Devotion - When You Don't Matter Anymore

Sadhguru explains how the sweetness that a devotee knows, no one else will know, and that it is the most intelligent way to be.

Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times.

Transcript

You also talk about how nature doesn't reveal itself easily.

What is this nature?

Are you asking this question as a woman or as a banker?

If you're a woman,

Devotion is enough.

If you're a banker,

We need to do head-breaking,

Heart-breaking sadhana.

I want you to understand how difficult the spiritual process is going to be for you is determined by you,

Not by nature and not by your guru.

The nature or the existence or the creator and your guru are seeing how to make it as easy as possible,

As simple as possible,

As quick as possible.

Because if you take time,

It's not a question of your life going waste,

It's a question of my life going waste.

If you don't make it,

It's not a question of you failing,

It's a question of me failing.

You see,

I don't like to lose… you can see that.

I don't like to be on the losing side,

You can see that.

You must see how I drive on the street,

I don't like to be on the losing side.

If you're here as a woman,

It's very simple.

But you're so many other things.

Foreign banks are difficult to handle,

Because there are hidden clauses.

In every agreement we sign,

There's a hidden clause,

It printed in micro print that it takes a lifetime to read them.

So most people sign them without reading them.

So wipe out all the hidden clauses,

Just be here as a woman,

Very simple.

If you're here just as a man or just as a woman,

That's it,

It takes.

It doesn't take all this talking and nonsense and rubbish,

If I just do this,

You should just be there.

So devotion is another dimension of intelligence,

Which unfortunately today's world has lost out on.

Now that little boy,

He was playing violin,

He's just sixteen years of age.

He's not very far between the genius… he's not very far behind the genius of his father.

He's pretty right there.

It just takes… it's going to take very little time for the boy to catch up.

That has come not because of training,

That's come because of simple devotion.

You see how he sits?

See how he sits next to his father with great amount of love and devotion.

He'll look at his eyes,

He looks at his father with that kind of love and devotion.

In that,

Learning happens in a completely different way.

There is a very… there was a fabulous saint in Andhra Pradesh.

There is no home in Andhra Pradesh who will not have at least a little book about this saint.

His name was Vemanna,

His name was something else,

They called him Vemanna.

So his name is Vemanna.

So he was with his guru and this boy,

He's little dim,

He's a dim companion.

See such a simple term,

Can't get anything straight.

I have lot of them like that and they're doing great,

They can pull off anything.

It is the intelligence one,

It's people who think they're intellectually smart,

Who're getting all tangled up in Isha.

Simple terms are doing great.

Somebody else may think he's nothing,

But just see the result he's creating,

It's fantastic.

So this is the simple term,

Everybody,

He's a butt of everybody's jokes.

One day,

But the guru takes kindly to this boy because he's not smart like others.

So one day guru has an important function or an event to go to.

So he goes to the river for bath and his clothes folded.

He tells the boy,

You hold the clothes in your hand,

Stand here,

Don't keep it down because the ground is wet and it'll get soiled,

Don't keep it down.

Just hold it,

That's all.

So the guru went in to take his ritual dip and wash himself and when he came out,

The boy had kept it down,

The clothes were soiled.

And he kept it down because when the guru looked like this,

He thought he needs something and he kept it down and ran to the guru.

He's simple,

One thing at a time,

He cannot handle two things at a time.

Because these are two things,

Clothes and guru,

Two is complicated.

And the guru looked at this,

Now he has to go somewhere,

His clothes are soiled and he told him repeatedly,

Don't keep it down,

Don't keep it down and he keeps it down.

So he gave him a little chalk and he told him,

You fool,

There's nothing else you can do.

Sit here and write just Rama,

Rama,

Rama on this rock,

Nothing else.

You can't do anything better,

Just do this.

Hope grace will descend on you.

Just sit here and write Rama,

Rama,

Rama just over and over again on the same place.

The boy felt so ashamed,

So pained because he let down his guru.

He told him so many times but somehow he cannot get it.

So he started writing.

The guru left in a rush.

After the whole day,

Some event,

He came back in the evening and first thing is he asked for this boy,

Where is he?

Because he was feeling bad for the harshness with which he spoke to him.

He was nowhere to be seen.

Oh,

Then I told him to write Rama and we need not give the next instruction,

Maybe he's still there and he went.

The boy was still writing Rama.

The chalk had worn out long time ago.

His forefinger and thumb had worn out right up till here and he was still writing Rama,

Rama,

Rama,

Rama.

The guru just took him and embraced him and this boy,

I don't know how many,

Somebody who is knowledgeable about this should say,

He wrote hundreds of fabulous poems which is even today after a few hundred years,

Even today there is no Telugu speaking home where there will be no book on Vemana's poems.

Almost every home will have it.

Anybody who can read and write in their home,

There will be and just about everybody is conversant with these poems.

Brilliant poetry,

He just poured out out of his devotion.

So that's what devotion can do because devotion is another dimension of intelligence.

Devotion is the intelligence,

You understand there's a bigger intelligence and you have learned to keep your little intellect aside,

That is devotion.

Devotion does not mean everyday doing pooja,

Doing this,

Doing that.

Devotion simply means your involvement with life is so absolute that even you don't matter anymore.

Your involvement with what you have taken up is so absolute that who you are does not matter,

Then you're a devotee.

Devotion means you're devoid of yourself,

That's devotion.

And there is no greater intelligence than that and there is no greater sweetness than that.

The sweetness that a devotee knows,

No lover will know,

No pleasure seeker will know,

Even if you go to heaven you will not know.

Heaven is a bad place,

Believe me,

You better make it here.

You… they have told you what kind of people went to heaven,

With those people can it be a great place?

People who are thinking of fluffing around on clouds,

That's their greatest pleasure.

People who are thinking of twelve virgins,

Great food,

Drink,

You want to end up with those people for the rest of your eternity?

Do you want to shack up with these people who just go to some far away place just because they want to drink in rivers?

Please don't end up there.

This is a great place and there should be no next place for you.

Reviews

“This is a great place - there is no great place for you elsewhere.”

No need to wait, as simply men and women, we can be devotees (unless we are “bankers”) in this moment, with this breath, NOW! No greater sweetness than simply BEing devoid of self, an Instrument of PEACE. The honesty of recognizing how difficult the spiritual experience is going to be is up to the devotee, not mentor or guru. No talking, no nonsense, no rubbish, simply be devoted, NOW! In gratitude, ahimsa

Right now, life is always good. Beautiful message.

I like "devotion as devoid of self". I can work w that. ❤️🙏

Beautiful insight with great humour, thank you

Such a beautiful parable

Always great wisdom🙏🏻Namaste❤️

So beautiful. 🙏🏽💓

This is a great place.... 🙏🏽

Very well said:)

Very good message

Who is this poet he speaks of Rama? Raman?

“Please, don’t go to heaven” 🦋 🌹Love this!!

Thank you 🙏🌸🌸🌸