On May 13, 1956, in the town of Papanasham (literally, the annihilation of sin), Vishalakshi and R S V Ratnam were blessed with a son.
He was born on Shankara-jayanti , the birthday of Adi Shankara, the great 8th century proponent of Vedanta , and his naming ceremony took place on Ramanuja jayant i, birthday of the great saint of India Sri Ramanuja. As the village where he was born was famous for both Shiva and Vishnu temples, the parents named him Ravi Shankar Narayanan.
Very soon it became clear that this was no ordinary child. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's infancy and early childhood were so permeated with miraculous events that family and friends alike were filled with incomprehension and wonder. Who better to speak about this than the parents? Sri Ratnam, or Pitaji, as he is fondly called, is a scholar of Sanskrit and Tamil .
-=Divine Child=-
He recounts one such event. "As an infant, he loved to swing from a large wooden cradle. One day when I went to see the boy, all the chains which were holding the cot fell down. Normally the chains would have fallen in the centre of the swing. But miraculously the chains fell outwards, not in the centre." The boy's mother, as she watched the cot crashing down, fell into a swoon, fearing she had lost her child, but the father noted that the baby remained unperturbed.
Another incident which is frequently recounted is when at the age of four the young boy, accompanied by his kid sister, Bhanu, went to listen to recitations of the Bhagavad Gita , a seminal text of Hinduism.
As the teacher commenced her chanting, the boy got up and corrected her. He could recite the entire text as if he knew it by heart! By the age of nine he had mastered the Vedas, the ancient Sanskrit texts which many regard as the font of Hinduism.
-=A childhood spent in contemplation=-
In his childhood he was frequently found immersed in meditation and prayer. He exhibited the same reverence for every particle of creation and poured out the unqualified love, which have become his hallmark in adult life. Reminiscing about his childhood, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, "I would bunk the sports class... I would go to play football, and looking at my feet I would say, these feet cannot kick anything, let alone an inanimate ball."
His love is without judgement, without measurement and it is offered equally to all. He draws to him every kind of person, those whom society reveres and those whom society shuns, and in His presence the inner transformation occurs in each and every one of us. The shining faces of those who have come into contact with the Master are a continuous testament to the power of unconditional love and his willingness to take responsibility for the whole Creation.
-=Touching lives everywhere=-
Having completed his studies simultaneously in Vedic science and western education (with a university degree), the young Master travelled extensively, meeting with leading intellectuals, Supreme Court judges, men of letters and spiritual Masters. Everywhere he touched the hearts of people with his knowledge and love.
Then in 1982, he went into a period of silence. When he emerged from this ten days later, he was ready to share with the world the knowledge of Sudarshana Kriya, a rhythmical breathing practice which forms the core of his Courses the world over.
The Art of Living had arrived!
"Celebrate when you are alone
Celebrate when you are with people,
Celebrate the silence and
Celebrate the noise.
Celebrate life and
Celebrate death."
~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Jai Guru Dev!
http://spirituality.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1947446288.cms
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