Broaden your vision and deepen your roots

One of the Scholars of Ayurveda has said,
‘‘Rase sidhe karishyami nirdaridryam idam jagath" which means ‘‘I am giving this knowledge of Ayurveda to take away suffering from the world’’.
Life has four characteristics: it exists, evolves, expresses and extinguishes. And for these, it depends on five elements: the earth, water, air, ether and fire. These correspond to the five senses: sight, smell, taste, sound and touch.
Ayurveda takes an approach to bring a balance in the five elements in the body–mind complex, hence bringing solace to the both. Ayurveda is the study of life — Veda means to know and Ayur is life. According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not rigid compartments — it is a harmonious flow. Even the five elements are not tight compartments of defined objects — they flow into one another. Each one of the elements contains the other four. So, Ayurveda has an holistic approach towards life.
The subtlest element in us is space, which the mind is made up of, and the grossest element is the earth, which our bones, skin and body structure are made up of. To understand the physiology, its characteristics and its reflection on the mind, the human system is divided into three characteristics: Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
Vata type people have Air element dominating in them, Pitta type has more fire and Kapha has more of Earth and water elements. Balancing the elements brings forth such a harmony in body and the mind.
When an illness arises, it manifests first in the thought form, which is the subtlest aspect, and then in the sound form. Thereafter it manifests in the light form, that is, in the aura. It is only then that the illness manifests itself in the body. To begin with, simple symptoms arise in the fluid form, which can be eradicated, and then only they manifest in the grossest form, where they need medication. In aroma therapy, an illness can be cured just through fragrance. It is mostly focused on the preventive aspect.
Uprooting the very seed of illness, rather than just making the symptoms suppress, makes Ayurveda such a comprehensive system of medicine and health. 
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Answer: I am hearing a new word today! Well, don’t divide life: this is spiritual or this is materialistic. Take a holistic view of life. There is also food in a temple. In that sense both material and spiritual aspects are there. Music is both a form of entertainment and spirituality. We even put ornate clothes on our deities. Ancient people never separated the spiritual and material. They enjoyed putting precious jewels in temples.
In South India, in Madurai, kings gave away most of their precious jewels to the temples. Everything co-existed. In the same way, you can treat work as worship. Spirituality has entered our material life.

Lord Krishna says, “Janma karma samay divya”. All actions are divine. Lord Krishna himself was very much of the material world except for his discourse to Arjuna. All he did was materialistic. He ruled the country, advised as a minister, and so on. Life should not be compartmentalized. Materialism and spirituality are not opposed to each other.
However, money earned through unethical means is never spiritual. It will pinch your heart. The spirit is awake in you. It is your natural instinct. If you have a plate full of food and someone comes to you, you will not be able to eat it alone. It is such a natural part of your life that you cannot renounce one for the other. Charity is in very nature of humans. You want to be compassionate, but how can you be when you have nothing to give away. Charity cannot happen with an empty bowl.
Narayana is the pinnacle of spiritual life and Laxmi is the symbol of wealth. Both Narayana and Laxmi go together. In Indian mythology Narayana is married to Laxmi, which symbolizes if you are truly spiritual, you are definitely rich.
Saraswati, the visualization of Divine energy of Knowledge, sat on a rock. The knowledge that you have gained will always be with you. Laxmi sits on a lotus which floats on water. You can't rely on what happens in the share market, but the wisdom you have acquired is always part of you. Wealth is unsteady just as a lotus floating on water. These are the eternal symbols that convey truth. Grasp what is needed. This is very important.

Answer: Why not? God loves diversity! What if there was only wheat or rice to eat? But you have so many fruits and vegetables. God seems to love diversity. He has created so many of us in different shapes, features and colors. He is definitely not someone uptight waiting to punish you. A spirit that loves diversity must be diverse in itself too. That is what the ancient saints found in meditation. There is only one energy force but with so many different forms. See, we all are same yet different. We like different things, so one can choose the form He/She likes to adore. Any form that one can connect to! See unity in diversity and celebrate diversity. Intelligent ones celebrate diversity, fools fight over it!


 Find the common thread in different religions. According to different places, there are different customs. Time has created differences. Time and again knowledge is revived as per the need of the time and people.

Answer: There is a love in which respect is not lost in spite of intense intimate love, the love of one who is so centered. The more you go near Krishna, the more you go near Buddha, the more you go near Jesus, the more you go near the Universal spirit, the Guru energy your respect will only increase, and it will not diminish.

Answer: Create a sense of belonging-ness with your juniors. You know that they respect you and you need to be cordial with them. Respect needs some distance, this distance is good but that should be of an arm’s length and not longer than that. Little bit distance is ok to keep the respect among your juniors, but too much distance will bring a breakdown in communication. You need to maintain that balance. A little bit distance needs to be there so that respect is maintained at the same time communication is cordial.

Answer: It is step by step experiential understanding. Before going to atma, the self, you have to know the five elements of creation. What are the tatvas? Prithvi, ap, tej, vayu, and akash - Earth, water, fire, air and ether. Then comes the mind, buddhi (intellect), memory, ego, and maha tattva (Self).

Often you find this happening in the world. Some people who are very much in their ideology, but they are not so practical and others are so practical that they drop all ideals or goals so there is no progress in life. You need a balance, a path, a connectedness with your ideology and the practicality. Wisdom is that which makes high ideals possible to live in daily life, in the mundane existence. Rishi Narada is also called the Devarshi, is a playful Rishi known for creating mischief. He plays double role at two different places. There is a colloquial expression in India which says not to be like Narada. He would create trouble and problems everywhere, but all that problem and trouble will turn out to be something very good for everybody.See life is no fun without some mischief, life is not a struggle, life is not boredom, life is not a weight on your head, it is celebration, it’s a play. Your life is a play and display of consciousness. Narada was one such Rishi, one of his kinds, he would create mischief, and he would connect people who normally don’t connect. He would connect you to the center, to your own existence.
When life is stagnant, you need to go to Narada, he will keep you moving. And how does he do that? With small aphorisms, the tiny Sutras, the tiny words of wisdom, the Bhakti Sutras. ‘Bhakti’, the divine love. Love in its ultimate form, love in its pinnacle.

Answer: Good! You have come to the right place. If you wish to get rid of a bad habit then there are only three ways for it.
The first is your love for knowledge, the Divine or some dear one - whether parents or Guru. By promising some dear one that you will quit the habit, you will be able to get rid of it. This is the best way out.
The second way is greed. If you will not consume intoxicants for six months, then you will get ten million rupees, or that your luck will shine and you will succeed in everything.
The third is fear - if one day you do consume intoxicants, then you will suffer a loss of one million, or you will have to suffer from a major ailment.
If such a greed or fear enters you, even then you will be rid of your addiction.
Along with these three ways, do yoga and pranayama. The best is that along with yoga and sadhana (spiritual practices), you take a vow that you will not indulge in addictions. Take a vow for forty days to start with. Then you can prolong the duration. After that, you would have come out of the habit and won’t look back at it.

Answer: Skillfully! If your boss tells you to do fraud, avoid it skillfully. Finally, say that your consciousness does not allow you to commit fraud. The boss will escape if you do fraud, and you will be put behind bars. However, hundred percent truth is also not workable, it is only an ideal.
There is an ancient Indian proverb that says as much lies are allowed as there is salt in food. For example, if you want to sell your product, it may not be the best; still you can say that your product is the best. That much lies are permissible. Ancient people have said this, thousands of years back. It is fascinating how they handled the human mind.

Answer: Very good! Don’t accept them as they are. Take strict action, and handle them skillfully.
People don’t change overnight, yet people do change. Nobody will remain the same as far as imperfections are concerned. Perfection remains the same. Truth is always one, lies can be many.

Answer: Our likes and dislikes change so often! You like something and then dislike it, and so on. Life should not be swayed away by likes and dislikes, but well founded on commitment. You need some work to sustain your life. Any job that sustains your life, be committed to it and if you get something better, go for it.There is nothing like job satisfaction. Every job has some drawbacks. Earn your livelihood and then do service for satisfaction. That brings you maximum satisfaction. Nothing else can bring you the satisfaction that service brings.

Answer: Firstly, people should know about symbols. It is said that there are millions of Gods and Goddesses in India. Also, it is said that God is one. There is deep science behind it, behind the energies given various names. In the Indian culture, we talk about families of God, a Goddess is depicted as riding a tiger, Gods have children, and there are disputes amongst Gods and Goddesses. For an argumentative mind, such depictions are difficult to accept.
God is Sat Chit Anand (Truth, Consciousness and Bliss). He has five karmas (actions) – Srishti (Creation), Sthiti (Preservation), Samhara (Destruction), Anugrah (Blessing) and Tirdhana (Veiling).
He is everywhere, yet not visible. Just like air is everywhere, but we feel it only when the fan is switched on, or when wind blows. Ancient sages say that there are many levels of creation. Gold is one, but we can make so many different things out of it. Similarly with wheat, you can make bread as well as chapatti.
Just like that, One God displays itself in many names and forms, one Omkar is present in Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Operator) and Mahesh (Destroyer).
When a single ray of sunlight falls on a drop of water, we see all the seven colors of a rainbow!
Before Creation, the Operator was there. Vishnu was present before Brahma. For instance, grass is present in creation, and then the goat comes, a mother develops milk before she gives birth. Otherwise the creation won’t sustain! The Polar bear sleeps for six months, and develops hunger only after the grass has sprung up.
Vishnu is depicted as resting in a lying down posture. The Master of the Creation is resting since the task of maintenance is so easy for him. This does not mean that man can afford to sleep all the time. Vishnu’s sleep is different- He is sleeping on a bed of snake, which is symbolic of heightened awareness. When one rests in awareness, it is called Yog Nidra (yogic sleep) or Samadhi (Meditation).
In a human body, the navel is the center of gravity. Brahma, the Creator, emerges from a lotus raised from Vishnu’s navel. That may not be so clicking until you understand the vision. It was only when Newton and Einstein rested that they could make new inventions. Newton rested under a tree and he received the knowledge of gravity. When Archimedes was in the bath tub, he got the idea of what he was looking for since a long time.
Today, scientists say that in creative people the solar plexus inside the navel is bigger than usual. When the navel blossoms, one becomes creative. In ancient India, they represented this as Brahma being born through Vishnu’s navel - the seat of creativity.
Brahma, the Creator has four faces. This shows that he gains knowledge from all the four directions. In some temples also, four gates are kept.
One drop of semen and an egg alone creates the entire human body. From just one anu (atom) different organs of the human body - nails, hair, ears etc are formed, and even the texture of skin is different throughout.  So, the One has the intention and capability to be varied. Similarly, in one God, many God and Goddesses can be formed.
Human DNA has characteristics of all the living beings on Earth, which means we can create all the living beings on the planet, right from a lizard to an elephant, from a single drop of the human saliva.So, this is the power in one drop of chromosome. This itself is God. The whole creation is filled with God.
The Sanatan Dharma is very close to the modern science. When you listen to scientists, you feel as if you are listening to Vedanta.
God is present in every atom of the creation, not just the outside world but within our body as well. That is why before worshiping, we start with invoking the energies within our own body.
Devo Bhuvata, Devo Bhuje – Be immersed in God and worship Him.
Do some research; go deep in knowledge, then you will feel amazed at the minds of the people who created the Puranas.
Different energies are revered as God-Goddesses. God-Goddesses are within us, are our very own so they showed human flaws of anger, jealousy etc in them as well. So, that you don’t feel guilty when such emotions arise in you. The purpose of the Puranas was to bring you closer to God. Thus stories were created for the purpose of joy, entertainment, knowledge and science.
In Hindi the word ‘Purana’ means old whereas in Sanskrit, it means completely new, ultra modern.

Answer: The mind is full of sankalpa (intentions) and vikalpa (imagination, fancy). All our work gets done through sankalpa. Even the act of moving our arm is preceded by the sankalpa in the mind. If twenty sankalpas arise in the mind then nothing gets done. When the mind is peaceful and restful then our sankalpa is powerful.
The sankalpa of a weak mind is weak and that of strong mind is strong.
We can make our mind strong by sadhana (spiritual practices) and knowledge. Then the sankalpa will also be strong. The wise makes one sankalpa in fifty days whereas the ignorant makes fifty in a day.

Answer: To the degree you are aware, you imbibe knowledge. Some people teach you in positive way, yet some other people teach you what not to do. Sense of discrimination bestowed on humans is a great gift to the mankind.  

Answer: How can you keep them together? They are already one. Where is the question of combining them? In the nature of form, it is world, and same is God in its formless nature. You don’t have to do anything to bring them together.

Answer: Don’t do too much of practice. Move ahead gradually and patiently. Do only as much as needed. Do that much to which your body gets accustomed to.

Answer: There are two schools of thought. One is you visualize dream and work for it. Other school of thought says surrender everything to God, whatever God gives you is the best, and God will take care of everything for you. Where is the compatibility? They appear to be completely opposite. One is your own visualization, your own dream and your perseverance, and another is having trust in God and leaving everything on God. They appear to be incompatible but I would say they are very much compatible. It is good to have an intention or a goal. You don’t keep on visualizing your goal 24*7, but continuing to work for that, you leave it to the Divine. Only the combination of two will work.

It is beautifully described in Scriptures: You take a vision or goal, and then you offer it to the Divine while working for that – “This is what I want and you know what is best for me. If this or anything better, I am ready to accept.”
Sometimes you don’t know what you want. If you know what you want, it is not difficult to get it. Half the time we are unsure of what we want. Often you find if you are persistent to get something, you don’t want the same thing the next week, the next month or the next year. So, before you take an intention, you expand your awareness.

So, put an intention in the universe - I want this or anything better.

Now, what is the difference between a desire and an intention? Suppose you want to go to Mumbai from Bangalore. You buy a ticket and travel for around three hours and go there. But you don’t keep chanting in your mind all this time that you want to go to Mumbai and you are going to Mumbai. You may even land up in a mental Hospital like this! Desire is the feverishness that clogs on to an intention. An intention is a desire free from feverishness. And then working towards your intention, this faith is to be there whatever nature brings back is for my growth.

Answer: Just do as much is necessary. There is no need to do too much. Meditation is like taking a bath. To wash the mind, you need meditation. And once the mind is clean, you will be well.
You take shower in the morning to clean your body. After that you do all the daily activities. You don’t have to keep on taking a shower throughout the day. It is like that. You meditate and calm your mind, then go on with other activities.

Answer: To bring harmony between the religions, we must uplift everyone to a spiritual level. Spirituality is the common thread. There was only one Jesus, but how many sects of Christianity are there? Seventy-two. There was only one Prophet Muhammed and how many schools of Islam are there? Five. There was only one Lord Buddha and how many types of Buddhism are there? Thirty-two. There was one Lord Mahadeva. How many sects of Jainism are there? Four. So many different schools of thought. Yet the six far Eastern religions had no conflict at all. There was never a conflict between Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Taoism or Shintoism in the world. They always co-existed in harmony. Middle Eastern religions have had conflict throughout history. Judaism, Christianity and Islam always had conflict. I was told of a particular incident in Japan. When President Nixon visited Japan for a conference, on one side of him was a Buddhist monk and on the other was a Shinto priest. He asked the Shinto priest, “what is the percentage of Shintoism in Japan?” The Shinto priest replied – 80 percent. He then turned to the Buddhist monk thinking there would be 20% Buddhists in Japan. He asked, “What is the percentage of Buddhists in Japan?”. The monk said 80 percent. Now the President Nixon was so confused and asked how it was possible. Both priests said that it was possible. You know, that type of harmony existed between religions in the far East, because nobody tried to convert anybody. Religious conversion was not an agenda. Uplifting human consciousness was the main goal. Giving the knowledge was the main goal. It was not about saying, ‘my way is the only way and follow it and go to Heaven, otherwise you will go to Hell’. People, who think that only they have the key to Heaven, create such Hell for everyone else. So, a grounded understanding of religious philosophy is essential. If every child knows little bit about all the philosophies of the world, nobody will grow up to be a terrorist. You know, Einstein said that the best book he ever read was the Gita. He said that it has contributed so much to his understanding of the world and about life. Einstein read it several times.
Similarly, the concept of Matrix movie is same as described in one of the ancient Indian scriptures, Yoga Vashista. The main point was about the whole theme of consciousness. It is an excellent book describing the relationship between mind, consciousness and the universe around us.

Answer: I am not a theologian. I speak from my experience. One of the scriptures that I usually quote from is of course the Gita. I also quote from the Bible. I am not averse to any religious scripture in the world. What I am averse to is fanaticism of any sort. You need to study every religion or scripture before you can come and talk about it. So, since I have not studied all of the disciplines like Bible and Quran, I must spend at least four to five years studying each before speaking about them. Yet the essence of all these scriptures are spiritual values which I think I can very easily find in my life. I can easily speak on the essence of the Bible. That is why I say unless you become like a child, you can’t get so far. This is true because every child has that freedom. The child inside you is alive. You are still that innocence. That is spirituality. It is when you meditate, when there is unity among diversity and oneness with the whole universe.

Answer: Prana is present in everything. In fact, we are floating in an ocean of prana. When the unit of expression varies, it makes a difference. Stones have got one unit of prana. Water has got two units of prana. Fire has got three units of prana. Air has got four units of prana. Plants and Animals have got five - six units of prana. Human beings are capable of holding from seven to 16 units of prana. The expression of prana is the whole universe. When prana is lower than, that’s when you feel depressed. When prana goes further low, then you feel suicidal. When prana is normal, you feel normal. When prana is higher, you feel enthusiastic. When prana is very high, you feel energetic and blissful. That is why when people are depressed, or feeling low just giving counseling doesn’t work, what needs to be done is to raise the level of prana. When prana is high there is joy, vibrancy and understanding. When prana is low, then the mind starts complaining, and depression, lethargy, suicidal tendencies arise. All is play and display of prana. Now how do we increase prana? This is where meditation, practices, Satsang or Kirtan, yoga, Satvic diet etc all come into play.

Answer: We definitely need to adopt certain things from Ayurveda. Lots of thoughts disturb us when there is stomach disorder. When vatta or pitta (Air or Fire elements) in body gets imbalanced, too many thoughts bombard the mind.
There is an ayurvedic medicine, Triphla, which balances the three Imbalances in the body. It is good to take Triphla for 1 – 2 months. You can take 1 – 2 tablets, or a spoon of Triphla churna before going to bed. It increases energy level in body and purifies the system. Vitamin C also provides you immunity.Sometimes allopathic medicines taken for stomach disorders have adverse affects on liver and body.

Then there is Devati which you can take. It is very effective in curing fever also.
Ayurveda has the specialty of correcting disorders and diseases without any side effect, and not only removing the symptoms but uprooting the very seed of the disease. And hence we should adopt Ayurveda. All these are home remedies and one should keep these with oneself. And if at some time, some disease prolongs then one should definitely consult doctor.

Answer: I don’t use the word dispassion much because it has been distorted so much. I have seen so called dispassionate people who have no glow or happiness on their face. Dispassion means absence of any kind of feverishness but a joy is there. Adi Shankaracharya has beautifully said that there is no joy which dispassion cannot give you. Dispassion means - You don’t run after joy but you are joyful from within. When you do actions without feverishness, that is dispassion.

Answer: The sound of ‘Om namah shivaya’ includes all the five elements – Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. Hinduism is not a religion as such. People have been chanting this for thousands of years. Mantras are those sounds which you hear from deep within during meditation and the aim is to bring one back to the source. During later days, people started putting faces and drawings to these mantras. Mantras have got certain vibrations/ energy. They are universal.
Even in churches in Latin America ‘Marnah nath’ is used. Its translation in Latin and Sanskrit is so close. For ‘Lord’ the word in Latin is nath, and also in Sanskrit the word nath is used to refer to ‘Lord’. So the word marnah nath meaning ‘My lord’, is actually a Sanskrit word.
Sanskrit is the oldest language known to mankind. It has a deep impact on the consciousness. We welcome all songs – Japanese, Korean, Spanish. Any song that you want to sing is welcome. We sing a lot of songs in Spanish and Portuguese in Satsangs in South America. Of course, in India everybody easily connects with ancient mantras. Take any language that you want, but along with it take this also. How many of you feel singing and chanting these mantras creates some vibrations? It’s obvious. In Vedic chanting, many times you don’t know even the meaning but it has some effect. It enriches the subtle.
In the morning we did Rudra Abhishek, this has been practiced for over thousands of years. We use crystal, milk, yoghurt and flowers etc. They all create a certain impact and send out positive vibrations.

Answer: Best pilgrimage is Inward Journey! A pilgrimage is an opportunity for people to come and pray together. As you know, praying together generates more energy, a synergy. But don’t think that God is only in pilgrim centers! God is omnipresent and omniscient. Ancient Saints meditated in some places and put all that energy in some idol there, and the place became a center of pilgrimage. The scriptures talk about God as having no name and no form. There is freedom to worship God in any form or any name. Wisdom from everywhere was acknowledged!

Answer: When there is rise in tamogun* in the body, you become lazy. Lying down in this state may give you a little rest or energy, but if your mind keeps on struggling with desires and feverishness, it doesn’t get complete rest. The rest you get after doing work is the actual rest. When your body gets complete rest, your mind is also joyful. That gives you strength and your positive intentions start getting fulfilled.




Tamo gun: The factor which brings sleep, however, if imbalanced leads to depression and lethargy.

Answer: Evolved scientists surely believe in spirituality. Those who are not yet fully evolved may not. Einstein was startled after reading Bhagwad Geeta. If you hear a quantum physicist talking, you will feel as if the text is being quoted from the scriptures only. ‘What is this?’ is science. 'Who am I?’ is spirituality. Objective analysis is science and subjective understanding is spirituality. And they go hand in hand. In the East, they were never in conflict with each other. It is even said in Bhagvad Geeta –‘Gyan Vigyana triptatma’. You will find fulfillment only when science and spirituality go together. We need both science and spirituality to bring contentment to our soul.

ANSWER: Religion has three components: symbols, customs and traditions, and values. As far as values are concerned, there is no difference, because all talk about oneness. Customs and symbols are all very different; they have to be, this is what makes the world beautiful! Time and again, as per the needs of the people and time, knowledge is revived. Nature has been created with such diversity- so many flowers, animals and people. Diversity is the language of God. In India, God can have any number of names and forms, and they all point to one Divinity.
There is difference in one sense, and in another sense there is unity.
Wise ones celebrate diversity, fools fight over it.

The term ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’, meaning union; the union of the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness.

Yoga is not merely a form of exercise for the body, but a path towards total harmony of body, mind and spirit. It is an ancient wisdom for a healthier, happier and more peaceful way of living that ultimately leads to self-realization, the union with the Self.

Yoga brings the mind to the present moment, improving clarity, and alertness in the mind. The mind becomes peaceful, and is able to deal with day-to-day stress.

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