Chitra Kadam asks The world's futility gets known with such great force that no enthusiasm is felt in living this life. At this time what should we do, increase our morale or the people who live in Ashram with you, their chances of attaining atma gyana (knowing the self) increase? Why? Have your chances of attaining atma gyana (knowing the self) increased? Yes? Give some answer. They all are just nodding their heads. It is not like that. It is not like that dear. Even after living here, they can fight, they can quarrel. It is not like they don't, they do too. They feel resentful and sit sometimes. Sometimes they are offended of me as well. Isn't it strange! People are used to from their houses. Forgive me, these are very bad habits. Quarrelling with parents, with siblings. If someone comes with this quarrelling habit in the Ashram they will fight here too, just like they fight with their parents. It is our right, we can fight with you also Guru ji. Swami Subramaniam ji used to just give an indication for such quarrelsome disciples. Understanding? There is one asana in Yoga we call it 'Chandrakar asana', if someone wants to practice it and if imbalance happens so he will fall backwards, as the door is at the back. He won't say get out from here, leave from here. No no no! He will teach them this asana in which he struggles and goes back reverse foot. Like it is said, some sesame seeds have no oil in it, so there are some seeds whose oil is finished. Similarly, there are some people whose mind and brain's ability to think and learn ends. Whether such people come and live in Ashram or at their houses, they will remain unaffected. But if you are keen and wish to learn, if you have a reasonable intellect. In some people, I feel God has made some mistake, he created the body but forgot to keep some material (wisdom). Some factories are there, where, what do you call that - QC Quality Control is extremely fantastic. Sometimes, when I look at certain people, I feel that they haven't gone through QC, they have directly come out of the mother's womb. Their intellect is missing. There is no sense. The part has not been attached. When the part only does not exist, how will someone treat it! Problem exists somewhere. Now I am blaming the God ironically, The truth is, the way we want our wisdom to be, we make the same. Someone who has forever and ever put his intellect in enjoyment and lust, there is no difference between him and an animal. The body changes, but the mind's plight remains the same, so after a lot of effort, right environment and right nurturing and right upbringing given by your parents. These all things work which can help you to become a wise and intelligent person and if that is missing then your are just 'buddhu maharaj' (a fool) my dear. If you won't get all these things then you will always remain a fool and if you get proper teaching, good upbringing from your parents, good teacher, a good master's accompaniment, and a burning fire of learning within you. So I was saying back then, that foolish Kalidasa became the great poet Kalidasa, possible? It's not that it is impossible. Likewise, if dedicated and truthful practice is there in you, great faith in the master and whatever you listen, you practice properly then there is no reason that you won't gain knowledge of the self. How will you not! "Atman" means whoever you are in your reality. Whatever you are. Your true self, you are already that. I don't have to make you that. I am not imparting knowledge to you of some other thing Whoever you are, knowing and being aware of that is called 'Atma gyaan'. So why will it be difficult! Rest, Chitra ji, the futility, sometimes, you have only written Sometimes you feel the futility, meaning, sometimes you feel the world to be 'absolute truth'. Scrumptious, worth enjoying, worth holding, worth running after. So this futility, which is visible sometimes, correct it through detachment, discretion, spiritual preaching and self practice. The day you feel that the world is completely futile that day it won't take much time to gain self-knowledge. Let me tell you a small story. It is a real time incident, it is not a story. Raja Janak desired to gain self knowledge and he made an announcement that whosoever makes me gain self-knowledge as soon as I put my foot in the horse's stirrup that can only be my master. I am looking for a master like that. Very great yogis and sages like Yajnavalkya were present that time but who can claim this, it is like in five seconds may be less than five seconds. How much time will it take to put your foot on the stirrup! Lift you foot from the ground and keep it on the stirrup. Within this time, gaining self-knowledge! No yogi, sage and hermit was ready to take this title. Janak lost hope. Sadly he said - Is there no such sage in my kingdom? Alas! Meanwhile, crooked at eight places of the body Sri Ashtavakra ji arrived and that time he was nearly 9 years of age He is a child, and the body is crooked at 8 places. In full gathering, he speaks loudly and says - Oh King! Hesitate before you speak such a big word. I will make get atma-gyana. He came and sat on the vacant seat of the master. Now everyone was astonished. How is that? And in this gathering, Ashtavakra ji's father is also present. Where he couldn't gather the courage to go and sit on that seat Ashtavakra ji has that courage. Anyway, King Janak along with his wife went to him and did ritualistic worship and honoured him and Ashtavakra ji said - Come Janak, come to my Ashram. We will do this work there. Janak ji went. He tied his horse outside the Ashram and went inside. He prostrated in front of his master and like a good disciple sat near him. and the conversation started, Ashtavakra Gita (as we say it) Shri Ashtavakra ji started speaking and Janak's curiosities calmed down. He got up saying - 'Aho Dhanya asmi'- I am blessed, 'Aho Mukto aham'- I am liberated, Then, Janak got up, he went upto his horse, as soon as he put his foot on the horse's stirrup Ashtavakra ji's voice came from behind- Oh Janak! Where are you going? Before you gained knowledge from me, you said that my body, my mind, my wealth is dedicated to you my master, so this body is mine now. how did you move it according to your will, the mind through which you think is mine, how did you raise this idea in your mind that you have to go? And you have dedicated your wealth to me so in which palace are you going, that is mine now. This is a very true thing. Janak, like someone got an electric shock, or someone's prana leave from the body and he, without moving, horrified and in utmost shock turns speechless. Turned silent, body, mind and breath, everything was still and it is said at this moment itself, Janak attained self-realisation from the knowledge he heard. Janak is standing in the same position and Ashtavakra stands beside him and says Why Janak! As soon as you step on the horse's stirrup you should gain knowledge, this was your condition. Have I fulfilled it or not? And Janak didn't say anything nor did he think Because this body and this mind is not his anymore, so how to think, there is no "I" If there is an identification with the mind then "I" is created. If the pot of attachment has been cracked then what is 'I'. Where is 'I'! Then Ashtavakra ji said - Now your work is done. Be natural now. I am giving you your body and mind back. Till the time your destiny is, use it, serve your kingdom I am returning this back to you in the form of a gracious gift. After he said this, Janak ji's mind, after understanding and listening to him, then his mind raised a thought and again he joined his hand, again he prostrated in front of his master and said- O Master, you have fulfilled my condition, how do I thank you. This whole incident didn't take months to happen. Ashtavakra Gita is very short, very short. In a very short period of time, Janak ji attained such great achievement. And then we got to know that Janak ji ruled his kingdom, Ashtavakra ji is staying in his Ashram. In Janak ji's life, his daughter came into his life and then she got married to Lord Ram, etc. Whatever has happened in his life or later when Janak ji imparted knowledge to Shukdev ji, this conversation also comes later. This means he kept on living his regular life as a king or as a teacher while managing his kingdom. He didn't leave anything. Now, this great achievement was attained by Janak when he was a King and later also he remained a King. He didn't leave anything. Now, leaving your family and house behind and coming to the Ashram will help you in self-realisation, this thinking is a wrong thing then. Yes! Till the time Janak did not have knowledge he stayed near Ashtavakra ji. When he attained self-realisation then he went back. But this is about Janak, and you are not Janak, you are who you are. So everyone's life story is different, everyone's destiny is different, so if your destiny gives you a chance, like recently in Ashram some disciples are living since 5 months, some are there since 2 months. This work from home has been very helpful for some. Who have to work on a laptop, they are working from here for 4 to 6 hours. And rest of the time they serve, they meditate they are learning systematically. It doesn't really affect, it is not a part of self-realisation but nowadays after Yoga asanas, some disciples are being taught body anatomy, Yoga body anatomy. After bones, knowledge of muscles will be taken up. Regular class is running. People are learning. So this opportunity, this eligibility, this practice, this dedication if I see, is present in them, I permit them to stay here for 2 months, 4 months or 6 months. They can serve, they can meditate, sometimes, there are some things where closeness is necessary if one gets it, now it is not necessary that everyone gets it. Now a lot of people write e-mails and letters, I don't say a no but in that the selection of those there is some criteria I select accordingly... after seeing certain things. Look, this Ashram is for all of you you are aware of it Now it is upto you that you will come and meet 1 or 2 times in a year or you really want to learn a lot of things and do a lot of things then according to that, you get opportunities. They will be given because Ashram is the place to learn and practice. All this setup which has been made here is for disciples and by disciples. All our sanyasis they all come together and do all the necessary arrangements for you. Not now, whenever someone has a strong wish then... till then... come occasionally, no problem, come sometime, meet occasionally, no problem. The day you wish ardently from within then I will definitely give you an opportunity like this. You can definitely take, who will deny. I won't say a no. Sometimes, you know I see very good people, whose mind is good, intellect is good so I feel they should stay for more time But there are a lot of thorns in them. In Punjabi we say, 'kundi', in English, we say 'hook'. So when your mind is hooked with worldly matters that hook will pull you back. What to do then? No problem, they are stuck now. When the hook will unhook then we will talk. But sometimes, life goes on and the hindrances never get over. Few days back, I got a news that someone died. I said, how crazy, he hasn't achieved anything yet and he died. Die after you do something. When you didn't achieve anything, you should have no right to die but what to do, what is born will die, is going to go too. But before this body leaves, we should make our life significant. One must definitely try doing this.
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