factor of infamy starts weighing upon your mind, and then you flip; the
decision changes.
The one who gives the opinion of others a lot of weightage will obviously
not be able to give the highest weightage to the Truth. Therefore, if you are
really someone who aspires to live truthfully, if you are someone who
doesn’t want to live blindly, semiconscious, then you have to be someone
who has a healthy disregard towards the opinions of others. That doesn’t
mean that you must not hear others out or consult others; rather, that means
that even if you are listening to others, your objective is not to gain
something in the eyes of that person; your objective is to gain the Truth.
You could be listening to your neighbor for two reasons. One, if you listen
to your neighbor, your neighbor will feel happy; if you listen to your
neighbor, your neighbor will start thinking good things about you. That
could be one reason. The other reason is, you are listening to uncover the
Truth, and to uncover the Truth you are prepared to listen to anybody, but
only to uncover the Truth. Otherwise, people have no value. And it is a very
strong condition.
Let people have value in your life only in context of the Truth
they bring to your life. Otherwise, what is the value of a body?
Nothing.
If there is someone who brings, really brings Truth to your life, he is
someone to be listened to; heed his advice. And if there are people who are
very full of their opinions and are very desirous of advising you but their
advice brings no Truth to your life, there is no need to waste your time
listening to them.
So, do interact with others, do take feedback from others, do hear people
out, do engage in meaningful conversations. But the objective has to be
very clear: the objective must always be Truth, not the aggrandization of
your ego, not the gratification of the other’s ego. No petty objective should
be there.
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Bhagavad Gita - Volume 1
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Expecting quick liberation shows a
bloated self-esteem (Chapter 2,
Verse 38-50)
सुखदु :खे समे कृ ा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ |
ततो यु ाय यु नैवं पापमवा िस ||
sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau
tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi
Treating happiness and sorrow, gain and loss, and conquest and defeat
with equanimity, then engage in battle. Thus you will not incur sin.
~ Chapter 4, Verse 38
✥✥✥
एषा तेऽिभिहता साङ् े बु य गे मां णु |
बु ा यु ो यया पाथ कमब ं हा िस ||
eṣhā te ’bhihitā sānkhye buddhir yoge tvimāṁ śhṛiṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārthakarma-bandhaṁ prahāsyasi
This Buddhi regarding the self Samkhya has imparted to you. Now
listen to Yoga, by following which you will get rid of the bondage of
Karma.
~ Chapter 4, Verse 39
✥✥✥
नेहािभ मनाशोऽ वायो न िव ते |
म धम ायते महतो भयात् ||
nehābhikrama-nāśho ’sti pratyavāyo na vidyate
svalpam apyasya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt
Here there is no waste of an attempt; nor is there any harm. Even a
little of this righteousness saves one from great fear.
~ Chapter 4, Verse 40
✥✥✥
वसाया का बु रे केह कु न न |
ब शाखा न ा बु योऽ वसाियनाम् ||
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śhākhā hyanantāśh cha buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
O scion of Kuru dynasty, in this there is a single, one-pointed
conviction. The thought of irresolute ones have many branches indeed
and are innumerable.
~ Chapter 4, Verse 41
✥✥✥
यािममां पु तां वाचं वद िवपि त: |
वेदवादरता: पाथ ना द ीित वािदन: ||
कामा ान: गपरा ज कमफल दाम् |
ि यािवशेषब लां भोगै यगितं ित ||
yāmimāṁ puṣhpitāṁ vāchaṁ pravadanty-avipaśhchitaḥ
veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ
kāmātmānaḥ swarga-parā janma-karma-phala-pradām
kriyā-viśheṣha-bahulāṁ bhogaiśhwarya-gatiṁ prati
