Guiding Light by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Stimulate the soul

Guiding Light by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Stimulate the soul

When a part of the body is stimulated, pleasure arises. When your soul is stimulated, love arises. Love has no end, but pleasure ends. Taste stimulates the tongue, music stimulates the ears and sight stimulates the eyes. And what stimulates the soul? Spiritual practices, sadhana, and satsang stimulate the soul!

Sri Sri Ravi ShankarUpdated: Monday, June 20, 2022, 08:56 AM IST
article-image
Stpiritual practices, sadhana, and satsang stimulates the soul | Photo: DuckDuckGo/Ines Bazdar

Among all the planets in the solar system, the earth is privileged to host life in many forms, and among all the species, humans are most privileged for they can host knowledge. Again and again, you remember that you are hosting the creator. The underprivileged are those who do not realise that they are privileged, and so they also host, but they host all the negativities.

The only purpose for this body to exist is to make you aware of how beautiful you are, and to make you aware that it is possible to live all the values you cherish and create a world of divinity around you. Like the birds returning to their nests, again and again, come back to your source; only then can you realise that you host the creator.

When a part of the body is stimulated, pleasure arises. When your soul is stimulated, love arises. Love has no end, but pleasure ends. Often people think pleasure is love. Only the luckiest one will understand the distinction between pleasure and love. Taste stimulates the tongue, music stimulates the ears and sight stimulates the eyes. And what stimulates the soul? Spiritual practices, sadhana, and satsang stimulate the soul!

All one wants in life is stimulation of the soul. Even a faint idea of it keeps life going. Every other stimulus is on the surface. The stimulus of the soul energises and the stimulus of the body brings tiredness. Every stimulus should lead you to the Self.

Desire, awareness of the Self, and action all are manifestations of the same energy that is you. Among these three, one of them dominates at a time. When you have lots of desires, you are not aware of the Self, awareness of the Self will be at its lowest, and that’s why all the philosophers around the world have always advocated renunciation and dropping of desires. When there is awareness, happiness dawns. When desire dominates, stress and sorrow follow.

When actions dominate, restlessness and disease is the result. When your actions and desires are sincerely directed to the Divine or to the welfare of society, then the consciousness is automatically elevated, and knowledge of the Self is sure to be attained.

When you love something, you have a sense of belongingness with it. When love is cast over the entire creation, then you are the Big Self. That is the Lordship. When the Lordship dawns on the Self, there is perennial celebration. When no sanchita karma (past impressions) is left, the Self shines through. And this becomes very obvious in the presence of the Guru. But all those qualities that you appreciate in a Guru are also in your very nature. Being with the Guru is like being with one’s higher self.

RECENT STORIES

Guiding Light: Delays Are Not Denials

Guiding Light: Delays Are Not Denials

Guiding Light By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: How To Deal With The Monkey Mind

Guiding Light By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: How To Deal With The Monkey Mind

Guiding Light: The Right To Be Heard

Guiding Light: The Right To Be Heard

Guiding Light: The Best Available Candidate

Guiding Light: The Best Available Candidate

Guiding Light: A Spiritual Approach To Restoring Society's Foundations

Guiding Light: A Spiritual Approach To Restoring Society's Foundations