Don't Be Thankful

Sri Sri: When you are on a spiritual path, you are not thankful or obliged to anybody. In the Gita, Krishna says, "He is dear to Me who neither goes on thanking people nor hates anyone (Na abhinandati na dveshthi)." Thanking and feeling obliged indicates that you believe in some one else's existence rather than in the Divine who is ruling everything. When you feel obliged, then you are not honoring the principles of karma or the divine plan. Appreciate people for what they are, do not thank them for what they do. Otherwise your thankfulness is centered around ego. You are grateful, but not for an act. You are grateful for what is. As every individual is nothing but a puppet of the ONE, thanking and being obliged is simply an exhibition of ignorance. Everything is ruled, controlled and managed by one Divinity, that consciousness has to shine forth in every act of yours; you do not have to make a mood of it. Q: Guruji, we are so grateful to you, what should we do? Sri Sri: When you have a total sense of belonging, then gratefulness does not become an obligation. Such gratefulness is for the Divine only, which enhances strength. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Negativity Needs An Anchor

Negativity cannot remain without a support. Positivity, happiness can be without any reason. The mind goes on trying to find support for its negativity. It looks for a hook to hang its negativity on - if not this person, then that thing or that person and so on. This perpetuates the maya! The creeper of negativity needs a support in order to grow. But negativity or aversion for even one person can guarantee a one-way ticket to hell - you need nothing else! All negativity is a pointer to move to the centre and broaden the vision to the cosmic intelligence. Instead of focussing your attention on support for your negativity, look at the seed of negativity. With meditation, silence, kriya, the source of negativity is nipped at the root. - Sri Sri ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Guru of Joy! Guruji’s darshan line is like clouds of love floating around HIM. If some one feels depressed or low, HE passes by & looks at him & he is lightened up. Sometimes for no reason you feel like crying in HIS presence, these tears are not of sadness but an expression of your inner being awakened & feeling secure. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Do Not Correct Mistakes

Wanting to correct a mistake brings doership and doership is the foundation for mistakes. Often, those who are trying to correct mistakes get caught up in more mistakes. Those who recognize their are mistakes are freed from them. Often, when one acknowledges a mistake, one tries to justify it, without taking responsibility for it. And sometimes one accepts that one made a mistake and starts justifying it or feeling guilty about it. Mistakes get dropped when one is troubled by ones conscience (viveka) or grief. There may be flaws in any action, any situation or any person. Treat a flaw as you would treat a flower. Just as a flower has to wither away after sometime, so does a flaw. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Handling Others Mistakes

A lady came to Guruji and said that her husband lied to her. She was very upset. Guruji asked "Why does your husband lie to you? Because he loves you, and is afraid to lose your love or hurt you. If he did not love you, he wouldn't lie to you!" Do not tell a person a mistake he knows. What's the use of pointing out a mistake that he knows he has committed? By doing this, you will only make them feel more guilty, defensive or resentful and this will only create more distance. You should only point out the mistake of a person who does not know, but who wants to know. Do not point out the mistake of a person who knows but doesn't want you to know. Often people know the mistakes that they have committed, but they do not want you to tell them. Think of the usefulness of your comments. Before pointing out the mistake of a person, see whether your comments in any way will help to improve the situation, foster love or bring harmony. A magnanimous person would not pick on the mistakes of others and make them feel guilty. However, they would correct them with compassion and care, not through words but through attitudes. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Handling Mistakes

Blessed are those who don't see a mistake as a mistake....! !! But it is hard not to see your own mistake. Outwardly you may justify yourself or prove your innocence to someone else, but a mistake pricks a conscience. Do not justify yourself. Instead, feel the prick of the mistake. That very pinch will take you out of the mistake. A mistake means something that brings misery to you in the long run. So why would someone knowingly commit a mistake? While pointing out a mistake to someone, do you consider him as separate from you and go on pointing out his error or do you make him feel a part of you? When you point out a mistake to someone, does it make him more stressed, or does it create more awareness in that person? Often you do not point out someone's mistake when it is required. Not pointing out a mistake -- with due consideration to time and place -- is also a mistake. When you make a new mistake, it is not a mistake; you have learned a valuable lesson. But when you keep doing the same mistake over and over, it is a BIG mistake. A mistake simply means you have missed taking a lesson that has come your way. Do not lament over your mistake. Just take the lesson from it. You will not be judged by your mistakes, but by your virtues. Mistakes are of the earth. Virtues are of the Divine. Wise is the one who learns from other's mistakes. Less wise is the one who learns from his own mistakes. The fool keeps making the same mistakes again and again and never learns from them. - Sri Sri || Jai Guru Dev ||

Feel The Pinch

A devotee asked Guruji: Please forgive me if I have committed a mistake. Sri Sri: Why should you be forgiven? You are asking for forgiveness because you feel a pinch and you want to be free from it, isn't it? Let the pinch be there. The pinch will not let the mistake happen again. Forgiveness removes the pinch and you keep repeating the mistake! Question: How do you know a mistake is a mistake? Sri Sri: A mistake is something that gives you a pinch. If it hasn't pinched you, it is not a mistake at all. It is the pinch that irks the consciousness and that pinch disallows the mistake to be repeated. Be with the pinch and not the guilt. It is a very fine balance. Question: What is the difference between guilt and pinch? Sri Sri: Guilt is about a specific action and pinch is about a specific result or happening. You can only feel guilty about what you did and not about what happened. But whatever happened, whether because of you or someone else can cause a pinch in you. Question: How do we get over the guilt? Tom Gill: Just blame the boss!!! ( laughter) Sri Sri: Through wisdom, by knowing the nature of mind, nature of consciousness and from a broader perspective of the phenomenon, you can get over the guilt. Question: Cant we learn from our mistakes without feeling the pinch? Sri Sri: Learning is at an intellectual level whereas you feel the pinch at an emotional level. The drive of your emotions is much stronger than your intellect. So a pinch will not let the mistake recur. Bharat: We feel guilt where we have control, it is at the intellectual level, whereas a pinch is at the emotional level where we do not have control. Question: So, should we discard the intellect? Sri Sri: You cannot be driven by your emotions alone. Your intellect acts like a brake for your emotions! Feel the pinch. The pinch will create an awareness that what happened was beyond your capacity. The awareness will bring you to surrender. Surrender will free you from guilt. So, from pinch to awareness to surrender to freedom are the steps of evolution. || Jai Guru Dev ||

Two Anecdotes

Once somebody made a mistake and Guruji asked him, "What punishment can I give you?" The person replied, "Don't punish me, Guruji, I won't make the mistake again." After some time Guruji asked another person, "And what punishment can I give you?" With a bright smile Nityanand replied, "Any punishment, Guruji." At this Guruji turned to the rest of us with a smile and said, "See, he is so confident of my love for him that he is not afraid of any punishment. Where there is love, there is no fear. Do not be afraid of being punished by God. Trust in the love that He has for you." It was Arun and Chitra's wedding anniversary. They presented an ornate fan to Guruji, saying, "A fan from two grateful fans." At this Guruji said, "Devotees are the fan; God is the air. Air is always there, but the fans make you feel it. God is always there; devotees make His presence felt!" - Sri Sri ********** Guru of Joy! Prashant Rajore was attending Satsang & singing bhajan. Then Guruji asked “any one have any questions?” He had 2 questions that disturbed him but was shy. Then Guruji started talking & suddenly he realized that was the answer for his questions. After a while Guruji looked at him & said “Samjhe?” After satsang he touched his feet. || Jai Guru Dev ||