You, as the doer, are unnecessary || Acharya Prashant, on Vivekachudamani (2018)

Acharya Prashant

🧔🏻‍♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant? Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/hi/enquiry-gita-course?cmId=m00051  📚 Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books? Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?cmId=m00051  📝 Read 3 handpicked wisdom articles, just for you: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/articles?cmId=m00051  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Video Information: Shabdyog session, 23.05.2018, Advait Bodhsthal, Noida, India   Context:  ~ Who is the real doer? ~ How to remain detached from the doer? ~ How does one come about a stage where one has no connection with one’s actions? ~ What role does self-awareness play in overcoming superimposition? ~ What does it mean for the sage to have "no connection with action"?  Music Credits: Milind Date  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~   The sage has no connection with action, since he has no idea of accepting or giving up. Therefore, through constant engrossment on the Brahman, do away with thy superimposition. ~Vivekachudamani(Verse-282) .

Transcript

00:00Verse 282 has been quoted by Nimisha.

00:06It reads, The sage has no connection whatever with action, as he has no idea of accepting

00:14or giving up.

00:15Therefore, through constant engrossment on Brahm alone, do away with thy superimposition.

00:24Dearest Acharyaji, Pranam.

00:26How does one come about a stage where one has no connection with one's action?

00:33And what does it mean to apply that in my daily life?

00:38Nimisha is asking, what does it mean to not to be connected with one's action?

00:44Nimisha, how are you connected to your actions?

00:47Go into that.

00:50Before we delve into not being connected with one's actions, firstly let's understand

00:57what is it that we call as remaining connected with one's actions.

01:11What kind of connection do we have with our actions?

01:23You do something, you do something and then what is your relation with that action?

01:31You want something from that, right?

01:39You do something, it must protect that which you take as valuable.

01:46It must get more of what you think as valuable.

01:50It must do away with something.

01:53There is always an expectation attached with action.

01:58That is one's connection with action.

02:06You see, as I am speaking, my limbs are moving, maybe the legs not so much, but certainly

02:16the hands, the arms.

02:22Action is happening, right?

02:28What if I have an idea of what right action is like?

02:33What would happen to the quality of my movement?

02:44And how would that make me feel?

02:48How would that affect my consciousness?

02:55If I have an idea of what the right gestures are, or what the right words are, or what

03:01is the right way of looking at the audience.

03:05If I have that relation with my action, that connection with my action, what would happen

03:12to this being?

03:18How would I feel?

03:25If you know in advance, if you have an idea about what the right way of speaking at this

03:37very instance is, what is the effect it would have upon you?

03:47Why won't you be able to express?

03:52What if you knew in advance what the right way of turning to him was?

03:59Right now your hands are like this.

04:00What if you knew in advance what is the right way of making your limbs act?

04:13And who will be holding the responsibility to make it perfect?

04:22You.

04:23How would you feel under that responsibility?

04:27Crushed.

04:34And what if you have no responsibility to take care of what is happening?

04:40What if you have no responsibility to come up with perfect words or perfect movement

04:46of limbs?

04:47Then what is your relation with the hand, with the speech?

04:55They are free and you are free.

05:00They are free and you are free.

05:05Now let the limbs do what they want to do and let speech do what it wants to do.

05:11I remain distant.

05:26What is failure?

05:31So if the hand goes this way, this is success and if the hand goes this way, this is failure.

05:39Right?

05:43Success and failure are nothing but pre-programmed connections with the action.

05:50If the action happens one way, I call it a success.

05:55If the action happens some other way, I term it a failure.

06:02Now what is the verse saying?

06:08The sage has no connection whatever with action.

06:16Action belongs to the actor.

06:19The actor is always the one who can move and who has no option but to move, but to act.

06:33The blood stream, the heart, the breath, the mind, the limbs, do they have an option

06:46to not to move?

06:49They would necessarily move.

06:54Is there an atom in the entire universe that does not move?

07:10How many atoms are there in the universe?

07:13If you count the number of atoms, you will get a taste of infinity, you will know then

07:23that Brahm is not merely fiction.

07:28Something called infinity does exist.

07:32Out of all these atoms, show me one that is still.

07:42Physics would tell you that perfect stillness to an atom comes at zero Kelvin.

07:49That is 273 degree centigrade.

07:54And elementary physics tells you that zero Kelvin has never been reached.

08:01Even to an atom, stillness never comes.

08:04Everything is always acting, acting and it requires no consciousness.

08:15Things just move because it is their prakriti to move.

08:21There is nothing that can ever be still.

08:27Why are you attributing that movement to yourself?

08:33Why are you?

08:40Even dead men move.

08:52Even dead men belch and fart.

08:56Would you say this fellow is doing it?

09:02Even after you are dead, your body keeps moving.

09:07What do you think?

09:08The moment you are gone, you meaning the doer consciousness, no not soul.

09:19Even when the doer consciousness is no more, the body is still moving.

09:27No atom of the body is going to lie still, ever.

09:36What is your role there and why are you needed there?

09:39And why do you think it is your responsibility to control all the action?

09:47By taking that responsibility upon yourself, you have taken a massive load on your head.

09:57You are saying I must dictate action.

10:04Doership is not about doing.

10:09Doership is about assuming that you are the doer.

10:14Please differentiate between these two.

10:17It's not as if you give up doership and doing would cease.

10:22Doing is the prakriti of the universe.

10:28Action is the prakriti of the universe.

10:35But the stupid self starts assuming that he holds the responsibility to do and to do rightly.

10:57The fact of the matter is otherwise.

11:00The more you want to take matters in your hand, the more you trouble yourself.

11:12Without you, things are so very right.

11:24It's not as if some great intervention from your part is needed.

11:43Somebody asked me, how can man save the earth?

11:45Poor earth is withering away, going away.

11:49I said by not doing anything for next 10 years.

11:55You don't need to save the earth, you just need to stop doing.

12:00Don't do anything for the next 10 years, earth will be back to the pink of health.

12:12And if you want absolute health back, then let there be no intelligent activity for next

12:2250 years.

12:23Keep your intelligence aside and everything would be alright again.

12:35And by the way, the earth is not sick.

12:38The earth is just adjusting itself in a way that would eliminate human beings.

12:49The earth would go nowhere, man would disappear.

12:55And once man is not there, the earth is back to fine fettle.

13:03And several species who just go into hiding, if they remain at all, would again sprout

13:13forth.

13:16It's man, the weakest of all species, that would be eliminated.

13:28It's not your doing that is needed.

13:37Hands know what to do.

13:38The speech knows what to do.

13:43You are an unnecessary intermediary.

13:48The speech knows from where to directly take orders.

13:53This hand also knows from where to directly take orders.

14:04Who are you who is talking about doing the action, being the actor?

14:16The heart knows, the physical heart that is, to take orders from Prakriti.

14:23Is your consciousness needed to make the heart tick?

14:28It knows to take orders from Prakriti.

14:31Because it is material, so it knows from where to take orders.

14:34What if you start giving orders to the heart?

14:38The intestines know from where to take orders.

14:42All the organs of the body know from where to take orders.

14:45They take orders directly from Prakriti.

14:49And it's best when they take orders only from Prakriti.

14:53Or would you rather want a pacemaker?

14:56If you have a pacemaker here in this hollow, then your heart is taking orders from man,

15:03not from Prakriti.

15:04What would you prefer?

15:05A heart that takes orders from Prakriti or a heart that takes orders from a pacemaker?

15:12Please.

15:15But you are pleased when you announce that you have now invented a pacemaker that can

15:23take the place of heart.

15:29It's not the body that is pleased really.

15:33The body loves the Prakritic heart, not the pacemaker.

15:40Similarly, the voice knows from where to take orders.

15:46It will not take orders from Prakriti.

15:51The intellect knows from where to take orders.

15:53The entire Antahkaran knows from where to take orders.

15:56And they don't take orders from Prakriti.

16:00Who are you?

16:01The one who is talking of being the doer.

16:03You are neither Prakriti nor Parmatma.

16:05Who are you?

16:09This system can take orders either from Prakriti or from Parmatma.

16:17Who are you the doer?

16:19Would you reveal your identity?

16:21Who are you?

16:22You are not Prakriti for sure because you are not material.

16:32And you are not Parmatma because you are also not totally immaterial.

16:42You are some intermediary.

16:45Show your face.

16:46From where have you come?

16:52Neither are you just baby-like or animal-like, totally Prakritic, nor are you divine.

17:03Who are you?

17:09Neither are you like a little kid who is nothing but Prakriti, nor are you pure, immaterial,

17:26divine light.

17:27Who are you?

17:32You are some needless middle-man.

17:39You have too many of them in India, don't you?

17:41When the work can directly be done, we still trust middle-men.

17:47The ego is that middle-man.

17:57To take care of the body, Prakriti is sufficient.

18:06To take care of your worldly movements, basic worldly existence, Prakriti is sufficient.

18:14The nose knows how to breathe.

18:18You don't have to teach it.

18:20The eyes know how to blink.

18:24You don't have to teach them.

18:28Doership is not needed or is doership needed?

18:33The mouth knows how to salivate.

18:35The stomach knows how to digest.

18:38And they take their orders directly from Prakriti.

18:45And the heart, and I am not talking of the physical heart.

18:51I am talking of your essence.

18:53It knows love.

18:57It knows right action.

19:03It knows devotion.

19:09It knows freedom.

19:10It does not have to be taught to value freedom.

19:19It takes its order directly from their God, not from Prakriti.

19:29Prakriti has nothing for freedom.

19:43Let the physical heart obey Prakriti.

19:48Let the spiritual heart obey Parmatma.

19:57Your directions, your interventions are not needed.

20:03As I am speaking, I am breathing.

20:09For namesake, am I breathing?

20:13Am I the doer of the breathing act?

20:16I am not.

20:21Who is the doer?

20:23Prakriti.

20:25And my job is to let Prakriti remain the doer.

20:32If I try to regulate my breath, I will only distort it.

20:37I am alright.

20:42And as I am speaking, these words are being regulated by him.

20:50Am I the doer?

20:53My job is to firmly stand aside as an attendant.

21:02My job is not to interfere when the master is speaking.

21:08Just as you are listening to AP, I too am listening to AP.

21:11He is my master as well.

21:15My job is not to interfere when he speaks.

21:23My job is not to interfere with Prakriti when the breath goes in and the breath comes out.

21:30And my job is not to try to be the doer when somebody is speaking.

21:38Who is speaking?

21:39Not me.

21:40I am the doer here.

21:45Needlessly one tries to be the doer.

21:52One is unnecessary.

21:55That which is necessary would anyway never go away.

22:09Have the guts to go away.

22:12Have the guts to acknowledge that you are not needed.

22:16You are unnecessary.

22:19You are so afraid and you are such a sucker for importance that you keep hanging around.

22:28You don't go away.

22:31You feel you are very important.

22:33You feel that if you go away, so many bad things will happen.

22:38No calamity is going to befall.

22:41In fact, if you go away, the real doer would find it far more easy and smooth to act.

22:58You are just a hindrance.

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