Posted: 08 Jun 2011 12:48 PM PDT
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*Sri Sri:* Jai Gurudev!
Today an incident has taken place. Pitaji, the one who has given me this
body, has left his body. Body coming and leaving is a celebration. After
living a complete life he has gone to the source. We should know that
our bodies are going to be destroyed one day.
There are three Gunas by which ones life can be considered. If we see
from this angle, Pitaji's life was sattvic. He has been always
enthusiastic, never every complained about anything but took everything
as challenging. Every one's life is a story.
In his childhood he was born in scientific and learned family. His
parents were in Gandhi ji's ashram for 20 years and worked for a India's
independence. His parents gave all the gold and wealth at home to
Gandhiji for the struggle that finally got India its independence. At
that time Pitaji was 10 years old. He was studying in an English medium
school in Bangalore. He quit school during the Quit India Movement. His
father expired when he was just 16 years old. At that tender age, he
took care of his family including his brother and sister financially. He
used to walk 17km daily to do the job. He used to work and he started a
shop which his brother used to manage. Pitaji's younger brother was very
innocent. He wasn't managing the business at the shop so well but Pitaji
never said anything to his brother about not talking proper care of the
shop.
When Bhanu and I were born, he ensured that we always had everything. He
used to tell us new stories everyday that were very inspiring. Every
evening when he would come, we would clap hands and make everyone smile
for sometime. He would serve the poor. He never bothered or used to
worry about tomorrow. When the Bangalore International center started,
he took care of the ashram. He would come to the ashram everyday to take
care of the requirements and he would bring vegetables too for the
ashram kitchen. He would travel by bus, even though I would tell him to
go by car. In a village nearby the ashram, 100 young girls were about to
be sold, Pitaji stopped that and taught those girls tailoring to support
their life by themselves. He has had a enthusiastic and happy life. I
would like all the elderly to live with enthusiasm till their last
breath. Its very important because nowadays after 50 years, people are
loosing enthusiasm.
Pitaji used to say: there are three kinds of people: VIP, VVIP, and
VOC. VOC: Very ordinary chap. Pitaji used to call himself a very
ordinary chap. He was a down to earth person. Till his last breath he
was involved in service projects. He never believed in long rituals.
When rituals for the dead would go on for too long, Pitaji would say
that the person performing the rituals for the dead would die :)
A few days ago, Pitaji expressed his wish that he wants to depart. He
breathed his last when I landed in Bangalore. He was so energetic. Even
when he would walk, he would walk like an elephant. He has experienced a
wide spectrum of life.
Remembering all his qualities mean that we should imbibe those qualities
in us. He was so deep in faith and commitment. We need to imbibe all
those qualities that he represented and lived all his life. His sense of
humor and humility.
He designed a car when we were young. He was very fond of making a 4
wheeler car in India.
At that time he went to Delhi to get a license for the same. At that
time Maruti car was also getting launched. He tried to get the license
for 4 years. He said OK the government is refusing to give license for 4
wheeler car, so I will take one wheel away. He made a 3 wheeler
vehicle. There was so much corruption at every step of the way and since
he was not ready to pay bribe to anyone, he couldn't make it. I told
him, why are you doing all this?
I told him to get into service, social service. Then he started VISTA
India. In Sirsi, 450 km from here he started work. He has worked in 33
villages and created many groups. He used to go to these remote villages
and take care of those women and children. In fact, till now I haven't
been to that place yet. His wish was that I should visit the 33 villages
where he has worked. I will go there.
*Q:* What is the most important/Valuable thing in life?
*Sri Sri:* Life itself is the most valuable thing. Things/objects should
gain value from life, life shouldn't get value from things. When we
value life, things also get valued.
*Q:* If everyone goes to heaven then who will serve people?
*Sri Sri:* I received a funny SMS. As soon as I opened it, the first
line was *Goto Hell*. Then it was followed by "Because only you can
transform hell into heaven". You know any one would get shocked by
seeing the first line :)
Hell and heaven are right here. It depends on the state of mind. When it
is happy, heaven gets created whereever it is.
*Q:* How to go beyond happiness and sadness?
*Sri Sri:* Days of happiness and sadness come and go, but life keeps
going on. Between clouds of happiness and sadness, see the sky - that is
what we are.
*Q:* Why wasn't Sudarshan Kriya come earlier?
*Sri Sri:* Bhagvad Gita was given to this world 5000 years back.Why it
was not there before it. The nature knows what is required when and it
comes at the right time.
*Q:* Why doesn't God teach the corrupt people as lesson?
*Sri Sri:* So that you can do something. God has created corruption and
has given some work to you. Dont expect everything do be done by God
only. We never think let God himself come and feed us. We put in efforts
to fulfill our needs, similarly we need to put in efforts to fulfill the
needs of our country. Our work is to support dharma.
In Germany, every 2 years, 1.5 lakh people gather at a evangelical
church. They asked me to come and I went. Everyone loved the
program. Then on the next day I saw in the newspaper that they had
called me because they knew that people who are seekers will come when
they hear my name. They had kept a ticket.
They wanted people to come and there was a lady moderator, and a priest.
These two were supposed to cut whatever Guruji says and then all the
people who have come to the church will have more respect for the
church. This was revealed in the newspapers in Germany later.
The program was a good one and everyone was interested at the end in Art
of Living instead in church. The discussion was such that all the people
who came said that this is what we want. Though people wanted to fight
and win over me, they didn't know how to fight with me, so I already
won. In the newspapers next day, they wrote that their plan failed. The
plan was of a small group of people. Not everyone is bad here, there are
more good than bad. The world is made of all kinds of people.
If there is nothing else, people take a religious cause to fight - my
God is better than your God.
Anna Hazare's team (Team fighting against corruption in India) said that
we will ask for Chidambaram(a member of Indian parliament) to resign. I
asked what will happen even if he resigns? They will replace one pawn
with another.
Ask the whole goverment to resign.
I am telling Ramdev ji (One more saint leading the fight against
corruption in India) also to stop fasting. You need a lot of energy when
you have a big fight. When you are dealing with sensitive people, it is
fine. They will feel that you are fasting, they will have some mercy but
when you are with insensitive people, you have design and plan new tactics.
*Excerpt source:*
_http://www.artofliving.org/sites/all/themes/aolglobal/webcast-with-sri-sri-ravi-shankar.html_
*Note*: The recorded satsangs will soon be displayed on
_http://www.artofliving.org/satsang_
Full fledged satsang QNA's will be published on
_http://wisdomfromsrisriravishankar.blogspot.com/_ very soon!
For the details on the upcoming LIVE webcast satsangs, please visit
_http://www.artofliving.org/satsang_
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