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        🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺

    

                🌿Chapter - 11🌿

  Give Everything And Take Nothing

                   🌱 Day - 58 🌱

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अष्टावक्र उवाच

अविनाशिनमात्मानमेकं विज्ञाय तत्त्वतः ।

तवात्मज्ञस्य धीरस्य कथमर्थार्जने रतिः ॥

अात्माज्ञानादहो प्रीतिर्विषयभ्रमगोचरे ।

शुक्तेरज्ञानतो लोभो यथा रजतविभ्रमे ॥

Janaka was a king; an emperor. He had to govern, and was concerned with the welfare of the entire country, all the people, animals and crops. The complete responsibility of this was on his shoulders. Someone who does not have any responsibility, who does not even care to do anything, can just do whatever he wants to. If he wants, he can earn; if he doesn't want, he can be idle. But, the head of an institution or a country has to plan and look into everything. In a country, economics comes first. Law and order, of course, follow economics. He had to be concerned about every little thing in the country, about economics. Business is the main part of any country. Prosperity is the main goal of any country. He could not say that he had nothing to do with the prosperity of his people; so why should he earn money? He had to be concerned with their prosperity. अविनाशिनमात्मानमेकं विज्ञाय तत्त्वतः । Ashtavakra smiled mischievously, and said that knowing the truth, that the entire universe is one Self, one Being, one atma, and it is indestructible, how can one be interested in accumulating wealth? How can one find joy in making country prosperous? It was a question with a smile. When you say 'my country', there are other countries, too. You have to exploit another country in order to make your country prosperous. Some exploitation is going to take place in the economic development of a big country. Some countries sell arms to other counties, and prosper with the money that comes from it. Some countries sell drugs to other counties and prosper. Some counties export chemicals, medicines and other things, knowing very well they are not too safe. And that is the way they prosper. Some countries destroy nature, cutting down forests for wood. Environmental pollution is a big cry in the West these day but they can't stop, because it will have a bad impact on heir economics. They are unable to stop alcoholism in India, because they will lose lot of revenue if they ban liquor. Mahatma Gandhi's followers talked much about him but never followed the one thing that Gandhi wanted - to eradicate alcoholism. They take Gandhi's name, put garlands on his statue but they could never implement this because, when they discussed and analyzed, they felt the economics would be jeopardized if they implemented it.

'Having understood all this, how can you be interested in managing a country, in earning money, and doing these things?' Ashtavakra asked Janaka with a smile. By now, Ashtavakra knew very well that Janaka had no interest or motivation in this. He did not have any pleasure doing it. But it was happening. He was doing it as a game. There are some things you do from your periphery, but some things become your very 'soul'. When business becomes your very 'soul', the 'soul' is destroyed and you 'die'. That is what Janaka upheld. He was carrying out the two extremes: total love, pure love and knowledge, while still being responsible for the entire country's welfare on the periphery. It is a very strange and unique situation. That is what makes Janaka very unique. It is easy to be a Buddha. Buddha dropped everything, put on a saffron robe and sat under a tree. Anybody would come and feed him. Hundreds of thousands of people would come to do so. He did not start an ashram. An ashram came up around him. Everything started happening. Even then, he could not escape. There were people and when there were people, a kitchen was needed. Other things followed. A laundry came because the clothes needed to be washed. The whole paraphernalia came up. Then a vehicle was needed and somebody had to do the transport. But the so-called saints, the so-called spiritual people who run away from all this are bewildered. They are afraid of the world. They do not want a headache. They want to be by themselves. They want to go to the Himalaya for sanyas, to go to a monastery or stay somewhere quietly, all by themselves. Janaka, being in the world amidst people, and having much more responsibility than any individual, ordinary, common man, could attain the highest. So the world is not an impediment. It is not an impediment, at all. Politics is not an impediment. It is all really very difficult to achieve, but not impossible.

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