Karva Chauth

Q. Gurudev, today is Karva Chauth (an ancient festival where a woman prays for the longevity of her spouse and his overall well-being).

Sri Sri: Yes, today is karva chauth. You have already seen the moon, go and eat now. Even if you don’t get to see the moon, not a problem, think that you have seen the moon from within yourself and go and have your meal.
We have all these customs in our country, like Bhai Duj (on this day, sisters pray for their brothers to have long and happy lives) and karva chauth. These festivals make our relationships stronger. From many years, this has been a unique practice in our country to bring purity in relationships.
For karva-chauth, the wife prays and fasts for the well-being of her husand. Earlier, she used to pray for her husband’s longevity, good health and welfare; nowadays, she also prays for stability of his mind.

We have to make the right use of each and every opportunity we get to pray to God. This is one such opportunity. When you fast all day the body is cleansed, the mind is cleansed, and you are able to pray. It is a good custom.
Whoever does this fast, should not do so without water. I do not believe in fasting without water. Along with fasting it is necessary to drink some water. When you drink water, all the toxins in the body get flushed out and the body becomes pure. So water during fasting is necessary.

If you have any physical illness like diabetes or something, then fast only with the consultation of a doctor.
Even husbands can observe fast for their wives. Some men have already started observing karva chauth. Please continue, it is not a problem, it should be observed. This is necessary from both sides, it should not be one-sided.

How to deal with Confusion & take Decisions

"Decision comes only when there is confusion. When there is no confusion then there is no decision.
For example, if there is a piece of wood and a biscuit on your desk, you don't decide which one to eat, isn't that right? Decision is always about choice and choice is always confusing. So, all decision-makers are confused! smile emoticon
Action is spontaneous when there is no actor. In you, there is an actor and there is a witness. An actor is either confused or decisive, but the witness realizes that the action is spontaneous and smiles.
The more decisions you make, the more confused you are, and as a result you swing between pain and pleasure. The more the witness grows in you, the more playful and untouched you are. Trust, faith, love and joy all manifest in and around you.
Are you confused, decided or happy now?"
Question: "Is there any freedom without confusion?"
Answer: "When you are confused, there is no freedom."
Question: " What is freedom of choice?"
Answer: "Confusion!" smile emoticon
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The 10 Steps To Happiness

1. Reduce Your Needs & Increase Your Responsibilities

If you sit and make a note of all your responsibilities and all your needs, and if you find that your needs are more than your responsibilities, then life will lead to misery. But if you take more responsibility and have fewer needs, then you will be happy. This is the secret.
When you take more responsibility and your needs are less, everything simply comes to you - enthusiasm, happiness, creativity, etc.

2. Look At People Who Have Bigger Problems Than You

Once a wise man drew a line on a board and told his student to make the line shorter without touching or erasing it. How would you do it? You have to shorten a line without touching it.
The student then drew a much longer line underneath that line. So, the line automatically became shorter. The lesson here is that if your difficulties appear to be very big, lift your eyes because you are only focused on yourself.
If you lift your eyes up and look at those who are in a worse condition than you, you will suddenly feel that your burden is not as bad as you thought it was. If you think you have some big problem, look at people who have a greater problem. Suddenly, you will get a confidence that my problem is much smaller, and I can manage it.

So to be happy is to see those who have greater problems, then your problems will appear smaller. The moment your problems appear smaller, you will get the energy and confidence to deal with it or solve it.
In simple words, serve those who are in greater need.

3. Don't Be Unhappy About Being Unhappy

Never mind if you are unhappy for a little while, so what? If you think I should never be unhappy, then that becomes a cause of unhappiness.

4. Drop Unpleasant Memories Of The Past & Live In The Present Moment

How can you be happy if you’re holding onto unpleasant memories of the past? Unpleasant memories are the biggest hindrance for you to be in the present. The nature of the mind is such, it leaves all the pleasant memories and it grabs onto those few unpleasant events and chews on it. We have advanced in technology but we have not used that technology for our mind.
If you are happy now, the past will not torment you and the future will take care of itself.

5. Know That Everything Is Temporary

None of the events are permanent; pleasant or unpleasant, all pass and move away.
When you realize that everything is temporary, and it all fades away, then you can be perpetually happy.

6. Dedicate You Life To A Larger Goal

The key to happiness in life is to not stay stuck in 'Me, me, & mine'. Dedicate your life to some larger goal or to the service of others around you, then you will find that only happiness flows through your life.

7. Take The Decision That 'I Will Not Allow Any Situation To Bog Down My Happiness'

You Have To Take This Decision, Nobody Else Can Take It For You.
There is nothing great in smiling when everything is normal, and when everything is going the way you want. But if you awaken the valor inside of you, and say, ‘Come what may, I am going to keep smiling’, you will notice tremendous energy rise from within you. Then problems will feel like nothing; they just come and disappear.
Being happy, keeping the environment around you happy, and not losing your smile come what may, is the real sign of enlightenment.

8. At All Costs, Save Your Mind!

In your day to day life, people come and put some negativity in you, and that makes your mind and your determination shaky. Don’t let this happen. Put a filter to your ears and just smile through it.
It is natural and common that people will put out some negativity, but when you are deeply connected with your Self, and when you have intuition, then you will just smile through all such incidents. You will put a filter in your ears.
That is how the world is. There are some pleasant and some unpleasant things. How we manage them and keep our direction, that is what is most important.

9. Have Faith Because Faith By Itself Can Make You So Happy

What you need to remember at all times is this, 'There is someone who loves me very dearly, and is taking care of me at all times. He cannot be without me and He is capable of removing any lack that I have'.
Knowing this too brings such joy in one’s life.

10. Share Your Happiness With Others & It Will Grow

When you are content; when you are happy, you want to share it.
The nature of joy is to share with others. Joy has the tendency to spread, and whenever a person is genuinely happy and joyful from within, they want to just share it with the whole world.

सूर्य पुरातन है या नूतन? वह सदा से ही है पर उसका प्रकाश जो तुमपर पड़ रहा है, वह ताज़ा है या नहीं? पुराने वृक्ष पर नए पत्ते आते हैं या नहीं? उसी तरह जिन कणों से तुम बने हो वे भिन्न भिन्न रूप में सदा यहीं थे। तुम प्राचीन भी हो और नवीन भी। - SRI SRI

Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda :-

Today is the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda!
Swami Vivekananda said give me 10 youth & I will change the world. Here there are hundreds of youth in front of me who can make the change. First, change yourself & then you will be able to change the world. Don't worry small. Give your small worries to me. You worry big; for the planet, for the environment. - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Different types of Samadhi

A single cell becomes the whole body. Somewhere it is nails, somewhere it is nose and tongue but all is a manifestation of a single cell. In the same way, the entire universe is made up of a single substance.
Remembering and FEELING that everything is made up of one thing heals the body and mind and balances the doshas in the body (vata, pitta and kapha). This is savitarkasamadhi. Savitarkasamadhi means equanimity with logical awareness.
Deep sleep can bejadasamadhi (equanimity with inertia). And hence, sleep is the main factor in healing. Even medicines will not help without sleep and rest.
Samadhi with ecstasy has no logic. This is nirvitarkasamadhi, awareness with bliss.
Nirvitarkasamadhi is even beyond the experience of bliss, indefinable beyond words.

Why does one need a Master?

"Many people have the question "What is the need of a guru?" You can learn it with books. You can study, you can listen to the tapes, do something. What is the need for a master? But in the Upanishad it says "No, you have to study under a master."

You may have been a student of anatomy, you may be a doctor yourself, but you cannot conduct surgery on your own body. You may be a masseur, but you cannot have your own back massaged by yourself. Even though you are a doctor, you may know, you still need a doctor, need a surgeon. And it’s not possible to treat yourself, if you are a patient. Isn't it?

For such a gross thing like driving, learning to drive a car, or taking care of your body, you need the help of someone. So to walk in some area which is totally unknown, completely new, we don’t know anything about, the consciousness, you think you can do it all by yourself, all by oneself? Not possible. If you want to drive a car, if you want to drive in a new city, you need some map, you need some guidance. You’ll stop several times in petrol banks and ask someone how to move there, how to go into the place. You need guidance. You need guidance, loving guidance step-by-step.

A lit candle can light a million more candles. It’s no problem. But just a matchstick and a box which is not lit cannot light even a single candle. It has the potential, a matchbox has the potential to light. You can say, “See, everything needed is here!” Yeah. But if it is not struck and lit… A matchstick has to be struck and lit! Only then it can light other candles. You see what I’m saying?

The guru is one who has become big. ‘Guru’ itself means big, it is not small. The word ‘Guru’ in Sanskrit means 'that which is enormously big', of which you cannot have any judgment, any concept, any ideas, cannot formulate and say 'This is what this is'. Which is immeasurable, which is beyond comprehension, that is guru. But still tangible, available. Infinity is available, but not tangible. Guru is both infinity and tangible.

The Divine is impersonal. Guru is both personal and Divine. The impersonal personified for your benefit, because you know to relate only to that which is personified. Love is there in the whole creation. Everything is love. But you have never related in your life other than name and forms. You could not love something which has no name and no form. You see what I’m saying?

And the guru embodies, a Buddha embodies, Jesus embodies that infinite love, yet with name and form."