Gurudev, the Vedic Wisdom course started today.

We have come from all over the w

orld. Please tell us what is the principle of Vedic Wisdom?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
It is amazing to see how much wisdom has been there in the past. From the Vedic
Wisdom program, you will get a little glimpse of the various aspects of life and
tattvas, i.e., the principles and the natural laws that govern the universe. Th
at is what you will learn.
The first initiation for this is called the Gayatri Mantra, which is a very powe
rful mantra. It was kept a big secret for all these years. In certain sections o
f society, it was given only from father to son, it was not available to general
public. People were even barred from chanting it aloud. It is only in the last
10-15 years that you have started getting it on tapes, people even sing out alou
d. Before that, when we were young, when I was 10, nobody would even utter it, i
t was kept so secretive.
I thought everyone should now get access to this beautiful chanting. The meaning
of the chant is, 'Let all our intellects be inspired by the divinity deep withi
n us. Let noble thoughts and intuitive thoughts come up in our mind and rule our
intellect. Let our intellect be soaked in the transcendental consciousness.
It is our intellect and not just mine, since it is a collective prayer and wish.
Similarly, you will understand more and more during the program. Actually, if y
ou have to study any one aspect of the Vedas, it will take 12 years, it is that
vast. But in these 4 to 6 weeks, you will get a little sample of everything. I t
hought people would enjoy it because this Vedic wisdom does not belong to any on
e religion, nation alone, it is the property of the whole planet, and the whole
humanity. That is how I see it. No one can say that only one particular set of p
eople should keep it. Although in the past that has been the case, now, it is av
ailable to everybody.