Who can drop it? One who is brave; one who knows what he is doing, and is aware that he is dropping something so that his hands will be free to hold something much bigger.

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        🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺

    

                🌿Chapter - 14🌿

              ~ Drop All Conflict ~

                   🌱 Day - 74 🌱

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हन्तात्मज्ञस्य धीरस्य खेलतो भोगलीलया । 

'Ho!' Now it's Ashtavakra's turn to say, 'Aho!' He recognized Janaka's 'yes'! It was almost impossible to believe that Janaka got the knowledge just like that and so quickly. He did not ask a question. As Ashtavakra was talking, Janaka simply went on exclaiming, 'Oh, Aho, ho, Aho!' He started understanding that it was very hard to get a student of Janaka's nature. Ashtavakra was one of the greatest and luckiest men ever to get someone like Janaka who understood immediately what was said. Ashtavakra said something, leaving out one paragraph one sentence to see whether Janaka was just repeating it all or if it was his own experience. And Janaka said what was left out. He said, 'Yes, despite being amidst all pleasure and wordly things, one is completely untouched, untainted and unstained by the events and happenings'. 

Now it was Ashtavakra who said, 'Aho!' हन्तात्मझस्य धीरस्य. Such a brave person! Why call a knower of the Self very brave? The most difficult thing is to let go of something which seems to bring great joy; which seems to be one's very life. Who can drop it? One who is brave; one who knows what he is doing, and is aware that he is dropping something so that his hands will be free to hold something much bigger. These hands can hold one carrot or the entire universe. Like a rabbit, it can hold one carrot, and go on munching it. Or this very hand can hold the entire universe. A brave person, even though living in the royal quarters, amidst all the pleasures of the world, plays with the world joyfully. How can we equate this person to someone who has drowned and is caught up in the world with no awareness and with many obsessions? Someone who craves food also eats food. And someone who does not crave food, who is happy, also eats it. Do you know what happens when we are joyful? Usually when people are very happy or joyful, they are not 'prayerful'. They are not devoted and cannot love. When people are joyful, they just want to party and have ice cream! The mind is so spacious. It is out somewhere, and you can see this. Most of the time when people meditate or sing bhajans, they are very morose, serious and look sad. They don't sing with joy! They sing with sorrow and are bogged down. People pray when they are unhappy. That prayer is just an escape. But true prayer, the supreme form of prayer, is that which arises in joy. Being happy, you pray. Being happy, you are grateful. This is unique in our satsangs. We sing, we pray and we are happy. We laugh in the midst of our satsang! Some traditional people will wonder at this. Our laughter would be considered an insult - as if we are making fun of somebody! Here he says that the whole universe is fun! Ashtavakra says, 'Aho!' Fun is thought to be an insult in the so-called civilized world.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

ASHTAVAKRA GITA 

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