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Video Information: 18.08.2024, Vedant: Basics to Classic, Greater Noida
Context:
How to become deserving of Gita?
Why is Gita told to Arjun alone?
Who is a real Teacher?
How to read Gita?
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~
♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant?
Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/enquir...
Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books?
Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?...
➖➖➖➖➖➖
#acharyaprashant
Video Information: 18.08.2024, Vedant: Basics to Classic, Greater Noida
Context:
How to become deserving of Gita?
Why is Gita told to Arjun alone?
Who is a real Teacher?
How to read Gita?
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00So my question is, can Gita be taught to someone who's not willing to learn it?
00:08Can Gita be taught to someone who is functioning at the lowest level of their consciousness?
00:13As we see the majority, the people who are like majorly responsible for driving the climate
00:18catastrophe, the people who indulge in heinous crimes as it happened a few days back in Calcutta,
00:23are these people even capable of receiving Gita?
00:27As we saw in Mahabharata, Shri Krishna didn't choose Duryodhana, instead he chooses Arjuna
00:32for Gita.
00:33It's not because Duryodhana was illiterate, he was being praised by Guru Drona, in one
00:39instance I remember.
00:40He was well-versed with the knowledge of all the Vedas and other ancient knowledge, but
00:46his problem was his inability to act on that knowledge.
00:51If Shri Krishna didn't choose Duryodhana, then why should we try to disperse Gita to
00:56someone who's not neither willing or able to act upon such a knowledge?
00:59If that's the case, what can be done about it?
01:04It depends on the pain you are willing to take.
01:08Gita can be brought to anybody and Arjunas are not always available.
01:18Sometimes Duryodhanas have to be turned into Arjunas.
01:24It's just that it's relatively easier with an Arjuna.
01:30Even though with even Arjuna, it's a tricky affair.
01:38What to do when even Arjunas are not present to receive the Gita?
01:46As long as somebody has anything, anything that resembles consciousness, as long as somebody
01:56has even the faintest remnant of consciousness left, Gita can be brought to that person but
02:05it will be tough, difficult and it will be dangerous also because the teacher will need
02:14to stoop to the level of the receiver.
02:21The patient can be saved but the operation will be both delicate and dangerous.
02:30So it's not as if there is a very clear dividing line between those who are qualified to receive
02:38the Gita and those who are not.
02:40No such dividing line exists.
02:45Obviously, there are grades and one can see that there is a progression in terms of the
02:56capability and willingness and the qualification.
03:01But at no point is it possible to say that now the qualification is zero.
03:14It depends on how much is the teacher ready to bear.
03:21If the teacher chooses an incompetent disciple, that simply means hell for the teacher.
03:28But then we know of teachers who have deliberately chosen incompetent disciples because incompetence
03:37was the order of the day.
03:40It was not possible to get more realized, more illuminated, more prepared students.
03:50So they said fine, I have to give and I have to make a difference.
03:56I have to start.
03:58I can't wait indefinitely.
04:00So whosoever is available, I will start off with them.
04:04That has happened.
04:05There is a beautiful Sufi story.
04:11So there was this Sufi master and I will want you to figure out the name.
04:19It's a very popular story.
04:24So he waited.
04:25It is said all his life.
04:26There are exaggerations always when facts turn into legends.
04:33You can always expect some kinds of exaggerations or distortions but still the story stands
04:38instructive.
04:39We learn from that.
04:41So this fellow, it said he waited all his life.
04:44He said I will speak only when I get the perfect disciple.
04:50I will not speak to the undeserving ones.
04:56He waited all his life and nobody who was perfectly deserving came his way.
05:06He probably would have tried to make it known in all directions that he is a capable teacher
05:12and he is waiting for the right disciple but yet probably nobody came or if people did
05:17come they were not found to be deserving enough.
05:23So now he is about to complete his journey and he is at his deathbed and then suddenly
05:34he realizes something and he laughs and these are the last few breaths that he has.
05:42So he gets up from the bed and he comes out and starts yelling on the street.
05:51He says even if you are a thief, a drunkard, even if you have broken your vows a thousand
06:03times, come as you are.
06:06These are beautiful words.
06:09They stuck and they have stayed with me.
06:12Come as you are.
06:14And he very specifically mentioned the kind of people who were permitted to come.
06:24He said you might be a robber, you might be a liar, you might be somebody good for absolutely
06:31nothing but still come as you are.
06:35Come as you are.
06:38So if somebody can search for that and give it to me, it's a beautiful part.
06:43Come as you are.
06:46Even if you have broken your vows a thousand times, come as you are.
06:53So when you make such a public announcement and throw open the party, invitation goes
06:59out to everyone and those were the kind of people who came to him.
07:06Those who had nothing else to do, they came because those who have some capability, some
07:11qualification are usually found involved somewhere.
07:14So some unemployed fellow who had nowhere else to go, he came running, he said fine
07:19I have come.
07:22Some gambler who had just lost some money and was sitting crying on his hunches, he
07:28got up and came, he said I have come.
07:32And so this kind of motley lot gathered around him and the master is about to pass away.
07:40And he says fine now I have these 5-10 people and he said what he had to say.
07:45He said, he delivered his sermon to these people and the legend says that those people
07:54benefitted.
07:57Those people benefitted.
08:00So you cannot create an artificial world for yourself.
08:08This world is all that you have and if you have something to share, you will have to
08:15share it with the inhabitants of this world.
08:18You cannot keep waiting for a fictitious Arjun of your choice.
08:26Maybe the Arjun will never come.
08:36With your capacity, with your power, you do the maximum you can.
08:41It might be in fact helpful to ask, is it only Arjuns who are missing or is it even
08:48the teachers, the Krishnas who are also missing?
08:51If you do not get an Arjun as the receiver, probably even Krishna as the giver is missing.
08:58And if you can be Krishna, the giver, then whosoever you give it to is your Arjun.
09:09That's what you have to believe.
09:10That's what you have and that's what you have to proceed with.
09:14You can't keep waiting.
09:16Remember come as you are.
09:17You couldn't find that except none of you?
09:22Give, just give me that quote.
09:29Come come whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving.
09:38Some people just love to leave.
09:40He is saying even if you are someone who loves to leave, goes away, comes back, does all
09:45these things, you still come.
09:48Come come whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving, it doesn't matter.
09:52Ours is not a caravan of despair.
09:55Come even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.
09:58Come yet again, come, come.
10:02So this is the quote, there is also a story associated with it or maybe the story is independent
10:08of this but you can figure out the story.
10:12The theme is similar to what I have mentioned.
10:25Nobody is deserving enough.
10:26Did Arjun really deserve the Gita?
10:28No he did not.
10:29That is the nature of grace.
10:31Nobody deserves grace.
10:33Grace by definition is that which you get without deserving it.
10:39Nobody really deserves the Gita.
10:41Whenever the Gita really comes to you, you must bow your head down to grace.
10:48You can never be so big that you can claim to deserve the Gita and if you deserve the
10:53Gita, then you don't need the Gita.
10:56You are already deserving enough.
10:59These things will always come to you a little beyond your weight and size.
11:05Much beyond your weight and size.
11:08So you will have nothing but gratitude to offer.
11:13You cannot buy the Gita.
11:15You cannot deserve the Gita.
11:18You can only be grateful to you if it comes to you.
11:21You can only be grateful to the Gita if it comes to you.