Monthly Archives: December 2014

Q: How can we keep our faith in Gods and Goddesses if we follow the knowledge of advaita?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Advaita is knowing that everything is composed of and illumined by the same light (here referring to One Divinity or One supreme Consciousness).
To worship and honor different Gods and Goddesses is similar to expressing the understanding that the one white light is composed of many lights of different colors and wavelengths. All the rays of the Sun are the same light. They all come from the same source, but when you pass a ray of light through a prism, or through a droplet of water, then it splits into rays of different colors. So think of these different colors as the different Gods and Goddesses.
You will eventually have to see the underlying unity between these two, and that is the job of the intellect (to move past the duality towards the One Divinity). That is why in our scriptures, we say, ‘This is true and that is also true!’
For example, when we see all the furniture in this room, we say that it is all made of wood. Yet at the same time, a door is not a chair, and a chair is not a window, though it is all made from the same wood. This understanding is called dvaita.
So, both advaita and dvaita exist together in harmony.

Q: How do we feel the presence of God?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: God is that fundamental principle from which everything has come. He is that which upholds and sustains everything in creation, and He is also that into which everything dissolves into. And it is all happening every moment, everywhere.
So, in the same way, Lord Krishna says, ‘I am the source that governs everything in this creation, and it is through my very presence that everything happens’.
For example, a foetus in the womb of a mother. It is because of the presence of consciousness (Jiva or life force) within the foetus that causes it to grow. It is because of the presence of consciousness (Jiva) within a plant, or a trees that causes it to grow. Now this consciousness that is present within each living being is a witness to all that happens. It does nothing by itself, yet everything happens under its influence.
Lord Krishna says, ‘Any transformation that you see, happens because of Me. I am the seed from which everything is born, and I am the cause of all changes’. After listening to this, what more proof do we need of the existence of God? Are creatures being born in this world or not? Every moment there is something being born. See how many living creatures and insects are being born every moment. Plants, trees, insects, animals, babies, all are being born every second.
Lord Krishna says, ‘My presence (as the Divine Consciousness governing everything) is the cause of living beings being born and coming into existence. It is My presence that sustains and upholds their existence. And it is My presence due to which they undergo all changes and ultimately die and disappear’. Now how can anyone or anything be separate from God? Do not be foolish in looking for God, or running behind Him. Wherever you are, just relax, and repose within yourself. That is where you will find Him. He is in you.
That which is not omnipresent cannot be called God. When He is present everywhere, is He not present in you? He belongs to everyone, so He belongs to me too. He is in me and He is all-capable. It is very important to remember that God is all-capable. He is capable of fulfilling all our desires and whatever we feel that we lack. He is capable of granting us all that we need. This is all that you have to believe in. So just believe this and relax.