Q: What do we do with people who are always complaining and being negative?

Sri Sri: First thing to do is drop the "ALWAYS". Don't generalise and eternalise...we do this. When you miss the exit you say oh I ALWAYS do this, I ALWAYS miss the exit. Do you always mix the exit?? Is it possible?? Stop generalising and eternalising the problem. And then, see... if someone is so negative, is your positivity so weak that it cannot withstand a little negativity???


Q: If there is a God, why is there so much suffering?

Sri Sri: If there was no suffering, to whom will you show your compassion? If everyone is contented, who will you console? In some parts of India where there is so much illiteracy, people go to see movies and they throw tomatoes and even shoes at the screen when the villain does something to the hero. You know it's like saying a director is unjust for making such bad things happen to the hero. If someone said that oh it is such an injustice, you would say but it's NOT REAL!!! See, it is not real....it is all a game...

Q: Is there are predestined time of death or can we influence it?

Sri Sri: See, on the motorway, there are many exits points... you can miss some or you can take some exit... in the end, you will have to take an exit for sure...


Q: You tell us not to have ambition, to be centered and then you tell the young ones to dream. It's such a contradiction.... I am now 30 years old, am I too old to dream, have ambition?

Sri Sri: Look, I will say many things which are completely inconsistent and contradictory. It is then for you to sort it out! [Laughter] To the older ones who get so stuck, I say be content...get out of the mind. But to the young ones, to YES!+, I say DREAM, DREAM, AND DREAM!


Q: What's the difference between sleep, death and meditation? In all 3 we lose our awareness....

Sri Sri: Now, how do you know about death???!! You have not experienced it so let's talk only about what you know! [laughter] No no, in death you don't lose all awareness. Only two senses go - touch and taste... the soul remains as a pitra soul for some time, attached to the family. One day in the life of a pitra soul is 1 year of a human being's life... The soul has a few years rest before it comes back...


Q: What happens after death?

Sri Sri: There should be some surprises. You know you are all so cynical, science makes you so cynical... whatever happens you say oh I know that, I know this... I know it. So because you are so cynical, nature has left some SURPRISE...


Q: What quality should an ideal disciple have? Do you differentiate between disciples?

Sri Sri: Dont worry so much, just be like a child, and take life with ease. Yes, I differentiate between disciples and you are very special. Each one of you is unique and each one is special, so everyone is different.

Q: Please show me the path.

Sri Sri: Why? Why shall I show you the path? I am not so irresponsible. I�ll take you to your goal. It's my habit. It's the age of aero planes and you are talking in terms of bullock carts. You have sat in plane and your flight has taken off. Now, this plane will take you to your destination, you don�t need to ask for the path.


Q: A devotee is very happy on getting a Guru, does the Guru feel the same happiness in getting a devotee?

Sri Sri: Seeing your happiness he gets happiness.


Q: How to become a sincere devotee?

Sri Sri: Just you have to assume that you are really sincere devotee. You give grade to yourself. I am number 1 devotee. Nobody is like me. But don't think so and so is number 1 devotee and I am number 2. Each one of us should say I am number 1 devotee. Nobody is like me. Then that is how the devotion grows. If you think you are number 2, number 3, number 10, then that much, you will be away from the knowledge. You know this problem is there with many � that after basic course, you continue for sometime then you drop. Then afterwards it becomes very difficult. If you do an advanced course, it will bring you back in the knowledge.


Q: How to find a Guru or choose a Guru?

Sri Sri: �Guru� is too big for you to make. If you make �Guru� you are bigger than the �Guru�. �Guru� comes in your life in spite of your refusing or rebelliousness. Don't struggle to make a �Guru�. Just relax. Life keeps changing. Wake up and see. Feel grateful. Give all your garbage to the �Guru�. �Guru� makes gold out of garbage. �Guru� makes a fool intelligent. It is easy to make that change because everyone is made up of
that one thing.

Q: I feel like I want to be close to you and I don't know how. I love you.

Sri Sri: It is good, heart breaks and love flows. In the world out there heart breaks and misery comes, but here when heart breaks, love flows and life blossoms. Good. Just assume you are already close to me and when you are smiling, when you do service, when you are in knowledge - you are so much close to me. And see more and more people get the benefit of this knowledge what you are having. Just turn back and see your life, how much it has changed as you did the practices, the meditations, your Kriya and relate to yourself the person who was there before doing the Kriya. What a big difference. Isn't it? How many of you feel you are not the same person. Almost everybody isn't it, so that benefit, that opening, we need to bring in others life as well, we need to do that.

Q: Can Karma get exhausted by practices?

Sri Sri: If someone is used to chewing gum, if he goes to Singapore for 6 months, he will feel totally out of place for first few days. This is because Singapore has banned chewing gum and importing it is like importing drugs in that country. So first, he would feel a bit strange and then he would get used to it. This is Chewing Gum Karma and he would get over with it. If a person smokes, and he decides to quit smoking - first few days he feels different - his smoking karma gets exhausted after certain days of practice of not smoking. In same way, karma can get exhausted by practices.

Q: What is Gayatri Mantra?

Sri Sri: It is composed of 24 syllables and reciting it positively affects each of the 24 vertebrae in the back. More importantly, it means - bring noble thoughts from all directions. It is actually an expansion of the sound Om.