Nīti Shatakam | Session 2 | Decoded with Swami Abhedananda |

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Sadar Pranam Swamiji, Charan Sparsh ❤ 🙏, Cat came to listen to Satsangh

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Learned much more Devine knowledge from Nitisatak class 1Swamiji.

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Ramesh mohanty Berhampur Hari Om pranam swamiji.

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🌹​​We by nature have a mixture of personalities. Few are such who have a non-amalgamated personality, who are pure, and have wisdom in all aspects of life. 🌹When one is able to practice self-control and austerity in one area, but missed it in another area, that is what makes a person sad. 🌹So the initial verses of Nīti-shatakam are meant not to detest us but to help us test ourselves and our mind against what is the right manner to think and act. 🌹These verses are not for us to judge others, but to be be brutally honest with and perform a subjective analysis of ourselves. 🌹If we are not what we should be, then sadness would naturally creep into us. ​​🌹Satsang is the instrument by which we can become honest to accept our faults, otherwise it is possible that we may manipulate or cover up our negativities, or be totally oblivious to their presence in us too. And one who is egoistic will be unable to accept their faults even if they are aware of it. 🌹​​It is the case with most people that they do not even understand or accept their negativities, and the effect of that is not that others suffer alone, but that such a person themself fails to grow, does not progress in some area. And the most common statement by such people is that others don't understand them; as if they have understood themselves! 🌹About such people, others speak very lightly. But we cannot speak lightly of those people who are integrated in their personality. 🌹As in the 4th verse, there are 3 categories in the 5th verse: i. that one knows they are unable to translate their right convictions in some areas, ii. those who have such gaps in their personality but do not accept it, and it pricks in the eyes of others, iii. are those who are wise, and who abide in their right convictions always. 🌹The second category is highly dangerous, as such people lose their credibility, lose the faith of others in them, which indicates they themselves have lost trust in themselves. ​​🌹This category does not know that they do not know completely, and so they are dangerous! ​​🌹The same 3 ideas have been placed again, as part of Abhyāsa, to repeat the idea in our mind so we can learn from it. The third category is of those who are much deeper than people think of them, because they have chiselled their character with years of sādhanā and austerity, not taking their faults lightly. 🌹We should be very critical with ourselves and very liberal with others. 🌹​​There should be many CCTVs in the mind through which we can rewind, slow down, and analyse all our responses. This equipment is given to us by Bhartruhari here. 🌹The 5th verse says that it is possible to obtain oil by churning sand, for a thirsty person to drink water from a mirage, while touring around one may even get the horn of s hare, yet, the obstinate fool can never be pleased, as they are 'pratinivishta', established in their foolishness, i.e. stubborn and unaccepting of their foolishness. ​​🌹This is because they have not performed good actions in the past, have crushed their conscience, and that expresses as sadness and increased negativity in them. ​​🌹Having repeatedly done wrongly, we lose our appreciative personality with respect to our conscience, causing us to be desensitized towards the right convictions completely. ​​🌹The 6th verse now says that, there is a person who explains to a great fool, in words that are sweet and nectarine. The fool however is egoistic and does not give up on their negativity. 🌹Such an attempt is alike to one trying to tie a mad elephant with a rope made of tender lotuses with fibers extending from them, with great effort. 🌹It is the same as trying to cut a diamond using the edge of a soft flower petal, or trying to place a drop of honey in the salty ocean to sweeten it. 🌹All of these are alike to trying to explain to an unrelenting, rigid, and unaccepting fool, in sweet words, about what it right. 🌹These description is given only to tell us that we should not be like such a person. If others explain to us, they should have the comfort that we would understand them easily, without apprehension. ​​🌹One should be such that others can have faith in one's receptivity, malleability and obedience. 🌹The teacher or the one who guides has an image of us in their mind, as the sculptor does of a statue. 🌹Their impression of us should therefore be such that we would follow them, understand them, and fulfil their vision. ​​🌹In the 7th verse, it is said that one who is Apandita, not learned, but lives with the learned one, for them their ornament is only Mauna, silence. 🌹This great capacity of keeping quiet, has been given by Lord Brahmā to them who are unwise, to veil their ignorance. 🌹​​In this capacity of Mauna, where the young maintain silence before the elderly, the greatest example is Shatrughna, who never spoke in front of the other three brothers. 🌹By not speaking, such great people speak a lot. It is the shobhā or grace of the younger or smaller, to remain silent before the elderly or wise. ​​🌹Those alone learn who keep humbly silent and grasp a lot. 🌹The wisest approach is to understand that we do not know, and learn keenly from all around us. 🌹In the 8th verse, Bhartruhari indicating to himself says that when he possessed little knowledge, he at once believed he was omniscient. With such an egoistic mind, he was like an arrogant elephant. 🌹One who knows little, tends to tell about what they have learnt everywhere they go. They do not realise that in any area there is infinite amount of knowledge to be gained. ​​🌹 Bhartruhari then says that, by the company of the wise, he began to obtain more knowledge little by little, and then he understood that he knows hardly anything at all, his ego vanishing like fever.