The most popular Art of Living Singer : Poll Results

The undisputed king of Satsang Rock - Vikram Hazra

Well, the latest poll that concluded here received a tremendous amount of participation from the entusiastic readers. Thank you all for voting.

Well the question was simple enough.. Name your favorite Art of Living Singer!
A total of around 130 votes were cast and the results are here to see..

Looks like Vikram Hazra and Rishi Nityapragya are the favorites of devotees. Vikram Bhaiya is also my favorite singer. A gandharva born to be an instrument of spreading knowledge through music.

New Poll: Which is your favorite knowledge tape series?

Its on the sidebar. Do vote. Jai Gurudev.

The Art of Living Course Review

Its not an enviable job - Sri Sri speaks candidly..

One of the most busy humanitarian of our times. Meeting millions of people everyday. How does he manage to do this? Many of us must have thought about how his schedule would be. What would it be like to be Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. In one of the most candid talks, in the video Guruji talks about how he manages to look at everyone and smile at them. How some devotees do gimmicks to grab attention. And about the hyperactive Art of Living volunteer.

Some of the interesting things he says in the video are:

"Whenever I am with a person I'm with them 100%" - Sri Sri

"Do you think it is an easy job? I tell you it is not at all an enviable job." - Sri Sri

"And there are some others who just want to draw attention, they do all sorts of gimmicks." - Sri Sri

"Our volunteers are hyperactive sometimes. They do kind to everybody else other than me." - Sri Sri

"When people ask me 'Do you watch movies?' I say "I'm watching movies everyday! I can't find a better entertaintment!"

Satsang with Students at SSRVM Bangalore

We had the oppurtunity and good fortune to be invited by the principal of SSRVM in Vidyaranyapura, Bangalore to conduct a Satsang for the Children there. I knew from the beginning that it would be a rocking experience.

First  Impression

First of all, having seen the Sri Sri Bal Mandirs, I did not expect SSRVM  to be so huge and Majestic. The SSRVM compound and building was nothing short of an international school. It was one of the most professionally managed schools and yet the human touch could be felt in every nook and corner. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had inaugurated and blessed the school some time back and the Principal there Mamata ji told us a story about his visit.

When Guruji came

This is a story when Guruji had come to the school. 

Guruji came to the school and entered the classroom which was in the ground floor and right near the entrance. As soon as he entered, he asked the Principal "This is classroom for which standard students ?"

" For Kindergarten ( K.G. ) Students "

"Oh, But the windows you have put are so high, how will the children see outside ? Do one thing, lower the windows height and put a slide from which they can slide outside to the playground."

The child who never grew up !

The Satsang

As soon as we entered the hall filled with a couple of hundred children, I could feel the vibrating and pulsating energy in the atmosphere. It was a feeling that makes you float in the air without any reason. The kids were super excited to see my Guitar and they were not shy to show their admiration openly. Sometimes with embarassing consequences :)

Right from the first line of "Ganesh Om.... Ganesh Om..." the kids joined in. And How ! They were all very familiar with the Bhajan and with all inhibitions shed (which they anyhow don't have  any ) started singing and shouting at the top of their voices. The result was nothing short of what happens during Navaratri Homas in the Ashram.

We all floated in the Satva. Drifted into a wonderful land of devotion, joy and gratitude. With all the bubbles of joy all around us, the Satsang was clearly one of the best that I have attended.

The power of Sankalpas.

Desires keep arising in us. We hardly have any control over them. Just when we start feeling a bit hungry, a desire to indulge the taste buds arises. No sooner that we have eaten a full meal, a desire to have some dessert arises. The dessert is emptied and a desire to watch some TV arises... and so on and so forth. If we observe with great attention then our life is nothing but a great flow of desires arising and our running behind fulfilling it, thinking that at the end of the fulfillment of the desire is that elusive Bliss that we are searching for. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says "Desires fulfilled or unfulfilled, leaves us empty handed." How many times in our life, a fulfillment of a desire has given us great satisfaction ? Desire simply implies that we are looking for joy in the future and not "Right Now!".

Power of  Sankalpas

"Sankalpa" is a Sanskrit word which means "Thought, intention, or will directed toward a specific outcome". 


Someone asked Guruji : ( September 1 2010 )

Q.What is the importance of sankalpa (intention) and how to strengthen it? Does the world move on sankalpa?

A. The mind is full of sankalpa and vikalpa (imagination, fancy). Each work gets done through sankalpa. Even the act of moving our arm is preceded by the sankalpa in the mind. If twenty sankalpas arise in the mind then nothing gets done. When the mind is peaceful and restful then our sankalpa is powerful. 

The sankalpa of a weak mind is weak and that of strong mind is strong. 

We can make our mind strong by sadhana (spiritual practices) and knowledge. Then the sankalpa will also be strong. The wise makes one sankalpa in fifty days whereas the ignorant makes fifty in a day.

The more Sadhana, Seva and Satsang we do, the more fulfilled we feel. Hasn't it happened that after an Advanced course or a refreshing meditation or a meeting with Guruji we have felt "I don't need anything, I'm just so full of joy and love right now" The frequency with which this happens is a measurement of how much our mind is in the present moment. This means less Sankalpas per day and each of our Sankalpas become very powerful and greater chance of fulfillment. If more and more we feel that " All I want, I already have !" then more will come our way.

The Yogis and Rishis of Yore  lived in this state of Gratitude (in varying degrees) and fulfillment so they had the power of not only fulfilling their own wishes  but also of others by granting a boon. This is very scientific and experiential truth. We can all do our own experiments with this. Modern scientists and thinkers are realising the importance  of this and coming up with books and movies ( e.g. The Secret ). 

The one word which really will see to it whether your Sankalpa will materialise or not is " INTENSITY " .The more badly you want something, the quicker you'll get it.

A holy man was meditating by a river when a young man interrupted him.

“I have looked for God everywhere and I didn't find him. Can you show God to me ?"


The holy man jumped up, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, dragged him into the river, and plunged his head under water. After holding him there for a minute, with him kicking and struggling to free himself, the holy man finally pulled him up out of the river. The young man coughed up water and gasped to get his breath. 
When he eventually quieted down, the holy man spoke. “Tell me, what did you want most of all when you were under water.” 
“Air!” answered the man. 
“Very well,” said the holy man. “When you want God as badly as you want the air, then you'll find him ! ”