Remind yourself of the knowledge. Focus on the knowledge, don't get entangled in the people around you.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q: Guruji, in our Hindu mythology it is said that this Earth is resting on the hood of a cobra, and when the cobra rises up, this entire Earth shakes. What is the secret behind this?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See there are two kinds of Earthly forces, one is Centripetal force and the other is Centrifugal force. The movement of these forces is not straight but they have a snake like movement. This fact was known to our ancestors. The Earth is not resting on a snake but by snake they mean centripetal power and centrifugal power. So, that fact has been explained by them in this form.

The Earth on Shesh Naag – naag implies Centripetal force. A snake never moves on a straight course, it makes curves as it slithers forward – this is known as Centripetal force. Centripetal force means that which will not go straight; and the Earth rotates on its axis and around the sun. So these are the 2 kinds of forces Centripetal and Centrifugal. This is what the ancient people have expressed in the form of a cobra. And what is the cobra standing on? It is standing on a turtle, and a turtle symbolizes stability. This is very interesting!

Now, it is also said that if the planet Jupiter (Guru) did not exist, the Earth could not have survived. What the planet Jupiter (Guru) does is, all the meteorites that come from outer space the planet Jupiter (Guru) draws them towards itself, giving protection to the Earth. There is such bombardment going on from outer space on Earth - meteorites, tiny celestial bodies – and what Jupiter does is, it draws them all towards itself and saves the Earth. NASA has created a very beautiful illustration of this. We had said that Guru is the guardian of the entire universe. So the planet was also given the same name Guru (Jupiter) because it protects the Earth.

Duty is what your heart tells you, when you feel ‘This is what I have to do.’ Expectation is what others want you to do. Have a balance between the two. Sometimes you can fulfill the expectations of others, but your duties are what you need to be more concerned about.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

When you want to do something, look at your strength. Your weakness is that you start looking at others' strengths! When you are running, you can only look at the track below, not at who's next to you. Like a horse with blinders, you just look at your path and let anybody do whatever he/she wants.

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

You can’t control emotions by thought; you can invoke emotions by thought. Only by being more aware emotions settle down. Pranayama, meditation, listening to knowledge all of this indirectly helps,

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q: Dear Guruji, how to improve the power of Sankalpa? How to drop the Vasanas?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: By silence. The more dispassionate you are, the more the power of Sankalpa comes to you.