Why isn't the Gita for everyone? || Acharya Prashant (2024)

Acharya Prashant

Read 3 handpicked wisdom articles, just for you: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/articl...  ‍♂️ 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  ~~~

Transcript

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.

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