Category Archives: Sri Sri Wisdom

Ravi Shankar Ji fondly called as Sri Sri is one of the most Lovable Knowledgeable Divine Enlightened Master Humanitarian activist who is well versed in Modern & Ancient Sciences. He belongs to the Timeless Sanatan Parampara of Vedic Masters. This category is exclusively dedicated to this Gyaani, Premi, Yogi.

Connection between diff Body parts & Planets !!

Did you know that every finger in your hand is connected to a planet? ~ Sri Sri 
Every finger in your hand is connected to a planet. The thumb is connected to Mars. Mars stays alone.

Index finger is connected to Jupiter (Jupiter shows the path, it is the teacher). When you want to show something, you show using the index finger, this is Jupiter. The middle finger is connected to Saturn; Saturn is the servant. The ring finger is connected to the Sun; the Sun is the king. And who owns the jewels? The king, and so you put rings only on the ring finger. That’s why it’s called the ring finger. The little finger is connected to Mercury. So when you do chin mudra, what is happening? The index finger (Jupiter) and the thumb (Mars) are coming together, that is wisdom and power.
Why is the thumb connected to Mars? It is because whenever you win, what do you do? You put your thumbs up. Thumbs up is a sign of victory. When you lose what do you do? You put your thumbs down. So these gestures are so inbuilt in us.
Different planets affect different parts of your body. Your teeth is connected to Saturn. Your eyes are connected to the Sun, your cheeks are connected to Venus, forehead to Mercury, nose to Jupiter. I mean this as the connection of microcosm with the macrocosm. It is so fascinating!
Similarly, moods depend on the moon. A mood does not stay for more than two and a quarter day. That is the amount of time the moon is at one place. The moment the moon moves from that place; your mood also changes. And when the moon and Saturn combine, people get depressed. So these emotions, these feelings, they come and they go away. Nothing is permanent. No planet is permanently stationary in one place. They all move. But when you identify yourself with any one of these emotions, you get stuck. That’s when you don’t move. That is when it infiltrates into your body and you get sick, and all such things happen. Isn’t it fascinating? So what is the way? How to move on from that?
On a cloudy day, when a flight takes off, what does it do? It goes above the clouds, and then there is sunshine. That is what the spiritual practices are. They move us away from the Chit Akasha(the space of the mind) to the Chida Akasha(space of pure consciousness). We move beyond all the emotions.
9 planets moving through the 12 constellations brings 108 units of change. So to enhance the good effects and to reduce the malefic effects, ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is chanted 108 times. That uplifts you, uplifts your spirit, and takes you beyond. It connects you to the Chida Akash(space of pure consciousness).

Fasting!!

Why fasting is beneficial. 
Sri Sri ~ We fast not to please the Divine, but to cleanse our body. You overwork your liver, stomach and pancreas so much. If there was a labor court for the body, all these organs would have complained against you in that court. We don’t allow them to rest at all. We drink and eat the whole day until night, and we overwork our system. They do need some rest and for that you need to fast. 
God is not going to be pleased by your fasting. It is more to detox your own body. And why fasting is combined with prayer all over the world and in all religions, is because when you are fasting, you are detoxified and your prayer becomes authentic and deep. Your meditation happens best when your stomach is empty. Isn’t that your experience? 
If you meditate on a full stomach, you will fall asleep. That is why it is said, you can say your prayers when you are fasting as your body is detoxified and your mind is rested and alert.

Tri Gunas !!

Q: Guruji, What is sattva and what is it’s contribution in our lives?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Sattva means that which brings harmony, that which makes you happy, that which makes you enthusiastic,that which brings knowledge in you. This is all sattva. Rajas makes you go too much up and too much down. Either you get too excited and you feel I can’t even handle this excitement or it is so down. This is rajas. Tamas is when you feel so lazy and so negative that you don’t want anything. You dislike everybody. That is tamogun. So When you feel tamogun get up and start working, then rajogun will come. Then when you are too much into action, I would say just sit back and relax then you will get into satva. So, before meditation do some exercise. When you do all this the restlessness or rajas in you calms down. Then you are able to meditate.

Three stages of Spiritual practice 

Q: Gurudev, can you please tell us about the three stages in spiritual practice?

Sri Sri: Yes, there are three stages in practice:

The first level, Anva Upaya, which includes pranayama, meditation, mantra chanting, exercises, and yoga.

The second level, Shakta Upaya. This is much more subtle; it is the stillness that you experience at the end of doing all these exercises; it is more internal. There is very little that you do, in fact everything is happening. There is no doer there, nobody doing anything, yet, it is happening; you feel that Shakta Upaya, it is very subtle.  

The third level, Shambava Upaya is a step beyond the Shakta Upaya; just recognition, just awareness. It suddenly dawns; you have no clue, you have no say in it, you can’t do anything about it. You are walking, watching a sun set, suddenly,something happens, something opens up. You meet someone; suddenly, you feel some sense of elevation, joy. Whether you are meditating, sleeping, or doing any work, suddenly an awareness, a wakefulness dawns in you.  

That is Shambhava Upaya; that happens with grace, blessings or love or something.

The first stage, Anva Upaya, is inevitable. The second stage, Shakta Upaya, is an obvious movement.  

The third stage, Shambhava Upaya, is a gift.

Stimulations !!

Q: Guruji, When I was in the doubt mode I could ask you any question. But after I have started having faith in you asking or rather confronting you with my questions have become very difficult. As fear and respect come my way. How to tackle the situation?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Just be natural, ask any question you want to ask. All questions are anyways foolish. I don’t mind and I know you don’t mind as long as the answers are not foolish. And from here I cannot give you foolish answers for sure. This is just an intellectual stimulation, that’s all. Questions and answers are what? Intellectual stimulation. Music is what? Emotional stimulation and silence is what? Stimulation of the spirit, of the soul. So we need all these in our life. And exercise is physical stimulation. And you do yoga, exercise. Seva is stimulation of activity. You do an action without expecting anything in return is seva. Stimulation of activity is through seva. So you need all that – physical stimulation through exercise; intellectual stimulation by knowledge, discussion; emotional stimulation through music and the stimulation of spirit through silent meditation.