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🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺
🌿Chapter - 2🌿
~ The Five Principles ~
🌱 Day - 10 🌱
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क्षमार्जवदयातोषत्यं पीयूषवद् भज
It is easy to say, "Just drop them". But how? By forgiveness. क्षमा. When a wrong happens towards you or you are aware that you have erred, what is the most difficult for you? The hardest is to forgive yourself. You are unable to excuse yourself. This thing disturbs you and bothers you. The wrong done was not much, but the unforgivingness towards oneself bothers you forever. क्षमा, the first thing that is like nectar for you. Forgive yourself. Some वासना, impressions, were responsible for your actions. Some good to someone made someone else to grow. It was all conductive in some way, so do not brood over the past. Forgive yourself. If you can't forgive yourself you have tied yourself with the past. Then there is no freedom; no liberation. You have to free yourself from the past and how can you do it if you can't forgive? क्षमा, forgive yourself.
आर्जव (sincerity) is the second thing. There are people who can go on forgiving themselves but they are not sincere. So they can be where they are and continue doing the same thing. Forget the past. You may have done something wrong; you are also preparing to do something wrong today and you will continue with something tomorrow. There's no sincerity. Sincerity is qaulity. Sincerity is there when you do anything with full awareness. Everybody has sincerity. There is nobody who is insincere. Sincerity has to be kindled. Kindle the sincerity in you.
Earlier, Ashtavakra had said to drop whatever is binding to you and not to be so attached to the five expressions of the senses. Now he tells how it is possible. Firstly, forgive yourself. Do what everyone does. Everyone forgives oneself. The wick is there; you just have to kindle it. It becomes bigger and that itself is sufficient to relieve you. Second is आर्जव (sincerity).
Next is दया (compassion). Don't be hard on yourself or on anyone else. Mahatma Gandhi preached nonviolence, but he was so hard on himself. What is the difference between this body and that body? This is a little closer and that is a little farther away; that is all! I do not punish another body, but I will punish my body, which is so close. It amounts to the same thing. I may not tourture you, but I torture myself! Many people and sometimes even children do this to get the attention of their parents. They go on hitting themselves. Sometimes they lie down hitting their heads on the ground. The parents say, 'No! Don't do that!' This is a trick! You can't punish others. You can't do anything to them, so you go on punishing yourself!
दया is something basic. Gandhi was a wonderful person; a very pious soul. But the man who spoke all his life about nonviolence had a violent end. This not what is enunciated. If you are totally nonviolent, violence ceases to exist, even in your presence. There is a maturity of compassion towards everyone and all beings. If you are compassionate, you are bound to get angry.
Mahatma Gandhi was compassionate to people, but not to his own wife. He talked about freedom, but did not give that poor lady any freedom! He told her she had to work and do things the way he wanted them.
I am not saying it is right or wrong. Just look at the principle of दया and the difference between दया and अहिंसा. अहिंसा (nonviolence) is a negative term, always related to others and your actions around you. As it is practised and understood, it does not include you. But दया is your very nature. Compassion is the positive nature that us in all of you.
And तोष (contentment) follows comapssion. A frustrated person cannot be comapssionate. Can someone who is frustrated be compassionate? He cannot be compassionate towards himself or towards others. We have lived today's life. Be happy today. And tomorrow's life will begin with the next sunrise. And the next day's with the next sunrise...!
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji
ASHTAVAKRA GITA
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