See Picasso’s painting or Michelangelo’s painting let’s say. If we analyze it through color, pigment, canvas, etc. What are we going to end up with? But the beauty expressed by it, that is reality. Pigment, canvas, stone – these are all ingredients. But the beauty which is being expressed there is a real thing. Now imagine if some bacteria or some insect falls in the paint that is used for the painting. The insect cries that it would be losing its life in the slime of paint. Yet still it remains a part of that painting and its beauty. In spite of the slime, it is a part of the beauty of the painting by Michelangelo or da Vinci. Similarly we are the insect that’s fallen in the paint of life but we are still a part of God’s beauty that’s life.

We are not able to comprehend it, that’s all. Creation is great. Do you get the idea of beauty? The insect in the paint is already a part of the painting’s beauty, even if it’s struggling in the paint as it spends its last few moments.

* * *

I think this is human nature; only one person wants to survive.

And this instinct is there with almost every human being that only he should survive and everybody else should die. We were all sperms once. It is a fact. And when millions of sperms were running towards the ova everybody knew that who will reach the ova will survive. And every single sperm was thinking: I must survive and everybody else should die. So instinct is from there. Everybody wants to survive. I think it’s a devilish statement, but it is a fact.

And they have no compassion for others. They want every other sperm to die. So, that instinct continues. We have to overcome this fear first.

* * *

Actually producing children begins from the feeling of self-preservation. The fear of death is there. Because by producing a child you are carrying forward your own genetic record.

Anyone who is afraid of death will run for sex. It is nature’s mechanism of saving itrself.

* * *

Q: I heard that during a war or in tragic circumstances people have much more need of sex than normally.

Sh: Yes, because this is the only way of saving themselves. And I will say God has created such an interesting way of saving yourself.

* * *

Q: Is every sperm connected to some particular soul or spirit or at this level there is no such connection?

A: No, they are just simply extension of your own soul, your own being. And they are almost the same. I think they are equal in everything.

In Vedas it is written “Putra vay aatma su”,  – “A child is the very soul of the father”.

* * *

Q: So we are lucky we won the race.

A: Oh, yeah. And also here I will say that the attraction towards female, a woman starts from that point. Because here every sperm knows that if he reaches the ova that is embodiment of the female, then only a female will save him.  So it is the basis of attraction towards a woman. And when a woman is saying “I love you” what does it mean? It means she is ready to save you, your genetic record and carry it forward. They will save your soul at that time.

* * *

Man is got forward with the help of the woman, so women are respected. They were created by God to save the mankind’s records.

If a woman thinks: “Oh! Poor man, I must save them” then she agrees to marry him exactly. I have told it to several people and I will tell it again, “If you want to propose a beautiful girl, go down to your knees, hold her hand and say, “Will you save me please”?

And that is exactly what they do.

Being saved means keeping your genetic records intact on earth. That only a woman can do for you, there is no other way.

And in all the history you will read about saving of the mankind but nowhere you will find saving of the womankind because they are the saviours.

* * *

When there’s no fear of death inside somebody, then the attraction for sex will disappear. This is the first thing – the fear of death which makes you run after girls, because naturally, instinctively you want to save, to preserve your genetic records somehow. So when there is no fear of death – there is no feeling like that. This is my understanding of the subject.

* * *

Yogi is not afraid of that anymore. He doesn’t want to be saved. He has gone beyond that. He knows what is happening and he doesn’t want to continue.

* * *

Yoga is not against sexuality but you will rather understand it better.

* * *

The moment you begin to understand what sex is, you will go beyond that. As we discussed so many times the fear of death actually is the basis of our sexual instinct. Sex is nothing but instinct for self-preservation. So, the moment we go beyond the fear of death, the necessity of sex will also disappear.

* * *

Q: So if I can assume that at a certain point the whole human kind will reach a very high level of consciousness and most of that fear will disappear.

Sh: I don’t think so. Only a few human beings will reach that level.  Only that person will not think about sex, of reproduction who has got over the fear of death.

* * *

There is a deeper reality. When we realize that our consciousness goes down the limits of our body and we realize that we will continue to exist no matter if there is a body or no body. Then, the first feeling of compassion will enter your heart. And no matter if the body is no longer there.

That’s why this form of yoga says: develop your consciousness, so it will go beyond the limits of your body. Then only true compassion will come in your mind. And you will begin to respect the existence of everybody. And that instinct will go away: “I only must survive, everybody will die”. All the great dictators who created lot of massacres – like Hitler and others – were all afraid.  They only wanted to survive themselves.  That’s why they killed so many people. So you can say they were just a sperm, no more than that. But as yogis, we overcome that instinct. We begin to value the real beauty of life only after that.  Before that nobody is aware of the true beauty.

* * *

We all have different ideas about immortality.  So they are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

* * *

There is a poem: “I am a seeker of fame. I have nothing else in my mind. Even if I become infamous that will be a type of fame”. They are seeking fame, yes: from Oswald to Jack the Ripper – all. You kill a famous person – and you are famous.

May be they attach fame with immortality: even if they are gone, they will keep on living in the memories of people. And it gives a person something very high. A high feeling.

* * *

I read a comics – you see I am more impressed by comics  than religious books. There was a story about Kalif Harun Al Rasheed from Arabian nights. He is meeting the lord of dream Morpheus. And they are having some discussion. He says: “I want to be  immortalized, I want to be immortal”. The dream lord says: “Okay, I will make you immortal”. He said: “How?” and the dream lord said: “I will make your story a part of the imagination of the world. It will make you immortal”. It was a fantastic statement and I also believe in that. Yes, if you are a part of imagination of the people, you are immortal.

* * *

Q: Nowadays TV shows are very popular where common people are invited just to show something, but a lot of people are eager just for one minute to be seen by millions. Is it somehow connected with the hidden desire to be immortal?

Sh: Yes, we want to be the part of the memory of humanity.

Q: But is it real immortality?

Sh: Well, if you become a part of the imagination of the humanity, it is as good as immortality.

* * *

Q: Indian people like to be photographed so much in the street. They ask to take a picture of them, even though they obviously know they will never see the picture.

Sh: Because unknowingly they know that it is not just a photograph. It is actually catching and preserving a moment in time. So they are ready for that. That particular moment of their life you will preserve in your record. And even if they will not see, somewhere somebody will definitely see it. It is enough. That’s why movie stars attract us so much. They are privileged to be photographed all the time.

* * *

I say sometimes that everybody living in this world is not sharing the same world. They keep on living in different worlds, nearly seven billion worlds.

* * *

Every man loves to boast and to tell stories. And every man wants to have interested audience. Nobody is there to listen to them – and they are not happy. It is a very important thing that you create some audience. I was telling that we are all heroes of our own lives – or heroines. And we want to boast what heroic deeds we have done in our life to prove ourselves to the world, but sadly nobody wants to listen.

* * *

All the human beings have different ideas about themselves. All the time some wrong ego is present.

* * *

And what about the people who are standing in the crowd? Even though we see them in the crowd, everybody is the main character in his movie and feeling special. I knew once an old man who is no more now; somehow he got a part in the crowd of a very old famous Hindi movie and he enjoyed the glory of playing there, he used to show us that particular frame. Everybody said: “Yes, yes, you are famous”. And he loved it.

* * *

Every movie is a collection of stills – but they are moving so fast in front of us we think that it is one movie. It is our perception.  Otherwise it’s a collection of different stills. But as long as we remain a part of this big movie, we will never understand the reality. So you have to go out of that movie only then you will have an objective view and will be able to realize what is what. Till then we are a part of this playing different roles, parts, acting in it.