Gurudev Ravi Shankar: Only happy people should lead the world.

The living "god" of yoga sciences, Ravi Shankar, is worried about the world, but not about his followers.

The residence of the Indian Ambassador to Bulgaria, situated amidst the Boyana trails just below the mountain, is defined by its vast garden and spacious rooms. Still, both are too small this time to accommodate everyone coming to connect with this very special person. I've likely attended hundreds of meetings here over the years, but never has the interest been so great.

Several pages wouldn't be enough if I were to list all his names – civil and religious and his titles. That's why for followers, and not only,

address him with a short and simple

—Gurudev!

His foundation, Art of Living, has been around for over 40 years, and his ideas have resonated with millions worldwide who believe solely in two things: peace and happiness.

"And these are connected," - Gurudev Ravi Shankar tells me softly – with his voice so quiet and leaning in so close that his whisper strongly echoes in my mind as he emphasizes each word—peace and happiness...

We have about half an hour in private after his lecture has ended. Meanwhile, guests outside the small room try Indian specialties garnished with special healing tea. "Just don't forget,

there's one more mandatory condition

which serves to support these two words—enthusiasm." I carefully interrupt him to say we call it motivation in Bulgaria, at least in business circles. He looks at me strangely, without a smile, and seriously opposes my words — "No, it's not motivation; enthusiasm is at least two or three levels above motivation. It's a tremendous charge of energy within you to change the world, make it better, and inspire the people around you to start doing it, too..."

He is certainly right, although these words sound good but somewhat out of touch with reality in today's Europe—the heart of such a chaotic world, torn by wars, quarrels, crises, and a complete lack of authority figures. "Look, Behar—"

I didn't expect him to have remembered my name at all;

I'm surprised and attribute it solely to the strong resemblance to a large Indian state with the same name— "I understand that everyone here is quite confused, and the whole world is these days, but it is precisely in such times that we must turn to values, to the important things, to the people essential to our life… A society without violence, lies, and deceit, without the constant delusion that this is how things are done everywhere around the world and that good triumphs only when the stronger try to impose it—is not a healthy society. Sooner or later, this society will realize that it is unwell. Honesty, integrity, efforts for development and calmer life must dominate everything else— this is what I always tell my millions of followers, and I know they understand me perfectly."

Well, we sit so close together on the small sofa in the residence; outside —there is a great buzz and people talking loudly, and our conversation feels like a

short, private, and personal sermon

aimed at convincing me of something I've long been convinced of. I casually mention that this is incredibly interesting, and I intend to share it with more people, for example, by writing about it in a reputable publication. He nods convincingly, mentioning my last name again and adding that he says it precisely for that reason. Then, he tells me at length about the benefits of meditation and introspection, reflecting on how you want to achieve your goals and using these thoughts to succeed. "But your goals should always be better than what you have. Always," Gurudev adds.

Minutes pass unnoticed, and almost at the end, I approach my favorite topic—leadership. Because Gurudev Ravi Shankar himself is

a leader – a truly global leader with millions of followers.

He turns and gives me his kind look in a long silence as if pondering every word and comma. And then slowly tells me, "Here, we've reached the most important point. Both you and I, Behar, know very well that this is the greatest pain of the modern world—I'm not saying there are no leaders. Still, I'm saying they are different, just different, seemingly more distant from their nations, those they should lead and inspire the enthusiasm we talked about..."

He stops for what feels like one or two very long minutes and concludes that, unfortunately, today's leaders are not happy; for many different reasons, they are not. "And only happy people should lead the world," Gurudev says while holding my hand. Not for goodbye or farewell, but just so I can better understand his words and later convey them accurately.