Ravi Shankar (spiritual leader)

Bollywood, Drugs, Ethics, Politicians – A Heady Mix

Ensures12 Comments

A Transcript of His Holiness Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of  The Art of Living speaking on Bollywood’s complicity in current degradation of Societal Values

(I have attempted transcription of the talk as delivered verbatim, in order not to lose the purport in the process of scripting)

Question: Dear Guruji, Adi Shankaracharya was a Sanyasi. Yet He established various methods of Puja and Worship. What is the significance of Idol Worship in Spirituality? A recent Bollywood Cinema has shown it in bad light

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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar : Just imagine that there was no Idols at all in this country, no temples, no photographs, no paintings-Mankind would have been in a big loss. Just imagine there were no Sculptors, you would have never known how the people in the past would have looked like. Just imagine there was no Michelangelo, his paintings ; no Ravi Varma, and there is no painting of any sorts, the world would be such a dull place.

Similarly just imagine a world without any music, without any dance, without any festivity – you know these people systematically attack the values of this society or the culture of the country, they are into some mischief, I tell you. They say all Ashrams are bad, you cannot put all Ashrams in one basket and say they are all hopeless. You cannot say all temples are simply looting money.

Rudra Puja
Rudra Puja

What do these people do? What do the Bollywood do? Each of those actors sometimes come and sneeze in front of the camera and takes crores of Rupees. For Vicks advertisement they had to come and just sneeze 2 times. That’s it! 2-3 crores they take home. What do they do? Drink, go for drugs go to parties drink and waste the money. Whose money are they wasting? Public’s! And that too poor people who go for entertainment, pay so much of their hard earned money and these money in crores go to the pockets of these Bollywood actors and actresses. And their lives, I tell you is miserable. It is misery in bundle. And immoral, unethical behaviour – they may talk about ethics but if you see their personal life, you cannot find ethics – most of them, many of them. And they say there should be no idols, there should be no puja, don’t go to Satsangs, Dahi Handi (Curd Pot) mat karo. Arre! Dahi Handi is a beautiful festival remembering Lord Krishna‘s life story and people enjoy. Holi is a festival, Ganesh is a festival. These festivals bring color to the Society. That is what India is. Just imagine, no temples at all, no Murthis (Idol) at all, no figures at all – It won’t be India. It will be like Afghanistan, where 2000 year old Bahmiyan Buddhas were destroyed. What is there? Just Desert.

Bamiyan Buddha, Afghanistan (Doesn't Exist now)
Bamiyan Buddha, Afghanistan (Doesn’t Exist now)

No! these people have ulterior motives and they want to take our country towards Naxalism. Because they don’t want Ethics and Religion to blossom. What do they do? They take religion to beat up religion. This is the new trend that has come up in this society.
How these these politician do? They create their own enemy and make them stand against them. And they go on abusing the politician. So all those who are against this politician will go that guy who is his enemy. And then he wins the elections, and then he takes them within himself. This is what happened with NCP. What is NCP? They all went away from Congress. People voted for them because they are not with Congress and they joined Congress back. First they deceived Congress, then they deceived people. What happened to Prajarajyam in Andhra Pradesh, this famous actor (Chiranjeevi) was made to stand against Congress party and people had a big hope. This guy would give us a change and would make a difference. All the opposition vote he cornered which would have otherwise gone to another party. Six months later he went and merged with Congress. These are deceptions.

Sworn Enemies?
Sworn Enemies?

Similarly you would see in Bollywood, anyone wearing a tilak will be a villain. Someone with a choti (a hair tuft) has to be a bad guy.

Stereotyping
Stereotyping

And they bring dignity of people who are practicing ancient wisdom or religion into a very bad light so that young people can go away from that. More young people move away from traditional values, they can make them susceptible for drugs, alchohol and cigarettes. All these lobbies work towards this. Because what stops youth from using drugs is, I tell you – it is their Religiosity.

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Our Heroes and Role Models???

When youth is away from religiosity the drug market flourish very well. This is the whole lobby that is working. The drug lobby, alcohol and cigarette lobby and the Bollywood. Do you now see how the market works?

People who go to temple or Gurudwaras or church –people with religious bent of mind or spiritual bent of mind don’t go to drugs. For that you have to first cut the youth from going to these places and then they can influence them, “Hey, C’mon take the drugs” That is how they have done it.

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Sniffing Correction Fluid

A large percent of Punjab has been addicted this way. It is unfortunate. So painful to see a community like Punjab who were so robust & vibrant is going in this direction which is self destructive. And Children!!

(The following part edited/added with transcript of talk with the Updated video link) Courtesy: Sri Dinesh Ghodke

The Art of Living  took a very bold step in filing a case against the Eraser (Correction fluid), typewriter eraser ink, banning that. Went to Supreme Court and got the order in our favor. Its all done by Art of Living volunteers. Because this eraser ink, you could get it in any shop and the children, kids used to take it,  sniff it and use it to get high! So we made an effort to fight that. Now the government has banned that eraser ink, whitener. The whitener has been now banned! Similarly drug de-addiction program is happening in Punjab. But you know this lobby is so big! That’s why I want everyone of you to volunteer in bringing about spirituality to people.

Correction Fluid Banned in Punjab
Correction Fluid Banned in Punjab

In last month, we had 150 internationals from all over the world… from Russia, from other places went on padayatra in Andhra Pradesh, some parts of Karnataka, to bring the awareness in people. Spirituality is important! You all sing and dance meditate, participate in the cultural programs. This message was very well received from the people in the villages and unfortunately, Bollywood is destroying these fibre by projecting it all in a very negative light.

And who is funding this? Its coming from Dawood type of people, not all though… I wouldn’t say all of them are bad; generalization in any field is not wise but I see that this lobby of druggist and terrorist and unethical people are playing havoc through Bollywood!

(Check these links on Dawood-Bollywood Nexus : Pls note it is Not part of the talk: 1) Sanjay Dutt 2) Mafia Investments in India 3) Akshay Kumar 4) Stars to Attend Wedding Bash  )

You can view the Original video of the  talk uploaded on The Art of Living ‘s official Channel here

Be Yourself – The biggest gift

Ensures13 Comments

A lot of people I meet seem to be overcome by desire and seem to revel in misery where none exist. Even when they get something for gratis they wished they got something better especially if someone else got it better.  “People seem to enjoy things more when they know a lot of others have been left out of the pleasure”  We don’t realize that we are blessed as you are till something hits you hard…Wearing other’s shoes’ pinches harder is a lesson that we seem to learn the hard way. Read on

Once upon a time there lived a stone-cutter, who went every day to a great rock in the side of a big mountain and cut out slabs for gravestones or for houses. He understood very well the kinds of stones wanted for the different purposes, and as he was a careful workman he had plenty of customers. For a long time he was quite happy and contented, and asked for nothing better than what he had.

Now in the mountain dwelt a spirit which now and then appeared to men, and helped them in many ways to become rich and prosperous. The stone-cutter, however, had never seen this spirit, and only shook his head, with an unbelieving air, when anyone spoke of it. But a time was coming when he learned to change his opinion.

One day the stone-cutter carried a gravestone to the house of a rich man, and saw there all sorts of beautiful things, of which he had never even dreamed. Suddenly his daily work seemed to grow harder and heavier, and he said to himself: ‘Oh, if only I were a rich man, and could sleep in a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, how happy I should be!’

And a voice answered him: ‘Your wish is heard; a rich man you shall be!’

At the sound of the voice the stone-cutter looked round, but could see nobody. He thought it was all his fancy, and picked up his tools and went home, for he did not feel inclined to do any more work that day. But when he reached the little house where he lived, he stood still with amazement, for instead of his wooden hut was a stately palace filled with splendid furniture, and most splendid of all was the bed, in every respect like the one he had envied. He was nearly beside himself with joy, and in his new life the old one was soon forgotten.

It was now the beginning of summer, and each day the sun blazed more fiercely. One morning the heat was so great that the stone-cutter could scarcely breathe, and he determined he would stay at home till the evening. He was rather dull, for he had never learned how to amuse himself, and was peeping through the closed blinds to see what was going on in the street, when a little carriage passed by, drawn by servants dressed in blue and silver. In the carriage sat a prince, and over his head a golden umbrella was held, to protect him from the sun’s rays.

‘Oh, if I were only a prince!’ said the stone-cutter to himself, as the carriage vanished round the corner. ‘Oh, if I were only a prince, and could go in such a carriage and have a golden umbrella held over me, how happy I should be!’

And the voice of the mountain spirit answered: ‘Your wish is heard; a prince you shall be.’

And a prince he was. Before his carriage rode one company of men and another behind it; servants dressed in scarlet and gold bore him along, the coveted umbrella was held over his head, everything heart could desire was his. But yet it was not enough. He looked round still for something to wish for, and when he saw that in spite of the water he poured on his grass the rays of the sun scorched it, and that in spite of the umbrella held over his head each day his face grew browner and browner, he cried in his anger: ‘The sun is mightier than I; oh, if I were only the sun!’

And the mountain spirit answered: ‘Your wish is heard; the sun you shall be.’

And the sun he was, and felt himself proud in his power. He shot his beams above and below, on earth and in heaven; he burnt up the grass in the fields and scorched the faces of princesas well as of poorer folk.

But in a short time he began to grow tired of his might, for there seemed nothing left for him to do. Discontent once more filled his soul, and when a cloud covered his face, and hid the earth from him, he cried in his anger: ‘Does the cloud hold captive my rays, and is it mightier than I? Oh, that I were a cloud, and mightier than any!’

And the mountain spirit answered: ‘Your wish is heard; a cloud you shall be!’

And a cloud he was, and lay between the sun and the earth. He caught the sun’s beams and held them, and to his joy the earth grew green again and flowers blossomed. But that was not enough for him, and for days and weeks he poured forth rain till the rivers overflowed their banks, and the crops of rice stood in water. Towns and villages were destroyed by the power of the rain, only the great rock on the mountain side remained unmoved. The cloud was amazed at the sight, and cried in wonder: ‘Is the rock, then, mightier than I? Oh, if I were only the rock!’

And the mountain spirit answered: ‘Your wish is heard; the rock you shall be!

And the rock he was, and gloried in his power. Proudly he stood, and neither the heat of the sun nor the force of the rain could move him. ‘This is better than all!’ he said to himself. But one day he heard a strange noise at his feet, and when he looked down to see what it could be, he saw a stone-cutter driving tools into his surface. Even while he looked a trembling feeling ran all through him, and a great block broke off and fell upon the ground. Then he cried in his wrath: ‘Is a mere child of earth mightier than a rock? Oh, if I were only a man!’

And the mountain spirit answered: ‘Your wish is heard. A man once more you shall be!’

And a man he was, and in the sweat of his brow he toiled again at his trade of stone-cutting. His bed was hard and his food scanty, but he had learned to be satisfied with it, and did not long to be something or somebody else. And as he never asked for things he had not got, or desired to be greater and mightier than other people, he was happy at last, and heard the voice of the mountain spirit no longer.

As His Holiness Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji of  The Art of Living says “Accept People and situation as they are” – it includes accepting ourselves the way we are too.

My Piece of Mind for Peace of Mind

Ensures1 Comment

Limited application of a Profound knowledge is gross under-utilization and sheer waste of invaluable Knowledge itself.

Happens especially when our focus is “supply” instead of “apply” and knowledge is theoretical (as compared to experiential)

Reminds me of Art of Living‘s Silver Jubilee celebrations in 2006 An event that brought together 25 Lakhs people from across the whole world. The venue was buzzing with a lot of spiritual activities with stage measuring 3.5 acres accomodating 3800 musicians performing on a single platform along with hundreds of dignitaries. Millions meditating together in a 243 acres open ground Jakkur Airfield) rendering it an inimitable celebration involving Music, dance and Spiritual practices.


And then comes a particular English News Channel to cover the event. What do they focus on majorly on the 3 days of the event? Just on a few thousands of sqft area – finding all kinds of faults. Yes out 243 acres and total of about 12-15 hours of event, they covered toilets at the venue for 75% of their air time!!! Long Queues, inadequate numbers etc. All this when other channels were beaming unique and record breaking event and happenings on the rest of 243 acres, to the world.

Is it only the media who indulges in this? No. Seen many seekers doing this too. Pick a knowledge that transcends time and apply it to some mundane task – just to spite someone in a moment of defeat. Is the point made? No again. They appear so silly and make a fool of themselves

This is no Wisdom