On the 26th of November, 2009, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji blessed the green campus of the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, with his divine presence. The occasion was the inauguration of the MILK (Meditation and Inspiration Center for Living and Kindness).
While taking a look at the proposed plan of meditation centre at Great Lakes Institute of Management Guruji said,” We need to convert the square places into to quixotic places. It should be zigzag. Management is converting the squares into rounds and then again rounds back into squares. Management is all about just going along with what exists. Not making something new but going along what is there already.”
Vishnu shakthi: Vishnu just rests on snakes doesn’t have to do much. Brahma takes care of the rest. Brahma does the creation. Vishnu does the maintenance whereas managers do both creation and maintenance.”
“Youth has great opportunity and can create a new world as the world is now looking for a paradigm shift. World is currently facing some kind of stagnation. A new paradigm shift is needed and will emerge only from India. “
“Life is enthusiasm. Life is love, life is compassion, life is creation and if these things die out in you then corpse would just come out of you.”
Guruji laid his emphasis on the need of innovation and creativity. He stressed upon inculcating creative ideas rather than confining ourselves to managing what already exits.
“Monetary prosperity is not actual prosperity. Inducing life, the spirit, spirit of enthusiasm, life what India gave to the world.”
“The whole world is a big family-Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. We never thought in those terms of being different. We believe in Viswamanav. We learned teamwork from Japan, Etiquette from British, Marketing from US, technical skills from German and India gave human values to the world. Americans are very good at Marketing. Americans can show the moon on full moon day and sell it- that’s their skill of marketing.”
One anecdote: “I asked all my devotees, to do something creative as creativity is reflection of consciousness. Three months later, all came up with some great projects. One team came up with ice cream (Eggless) and started proving that that ice cream is the best in the world. Similarly, some other teams also started proving the same thing. One lady, who was very fragile, came with one project i.e. making handkerchiefs. She spoke about 17 points how it is best in the world. All points were logical. You see Marketing skills are better in US than their products”
“We in India have great products but we lack marketing skills. “
He gave an example of tourism. Tourism – 12 Million go every year in Greece, only 3 Million in India. After looking at the pillars in US, people say, our country has much full worth pillars than these. However we do not expose or market ourselves.
There are 7 points that India can be proud of and that have not been explored yet
Food: There are so many varieties of food in India. Tripura, a small place in India itself has more than 200 varieties of food. North Indians don’t know what different items of south Indian dishes are. And so do the south Indians. We don’t market ourselves properly. We have greatest varieties possible in the world, but we don’t project ourselves.
Tourism: We have great part of history which we don’t capitalize.
Music & Dance: So many types of dance and music which we haven’t even projected so far.
Dress & Jewelry: Appreciated world over. We have no proud of what we wear. Places like Thailand, Indonesia were very proud of their dress and jewelry. We are not. We don’t feel good about ourselves. Low self esteem, we are eating out our attitude and culture.
Information Technology: This will take India to new heights.
Ayurveda: 280 kinds of flora & fauna, not available in India which is not available anywhere in the world. We don’t pay any attention to that. These are going to be the future medicine of 21st century.
Triphla – formula taken from India and foreigners patented it. Similar things are happening all over the world.
Indian Spiritual Values: The market of Yoga is $ 27 Billion in United States itself. Ninety-nine of local US people dominate this market. They started preparing materials for yoga which is a product of India and our gift to the world. People are invited to do mantra and chanting in some building in New York. In India in temple if someone chanting, we don’t even bother to look at them.
Question & Answers:
Ques. Do we have to be interdependent and do we need to look for interdependency?
Ans. You don’t have to be interdependent. It is just that you need to realize it. The word independent is obsolete. It’s the nature that we are interdependent on. We have one nature, one ocean, one air, one earth where everyone is dependent upon it. People are one! We are interdependent!
Ques. Why do we meditate with our eyes closed though we have to live our life with our eyes open? Is it possible to do Meditation with eyes open?
Ans. It’s a second step. First step is where mind is involved (eyes closed meditation, once mind is centered) then you can go ahead with the other ways as well. There are different kinds of meditation like walking meditation. Your very action turns into meditative state.
Ques. Guruji you said Life is simple, but why it turns so complex. It is very difficult to make decisions. Why can’t we avoid things which are complicated?
Ans. Life is simple while people are complicated. Why can’t we avoid things which are complicated? We have too much time in life so we make things complicated.
Life is very simple! Life is very complicated! Both exists depends on the circumstances and our perception at that point of time. Life is combination of both.
Ques. According to Raj Yoga it is said that practicing meditation is meant for people who are recluse and follow strict and definite approach to reach salvation. Meditation is difficult for a person with much responsibility in walks of life. You said everyone should meditate what are the implications of this on normal person.
Ans. There are different forms of Raja Yoga. In some they do practice Raja Yoga is Royal Yoga. To teach the prince how to do yoga as they have so many responsibilities to complete in such a short span of time. Meditation is useful for people in walks of life.
Ques. You have highlighted the importance of innovation and creativity, but with that comes a lot of risk and uncertainty. It’s only after numerous failures that a successful new technology/ product is evolved. So how should one manage the failures that come as a by-product of striving for innovation? How to rise up after each failure and restart the journey to discover something new?
Failure is part of the process. Meditation will help how to go ahead in spite of failures. Innovation without failure is possible if you are able to use your intuition perfectly. Both should act perfectly to achieve zero failure in innovation. If intuition is not in proportion then you fail more often.
Ques. In Bhagwad Gita, Lord Krishna says that one must not care about the result of his work. But if we do not think about the fruits that follow our hard work, then what will motivate us to do that hard work.
Ans. No control over fruit of action. No domain. If the attention is only on the end result, then you can’t perform.
If you take a runner, if he starts looking behind who is running, and not looking at the path he need to run, then ultimately he will lose out , how much good the runner may be. You have to follow your own track, to complete the run whether you lose or win. Lord Krishna is utterly practical in his advises. Krishna says to Arjuna: This is complex, but these are the ways to do it.
Ques. There are so many practices, so many paths which one to choose.
Ans. Yoga is everything together. Everything comes along. Which path to choose?
Which path is the best: Answer: My path
Sudarshan Kriya will help. This suits today’s young minds that are very busy with schedules all around, and can’t work with too many conditions. In short time with deep experiences and no side effects.
Ques. Is it good to practice religious practices as now I am on the path of meditation and sometimes don’t feel like practicing them.
Ans. It’s a matter of culture. It creates an atmosphere with a sense of joy. There is nothing wrong in celebration, fire crackers etc. Traditional practices help and bring a sense to family and children.
Moaists: Their house lacks pictures, no lamps, when children grew up they grew with lot of emptiness.
In Russia, there was no religion for 40 years. There was a destruction of cathedral and they built swimming pool on that and now after that catastrophe they again built church. If people don’t practice religion, they start feeling the vacuum. And finally religion helps them understand this.
For spirituality – there is no need of religious practices. Cultural practices always help in traditional practices and help young minds.
Ques. Guruji why is that Sanskrit language that originated in India finds its second reference in Chicago. This is still the case.
Ans. You are asking my question! Sanskrit – giving away ownership.
You know Dr.B.R. Ambedkar : Asked that Sanskrit should be our national language after 15 years. It was seconded by Nasiruddhin Ahmed.
Malayalam contains 80% of Sanskrit, Telugu 70%, Kannada 70%, Tamil 30% , Hindi 80% . And even foreign languages also similar to Sanskrit like Swasa – Sister , Duhita – Daughter . However, we have lost the link somewhere and lost to establish the reputation of Sanskrit. You know what rain is called in Italian. Rain – Piyorja(Italian) – Panjanya (Sanskrit). They are so similar in many aspects.
Ques. There are some schools of thoughts that say that you must always be aware of what your competitors are doing. Because if you don’t see you competitors you will be like a bridled horse. You will end up making the best calculator of the world when the world has moved to computers. So how do you reconcile the two schools of thoughts?
Ans. Challenge to manage two contradictions is the job of the youth.
Looking at competitor, one should be aware of the competitors at same time one should have an eye of Arjuna. Be Aware of what’s happening around you and one-pointedness towards the goal.
Over ambitiousness will not lead to anything. Improve your intuitive ability, enthusiasm, relaxation. It will give you everything that you need to.
Courtesy: Mr. Gurava Reddy, Patriots, Class of 2010
