Video Information: 24.01.23, DU-Law College, Greater Noida
Context
~ What is real purpose of life?
~ How to spend my time prudently?
~ Why are we dissatisfied in life?
~ How to be like Vivekananda?
~ How to be like Great Personalities?
~ How to excel in life?
~ How to be extraordinary?
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~~~
Context
~ What is real purpose of life?
~ How to spend my time prudently?
~ Why are we dissatisfied in life?
~ How to be like Vivekananda?
~ How to be like Great Personalities?
~ How to excel in life?
~ How to be extraordinary?
Music Credits: Milind Date
~~~~~
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00Does the person you are with encourage you to read?
00:06You have to ask, what does he bring for me?
00:09Roses or books?
00:12If someone has a stake in making you better, that person will push you towards books.
00:17Books are what we all need.
00:31Pranam Acharya.
00:35I wanted to ask, how do we identify the real purpose in life?
00:41Apart from worldly things like, as a son of my father, I need to support him, then I need to earn the livelihood, all these things.
00:52But ultimately, as you are doing the noble job, like promoting Vedanta, sometimes also done by Swami Vivekananda.
01:03How do we, sir, as we do not have that much enlightenment, how do we find our purpose in life?
01:11Even if this illusion, life, what you call, even if this exists.
01:20What is the problem that you are facing? Is there a problem in the first place?
01:25Problem I am facing, like real purpose in life. I am like too much…
01:30No, that you are saying is something you desire.
01:34Spirituality is not there to fulfil your desires.
01:38If there is a pain point, tell me, is there a problem you are facing?
01:42Speaking of spirituality, sir, I like to say you are working for some purpose, like you have got some ultimate…
01:50I want to find out the ultimate purpose of my life.
01:56But you live through your days, right? So you must be having some purpose already.
02:03You are a student, are you?
02:07Right, sir.
02:08So you are living through your days and you are not living through your days purposelessly.
02:14But I am considering it as a smaller goal, sir.
02:18How do you know it's a small goal?
02:21Like small in the sense, sir, like as you said this, we as a person don't exist actually.
02:31That you heard from me just five minutes back.
02:34How have you been living through your days since so long?
02:38There surely is a purpose, right?
02:41What's wrong with those purposes that you have every day?
02:47That haunts me, like I am struck into this thing.
02:53Like before listening to you, even I used to listen to your videos.
02:56And even before that, I have this thing that whatever we think or wherever our mind goes, that is to very limited things.
03:07Ultimate goal can be…
03:10So what's the problem with having limited things as purpose?
03:19They get fulfilled, then we seek for the next one.
03:23So what's the problem with that?
03:26I don't find them too big to pursue all the time.
03:36So they are not big, they are small. What's the problem?
03:45I said there is no problem, sir.
03:47You are already good.
03:49Why needlessly think of, you know, show spoilers like Vivekananda and trouble yourself?
03:56Just because they have a big name.
03:59So one feels I should also have a big name and starts thinking of them as if respectfully.
04:08But probably the objective is just emulation.
04:11If you are already okay in the life that you are leading, why think of an alternative?
04:19Sir, I do not know, even I do not know that whether I like the life which I am leading.
04:26Like I am very much okay with it or I am very…
04:29So I will return to the first question.
04:32What is your problem with the life that you are leading?
04:35When you go to a doctor, what does he ask you?
04:39Where is the pain?
04:41So what is your problem?
04:43If you tell the doctor, you know, I want to visit Switzerland.
04:45The doctor will say, you know, that's a desire.
04:49Where is the problem?
04:54A solution is not the same thing as desire fulfillment.
05:03Solution comes when you first of all identify a clear problem.
05:08What is the problem?
05:10So like, as you say, sir, like we can like whatever I am doing, that is fine.
05:17Absolutely. Like I cannot, I should not seek for something very different.
05:24I don't know. You tell me what is the problem?
05:28The problem is like…
05:31Okay, I'll ask you a question. I'll ask you a question.
05:34Let's say you have never heard of Vivekananda or other so-called great people.
05:41Would you still have a problem?
05:44Right now you are facing a problem because you see that there were people who took up noble missions and did this, did that
05:51and compared to them you find your life quite small, petty, etc.
05:55So by comparison, you see a problem.
06:00Let's say nobody is available for comparison.
06:02Is there still a problem?
06:06No, sir. In that respect, I am not seeking that as question.
06:12What I wanted to ask is like, do we have any other purpose other than like doing these whatever things we are doing?
06:21Can we have any other purpose?
06:23The question of other purpose arises only when one has a problem in the current purposes.
06:29As you are living your life, you already have certain purposes.
06:34Now do you have a problem with your current purposes?
06:37First thing, you cannot say I am already alright and still I want to get alright.
06:46Do you have a problem?
06:49Have you identified your problem?
06:52Are you willing to disclose it?
06:54That's what I say, like for whatever thing I do, like for after sometime I get, in the sense you can say,
07:09so fine, this is not what I should be doing.
07:14That might as well be a moral compunction raising its head.
07:22You know the solution is never too far.
07:38It's just that we don't even know the problem.
07:42The moment the problem is known, the solution is so near.
07:53But the ego refuses to acknowledge the real problems.
07:59The very fear is that the problem may not remain and if the problem is gone, the self is gone.
08:07So, why do then one seek spirituality or say for example, go to Vedanta Mahal.
08:19Most people seek it just as an entertainment.
08:23One is bored of so many things.
08:27So, let's try our hand at this one as well.
08:30At most, there may be some genuine people.
08:35Yeah, the genuine people have genuinely identified their problem.
08:41It's not so difficult to identify it.
08:47It's just that we imagine the consequences of identifying it and feel afraid.
08:52Figure out what problem would you face if you continue to live the same kind of life.
09:13Figure out what problems you are already facing if you continue to live the way you do.
09:19What is happening to you in your current ways?
09:28Sir, I have been listening to you quite often and what I am doing currently, it has certain purpose.
09:44It will get filled after some time.
09:46Again, I will move on to the next goal.
09:49Keep on doing, entire life I will be doing this.
09:52So, am I really meant for this?
09:56Who am I to tell you that?
09:58If you feel contended as you are currently going, obviously you will continue going that way.
10:08A change is needed only when the one within is troubled with the status quo, things as they are.
10:23Are you really troubled?
10:26And unless there is an acknowledgement of real trouble, there can be no change.
10:34There can be a lot of words, there can be years of discussions but no change will happen.
10:42Change happens only when you clearly identify there is a problem and I will have no more of it.
10:49I am done with living with this problem.
10:52Spirituality is not window shopping.
11:03I am already happy with the clothes that I have but I found something on the mannequin and I just enquire the price.
11:12Just you know, to tell myself that there are other options available.
11:16You have to find yourself naked and shivering in the cold and then beg for clothes.
11:25That's spirituality.
11:28You have to see you are in a very very bad shape.
11:34Only then you will have the guts to embrace an alternative.
11:39Otherwise it's just entertainment.
11:4218 yogas are available.
11:4818 alternatives I have.
11:52Internally you are already yogasth, established in yoga.
11:59So why will you choose any of those 18 paths?
12:03You have to see that internally there is deep vyog, separation.
12:08You are torn apart.
12:12If you do not see that, if you express your condition in this kind of lukewarm way,
12:19I have certain purposes, they get fulfilled then there will be some other purpose.
12:23This frankly takes one nowhere.
12:28The ones who reach somewhere are the ones who acknowledge a deep deep suffering inside.
12:35The ones who are well-adjusted, well they can remain well-adjusted.
12:40So my advice, figure out whether you really see anything terribly wrong in the way you are currently living.
13:08If you don't see anything greatly wrong with that, no problem.
13:17Don't worry.
13:20I do find some things wrong.
13:23Some things wrong, this kind of enunciation.
13:26Not something in the sense, I find something terribly.
13:30Say for example, taking the, how the life has gone.
13:33So what is it that you find terribly, fundamentally wrong with the way you are living?
13:39I am not stable with one thing.
13:43So what's terrible about that?
13:45Terrible, right?
13:47Sir, I keep on changing the things like say for example, I am from engineering background.
13:53I did engineering, went on teaching in the engineering colleges.
13:58And then I started preparing for civil services.
14:01I went through pains and then interview, but I find I could not make it.
14:07And right now I am pursuing law.
14:10What's terrible about it?
14:13That I am finding myself as a wanderer.
14:17What's terrible about wandering?
14:20There has to be rest to it.
14:25That's some kind of a heavenly mandate.
14:28Heavenly mandate, there has to be rest.
14:31One day you will die, you will have enough rest.
14:39Nothing wrong with this.
14:45You don't find anything wrong in it.
14:49And that's what is wrong.
14:59That's what is terrible.
15:16Not that I mean to enforce an opinion upon you.
15:22It's just that I see you interested in change.
15:26And I know very well that change cannot happen unless there is terrible dissatisfaction.
15:35The kind of change you are looking for is not superficial, not incremental.
15:41You want fundamental change.
15:44For fundamental change there has to be an insight into the fundamentals.
15:49Things that appear normal to you currently should start appearing very weird.
15:59Things that are acceptable today should start appearing extremely distasteful.
16:12When that kind of a thing starts happening,
16:16when that kind of a thing starts happening, only then there is change.
16:21Otherwise you can keep skimming on the surface of life.
16:27And that's no problem.
16:32Maybe that day is going to come soon.
16:35Should I seek that again you?
16:42I'm available.
16:44Had I not been available you wouldn't have come to me.
16:48I was available to you even before this conversation.
16:52That availability made this conversation possible.
16:58So I'm anyway available.
17:02There is nobody who is not generally dissatisfied with life.
17:09But that general dissatisfaction does not help anybody.
17:13Please see.
17:16Do you find anybody perfectly contended?
17:22Nobody.
17:24People have their complaints, grudges, grouses,
17:28something is wrong here, something is wrong there.
17:31That little bit of average kind of dissatisfaction
17:37only helps to maintain things as they are.
17:44You are dissatisfied with your car,
17:50you provide it more maintenance.
17:52The car remains maintained.
18:03You need to, I'm repeating,
18:06see how the very fundamentals of life are botched up.
18:14And then something can happen.
18:18But don't force that upon yourself.
18:24Don't try to make that forcibly, artificially happen.
18:30Sir, right from the childhood we have been taught or like
18:36in our education system is like that,
18:39that we have been taught about the great peoples,
18:41or the personification of,
18:44like you should be doing something very big or very different in life.
18:50So those things have gone deep into the mind.
18:53And now less things do not satisfy us.
18:56And that satisfaction then, where does it lead us to?
19:02See,
19:03see,
19:07big things happening to small people
19:14leave them small even after the big event.
19:19The question is not whether big things are happening to you.
19:23The question is, are you big?
19:28Are you big?
19:34So the smallness within has to be encountered.
19:50Without that, trying for big positions, big money, big power, big life,
19:58all that means nothing.
20:03It is the inner encounters that we are very afraid of.
20:13And we are equally afraid of encountering that we avoid the encounters.
20:23So we pretend to ourselves that we are available to the encounters.
20:29We are not.
20:34When the real deal is there, we just avoid it.
20:54When water comes to the boiling point,
20:59we take it off the heater.
21:04And we certify ourselves as good people.
21:11You see, I allowed it to come to 98, 99.
21:19Don't you see what is it that you didn't allow to happen?
21:33So sure I am not making much sense, but fine.
21:37Alright.
21:38I suppose I am not clear with myself.
21:43I'll remain available.
21:46Thank you sir.
21:47Wonderful.