His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Guruji or Sri Sri, as he is loving called, is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, a United Nations NGO, and is the inspiration behind numerous charitable organizations focused on service and the promotion of human values.

As Sri Sri says "Service is the expression of joy and love. Ask yourself 'How can I be useful to those around me and to the whole world?' Then your heart starts to blossom and a completely new level begins...".

Guruji was born on 13 May, 1956, in a traditional Indian family, in Papanasanam near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, South India. From an early age, it was apparent that he was destined to lead a spiritual life - even as a very young child, he was often found absorbed in meditation. At the age of four, his parents were surprised to discover him spontaneously reciting the Bhagavad Gita. Later on, in school, he would tell his friends, "People are waiting for me all over the world. I am going to visit them one day..." By the age of seventeen he had completed his traditional education in both Vedic literature and modern science.

In 1982, Sri Sri began to teach the Sudarshan Kriya, a powerful breathing technique which eliminates stress and brings one completely into the present moment. Today this program is taught in over 100 countries as part of the Art of Living Course. Millions of people around the world have experienced physical and emotional healing from these programs which eliminate stress and create a sense of belonging.

Sri Sri speaks in thirty to forty countries a year, reminding us that the great spiritual traditions have common goals and values. He encourages people from all religions and cultural traditions to come together and celebrate. His love, practical wisdom and wholehearted dedication to service inspire people everywhere.

He has given a whole new dimension to spirituality, infusing it with a youthful sense of celebration and joy. Through him you can see the infinite. He is limitless compassion and grace. To know him is to be touched by his childlike simplicity and joy. In his presence one experiences a profound silence that is beyond words. Joy, love, playfulness, poetry, deep wisdom and a twinkle of mischief have all come together in the person of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. "The only true security that can be found in this world," says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, "is in the very process of giving love."

In a question put to Sri Sri " Guruji what is your message ?"

He said, "I have no message. In order to give a message you have to be far away. Message needs a distance. Message is of the past or the future. Message is impersonal and lifeless. Knowledge cannot be a message. The wise one will not give you a message but simply awaken you ".

Is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a Guru? A Guru is a teacher of spiritual knowledge. The words guru and teacher are often used synonymously. Sri Sri is a spiritual teacher, humanitarian, international speaker, Vedic scholar, pundit, renowned expert on the science of the breath and the founder of the Art of Living Foundation and several other educational and humanitarian organisations. In the spiritual tradition, a Guru is a special teacher.

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