Part 1

Q: Guruji, how to always keep up with enthusiasm and joy?

Sri Sri: Leave always. If you think of always, then craving comes. If it is always there then you would not even know that it was ever there!! Like you take a dip in a river, you feel cold and when you come out you feel warm, and again do dip in water, you feel cold, and so you experience cold because you experience the warmth.

Leave it to the divine. Our nature is joy and enthusiasm. However sometimes it gets clouded but it can never go. Our consciousness is 'nitya-nutan' (Ever fresh) this is with us forever.

Q: Guruji, they say that if you are with Narayana then Laxmi follows. So should we not follow Lakshmi?

Sri Sri: Some people don't understand this. I would say pray to lakshmi. If you don't pray to either but just do some show off with some rituals, then that is of no use. Then you land up being nowhere!! I would say, do 'upasana' (prayer). If you do upasana, then how do you get corrupt and dishonest? Don't blame wealth, pray to wealth. In Sanskrit it is said everything is wealth. That doesn't mean only the note of money.

Health is wealth, Victory is wealth, Courage is wealth, you know the Ashta Lakshmi do Upasana and you will get the benefit. Just to fulfill our financial desires, you run behind lakshmi. Use skill; pray with devotion, lakshmi will come. It will never come with foolishness.

Q: Guruji, why do we want to spend time more with the person, we are in love with?

Sri Sri: It would be unusual if you don't want to spend time with the one you are in love with (laughter)!! Similarly when you love yourself, you spend time with yourself. When you do that, it becomes meditation. Then it is wonderful.

We like everything else, but ourself. The one who is resting inside, love that, know that!! Some people say oh ! I am bored with myself, cannot spend two hours alone. If you are bored with your self, how much boring will you be to others!! If you are not able to spend time with yourself, how will you manage to spend time with others? If you get to spend time with yourself, then I tell you are lucky. You will be contended. When this feeling comes, then no power in the world can make you shake and cry. Then Bhakti (devotion) comes, mukti (freedom) comes and then moksha (liberation) happens. Two hours you cant spend alone!! You start sending sms to your friends; you start calling them, talking, restless.

Know yourself by yourself. "Khudi khud mein khud ko pao."

Q: Guruji, my mind wonders everywhere how do I meditate?

Sri Sri: Take a stick and start chasing your mind. See where it goes. If it goes to Goa chase it to Goa, if it is going to Bhavnagar, chase it there, if it is going to bhelpuri, chase it to bhelpuri, if it is going to Bhagdad, chase it to Bhagdad….. Chase, keep chasing and you see your mind is so tired that it will come and fall at your feet. That's why Maharshi Patanjali says meditate on everything, meditate on elements, on Rishis, who are out of craving, even if you meditate on Rishis who are out of craving, you get into meditation. And when you sit for satsang, you get into meditation. But sometimes if you sit for santsang, and you are not there 100%, you count the ceiling, you look here and there. You have to bring interest yourself, You have to bring the juice (ras/ necter) yourself. It is already there, you have to see the one behind. The one who put the juice. Don't think I have to do, I tell you need not do anything its all burning for you, you don't have to lit it at all. When you are in Gangaji, you don't need a shower, when you are taking a dip in the Ganges, why do you need to have a tap and a shower? Become effortless. Just know that I am nothing and I don't want anything. But don't start thinking about it continuously, this is also a Maya.

That's why Adi Shankaracharya says it is foolish to even think that I am Zero.

Q: Guruji, I enjoyed my silence, I really found peace. So if I become dumb, will I get moksha?

Sri Sri: (Laughter!!! ) Oh ! God, if you find something good you will go on doing it!??!?! There are so many dumb people in the world, is everybody enlightened. Extremity is a problem in our country. There are some people who keep silence for 12 years. And after that their voice box don't function, looks like almost rusted. They cannot speak God has given an instrument, use it. Otherwise it would get rusted. But don't speak too much, and don't speak less as well. It your words are able to bring happiness, solace, definitely you should speak. Silence is also important. At least two to three times a year. Silence helps us to become more competent, become more courageous and efficient. So do both, keep silence and also speak. If you speak for 24 hours, then you loose your creativity.