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🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺
🌿Chapter - 4🌿
~ You Are Not The Doer ~
🌱 Day - 18 🌱
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The second indentification is thinking you are a younger or older person, or a youth. You have been young several times; you have been old several times; you have been a youth several times. In fact, look inside and see if you have aged. You will see that you have not aged or grown older. Often you see people around you who have grown up, and you feel that everybody has grown older. The children have become older but that you have not. That you are where you are. Others tell you , you have become old, but you don't feel you have.
We have concepts in the mind about our age - that we are getting older or that we are too young for something. When children or youth have to meditate, they often say that there is much time for it later in life. That they will take care of it when they retire. That, at that time they have a lot of things to do to enjoy their lives. As though enjoyment is anti-meditation, or meditation is anti-enjoyment! There is something in you, which is ageless. You feel that whether you are young or not, yoy are the same.
What is the next identification? Thinking you are very skilled or unskilled. You have some talents and don't have others. When you think you have talent, it gives you feeling of being more special than others. And you wonder how you should make use of your life. You are also unhappy when you feel you are not talented. You train yourself to get that talent. You want to gain a talent; to become something. When you have talent, you are unhappy, because you want to make the maximum use of you talent, and you always find someone somewhere else is one step ahead of you. This is enough to stir jealousy and all those negative things inside you.
The artist community suffers from jealousy. There is jealousy in business communities too, but artists suffer the most. They can't tolerate the success of others. Even if they appreciate others' talents, it will be a superficial appreciation. Generally, there is something else inside. Identifying ourselves with our talents makes us happy or unhappy. You are not the doer.
And then there is class and status in society. This is what bugs most people, especially here in India. What people think about them? Who has the time to think about them? What will happen to their respect and prestige? What is their prestige? As though others are keeping a record of all that they are doing. Prestige is a big thing in society. Of course, you should live within the norms of society and be civilized. But you should not care for prestige. There are other people who are very chaotic by nature and don't care what people say. They have rebellious tendencies. Even they cannot be peaceful! Rebellious people are even more stuck in the same thing. Just be aware.
People feel shy to sing and dance, which is one's very nature. What will happen if you sing? Everyone's eyes are closed. You should open your mouth and sing. But you are bothered about the society and the social systems. You wonder what will be said about you. If it goes very deep into your mind, it starts bothering you. You do not need to sing by the roadside and burst into songs everywhere not caring about the norms of society. You should be a very normal and natural person in the universe, following all the norms, rules and regulations in the society. But at the same time, you should not allow them to restrict yoy or eat away at the life inside you. Don't be swallowed up by these indentifications.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji
ASHTAVAKRA GITA
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