Watch LIVE at www.ashram.org/live/ Video is copyrighted under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 Can share, download Cannot edit, alter, modify without written permission of Ashram Cannot use video for commercial purposes 4-July Morning, Bhopal, 2011 Sant Asharam Bapu’s request to Government – Stop torturing Hindus, Sants and stop sucking blood of citizens

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 06 Sep, 1995 in Bangalore Ashram, India. — A LIAR IS INNOCENT A dear person whom you trust lies to you and gets caught. What do you feel? 1. Sadness 2. Anger 3. Cheated 4. Disappointment 5. Compassion 6. Let down 7. Loss of respect 8. Wonder 9. Shock 10. Embarrassment Recently when someone lied to me, I felt happy and more love, for they were not a good liar. Had they been a good liar, they would not have been caught. I thought they were so innocent that they could not even lie properly. They lie and get caught. If they had not been caught, how would you know they were a liar? So . . . you can never know a good liar. The person you call a liar is not a good liar and they are innocent. Aren’t they? And so . . . ha ha (laugh). You need not go through all the listed mental gymnastics. Instead melt and dissolve in Love. — Jai Guru Dev

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 27 Sep 1995 Bangalore Ashram, India. — BIG MIND You know there is a Big Mind and a small mind. Sometimes the Big Mind wins over the small mind and sometimes it is the other way around. When the small mind wins over, it is misery and when the Big Mind wins, it is joy. Small mind promises joy and leaves your hand empty. Big Mind may bring resistance in the beginning but fills you with joy. The word Guru means great. Jaya means victory. Deva means one who is fun-loving, playful, light. One who is playful is often not dignified and when one is dignified, he is often not playful. Jai Guru Dev is victory to the Big Mind in you that is both dignified and playful. That is what Jai Guru Dev means: “Victory to the Greatness in you.” You do not say victory or hail to the Master as he has won over already. You say victory to your own Self, your own Mind, which is being veiled by the small mind. — Jai Guru Dev

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 14 Dec 1995, Bangalore Ashram, India. — OVERCOMING EVENTS All the problems that you face in life are because you attach over importance to the events. The events grow bigger while you remain smaller. Say, for example, you are riding a motorbike on a busy motor way and in front of you there is another vehicle emitting exhaust fumes. You have three options. 1. You can complain, somehow bear with it, and still follow the vehicle. 2. You can slow down or wait for some time to allow the vehicle to move far away from you. 3. You can use your skill, overtake the vehicle, and forget about it. As in the first case, most of you stick on the events and are miserable, like inhaling fumes throughout your journey. In the second case, you don’t get permanent relief, as another bigger vehicle might come in front of you. Like that, running away from events is not the permanent solution. However, wise people use their skill and grow over the events. If the vehicle is in perfect condition, the skill is effective. Conditioning the vehicle is sadhana or practice. And skill is the grace of the Guru. The mistakes that you have made in the past have made you humble; you need not make mistakes in the future to become humble. — Jai Guru Dev

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 10 Oct 1995, Bangalore Ashram, India. — FREEDOM AND DISCIPLINE Freedom and discipline are opposites and complementary. The purpose of defense is to protect freedom. But is there freedom in defense? Do soldiers have freedom? No, they are totally bound, not even allowed to put the right foot down when told the left foot. Their steps are measured and they are unable even to walk with a natural rhythm. There is total lack of freedom in defense. That which has absolutely no freedom is protecting the freedom of the country! So it is with the police; they protect the freedom of the individual. But are they free? Discipline protects freedom. They both go hand in hand. Understand this and go ahead in life. You have some restrictions and it is this that allows you freedom. You can choose to focus either on freedom or discipline, and this makes you happy or unhappy. Freedom without discipline is like a country without a defense. Fences should be fences; a fence cannot be built all over the property. If your fence is all over, how can you build on the property? That state of high absolute freedom is too difficult; we need to be very practical. Yes, there is a state of unlimited bliss, the freedom Advaita talks about. The Advaita Knowledge has been totally misused or used according to one’s own fancies and conveniences. There must be awareness …

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 29 Nov 1995, Bangalore Ashram, India. — HOW TO MAINTAIN INTIMACY Intimacy often gets broken because of ego or your desire. What breaks intimacy? Ego or taking a position Desire Taking intimacy for granted Finding imperfection in oneself or others Expectations Insensitivity or over sensitivity Lack of vivek or vairagya (lack of discretion or dispassion) Judgements Grumbling or lack of gratitude Dissolving into infinity is the way to maintain intimacy. Intimacy is dissolving into infinity. Dissolving into infinity brings you to the moment. Go beyond events. Dissolve into infinity, be in the moment, and look beyond the events. This is the way to maintain intimacy. * * * * If you attend Satsang you don’t get much; but if you don’t, you lose a lot. Just to maintain where you are, what you are, you need to attend weekly Satsang. Now, start doing ten minutes of Satsang, sharing of the Knowledge with someone, anyone. You are so used to talking gossip. Now for two weeks, talk Knowledge, especially to those not coming to Satsang. Even on the phone — suppose you can’t find someone at seven o’clock; call someone on the phone and talk Knowledge for a couple of minutes: “What are you doing? What do you want? How can I help you?” Praise the Divine. This is an exercise. Every day for ten minutes, do individual Satsang and skillfully talk ten …

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 15 Nov 1995, Bangalore Ashram, India. — BOREDOM AND SADHANA What is boredom? A repetition without interest or love causes a monotonous state of mind; that is boredom. It overshadows the Self. A practice or abhyasa is again a repetition whose purpose is to destroy the boredom and reunite with the Self. In this process the practice itself creates boredom and as you continue, it penetrates the boredom and destroys it once and for all. Whether the practice gives you joy or boredom, it must be continued. Only the practice or abhyasa can annihilate the Mind. Self is Love and Love is always repetitive. That is why love letters are simply repetitive and there is no boredom there. If you are bored with yourself then how much more boring you would be for others. Root out the boredom in you through deep and continued meditation. Wake up and Walk up. — Jai Guru Dev

This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 23 Nov 1995, Bangalore Ashram, India. — WHO ARE YOU? BRAHMA, VISHNU, MAHESH OR GURU? There are three forces: Brahma shakti, Vishnu shakti, and Shiva shakti. You may have one of these predominant. Brahma shakti is the force to create something new. Vishnu shakti is maintenance and Shiva shakti is bringing in transformation, filling in life, or destroying. Some of you have Brahma shakti. You may create well, but you may not be able to maintain. For example, you may make friends very fast, but it does not last long. There are others who cannot create but are good at maintaining. For example, people have long lasting friendships but cannot make any new friends. In such cases, Vishnu shakti is dominant. And then there are others who have more of Shiva shakti. They bring in new life or transformation or they can destroy the whole set up. In Guru shakti, all three shaktis have blossomed fully. So each of you first identify which shakti you have more of and aspire for Guru shakti. Guru makes a group but a group cannot make a Guru. — Jai Guru Dev

Sabarmati Ashram also known as Gandhi Ashram, Harijan Ashram, or Satyagraha Ashram is located in the Ahmedabad suburb of Sabarmati and on the western banks of the Sabarmati River. The ashram now has a museum, Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay. In 1963, the museum building was erected (designed by architect Charles Correa), and memorial activities were then started here. Established in 1915, Sabarmati ashram was the scene of many events of the Indian independence movement. It was from there that Gandhi started the Dandi March in 1930. One of the residences of Gandhi, the ashram was amongst the first satyagraha ashrams he set up. It was believed that this was the ancient ashram site of Dadhichi Rishi who had donated his bones for a righteous war.