One Commitment Everyone Must Take During These Challenging Times

Don't miss this rare opportunity to join Sadhguru Darshan, live from Isha Yoga Center. Sadhguru offers daily practices and sadhana support to help us tide through these unusually challenging times. This talk was held last March 26, 2020.

Transcript

Shri Mataji Vata Nishvaraaya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Shambho Shambho Mahaviraya Kaal Kaal Kaaleshwaraya Shiva Shiva Shaveshwaraya Shambho Shambho Mahadevaya Yoga Yoga Yogeshwaraya Bhuta Bhuta Bhuteshwaraya Kaal Kaal Kaaleshwaraya Shiva Shiva Shaveshwaraya Shambho Shambho Mahadevaya Okay Jananam Sukhadam Maranam Karunam Milanam Madhuram Smaranam Karunam Kala VaShadiha Sakalam Karunam Samaya Dipate Akilam Karunam Namaskaram One of the main concerns of this virus in this country was about the poorest of the poor,

Those who have to earn their daily survival with daily wages.

Well fortunately today the union government has come out with an elaborate package to support them for three months,

The farmers,

The workers,

The construction workers,

Various kinds of packages.

This does not mean difficulties will go away,

At least it means that segment of the population need not be driven towards starvation.

But still there could be people who'll fall through the cracks.

That is,

There are people who don't fit into any of those things.

For those people that may be a small number,

But still it could be a significant number.

There only the community can come in.

I urge everybody,

Wherever you are,

Especially all the Isha volunteers,

Everywhere in the world,

Particularly in India,

That if you see someone moving in that direction,

That we must commit that we will not allow starvation to be the basis of suffering and deaths.

If we see someone moving in that direction,

We must see how to reach out,

Either by our own capabilities or bring somebody else's attention to it.

I would urge every volunteer to at least ensure,

Two people you can take care if such situations come.

For the first one or even up to second week,

It may be okay.

It is towards the third week that these people may really start suffering.

Fortunately,

The government has done an elaborate package for all the people,

But still there could be people who will not be served by this.

We need to take care of them.

Well,

To understand the gravity of the situation,

The Defence Minister has asked the Indian Army to stand by,

Because that is how serious it is.

Because the danger of people after three,

Four days saying,

Oh,

Nothing happened to me,

I don't believe in this virus,

Where is it,

Show it to me.

This is just like the spiritual questions people ask,

Where is it,

Show it to me.

So we can't show it to you till you get it.

It's an experience.

If I tell you,

Do Shambhavi,

You will be blissful.

Show me where is it,

Where is the bliss?

Where is it?

Well,

Only when it gets you,

You know it.

Just like that,

Virus also,

Only when it gets you,

You know it exists.

Till then you think it's a story.

This is not a story.

Well,

This can become a disaster story if we don't conduct ourselves well.

This is not in either my hands or your hands.

This is the responsibility of this generation to ensure that we don't move in that direction.

See in this country,

It's very common for people to use glorious language to describe people of the previous generation who fought for the country's freedom against all odds,

Risking their lives.

They fought and the nation became free.

When we talk about freedom fighters,

We always speak in glorious terms,

Which is fantastic.

But what are we going to do as a generation?

This is a question mark because we're still alive.

Because we're still alive,

There's still things to do.

Now we have come with a challenge,

An invisible enemy,

An adversary that you cannot see where after a few days you start arguing with yourself,

I don't think it is there.

This is all a conspiracy.

Somebody is making money,

This will happen,

That will happen,

You know,

Already it's starting.

Two days,

They want to scratch themselves.

They're not able to be within their homes,

So they're beginning to spill their beans of madness.

So they got army on the standby.

I hope they don't have to walk the streets.

I hope the police force will be able to manage what they need to manage.

Above all,

I hope we as citizens will manage this ourselves without any force.

Why I'm saying this is,

How the next generation will look at us could be determined by this one segment of time,

The corona time.

Whether we sail through this successfully or we drove ourselves into a disaster.

The estimates that world bodies are making as to what can happen if it goes out of control are too horrible even to discuss.

Particularly,

The World Health Organization is placing this responsibility in India's hands.

Till now we have dealt with it exceptionally well actually.

But from here on,

It is in the hands of the citizens.

Administration is doing whatever it is doing,

Making financial packages,

Fiscal changes,

But still without the cooperation of every human being who lives here,

This will not work.

So as days go by,

People could drive themselves into frustration.

People could start understanding what a mess they are and they can't deal with that.

For those who are on the spiritual path,

Being alone,

Keeping a distance from the people,

Becoming silent,

These are not issues,

These are opportunities.

But most human beings are not in this sphere of life,

They will struggle.

We are seeing how to offer various solutions for them in a very simple manner.

But the important thing is just this,

That those who call themselves spiritual seekers must be super vigilant and willing to step out and do what is needed.

If the need arises,

Those of you who thought you are living in the comfort of Isha Yoga Center,

The safest place right now to be.

I have offered this to the Tamil Nadu government,

The government of Tamil Nadu,

That if things go out of control,

All hospitals are full,

They can use our premises.

Because it is at times like these,

Life will expose us as to what kind of people are we.

When everything is well,

Everybody is fantastic.

When challenging times confront us,

That is when who we are matters really.

When we say who we are,

The fundamental question is just this,

Are we that kind of people who are always a part of the solution or are we a part of the problem?

This is all we have to decide.

I have decided,

I want all of you,

Wherever you are,

In whichever part of the country or in the world,

I want all of you to take this one stance right now in these next few weeks,

Which are really challenging times for humanity,

Particularly India,

That you shall be part of the solution,

Not part of the problem.

This stand everybody must take,

This commitment everybody must take,

This is very,

Very important.

I'm sure there are questions.

Questioner 1 – Sadhguru,

This question is from Anjali.

Namaskaram,

Sadhguru.

In one of your quotes,

You say that we should not judge a person's spiritual evolution based on their behavior.

I'm unable to understand that because I've always believed people who are kind and compassionate are spiritually evolved.

Could you please help me understand the context of that quote?

Well,

See,

At one time at a certain segment of my school going time,

I can't call it education,

But school going time,

I was in certain type of schools where moral science was an important part of their thing.

I was in missionary schools,

So they are always trying to teach us three magic words.

No,

No,

No,

No,

No.

You have to wait for me for the second cough within the thirty seconds.

That's not coming.

I've been tested and certified,

Okay?

Magic words,

I'm sure all of you have gone through those magic words.

What are the magic words of?

What?

No,

Not.

.

.

That's not the order.

Sorry is not the order.

What are you up to?

Sorry is not the first one.

Please,

Sorry and thank you.

Well,

You can learn such tricks.

I'm not saying you should not say this.

If the magic is happening within you and those words came,

Fantastic.

No magic in you.

You just got the words.

You have a sense of entitlement,

But you say please doesn't mean anything.

It's better at least you show who you are.

Oh,

Please gonna have it and anyway you grab it.

I see this all the time.

And you then kick somebody in their backside and then say sorry,

Doesn't mean anything.

You take what you want from everybody and then say thank you as if they gave it to you.

No,

These things are supposed to represent that you have no sense of entitlement.

You understand that nothing really belongs to you here.

So even if you want a glass of water,

You say please.

If you really see it that way,

Even a glass of water or a morsel of food doesn't belong to you.

Fortunately,

It's available to you.

So you say please.

Wonderful.

Anything that you do,

You may be hurting somebody.

You may be stepping on something knowingly,

Unknowingly.

So if somebody even looks at you and says sorry,

What?

If you're feeling that way.

And thank you because you have a sense of gratitude that's everything that's come your way genuinely.

So the word may come or it may find some other expression.

What should be a magic within you happens only in your behavior.

That is a tragedy of moralistic societies.

That they do all the right things but nothing right happens within them.

So behavior does not determine one's consciousness or one's evolution or one's transformation.

Well,

If you have a certain.

.

.

What spiritual evolution means is,

From being a hardcore concrete,

Concretized individual,

You become little more porous and becoming more inclusive.

Out of your inclusiveness,

You may do many things.

If things are happening out of your inclusiveness,

Your gentleness,

Your loving nature is coming out of your inclusiveness,

Fantastic.

But if it's a formula that you have learnt,

That you know by doing these things you will get what you want.

Actually that's how it was taught to us in the school.

You do this,

Use these three magic words,

Things will happen for you.

So go and say,

Please,

As soon as you get something,

Turn around and say something else.

This was happening around me.

So your behavior does not determine who you are.

People can cultivate behavior but who they are needs transformation.

Transformation essentially means that the sense of boundary that you had about yourself,

This is me.

This has enlarged.

That's all the transformation is.

Transformation is not of social behavior.

Transformation is if you sit here,

What was me was just this.

Now what is me is much larger than this.

That's all.

Out of that,

Whichever way you behave,

It's okay with me.

But there must be inclusiveness.

Because inclusiveness is better than insurance.

Once you see something as a part of yourself,

Then what is there about thank you and please and sorry and things like that?

It doesn't matter because when you see the other as yourself,

I treat everybody as I treat myself,

Hard.

If I was treating myself nicely like this,

I would have treated you also like that.

Because I treat myself rough,

I'm treating you also rough,

Okay?

Or you want me to be nice,

Please.

I say this in the earlier.

.

.

In the beginners' programs,

I always say,

Please close your eyes.

Hello,

I do.

Because I know you have difficulty closing your eyes,

I say please close your eyes.

You come to Samyama and there also you want me to say please,

I say just shut up and sit.

By then,

You should have understood the significance.

Right now,

This is just the second,

Third day of the lockdown.

First day you did not understand,

By now you should have understood.

What it means,

Now we cannot say please keep six feet distance.

We'll have a six foot stick and push you like that because in three days if you still did not understand what is six feet.

Hello?

It doesn't take three days to grasp what is six feet,

Even if you're illiterate you can get it.

You don't need any mathematical qualifications.

So now government is having army standing by,

Just in case you still don't understand what is six feet.

Yes,

This happened.

What happened?

So one day Shankaran Pillai came home.

His wife complained about their twelve-year-old boy that this boy is not listening to me,

You have to fix him now.

So the Shankaran Pillai went about looking for the boy.

Boy was hiding in the garden,

He caught him by his ears and he said,

You fool,

Do you think you're better than me that you don't listen to your mother?

So your behavior,

Well,

If you want to be in a society,

Yes of course you have to regulate your behavior because it's not just about you,

It's about everybody around you.

But what we're looking for as good behavior is not necessarily saying specific words,

Doing certain things and not doing certain things,

No.

What we're looking for is that you walk into this hall,

There are fifty people sitting here,

Your concern in every step and every breath that you take,

Your concern is for these fifty people or just you,

That's all that matters.

If your concern is for all the fifty people who are sitting here,

Then you behave one way.

If your concern is just about yourself,

Then you behave another way.

This is all you need to fix.

Spiritual process is not a social thing,

It's something that you do within yourself.

Because something within you changed,

You may also address the world in a certain way.

A whole lot of spiritual people,

Immensely evolved human beings,

They did not have social skills.

That's why they kept away from the society.

You heard of Sadhguru Sri Brahma,

He had no social skills,

Lot of trouble.

This time around,

We come with little social skills.

Yeah,

I'm doing well.

Still little friction with some people,

But they're always there.

That is an indication that we are on the right path,

That we are doing the right things in the world.

Because if those people praise you,

Then you must be doing something really wrong.

So,

One's spiritual evolution need not be judged by their behavior.

Now,

Don't take this as a license to behave irresponsibly saying,

I'm spiritual.

That is that.

.

.

That tribe also exists in the world.

Because they are spiritual,

They think everybody is supposed to understand them.

They will do weird things,

Everybody is supposed to understand.

No,

No.

That is not the thing.

Because spiritual process means you're not identified with your physical nature,

Your identity has moved to a dimension which is not physical.

Once your identity is not physical,

Then you have no specific way of doing anything.

You will do it whichever way it's needed.

Soft,

Soft,

Hard,

Hard,

Wonderful,

Wonderful,

Nasty,

Nasty,

Whichever way.

Whichever way the situation demands,

You will respond in that sense,

Because your identity is not with your physiological and psychological process.

Your identity has moved beyond physical dimensions of who you are.

So,

You have a certain freedom.

Accultured behavior means you're fixed to be in a certain way.

That means you lost your freedom.

Out of your freedom,

When it's required to be nice,

You're wonderful.

When you're required to be nasty,

You're nasty.

Whatever is needed,

Accordingly you do.

You are driving now because not many vehicles out there,

So cows,

Buffaloes,

All kinds of things are on the road.

A group of buffaloes are going there.

You can say,

Please,

Please.

They just go like that,

Please.

No response.

Hey!

The little.

.

.

Pick up a stick and say,

Hey,

Hey.

Then they'll go.

Because they don't understand what is this please you're talking.

Now you're not trying to treat the buffalo badly.

If buffalo understood what sweet words are,

You would say,

You know,

Sweet nothings to the buffalo.

But he doesn't get it.

He must understand that you don't like him where he is right now.

You must make him understand he shouldn't be on the road,

You need to use it.

Somehow you make him understand.

You don't have to go and beat him.

At least some noise you have to make.

Otherwise,

He will not move because he doesn't understand.

So if you're dealing with a child,

You do one way.

If you're dealing with an adult,

You lead another way.

Somebody that you know one way,

Somebody that who is new to you,

Another way.

Our behavior is as the situation demands.

Now you fixed yourself,

This is the way I behave.

Even if the situation doesn't.

.

.

Is not,

You know,

Conducive for that,

You do the same things.

What is the point of that?

Any action which is not relevant to the situation which you exist is irrelevant action.

So fixed activity always becomes irrelevant in various situations.

It's very important that we don't fix our action,

We just fix who we are.

This is what.

.

.

You know,

I'm not a scholar like this but this is something that stuck with me.

Krishna said,

Yogastha ha kurukarmani.

First establish yourself in yoga.

That means establish yourself not in your individuality but in your union with the existence and then perform action.

That means you're absolutely inclusive,

Then do whatever is needed.

It's fine with me.

Questioner 1 – Sadhguru,

The next question is from Shiv Prasad.

Namaskaram,

Sadhguru.

I have a burning question keeping today's situation in mind.

Sadhguru – Don't burn.

If a seeker is not realized till the last moment and death approaches,

What can be done so that we die consciously?

What happened?

Shiva Prasad has corona or something?

At least I want to die like a yogi,

Though I did not live like one.

Now that you're still alive,

Shiva Prasad and your name is also Shiva's Prasadam.

Your parents gave you such a name with hope,

I'm sure,

That you will become like a blessing from Shiva.

With such a name,

You must become one because you're still alive.

It's time to live like a yogi.

If you're living like a yogi,

One day you will die and you will die like a yogi.

It's very simple.

Why you'd want to live some other way and die like a yogi?

Why?

This is like… well… No,

No,

I'm controlling the political sensitivities and choosing the right one.

There was a Republican politician in America.

All his life he was a Republican.

His father was a Republican,

His grandfather was a Republican and he has always been a Republican.

But now he was on his deathbed and maybe just another day left.

Then he said,

I want to register myself as a Democrat.

They were shocked.

How can you do this?

All your life you've been a Republican.

Even your father was a Republican,

Your grandfather a Republican.

How can you register yourself as a Democrat?

He said,

I would rather have one of them dying.

So,

You want to die as a yogi,

You would rather have a yogi dying.

No,

No,

Please,

You're still living.

So please live as a yogi.

Live as a yogi means what?

Sadhguru,

Where is the cave,

Sadhguru?

I'm not able to find my cave.

No cave.

Yogi means just this,

Somebody who's broken the shell of his individuality and become one with everything.

Right now,

You are not able to suddenly burst into that condition.

But definitely you can start thinking on those terms.

You can mentally change your identity right now.

Instead of being a particular caste,

Creed,

Gender,

Religion,

Race,

You can become a yogi right now,

At least mentally.

Your body may not cooperate yet.

Body takes some work.

Mentally,

Because mind is more agile,

Mentally you can become a yogi right now.

That is,

Your identity becomes universal.

Not of race,

Religion,

Caste,

Creed,

Gender,

Nothing.

Your identity is universal.

You don't know what is the universe,

Doesn't matter.

You just say all the things that you're not.

My identity is not with religion,

My identity is not with race,

With gender,

Caste,

Creed.

Just say that much to yourself,

You don't even have to tell anybody because you're only trying to die as a yogi.

So tell yourself this much,

You are becoming a yogi.

The rest of you may follow,

It'll take some time.

But mind is an agile part,

That must immediately turn around.

So now you have started living like a yogi.

Every moment you remind yourself,

All these limited identities are not for me.

My identity is with the creation itself.

You're beginning to live like a yogi.

Hope you don't die in this season.

If you die in this season,

People will think it's the virus.

No,

You should not die in this season,

Hold on for a few months and then everybody is free to die.

But we should not give in to this damn virus.

Please.

Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant Sadhguru chants yogic chant

Reviews

Incredible as always!!! Brilliant speaker/mentor!!!
🙏

Love his teasing sense of humor and practical realistic approach. Thank you

Amazing insights

Liked the chanting 🙏

Beautiful Sangha Thankyou 🙏🏻