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The most valuable thing in life is time

2024-11-21T16:48:00.001-08:00

A wise old man was asked by a young boy, "What is the most valuable thing in life?"

The old man replied, "It is not money, nor is it fame or power. The most valuable thing in life is time."

The boy was puzzled. "Time?" he asked. "Why time?"

The old man smiled. "Because time is the one thing that we all have in equal measure, but it is also the one thing that we can never get back once it is lost. Every moment we waste is gone forever. Every moment we use wisely is a gift to ourselves and to others."

The boy thought about this for a moment. "But what about money?" he asked. "Can't we just buy more time with money?"

The old man chuckled. "No, my young friend," he said. "Money can buy us things, but it cannot buy us more time. And even if it could, what would be the point of having all the time in the world if we did not have the wisdom to use it well?"

The boy nodded, beginning to understand. "So, how can I make the most of my time?" he asked.

The old man smiled again. "That is a question for the ages," he said. "But here is a hint: the key to making the most of your time is to use it to make a positive impact on the world around you. Help others, learn new things, pursue your passions. And always remember, every moment is a gift. Use it wisely."

From that day on, the boy made a point to value every moment of his time, and to use it to make the world a better place. And he lived a long and happy life, filled with purpose and joy.

🌸🌸🌸🙏🌸🌸🌸

43 Glorious years of AOL

2024-11-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Today... 13th November... is the Founding Day of...

The Art of Living (VVMVP)...Celebrating 43 Glorious Years!!

On this Day... Remembering... Param Pujya Gurudev’s Poem.

*I Promise*

• If I had to promise you something, what would it be ?

• I can’t promise that you would always be comfortable

Because comfort brings boredom and discomfort.

• I can’t promise that all your desires will be fulfilled

Because desires whether fulfilled or unfulfilled bring frustration.

• I can’t promise that there will always be good times

Because it is the tough times that make us appreciate joy.

• I can’t promise that we will be rich or famous or powerful

Because they can all be pathways to misery.

• I can’t promise that we will always be together

Because it is separation that makes togetherness so wonderful.

• Yet if you are willing to walk with me,

If you are willing to value Love ♥️ over everything else

• I promise that this will be the most rich and fulfilling life possible.

• I promise your life will be an eternal celebration,

• I promise you I will cherish you more than a king cherishes his crown,

• And I shall love you more than a mother loves her newborn.

If you are willing to walk into my arms,

If you are willing to live in my heart,

You will find the one you have waited forever.

You will meet yourself in my arms

I promise.

- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji...

HE has kept HIS Promise Well..!

Since 13th November 1981...

&... even much more... before..!!

#43yearsofartofliving

kARTHIK PURNIMA SPL ANNAABHISHEKAM

2024-11-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

FIRST TIME EVER

Karthik Purnima Spl

ANNABHISHEKAM

What are the symbolic aspects of rice in AnnaAbhishekam?

Rice in Anna Abhishekam represents the life-giving force and the interconnectedness of all elements. As rice develops from seed to grain, it absorbs the essence of earth, water, sunlight, and air, symbolizing a divine journey that sustains all beings. This offering to Lord Shiva underscores rice’s sacred place in the cycle of life and emphasizes the belief that the mind and spirit are shaped by the purity of what one consumes. Covering the Shiva Lingam with rice during the ritual reflects reverence for the sustenance that nurtures both body and soul.

Annaabhishekam is believed to provide following benefits:

Abundance of food

Enhanced memory power

Prosperity in agriculture

Business prosperity

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15th Nov | 5.30 PM

Devi Hall, Gurukul, Bangalore

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Roo[antaran Seva Program at Bangalore Ashram

2024-11-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

"If you are doing Seva, there will be no dearth. Whatever you need will come to you when needed!"

~Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar

Experience the Magic of SEVA at The Bangalore Ashram

Inviting applications for short-term sevaks for 1 Month

Seva Dates

•Nov 10th - Dec 10th

ELIGIBILITY:

Must have learned Sudarshan Kriya;

Minimum Seva Duration: 1 Month

To apply for Seva, please fill out the form below.

aolic.org/roopantaran

Bangalore Ashram Central HR

+91 72592 71958

+91 74069 72000

For Indian Residents Only!

Please note that this message is to invite application only. Based on the interview, an email confirmation will be sent.

ETERNITY PROCESS

2023-02-11T17:47:00.001-08:00

*🌺ETERNITY PROCESS🌺*

with *Suchitraji*

(2-3 hours one session only)

*25th Feb to 5th March*

_by prior appointment only_

Venue:Himayatnagar, Hyd

Contact:

9949061616

9160638528

what we give to others comes back to us.

2016-08-11T04:13:00.001-07:00

A small story which beautifully illustrates that what you sow, you reap.

" Once upon a time there was a small time business man from a small village who used to sell butter in the nearby town. A big shop owner in the town was his regular customer.

The villager used to deliver every month the shop owner the required butter in 1 Kg. Blocks and in turn he used to get grocery items like sugar, pulses etc from the big shop owner.

Once the shop owner decided to weigh the butter and to his surprise every block of butter weighed 900 gms. instead of 1kg.

Next month when the villager came to supply Butter, the shop owner was very angry at him and told to leave the shop, to this the villager replied him courteously " Sir, I am a very poor villager,
I don't have enough money to even buy the required weights for weighing the butter, I usually put the 1Kg sugar you give me on one side of Weighing scale and weigh butter on another side"

This beautifully illustrates that what we give to others comes back to us.

no full stops in india

2016-04-09T04:45:00.003-07:00

Mark Tully the BBC correspondent for India for many years writes about changes happening in MODI'S regime.

Mark Tully, ex BBC Correspondent in his Book "No Full Stops in India," while discussing about change writes ; In India change takes a lot more time.

The birth will be slow and perhaps painful. I believe it could be the birth of a new order which is not held up by the crumbling colonial pillars left behind by the Raj but is GENUINELY Indian ; a GC modern order, but not a slavish imitation of other modern orders”.

He goes on to say that – “For all its great achievements, the Nehru dynasty has stood like a Banyan tree, overshadowing the people and the institutions of India, and all Indians know that nothing grows under the Banyan tree”.

As Mark said , Change will be slow and painful, therefore for someone who doesn’t read and makes judgement based on perception will for quite some time not be able to see the change taking place or will pretend as if nothing is changing.

The way changes are coming in Railways, Power sector, Defense Production and in governance and at the same time accompanied by the resentment of the old forces indicate that the process of change has begun albeit slowly but firmly and is going to be painful.

Let us not undermine the capabilities of this termite ridden old Banyan tree which will still try its best to stop any one growing to the extent that it may even turn the soil upside down before falling down.

For a year or so we may witness more of Dadris, more of Kaniyahas, more of Owaisi style shouting but finally if the Society keeps its cool, acts maturely and continues to perform we will sail through and the old forces will die a natural death.

LET ME ADD to this every day the new stir media throws in your face is all doctored by forces who wish to topple Modi Govt as Modi has uprooted them and they are like fish out of the water The time has come to continue to support the man and keep your faith intact and we will see new India for sure bigger, better, stronger, corruption free , peaceful prosperous then ever before with people having better quality of life..

- Mark Tully.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Forwarded as received

🇮🇳🆚🇮🇳

HOW TO INCREASE POSITIVE ENERGY IN OUR HOUSE.....

2016-03-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

HOW TO INCREASE
POSITIVE ENERGY
IN OUR HOUSE.....

1) Open all windows in the house and allow fresh air and sunshine to enter the house. Free flowing air and sun are negative energy removers

2. Dispose of all the old unwanted things lying in the house. Clutter is a negativity magnet. It attracts and accumulates negative energy in the house.

3). Walking barefoot in the house helps all your negative energy to be absorbed by the earth.
Grounding is important to keep the energy balance in our body.

4) In the olden days, footwears were kept out of the house. People used to enter the house only after washing feet with water. This action ensures that all the negativity remains outside or are grounded by earth and does not enter the house. Now it has become difficult to keep the footwear outside. So preferably remove them near the entrance door.

5) Go out in the open air. Take walks in the garden or open ground. Being amongst nature re-energizes or charges you fully.

6) Sweeping the floor also ensures that the negative energies are shaken and moved out with the dirt.

7) Rock salt is another negativity remover. Wash or mop your floor with a fistful rock salt in a bucket of water. This ensures that every nook and corner of the house is rid of negative energy.

8) Potted plants or trees around your house or society also ensures more positive energy in the house and area.

9) Bathing or Soaking your legs and hands in rock salt water once in a while removes the negativity attached to your body and cleanse your aura.

11) Repetition of Prayers, increases the positive vibrations in the house. 100%

11) Keep your thoughts, action and speech Positive. Negative thoughts will bring in negative vibes. So avoid all negative thoughts, speech and actions.

12) Keep your house well lit and illuminated. Light removes negativity.

13) Keep faith in God and in yourself.
You are the Creator of your own destiny by the Choices you make.

STAY HAPPY
STAY BLESSED

Find your lost treasure

2016-03-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

Very Nice 😊 One !
Read to reflect.......

One night Adi Sankaracharya, a noblest soul, was desperately searching for something on the street outside his small hut. When His pupil, returned back from work, he saw this and curiously asked, “Aacharya, what are you looking for, here on the street, at this hour?”

Sankaracharya replied, “I lost my needle.”

Pupil joined him in the search, but after searching for a while, he asked, “Can you try and recollect where you might have dropped it?”

Sankaracharya said, “Of course, I remember. I dropped it near the bed, in our hut.”

Pupil surprised and astonished , “Aacharya, You lost it inside the house, then why are we looking for it outside?”

Sankaracharya innocently replied, “There was no oil left in our lamp. It was pitch dark inside the house to search for it. Hence I thought of searching for it outside, since there was enough streetlight here.”

While holding his laugh, pupil said, “ If you lost your needle inside the house, how could you even expect to find it outside?”

Sankaracharya simply smiled back at pupil and Pupil got the beautiful moral behind his silly act.

We are all seeking outside, what we have lost inside us. Why, just because it is pitch dark inside? Silly, aren’t we?

Light the lamp inside you.

Find your lost treasure.
Thought you might like it..

Tappers & Listeners

2016-03-30T22:04:00.001-07:00

Tappers & Listeners

In 1990, a psychology student at Stanford University, conducted an interesting experiment. It was referred to as the "Tappers & Listeners" experiment. The rest of the world first heard of it when the authors Chip and Dan Heath started talking about in public.

For her PhD dissertation, Elizabeth Newton invited her peers in college to participate in the study. Each student was assigned one of two roles: 'Tapper' or 'Listener'. The tappers were given a list of twenty-five popular tunes, such as "Happy Birthday to you" and "Jingle Bells". They had to tap out the tune with their fingers on a table, and the listeners had to guess the song. As you might have guessed, this was not an easy task at all. Of the hundred and twenty times a tune was tapped, the listener could guess the tune correctly only thrice. That's a success rate of about 2.5%.

But here's the interesting bit. Before the tappers began to tap the tune, Elizabeth asked them to predict the probability of the listeners being able to guess the song correctly. The tappers predicted a 50% chance that they would be able to get the listeners to guess the tune correctly.

So while they thought that they would be able to get the listeners to guess correctly one out of two times, the reality was that listeners could guess the tune only once in forty attempts. How come?

Well, here's what was happening. As the tapper taps the tune, he can hear the song playing in his head His fingers seem to be tapping the tune in perfect sync with what's playing in his head. And he just can't understand what the listener is not able to pick up such a simple tune!

And what about the listener? Well, she doesn't have the tune playing in her head, without which, she has no idea what's happening. She tries as hard as can to make sense of the bizarre Morse-code like tapping that she hears. Alas, to no avail. This results in utter frustration.

As leaders, we often fall into the tapper's trap! We give instructions which seem very clear in our heads but our colleagues may have no idea what we want them to do. Has it happened to you that you called a young trainee to do some work, and when she got back the next day - having slogged all night to finish the task - you were disappointed? She hadn't quiet done what you were looking for. You probably felt a bit frustrated too, that she 'didn't quiet get it.'

The next time that happens, do remember that the problem is with the tapper - not the listener. Because you knew what you wanted to get done, you assumed it was clear to the young trainee too. That is seldom he case.

The next time you are communicating with a colleague, think about the "Tappers & Listeners" experiment. And remember, what's obvious to you may not be so to the other person. When the listener says he doesn't get it, that's not a signal to get irritated. It's probably telling you to put yourself in the other person's shoes, and try and be more explicit. Don't assume that knowledge levels are the same.

One more thing. Tapping harder or Tapping repeatedly won't make it any easier for the Listener!

👌👌👌👌

Meditation

2016-03-27T20:34:00.002-07:00

Do you know what happens when you meditate? You are creating a rapport with the other realms of reality.When your mind is still, when meditation is happening, you are not only purifying every cell of your own body, but you are spreading positive energy all around you. Your meditation brings peace and joy to people who have already passed and gone to the other side, which is very, very important.

When you are silent, you are not putting things into the mind from the world; you are letting yourself free, cleansing the body, and cleansing the mind. During this time, some thoughts may bombard your mind. Some old things may just come and bother you. Never mind, don’t be scared. The fact you are sitting is good enough. Whatever happens is all for good. If old thoughts are coming and bothering you, never mind, they just come and they go. Nevertheless, keeping silent is very, very precious, not just for you, but also for the subtle creation. For the world also, because you are creating such positive vibrations every minute you are in silence, every minute you are meditating!

In addition, the full moon, the ocean and meditation, all go very well. The mind is agitated if it is involved in too much activity. Time to time, as you take yourself back from activity, then agitation disappears, meditation wells up.

- Sri Sri

basic law of right human behavior

2016-03-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

The basic law of right human behavior is self-reform.... Whenever any trouble occurs with our friends or dear ones, we should inwardly lay the blame on ourselves for getting into an unpleasant situation and then try to get out of it as fast and as graciously as we can. It is fruitless to increase the trouble by loudly, unkindly, discourteously blaming others, even though we find that they are to blame. We can teach quick-tempered dear ones to mend their faults a hundred times better by setting a good example than we can by harsh or self-righteous words.

CELEBRATING THE SILENCE

2016-03-11T17:31:00.002-08:00

Weekly Knowledge #71
Bangalore Ashram
16 Oct 1996
India

CELEBRATING THE SILENCE

One who has given everything has also given freedom: Honor the freedom first and make good use of all things given to you.

Your sankalpas (intentions) and desires separate you from God.

Offer all the desires and your sankalpas to the Divine... then you are divine... you are God... you are free... lacking nothing.

Effort is the key in the relative,

Effortlessness is the key to the Absolute.

Your mind does not belong to you. Don't blame it.

Let the BIG SELF embrace it.

🌸Jai Guru Dev🌸

Feel abundant

2016-02-26T19:28:00.002-08:00

Poverty is only in the mind. In North India, one day before Diwali they celebrate Dhanteras. On Dhanteras they bring out all their wealth, place it in front of God and feel the abundance. Why do they do this? It is because when we feel abundant within, it brings out a positive attitude, energy and enthusiasm, and you are able to get more. But when you are in a 'lack' consciousness, I tell you, that seed that you have sown will increase the lack and reduce abundance. Abundance first starts as a seed within you, so feel abundant. When the seed of abundance is within you, magic happens!

RESPECT EVERYBODY AS YOU RESPECT ME

2016-02-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

Weekly Knowledge #58
Bad Antogast
17 Jul 1996
Germany

RESPECT EVERYBODY AS YOU RESPECT ME

Respect everybody as you respect Me, but don't expect from everyone what you expect from Me.

You do it the other way. You don't respect everybody as you respect Me, but you expect them to give you joy and behave ideally. When they don't live up to your expectations, you get frustrated and you blame or curse them. By cursing, you lose your spiritual energy. Blessing brings your spiritual energy up.

The world is full of differences and arguments are inevitable. With forbearance or patience and wisdom, skillfully make your way up.

If you find fools around you, they are going to make you wiser. The number of fools around you indicates the strength of your centeredness. Don't try to get rid of them! (Laughter)

If you are not centered you will have no patience to put up with them. When you are totally established, you find the fools come up with wisdom. They are your own reflection, there is no other. Fools offer you frustration and wisdom. Be choosy and make your life juicy.

Hmm . . . What do you say? I think this is something very timely.

Question: How can you stop thinking others are fools?

Answer: You don't have to. You can see the whole world as fools. The advantage is you don't get attached to anyone. (Laughter) No one likes to associate with fools. If you think people are sane, you want to join them.

You can think everybody is a fool and be cool.

🌸Jai Guru Dev🌸

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 24Feb2016

2016-02-24T17:51:00.001-08:00

"When we are in activity our mind is always in the front. You just close your eyes, you’ll feel your mind is in the front. Because the mind goes through the eyes to look at the world and through the ears. The mind is mostly focused, during activity, in the frontal part of the body. For relaxing we take our mind to the background. You see suddenly there is some difference happening. It is necessary, from time to time."

Ques: In the beginning of Rudra Puja there is shloka, ‘na karmana na prajaya dhanena tyagenaike amritatvamanashuh’, what does it mean?
#SriSri: Yes, this is a very nice one! This is said to the Saints, Sanyasis, enlightened people, this is usually the mantra that they say while doing pranam, the vedic pundits. ‘na karmana na prajaya dhanena’, not through actions, not through money, not through fame or progeny or following, the nectar is achieved thru renunciation. ‘Tyagenaike amritatvamanashuh’, the nectar, immortality, can only be achieved through renunciation. ‘parena nakam nihitam guhayam’, ‘nakam’ means beyond the heavens, beyond the sorrow and beyond the heaven also. ‘parena nakam’ beyond the pleasures. ‘nihitam guhayam’, that which is in the depth of one’s heart, in the cave of the heart, the enlightened Saints, they live there. ‘Bibhrajate yadyatayo vishanti’, the ‘yatis’, meaning the Saints they live in the heart, the inner cave of the heart. There, deep inside, they are shining. That is the mantra they say while doing pranam. That which is shining in the heart, that is where the Saints are present, they are immersed there. There could be many meanings like that, immersed in it, they are into it, they live there etc. This is what we have always been saying. ‘Vedanta vijnana suniscitarthah’, they are so certain about the knowledge of the Vedas. Vedanta is, all is one, quantum physics. What appears is not the truth, what is not appearing, that which is beyond all the apperances, that is the truth. And that scientifically established. ‘suniscitarthah’, it is so sure about it, not doubting it at all. We are very well in the conviction of the Vedants. ‘samnyasa yogadyataya suddha sattvah’, with sansyas yoga, you are of pure intellect. ‘te brahma lokesu paranta kale paramratah parimucyanti sarve’, not only do they attain the Brahman after leaving the body, but they show the path while they are alive, they take everyone along. ‘Dharam vipapam paramesma bhutam, yad pundarikam puramadhya sagastham, tatrapi dahram gaganam visokam’, they live in a space which is free from sorrow and bring everyone into that space. And let me be in that space, that is the prayer, let me be in that space of the Saint. Just coming into that space mentally, not just physically, mentally getting into that space where the Saint lives or Guru lives, itself brings you freedom. ‘gaganam’ it’s so deep, it’s so vast, ‘visokam’, it has no sorrow in it. So many words, they all indicate to one thing, that is the space that is beyond all name and form.’Tasmin ya dantastatu pasidavyam’, that which is inside, that is worth going near, worth appreciating. ‘Yo vedadau svara proktah vedante ca pratistitaha, tasya prakriti linasya yah parahssa mahesvaraha’, where are u looking for God? Don’t look for Him at all! This life is God, this world is God. Don’t blame the world around. It has various names and forms but It is all God. ‘Yo vedadau svara proktah’, that which is said in all the Vedas, that which has been sung in all the scriptures of the world, that which has been established by Vedanta, that Divinity which is right within you, everywhere, around you. ‘tasya prakriti linasya’, that which is present in the nature, in the whole Universe, ‘lina’ means immersed, ‘prakriti’ means nature, that which is immersed in the nature. ‘yah parahssa mahesvaraha’, still it is beyond the nature, that which is immersed in nature. It is in nature, still it is beyond the nature, that is Divinity. And that Divinity is in you, as you. So relax, repose. This is Vedanta.

Ques: I was always taught to put effort. But coming here, life seems effortless. Please comment.
#SriSri: As long as your job is getting done, you don’t have to worry. Life is a combination of both effort and effortlessness. You have to put some effort somewhere at some time and then you have to let go also, both.

Ques: Can you please say something about the Devikavacham?
#SriSri: The Devikavacham is different names of the Devi taken in different parts of the body. It’s almost like Yoga Nidra but with names. Because every name has got some qualities and some energy and that affects some parts. Because name and for are very closely related. Devikavacham, just listening to it, let this Devi be in my tummy, let this Devi be in my ear, this Devi be in my forehead, like that every part of the body and also the seven ‘dhatus’ (elements of the body) in the body. ‘Kavach’ means armour, creating an armour around us. It’s very nice, Bhanu has sung that in one of the tapes, Cosmic Resonnance. It’s very meditative. Just a little flute music only, no other music. The Devikavacham, it says the Mother Divine’s names like an armour aroung us, our body. Especially during Navaratris, this is done all the all the nine days. It is very important. Listen to it, sit and listen to it. The protection is anyway there, but this somewhere does something, elevates one’s spirit.

Ques: During homas or meditation sessions, if I take my relatives along with me in my mind, does it have an impact on them?
#SriSri: Yes, sure. Thought waves can reach far and wide.

Ques: Can you give us a message for padayatra? (Question from international Vedic Wisdom participants who are about to embark on padayatras as part of the program)
#SriSri: Padayatra, just go around and talk to people. Though India is a land of wisdom, unfortunately many have not realized it. For whatever reason it has not reached to the common masses. Though it is there, last two generations and a long colonial rule that India has undergone, systematically this has been sidelined or destroyed. That is why many people are at loss. That is why whatever little wisdom we have, it’s better that we start encouraging people, sharing with them, asking them to meditate and sing along. That is what padyatra is all about. And they would love it, when people are coming and telling them, they will enjoy it. In this country unfortunately, the wisdom has been confined to certain sections of society or some elite group, it was not avaialable for the masses. For the first time in the Art of Living, we said, no we want to go to the masses. Of course, everybody has some rituals but then there are other people who have come and told them, ‘Hey, this is nonsense, you shouldn’t do all this singing , these sort of things.’ Some people have also been told that your God is not the real God, my God is the real God. This sort of ignorance has been stuffed in the society, it’s so unfortunate. They say if you do all this bhajans, sing, if you go to temples, you will all go to hell. Day before yesterday, one lady was here, she was crying, ‘My son now refuses to go to the temple and refuses to take part in any religious functions’ Because he was being brainwashed by somebody that these are all devil practice, you have to go to my God only, then you will go to heaven. This sort of wrong indoctrination, there are mild indoctrinations, there is another extreme indoctrination. They say you will get heaven only when you are in a warrior mode, when you are ready to kill yourself, suicide bombers. Why would somebody do a suicide bomb? Because they were given temptation of going to heaven. This is another types of brainwashing. We need to re-instill the faith in unity, in diversity and many names, many forms, freedom to worship, freedom to honour and co-exist, this is the root of ancient Vedic culture, let’s honour everybody, the whole world is one family, this is the message we need to give. When we go on padayatra, tell people who are moving away from their roots, hold on to your roots. There is a deep sense of low self-esteem in this country. That is to be removed. Because of long colonial rule and other things, lack of self-esteem, they don’t honour what they have, what they are. So we need to tell them, hey it’s ok the way you are, your belief system is fine, there is nothing wrong, you won’t go to hell! This reassurance is needed. And don’t fall prey to these people who come and say, your Gods are going to take you to heel, only my God will take you to heaven, this is sort of brainwashing, tell them that this is not true. That’s all we need to tell them, have faith in yourself, in your traditions, your customs and have a broad vision. Fanaticism is no good. It’s not the sign of intelligence. Fanaticism is not a sign of intelligence. Intelligent people are very scientific, open, happy, inquisitive, they are innovative, they are an inspiration to others. Fanatics are scary, they will only bring you fear. They put fear in others, ‘hell will come to fall on your head’! Even yesterday when I was in Tamil Nadu people were telling me, earlier in a village, everyone was together. In the Hindu festivals, Christians would all come and they say now in the last decade or so, the division has become much bigger, they say. People say, don’t take prasadam in the temple. Even if it is given they just throw it on the floor. Because this fear has been induced in the mind, if you eat prasadam or some food from a temple, you will go to hell or evil will enter into you! So they are not having a common meal together, which was not the case before. That is so unfortunate. They were sharing with Me, that this has become a big division among the three communities nowadays. That is why the World Culture Festival will bring in everyone together. Tell them that everyone is a child of God, there is no satan who will enter into you if eat your prasadam somewhere. Fear and guilt has been induced into people’s mind to keep them aloof. That needs to be got rid of.

Ques: So many of our soldiers have been killed by terrorist attacks, what can we do? How can spiritual knowledge help soldiers?
#SriSri: Spiritual knowledge is always useful in may ways. Soldiers have a lot anxiety. If they have anxiety, they can help them. There are so many soldiers committing suicide out of depression, they can come out of depression, it can help them to handle their mind, it can help them to better their intuitive abilities. For terrorism, education is required. Those who have become terrorists we can’t do much about them, unless we get them into a jail. We can do work with them in the prison. But we can stop children getting into this mindset. So down the line, ten years, fifteen years later, at least we will have no child with such mentality. If you ask me how, I’ll give you an example. See, children, a few decades ago, in the tribal region, in poor areas, they never knew how to brush their teeth. Take for example, the African continent. There are many people who did not know how to brush their teeth! But today that is not the case. From young age we teach them how to brush their teeth. So dental hygiene has become a common thing. There was polio, now polio has been eradicated, how? We attended at the very infant level. Like if we could eradicate cholera and polio and these diseases by attending to kids, we can vaccinate with them anti-radicalization, we can vaccinate kids against terrorism. This is the only way we can do it. De-radicalize youths, who have already gone into that mindset and give vaccination to kids who have not yet walked that path.

WHY DO WE FEAR LONELINESS

2015-09-01T08:18:00.001-07:00

Q: Gurudev, why do we fear loneliness? Why do we always long for someone’s
company?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
You feel this way because you have never gone deep into your inner Self.
You have not met your Self. The moment you become aware and realize your
inner true Self, I tell you, all fears and negativity simply disappear.

How can one meet one’s true Self? For a few moments just keep all your
roles aside and think, 'Who am I?' Go on asking yourself. When you
continuously question yourself this way, you sink deeper and deeper into
meditation, and then you will realize what the truth is. Once that happens,
there will be no place for any kind of hatred, negativity, and aversions.
In a matter of moments all this will simply vanish.

So it is a good exercise to keep asking yourself these questions. If you
feel like, you can do this every day for a few moments. Just sit with
yourself and go on asking yourself, 'Who am I?' As you do this, you will
experience that the mind becomes silent, and begins to settle, and that
very moment you becomes joyous and filled with happiness.

Mahabharata characters in present day mnc

2014-11-18T04:44:00.000-08:00

Dronacharya: The Mentor. The employee who doesn't like working himself but is always ready to guide and train new joiners.

Bhishma: The Loyal. The employee in a relatively senior position who happily assists the boss in spite of knowing his incompetence (because of some strange oath maybe)

Dhritarashtra: The blind boss. He knows that everything is wrong with his project but will still let it function, without making any changes to the current processes.

Gandhari: The Yesmen/Women. Boss's immediate juniors who know that they are a part of an evil plan but will stay blindfolded and pretend as if nothing is happening.

Yuddhisthira: The ethical guy. Poor chap would never fudge timesheets and call in sick only when he is dying.

Bheema: The angry resource. Always ready to pick up a fight with his peers, subordinates or even the bosses.

Arjuna: The cool dude. The star performer who also knows how to sell his skills. A natural charmer, very famous among the ladies.

Nakul & Sahdev: The good average resource. No one notices them. They keep doing their work and get average appraisals.

Duryodhana: The Bully. Knows how to get work done, by hook or by crook. Doesn't mind threatening the likes of Nakul and Sahdev to get his work done.

Karna: The unsung hero. The best performer in the office but never claims credit for his work. Stays an unsung hero for all his life. Girls take him for a snobbish nerd.

Shakuni: The evil plotter. Copies management in every mail. Escalates every trivial issue, sometimes to take credits and sometimes purely for fun.

Dhristadyumna: The One inning wonder. The one who performs an extraordinary feat, and then basks in the glory of it for the rest of his life.

Draupadi: The shared resource. Keeps hopping projects on boss's advice.

Krishna: The Ultimate Boss (MD/CEO) who knows that it is his game while he makes everyone believe that they are playing important roles too.

Who says history never repeats itself... It does everyday. In the office.

management lesson

2014-11-18T04:39:00.003-08:00

MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM A FIVE HUNDRED RUPEE NOTE

Prakash Iyer, MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever and Executive Coach shares two important management lessons he learnt from a 500-rupee note. Read on.

1. It happened some years ago but I can recall the evening like it happened just last week.
I was in an audience listening to a motivational guru.
The speaker whipped out his wallet and pulled out a five hundred-rupee note.
Holding it up, he asked, "Who wants this five hundred rupee note?"
Lots of hands went up. Including mine.
A slow chorus began to build as people began to shout "Me!" "Me!"
I began to wonder who the lucky one would be who the speaker would choose.
And I also secretly wondered -- and I am sure others did too -- why he would simply give away five hundred rupees.
Even as the shouts of "I want it" grew louder, I noticed a young woman running down the aisle.
She ran up onto the stage, went up to the speaker, and grabbed the five hundred-rupee note from his hand. "Well done, young lady," said the speaker into the microphone.
"Most of us just wait for good things to happen. That's of no use. You've got to make things happen."
The speaker's words have stayed with me ever since.

'Simply thinking about doing something is of no use'

Our lives are like that. We all see opportunities around us. We all want the good things.
But the problem is we don't take action.
We all want the five hundred rupee notes on offer. But we don't make the move. We look at it longingly.Get up, and do something about it. Don't worry about what other people might think. Take action.

2. Several years later, it was another day, another time.
And another motivational guru.
As I watched him pull out a five hundred rupee note and hold it up for all to see, I thought I knew what he was going to do next. But he just asked a simple question. "How much is this worth?"
"Five Hundred rupees!" the crowd yelled in unison.
"Right," said the speaker. He then took the note and crumpled it into a ball and asked "How much is it worth now?"
"Five Hundred rupees!" screamed the audience.
He then threw the note on the ground, stamped all over it and picked up the note and asked one more time: "And how much is it worth now?"
"Five Hundred rupees!" was the response.
"I want you to remember this," said the speaker.
"Just because someone crumples it, or stamps on it, the value of the note does not diminish.
We should all be like the five hundred rupee note..
In our lives, there will be times when we feel crushed, stamped over, beaten. But never let your self-worth diminish. Just because someone chooses to crush you -- that doesn't change your worth one bit!
Don't allow your self-worth to diminish because someone says something nasty -- or does something dirty -- to you."
'Never let your self-worth diminish'

iodised salt --- fact and fiction

2014-10-17T12:31:00.003-07:00

From 17th May2006, a law has been passed which bans sale of un-iodised salt in India. Iodised salt is available for an average of Rs 10/- whereas un-iodised salt was available for @ Re 1/-. Where are ten rupees and where is one rupee?

Iodine is essential for memory power and as an essential ingredient in food. However iodine also evaporates above temperature of say 35 degrees Celsius. So due to hot climate in India, as soon as we open the salt pack, most of the iodine content gets evaporated. We add salt in food - do we add it while it is being cooked or after it is cooked?

If we add it during cooking, the temperature is definitely more than 45 degrees which means there is no iodine content in food transferred from salt! Iodine is available in green leafy vegetables like spinach and 6 such other natural sources.

Salt alone need not be forced upon as iodine source. So cold states like Himachal,
Arunanchal, J&K can have that as a law to have iodized salt. But why the whole of India?
Just so that MNCs can get 15000 crores of rupees from selling iodized salt in India?
Whom are we favoring here? Indian folks or MNCs?

Cattle in villages are fed broken rice & cattle drink for which people add salt, and typically they buy bags of salt (say 50kg )+ they also need large quantity of salt in coastal area to feed the coconut trees; so this issue was talked about in South-Kanara with regards to cow-feed and coconut farmers.
They can not afford to buy iodized salt.

Gurudev said, this is like a repetition of history. Mahatma Gandhiji had started Satyagraha for a restriction passed on by British rule on salt manufacture and sale in that era. It so happened that when Gurudev was told about this, He was returning from South Africa!
In British rule, 30% of income had to be spent on salt so that Britishers could make money out of erstwhile Indian pockets.
Many people in India do not even know about this law so far. We need to spread awareness and do the right thing to indicate our displeasure.

There are cigaretttes and liquor sold very openly in India, with just one message 'consumption is injurious to health' that makes it good enough for sale. Government does not do anything for such
substances, and they are behind salt!

In villages like Malegaon etc in India, even remote villages than these, we can easily get soap 'Dove' - MNCs have penetrated to the roots of India. Look at any other country -you will get what that country manufactures, anywhere in that country first and then you may have to look for other country items. Is this the case in our India?

We should all start using homegrown products wherever possible.

Else we are going to end up in making our country poorer and poorer by such salt laws in future

Brain damaging habits

2014-10-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood
sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the
brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in
mental power.

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and
nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain
development.

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling
polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing
about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will
accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon
dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain
damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in
effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain
stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring,
and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce
cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking
oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired,
except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden
of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried
veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just
have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining
good eating habits and time condition are very important for our
bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to
"schedule."
Because:

Evening at 9 - 11pm : is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic
chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes).
This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music.
If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such
as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework,
this will have a negative impact on health.

Evening at 11pm - 1am : is the detoxification process in the liver,
and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3am : detoxification process in the gall, also
ideally done in a deep sleep state.
Early morning 3 - 5am : detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there
will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time.
Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract,
there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with
toxin removal process.
Morning 5 - 7am : detoxification in the colon, you should empty your
bowel.
Morning 7 - 9am : absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you
should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier,
before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very
beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip
breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to
eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of
removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am
is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a
good sleep and don't sleep late.
TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH.................
AND PASS THIS EMAIL TO WHOM YOU LOVE.....................

when you decide something.......

2014-10-17T11:29:00.002-07:00

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato Garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his Situation: Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant My potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because
Your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be Digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be Over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

Love,
Dad.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Shortly, the old man received this telegram:  For Heaven's sake, Dad, don?t dig up the Garden!! That's where I buried  The GUNS!! At 4a.m the next morning, a dozen police officers
showed up and dug up  The entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote  Another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what  To do next.
His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It's the  Best I could do for you from here."

Moral: NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD,IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO
SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART YOU CAN DO IT. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE
THOUGHT THAT MATTERS...

Will you grant me a boon

2014-10-17T11:27:00.001-07:00

WILL YOU GRANT ME A BOON.....

'How long will you be pouring over that
newspaper?
Will you come here right away and make your
darling daughter eat her food?'

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene.
My only daughter Sindu looked frightened.

Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of
her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.

Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her
age.
She has just turned eight. She particularly
detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of Curd Rice!

I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl.
"Sindu,darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear. And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at me'
I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back.
Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should...' Sindu hesitated.

'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd Rice, will you
give me whatever I ask for?'
'Oh sure, darling'.

'Promise?'
'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal.
'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my
daughter insisted. My wife slapped her hand on Sindu's,muttering 'Promise', without any emotion.

Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindumma, you
shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such
expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'.
Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity.
I was silently angry with my wife and my mother
for forcing my child eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me
with her eyes wide with expectation. All our
attention was on her. 'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand!
'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child
having her head shaved off? Impossible!'.
'Never in our family!' my mother rasped. 'She
has been watching too much of television. Our
culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!'
'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else?
We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'
'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu
said with finality.
'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand
our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat
that Curd Rice'. Sindu was in tears. 'And you
promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honour our promises no matter what?'
It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our
promise must be kept.'
'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.
'No. If we go back on our promises, she will
never learn to honour her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a
round-face, and her eyes looked big & beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school.
It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking
towards her classroom. She turned around and waved.
I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy
alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!'
What struck me was the hairless head of that boy.
'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.

'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!'
Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from .. ..leukaemia.'
She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Harish could not
attend the school for the whole of the last
month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue.
But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her
lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'

I stood transfixed. And then, I wept. 'My
little Angel, will you grant me a boon? Should there be another birth for me, will you be my mother, and teach me what Love is?'

THE TRAP

2014-10-17T11:05:00.001-07:00

A friend drove me to lunch downtown and – miracle of miracles – found an empty parking space right in front of the restaurant. But just as he turned on his blinker and started to back in, another car zipped into the space, its driver yelling, "Whoever’s faster wins!" I was furious, but my friend just shrugged and began looking for another space. A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. – Proverbs 12:16 Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. – Voltaire "Didn't that bother you?" I asked my friend once we were seated in the restaurant. His reply amazed me. "I never let anyone provoke me for things I can't change,” he said quietly. His answer was food for thought that was much more nourishing than the lunch we went on to share. It became clear to me that when I Iet myself fall into provocation trap, I give up control over my emotions, which eventually hurts no one but me. Has someone provoked you recently? Stay out of the trap!

MY Room

2014-10-17T11:03:00.001-07:00

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night. "Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my hotel room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night." When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you." The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy. Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky. "That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage." "You must be joking," the young man said. "I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth. The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor, and the magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels. All this happened because of the service he offered by going out of his way and going beyond the call of duty.