking, "What can this person do for me?" to "How can I be of service to this person?" Service naturally creates a bridge of love that isn't burdened by the heavy weight of possessive expectations.

• Accept Transience: Acknowledge that nothing is permanent. Embracing the changing nature of life makes you more resilient when people disappoint you or distance themselves.

In Essence

Gurudev’s message is that you don't have to pull away from people to be detached. Instead, you need to grow deeper inside yourself.

As your inner connection to the Divine or your Self becomes stronger, your external relationships naturally become more harmonious and less hurtful.

You move from being a "beggar" of love to a "fountain" of love.

Watch "How to be detached from Relationships? A Talk from @Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar" on YouTube https://t.co/wQyJb0V5k2

[Swami Advaiithaananda स्वामी अद्वैतानन्दः @JGDSwamiji]

Surrender is not an act, it is a state of your being.
@Gurudev 🌹🌺

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

Q: Gurudev, Despite knowing that I should not miss my daily kriya, the gap is increasing. What should I do?

@Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - Never mind. If you cannot do kriya, do some pranayama. If you cannot do that, just sit and meditate. If you cannot mediate, then just think about the time you have spent here; think about the knowledge and the words I have said to you. If you say that you can’t do anything, that is not acceptable; you can at least do something!

If you have no time to meditate, then at least listen to some knowledge when you are driving the car; there are a number of CDs. When you listen to the knowledge, your consciousness expands. But don’t take this as an excuse not to meditate. You should sit, close your eyes and let go. When you become so deep and peaceful, your brain and perceptions become different. It makes a big difference. When you cannot even meditate, at least remember the knowledge, at least feel connected!

Question - Gurudev, does it matter where we sit during the satsang; more in front or at the back?

@Gurudev Sri Sri - (Laughter) It does matter whether you sit by the window or in the middle. If you feel too cold, don’t sit by the window because you want to close the window while others want it open. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter where you sit.

Yes, one thing, if you are too shy, and have a tendency to sit at the back, then just elbow everybody and come and sit in front (laughter). If you are a backbencher, then in satsang you better come to the front. And if you are always sitting in front, holding on to your seat, nailing your backpack to the floor, then get up and sit at the back.

Question - Gurudev, can you explain more about mental illness? Is it unbalanced vata or is it karma? How can we help them?

@Gurudev Sri Sri - Just serve such people. People with any mental diseases like depression and others can be helped through yoga, pranayama, and meditation. There are many which you cannot help, you simply have to accept them.

Follow @i_am_a_sadhak for more such amazing wisdom by Gurudev

[Shaun @shaun_on_x]

I'm learning Go by building a Redis server and here is what I appreciate about the language itself 👇:

In JavaScript I spend my time picking frameworks whereas in Go, I’m thinking about the *first principles*.

Here are my two cents on this 🧵👇

[@i_am_a_sadhak @i_am_a_sadhak]

Don't blame or curse the people around you. They are all part of God's creation. Everything here has a purpose, and everything here is to make you stronger, be it your friends or enemies.
Gurudev @SriSri 🌸