Hello and welcome to episode 151 of The Ask Sri Vishwanath Show. Today is part three of how great people work with higher motives. If you haven’t the last two episodes I highly suggest you read and watch them so you can really benefit from this one. I will give a quick recap but I suggest that you watch and read it in full. In episode 149 we spoke about destroying lower motives. These motives are money, passion, fame and power. This is natural. It is not your fault. It is because of the gunas leaving impressions on you. The great ones focus on the higher motives. Instead of money they want to offer value. Instead of passion they focus on purpose which never fades. Rather than seeking fame they seek to make others happy. Instead of craving power they seek to empower others. The lower motives involve taking whereas the higher motives all involve giving. To make others feel good you first have to feel good and you do that by falling back on the consciousness and going back to the shore. That will be the only way you will discover your real purpose. We spoke about Krishna said that the great ones are serene in the midst of action and in the midst of serenity they can still operate at a higher level. They do this by controlling their reaction before the event happens by withdrawing the gunas. They are always seated at the shore like Krishna on the chariot in the midst of war. In episode 150 we spoke more about fruits and how Krishna tells us the fruits of labour only accrue after death. We spoke about how going after the lower motives of money, fame, passion and power will sow the seeds that will bear fruit in the next life. That these lower motives are what cause us to come back again and again. We heard very powerful words from Ramana Maharishi on how we cannot control destiny so we need to be detached from the script. We spoke about giving up those lower motives by giving up the fruits. Giving up these fruits will allow you to be serene in the midst of war and highly active in the midst of serenity. We do this by going back to the shore and dissolving the gunas. This in turn will allow us to manifest the karma. We manifest the Karma daily by asking ourselves the three most important questions. Who am I? Why am I here? What should I be doing while I am here? This will bring both happiness and success. Today I want to share a story from my book the lens of Krishna which you can download for free from my site
Double what you ask
A person goes into a magic shop and there are items there which cost five dollars and ten dollars. There was also a beautiful notebook which was priced at fifty thousand dollars. The man was intrigued as to why it was so expensive. He asked the shop keeper and he told the man that it was a very special book. It will double anything that you ask it. The man asked if it would double money. He wanted to know if he asked it for 100 dollars would it give him 200? The shopkeeper said yes it would and that’s why it is so expensive. He thought this was incredible so he bought the book there and then. He brought the notepad home and locked himself in a room. He asked the notepad for one million dollars. The notebook asked why he was only asking for one million dollars. Why not ask for 2 million dollars? The man was so excited. The notepad was speaking to him and his dreams were going to come true. So he asked the notepad for 2 million dollars. Then the notepad asked him why he was only asking for 2 million dollars? Why not ask for 4 million dollars? The man was overjoyed and asked for 4 million dollars. Then again the notepad asked why he was only asking for 4 million dollars. Why not ask for 8 million dollars? At this stage the man was getting a little irritated because he was not getting what he wanted but he calmed down and asked for 8 million dollars. The notebook asked why he was only asking for 8 million dollars. Why not ask for 16 million. This kept going and going and going. The notepad kept telling him to ask for double of what he wanted. The man then got really angry. This damn book was only doubling what he was asking for but not giving it to him. At this stage he knew the notepad was an illusion and he threw it away.
Thinking
The notepad was nothing more than the thinking mind. Whatever it is you think of or desire your mind will double it just like the notebook. This is why thinking needs to be destroyed because it will just double your desire for fruits. The man thought by just asking for the fruits they would come to him but that was not the case. Asking and desiring just made him angry and frustrated. In this visible world we see the thought, action and event but beyond that is the gunas and the script. We came with the gunas and the script and these are what contain the fruits and make you react to situations which becomes a reason for further fruits. Krishna says “I grant unswerving faith to each devotee who seeks to worship the deity of his choice. From that faith he desires to worship the deity of his choice. Possessed of that divinity he secures the objects already ordained by me. The fruits of karma, of small minded men must come to an end. The worshipers of gods proceed to gods and my devotees, they come to me.” This is a really beautiful piece of scripture. Krishna gives gunas to those who have desires and he helps them manifest through the gunas. They will then get the gist that is already ordained by Krishna. So those who worship the lower motives will receive them but they will acquire gunas with it and they will have to come back. Those who worship Krishna will go directly to him. This is why it is so important to destroy thinking and go back to the shore. This will allow you to be detached. You will then be working with higher motives and you will get great work done.
The seed
Look at it like this. There is a tree and a seed. The seed is planted into the ground. It grows and then it bears fruit. When the seed is planted the intelligence to grow and bear fruit is already in it otherwise it wouldn’t happen. If the seed started thinking what is was going to be like and wanted its fruit to grow a certain way will it manifest that fruit? The answer is no. It has already come with the intelligence to make it happen so all it needs to do is manifest it. To do this is requires sunshine, rain and the right soil. If the requirements are not there the seed will not grow. The sunshine, water and soil are all gifts that will help the seed grow and bear fruit. The seed can think about doing it all it wants. It can really have a great desire to grow but without these gifts it cannot happen no matter how much it might want it to.
Gifts
For us time place and circumstance is a gift and we use it to manifest what we can. We will only grow with the help of these gifts. Our entire life is a gift bestowed by Krishna so we should not be like the thinking seed. We must not mistake the desire for having fruit with the fruits themselves. Just like the seed we need to do the right things, at the right place and at the right time. This synchronicity is a gift. Some people then ask when did the fruit begin but the truth is it has no beginning and no end. I want you to take a piece of paper and draw a circle. In the circle mark the middle. Most people think that life is a straight line. This is only an appearance because life is actually a circle. On this circle whatever you do will eventually come back to you.
The circle
If you notice you cannot form a circle without a centre. The center represents the consciousness and the circumference of the circle the journey of our life. This journey is determined by two more invisible circles, the gunas and the script. These invisible circles cause the outer circle to revolve. The circle on the outside is already formed because it is a gift that is already mapped out. The circle is always there and always constant. It does not change or evolve. We are constantly moving around in this thought action and event that has no start or end point.
Move to the center
Instead of moving in the never ending circle we should be focused on getting towards the centre. If we stay on the outside when the end comes the centre will take our impressions and form a new circle where it starts all over again. This circle is governed by karma which means whatever you do will come back again. If you give love you get love back. If you give hatred you get hatred back. So you must move towards the centre and destroy these lower motives. If we don’t do this the circles which are fruits will accrue after death and another circle will be formed and we will be stuck up in a never ending cycle. Vivekananda said Though the good and the wise in life are few, Yet theirs are the reins to lead, The masses know but late the worth; Heed none and gently guide. With thee are those who see afar, With thee is the Lord of might, All blessings pour on thee, great soul, To thee may all come right! So remember you must give up this circumference by going back to the shore and dissolving the gunas which give you the desire for fruits. The center never wants to change the world. The center never wants to change other circles. The center only reminds other circles of their center and when you are there you will be serene but also highly active. You must become that center. Go there and you will love more, give more and in return you will have happiness and success. I hope I answered your questions. Remember you keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.
