Divinity

Q : I am centered on the Divine, yet there is restlessness, though on the outside everything seems perfect.


Sri Sri : In every seeker's life there comes a time when the heart is at unease, and there is restlessness. In the West, it is known as the dark day of the soul. There comes a time when satvik shakti (positive energy) is less and rajogun and tamogun are high, that leads to the restlessness. There are three kinds of taap (penance) and one such taap is known as adhyatmic taap (spiritual misery). Yet it is for a short while. Therefore satsang is very important, especially when you dont feel like doing it. Once in twelve years a lack in spirituality comes up. There will arise a doubt on the self, the path and the Guru. This is what the Scriptures say. Therefore the Kumbh festival takes place once in twelve years and all the saints get together to clear all their sins. This tradition is very old. A place where seekers do satsang and where Vedas are recited - kalyuga never comes there.


Q : Why does the divine answer and reward some while prayers of others go unanswered?


Sri Sri : Well, I dont know why some prayers get answered and some are not. I have no idea. Perhaps it is good for you. Perhaps you may change your mind about what you want. People go to shopping, this often happens at least in India, and ask shopkeeper, "Can I come later and exchange it if I dont like it". They go home and dont like it and get it exchanged next day. Most unreliable thing you have is your own mind because you dont know what it likes and when it doesnt like that. That is why bringing mind to its source is so important. Its centeredness is the most important thing in spiritual evolution. Understanding what is transient and what is permanent, what brings you permanent joy and what causes temporary convenience and long term misery, what causes temporary discomfort and permanent joy, and what causes long term discomfort. That is what is called viveka, sense of discretion and wisdom.


Q : Is the concept of anatma (no soul) true? Modern neuroscientists are in agreement with this idea. Please tell us what the truth is.


Sri Sri : Lord Buddha said, “I went in meditation, I searched and searched and searched for the soul, I could not find it. So there is no soul, there is no atma.” That become anatmavad. He said everything is hollow and empty. There is no soul, there is no person, no entity. It is all nothing, everything is nothing. This is what Lord Buddha propounded. Then, after sometime Sri Adishankara came. He said Ok, You didn’t find anybody. Right? But who experienced that nothingness. Who experienced that there is no self? Who searched and found that there is no self? Someone must have searched; someone said there is no self. That is the self. That is how using the same logic of Buddha, Sri Adishankara brought back the Vedic wisdom back into India. From Kerela to Kashmir, from Gujrat to Orissa, he travelled to these areas and that became India. The Self is like the space. It is not an entity or an object. In fact, what lord Buddha said and what Adishankara said, there is not much difference, only one change, a flip in thinking - Buddha says it is all nothing, Adishankara says it is all fullness, everything is full, every single inch of space is filled with knowledge and information. He says this entire universe is consciousness and consciousness is true infinity, wisdom and information. That is why great scientists like Albert Einstein appreciated this so much. Einstein said reading Bhagwad Geeta transformed his whole life. What the scientists are saying today about the black hole, dark matter, dark energy, all has been said long time back. If you listen to a quantum physicist and also to Vedanta, you will feel they are talking the same thing.