04:59

What To Do When You’re Fully Shattered

by Sadhguru Jaggi

Rated
4.7
Type
talks
Activity
Meditation
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Everyone
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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. In this talk, Sadhguru gives us wise advice and tells an inspiring story from the Holocaust in response to a question about how to deal with problems like failures, breakups, that fully shatter you.

ResilienceTransformationEmotional IntelligenceLife LessonsLossSelf ReflectionYogaAdviceStorytellingProblemsFailuresBreakupsBuilding ResilienceCoping With LossPositive TransformationSpirits

Transcript

Questioner 1 – Sadhguru,

When certain youngsters face problems or difficulties like failures,

Breakups,

Loss,

Etc.

,

A few go for drugs or alcohol instead of solving the problem and finding solutions.

So I want to know what is that one hope a person can cling on to even when he is fully shattered from within?

So many broken hearts here who are clapping their hands.

So,

When he is fully shattered,

What can he do?

The question is,

Do you want to allow yourself to be fully shattered?

That's a question.

And many things that don't work out in your early life,

You will see later on,

It is a great blessing.

There are many ways to look at this.

Let me tell you this.

This happened in 1941.

This is just when the Nazi movement was building up in Germany and in some parts of Europe.

So one day in Austria,

A bunch of German soldiers came,

Broke into the homes,

The Jewish family,

A rich family,

They broke the home and took away the adults,

Took… everything was robbed.

And these two children,

A twelve-year-old girl and a eighty-year-old boy were taken away.

They were taken to a railway station.

This is the month of November,

End December kind of time when it's becoming very cold.

So they were kept in the railway station for three days because the trains did not come.

Boys,

Little boys being boys,

They started playing football.

So they were playing football and then suddenly the train came.

The train is not a passenger train,

It's a cargo train,

The goods train.

So when the train came,

They… soldiers came and rushed everybody into the wagons which are there.

Everybody got in and the little boy and the girl also got in,

But the little boy forgot to wear his shoes.

He left his shoes outside and they pushed him into the wagon.

So without shoes he came.

His sister,

A twelve-year-old girl saw her kid brother coming without shoes and she got mad with him.

She held him by the ear,

Boxed his ears,

Scolded him nicely,

Slapped him.

He said,

You idiot,

Already we are in enough trouble,

Now you come without shoes.

Because in Germany in winter,

No shoes means you may lose your feet.

So she's angry about that.

In the next station,

The boys and girls were separated.

After four years,

After the war was over,

She came out of the concentration camp to find seventeen members of her family,

Including her little brother,

All had vanished.

No records,

No sign of them,

They just evaporated.

At that time,

The only thing that bothered her was the last few things that she said to her little brother.

She loves her brother,

But the last few things that she said to him were such terrible things,

It rang in her mind and troubled her.

These are the last things I told my brother and after that I'm never going to see him,

He's gone.

So she took a vow,

If I speak to anybody in my life,

I will speak in such a way,

If this is my last word,

I will not regret.

This one thing transformed her life in such a way.

She went on to United States,

She died in 2006,

She did some phenomenal work,

Built a hospital somewhere near Chicago,

I think.

She lived a fruitful life.

I'm saying,

Even if you put through the most horrible situations,

Either you can come out using that experience as a better human being,

Or you can use the experience to become a horrible mess.

So whenever something hurts you,

There are two options.

You can either become wounded or you can become wise,

This is the choice.

The more things hurt you early on in your life,

The wiser you should have become,

Isn't it?

But unfortunately,

Most people become wounded.

This is simply because they just need an excuse to turn their own intelligence against themselves,

That's all.

Especially if the world around you turns against you,

Is it not very,

Very important that your intelligence stands up for you?

Meet your Teacher

Sadhguru JaggiMcMinnville, TN, USA

4.7 (1 199)

Recent Reviews

Cristal

November 5, 2025

During a most difficult time in my life, when the pain is still raw, this is exactly why I needed to hear this morning

Emm

June 1, 2023

Thank you 🙏

Paulina

December 4, 2022

Such powerful messages! “Am I wounded or I am wise”. It’s my choice, I can use my intelligence FOR me not against me, powerful choice. And, just as powerful, commit to making sure I never regret what I say. Love and kindness, always.

CLynn

October 31, 2022

This is incredible AND it is EXACTLY what I needed at this point in my life

Patrice

June 1, 2022

Ohhhhhh! Perfect timing as my last words to ones that hurt me and one just before listening to this practice 20 minutes ago, I must make right as I meant none of the words I said🙏🏼❤️💫🫶🏻🌸🪷thank you. Profound wisdom straight to my heart and soul dear wise master teacher❤️

JuneB

February 20, 2022

Amazing as always Thanks for sharing Namaste 🙏🏽 JuneB

Linda

January 10, 2022

Your stories are incredible Thanks for your inspiration

Alexis

December 31, 2019

Hits hard and home. ♡

Dianne

July 30, 2019

Sadhguru you are brilliant. Thank you for your enlightenment 🙏🏻

Vanessa

January 8, 2019

I love this. Thank you.

Debbie

January 2, 2019

Always such wise teachings 🙏🏻 thank you Sadhguru

Maria

December 31, 2018

A simple yet effective and wise advice. Thank you! 💗

Maria

December 28, 2018

Wounded or wiser? Every day our choice

Joy

December 26, 2018

I needed that! Thank you!

Jennifer

December 26, 2018

A great reminder on how you approach life lessons xx

Marina

December 26, 2018

Short story full of wisdom

Lisa

December 25, 2018

This is so true,I always love hearing your talks thankyou xxxx

ken

December 25, 2018

Wisdom. Always. Thanks.

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