THE SECRET OF SECRETS by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (July 1994 Montreal, Québec)

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

The self is so powerful. Athman, energy, its so powerful. It can move mountains. Acknowledge this strength, this power, that God is, divine is, that you are. Then you’ll be able to smile through any tough time here or there. This is called tapa, or austerity. Austerity is bearing, forbearing, smiling through some tough times, some tough things here and there. People sit and pray, fast and pray, do all these austerities yeah? It’s there? In all the different religions. What does this austerity do? It strengthen the body, it strengthens the senses. It brings more independence and feeling of likeness. I’m not telling you, you should stand on your head or sleep on nails or walk on fire. But when life provides you some chances… (laughter)

When it is inevitable in life, don’t grumble about it, move through it with a smile. It is good for you. If you couldn’t sleep for a night you feel so disturbed, thinking that you didn’t sleep. Of course if you don’t sleep body becomes tired. But this idea, this dharana, this intention in the mind, I will be tired because I didn’t sleep can make you even more tired. At least you can be 50% energetic by letting go. Do you see what I’m saying? Not telling you fast or severe penance. But when life is like on the frying pan (laughter).

We are bothered about everything, we are bothered about people whom we hate and we’re bothered by people whom we love also. The people whom you love are a bigger botheration than the people whom you hate. At least you know you can get rid of people whom you hate but you don’t know what to do with people whom you love. You can’t even think of getting rid of them, you’re in a fix, in a big mess. (laughter) Not knowing where to turn, what to do. Isn’t it? Life is a frying pan. (laughter)

Don’t jump into the fire. Escape from life is jumping into the fire coz there is no escape from life. People suicide thinking they are escaping, they have more horrible life. That is no solution. Ignorance. We lack the knowledge of life. And self-study, swadhaya, is studying, observing, see how these emotions are coming up and the sensations come up. What is happening in this body? This body is made up of 5 elements and the 5 elements will disappear back into the 5 elements. It’s just a matter of time. You see how hollow and empty our body is. Everything is hollow and empty, nerves are hollow and empty. Bloody vessels are hollow and empty.

You see them under a microscope, you’ll see big distance between the particles there. Our bones are hollow and empty, every cell is hollow and empty, every atom is hollow and empty. Everything is hollow and empty, our body is made up of space. 98% of this body is empty space. So you can reduce your whole body if you compress it, hydraulic compressor, you can put it inside a matchbox. Its like a balloon, big balloon becomes so small.

That is why when we sing, chant or listen to the chants the sound is penetrating every cell of our being. It purifies the whole system. Most basic thing. 98% of our body, existence is with the sound. That is why you’ve heard that saying, first there was the word and the word was with god. Word, the sound, has given such a prominence. So the whole creation has come out of veda, the sound of the Vedas, Vedas are like the seeds of creation, sound is the seed of creation. We have been listening to these chants, singing, enlivening ourselves to that value, very precious. Veda means knowledge, the sounds. And eshwara pranidana means devotion to the divine. Honouring the divine.

If you can see the divine in the forms then you get the ability to see the divine formless. If you cannot see the divine in the form, forget about it, you will not be able to connect with the formless. All your life all that you have done is dealing with forms, and if you don’t begin from where you are there is nowhere you can reach, where you want to be. That is why Jesus said if you want to go through my father you have to go through me, there is no other way, impossible. And all the saints in India have also said the same thing, if you want to reach the divine there no way other than going through the master, through the guru. All the saints with no exceptions.

The Sikh gurus have called it Gurudwara, guru is the gate. The gateway of the master. If we can see the divine in all the forms that we could see, see the divine in the air the water the fire, in the trees, in people around you, in the animals and in yourself. But the general tendency is to negate the divine from everything else in the world and trying to find somewhere, or some white light is going to pop up from the heaven. Saying my dear son I’m here for you. No no no. If you cannot see divine in the forms you will not be able to see the formless divine. Impossible, it’ll be just an imagination in the mind. You cannot move coz our life has been with the name and form. You can relate and talk to me but you cannot relate and talk to the empty space behind. You don’t even recognize, see it, let alone talking to it. You don’t see a life there.

Isn’t it? Eshwara pranidana, recognizing the divinity and letting go. This is called Kriya Yoga, the yoga of action. The actions we do. And we do the action and we keep our eye on our feeling. Observing ourselves, self study and love in the heart. Simply we can say this as, head empty, heart full and hands busy. A warm heart and a cool head and a busy hand, serving hand. Such a simple thing in life. Do you know that? There is a line in Gita which is very beneficial, remember it, even memorise it. Anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajaswama. It’s called a secret of secrets, royal secret. Krishna tells Arjuna look, I’m asking you to fight this war and win the kingdom for yourself. Actually Arjuna was perplexed he was ready to let go of everything, who wants all this pleasure and joy. I just want to be peaceful, he was ready to renounce the world and run away to Himalayas. Krishna says no look you have to be in the world, fight the war. Says attain this world but know this world is not permanent, this is anitya, its not eternal.

We live as thought its all eternal. We think everything will be forever. We even ask people will you be with me forever? How can you be there forever, you are not going to be there forever how can you ask your girlfriend/boyfriend that. Or will it last forever, will this joy last to me forever. He says no, anitya, nothing is permanent, nothing is eternal. Weather it is a joy or a problem, someone saying I’m always having hard times. No it’s a big lie, you can never always have a hard time. Nobody can be eternally miserable. Not possible. Anyway any misery will be misery with a contrast. If you are miserable for a long time you get used to it, its no more a misery to you. You need a change to experience misery also. Nothing here is permanent, anityam. Love is not here in the world. All the names and forms are not permanent. Recognize this temporary nature of things.

Next asukham, nothing in this world is again pleasurable. He does not say this is sorrow, he says it is not joy, it is not bliss. Anything that you think is blissful in this world will not remain blissful forever. Weather it is sex, food, clothes, fame, name, money, anything. May appear to be pleasurable for a little while but little later you’ll see it is no more pleasurable, it’s a pain or botheration. Asukham say, don’t see bliss in it, joy in it. If you see joy in it you crave for it and that craving brings you misery. Anityam asukham lokam, this world is such. And having attained this, being in it… bhajaswama, share me with you. Share the self, attend to me, be with me for you are love. You are love. Weather you say you or me doesn’t matter it’s the same. Bhajaswama, attain me. Being in this glorious world don’t see the permanence there or pleasure there. Its neither permanent nor there is pleasure. Having this, attain me. Being in the world, attend to myself. It’s a very beautiful word.

Imam prapya, having attained this, bhajaswama, remember me, share me in your life. Take me into your heart. Arjuna, this is what you have to do. This is the royal secret I’m telling you coz you’re so dear to me. So anytime you feel miserable, just feel oh I forgot this, anityam, this world is not pleasurable. It centers you back again. Otherwise you do good to so many people and all that, you’re kind to somebody and if they don’t acknowledge you feel very sad. Sometime you put all your life to bring up your children and the children don’t behave in certain manner that you expect of them and that’s it you get so hurt. And you get fried. (Laughter)

Same with husband, wife, girlfriend, they may do something out of lack of awareness, commit a mistake that hurts you very much, and that’s it you’re finished. Just remember the line and immediately you get centered back again. Only dispassion can bring you to your center. It will turn that mind that always runs outward and puts it back into its place. You’re back home then. That is meditation. Meditation is taking the mind that goes all over the place through the senses to the world consolidating it, brining it back and putting it in your heart. In its source, returning back to the source. That is Radha, you sing radhe govind, you know what radha means? Dhara means a stream, a flow. The mind flows out. Radha is the opposite, means back to the source. When you are coming back to the source there is deep longing, everyone is longing, that longing is to the source. To come back to the source, that’s why radha also means longing. The flow back to the source. (there a chant Radha govind/krishna). Radha go towards to Krishna means let the flow go back to the source/self. Go to this goal. Govind means the giver of knowledge, giver of light. The self.

How does he maintain the balance? One side if he wins he will get the kingdom another side he will lose the battle. At this situation how does one keeps the faith and confidence and put 100%?

That is through the sense of belongingness, the sense of surrender. Ok
I’m doing my best and let go.

What motivated him to fight the battle?
Krishna motivated him to fight the battle. (oohs and aahs) Krishna gives him so many logics so many ways and then says ok my friend do whatever you like. I have told you all that I can, coz Arjuna was a friend. As a friend you know it’s not so easy to convince a friend. He goes on asking so many questions after questions. And Krishna goes on telling him all different things. He then says I’ve told you all that should be said now you do whatever you think is best. At that moment Arjuna said oh no I know what you say is good for me, I’ll just do what you say. See when you think this fighting is going to give me joy or something in the future then you’re frustrated in the present. When you are frustrated in the present you cannot think properly or take any proper action. So when you say ok come what may it doesn’t matter anyway. If I lose I’ll die, if I win also I’ll die. Anyway I’m going to die. Then you are settled, you’re in the moment, you’re alert. Then when you do an action its more fruitful, rewarding. That’s the secret of an action. If you’re attached to the fruit of an action, your action becomes weak. You do action without anxiety or nervousness about it, then it becomes better. But you’re doing something with anxiety or nervousness coz you’re so concerned what will come out of it then you see that you flip in it. This is the skill in action. That’s why you say surrender it. Give it all up to the divine. I’ll just do it and that is it. Krishna gives Arjuna many options. Says, you do your practices and if you’re not capable of doing the practices then you do my job, you work for me. Any work you do for me will give you energy. You think this is the divine’s work you’re doing… and that action itself can take you further. (says another line in the Gita and translates) Even if that is not possible, if you cannot even work for me unite yourself with me. Think about me, keep me in your heart all the time. And then let go of the fruit of the action. So many options are given. Either this or this. Very valuable knowledge.

When you’re centered, does your longing disappear or not?
Our whole life is a play of consciousness. Longing appears, disappears, bliss appears, disappears. All this can happen till you become total. You become so complete. You are complete when you start realizing that you stop attaching yourself to even your experiences. What’s the big deal about it. And you live as though you don’t exist. Hollow and empty.

See have you noticed when you think about somebody you dislike. Did you notice? What happens? In the consciousness you feel so rough and unpleasant. Immediately think of somebody you like see how you start feeling. See when we changed what was happening. Our own body chemistry started changing. So just think when you’re angry or hating somebody and every time you think of them and you think of them very often, so much of your body chemistry changes you become like that. Never hate somebody. Why? You know. Because you become like the person whom you hate. So in the puranas even the enemies of god had attained liberation coz they always thinking about them. Krishna’s enemies kept thinking about him all the time, so when they died they attained liberation. But they had to wait till they died. (laughter) So your system becomes like that. So for your own sake we should not hate anybody.

Worship brings you the power. People think why worship, its no good worshiping. You know in worshiping, you don’t lose anything, you gain a lot. By praising others you are not boosting someone up but you’re boosting your own consciousness. Have you experienced this? (Paras note: yes) If you appreciate the flower the flower is not going to get anything, but it just indicates how wonderful your state of mind is. You not appreciating it is not going to die away before its time. Our praise elevates us. Your praising God, he’s not going to gloat. He’s not going to be pleased, oh look so and so is praising me. He’s not so dumb. By your flattering God is not going to become happier and grant boons on you. (Laughter) Your praising expands your consciousness. When your consciousness expands, it receives all the energy, lot of energy. That state of consciousness is called siddha, siddha means one who is prepared, total, completed. See animal and plant kingdoms are governed by the nature, they never violate the nature. Its only humans who are given discrimination, so with discrimination freedom is also given. Do you see what I’m saying? They go hand in hand, freedom and discrimination. The entire animal and plant kingdom do not have discrimination in that sense, like we do. They have it in a difference sense, that’s in built in them, so they have no choice either. But human life is endowed with both. Use your discrimination and move towards light, don’t use it to move towards darkness. With discrimination expand. If you don’t use your discrimination you get back, you shrink and live an animalistic life.