You could be enthusiastic no matter what the object is; no matter what come or does not come. People wonder how somebody can be enthusiastic about everything.

💐☘🌾☘🍀🍁🍀☘🌾☘💐

        🌺 ASHTAVAKRA GITA🌺

    

                🌿Chapter - 28🌿

 ~ Seva And The Art Of Enthusiasm ~

                  🌱 Day - 164 🌱

💐☘🌾☘🍀🍁🍀☘🌾☘💐

It is a futile exercise! So what if somebody recognizes you? In that person's mind that thought came and went, finished. That mind has gone. Maybe they have an attraction for you for some days, some months, so what? That also diminishes with time. What is there if you charm somebody? So what? Have you gained something then? Your hands still remain empty. You waste much energy in trying to charm others. And in wanting to charm others, just the opposite happens. People get into fights and conflicts. In most relationships, you want to keep your charm. But the closer you get, somehow the charm is lost somewhere on the way. You may want to maintain the charm and make it more vibrant. In doing this, you struggle and you become unnatural and miserable. If you think, "I am nothing", you will repose in peace with a smile and not live in an apathetic way. Another way of saying that there is nothing, - is when you may feel that everything is useless and hopeless and should be dropped; that you are hopeless; a nobody. This tone is very different. It is apathetic. An apathetic rejection is something different. This is what most people do. When you are bored with television, you complain there is nothing to see on the television. You have an apathetic rejection. There is no enthusiasm in saying, 'It's nothing! It's all nothing!' We have always associated these words with an unenthusiastic, apathetic attitude.

निर्वासनः स्फूर्तिमात्रो न किञ्चिदिव शाम्यति । The mechanics of enlightenment and of your true nature is being put in front of you. The inexpressible has been expressed in this one sentence. It is so precious. निर्वासनः , an act without the vasana i.e. an act which is of service and of use to everybody. स्फूर्तिमात्रो , just the enthusiasm, not being enthusiastic for something. This is because when you link your enthusiasm to anything, it dies whether object of your enthusiasm changes or moves. It's very interesting if you look into the mechanics of enthusiasm. You could be enthusiastic no matter what the object is; no matter what come or does not come. People wonder how somebody can be enthusiastic about everything.

Someone asked me the other day how I am enthusiastic about everything. About what the menu is, what food is being cooked and about the types of plans, designs or artwork which should be made. About what everybody is doing. They felt that a person of my status should not show enthusiasm in these small details. They didn't think it was necessary for me to do so. It is not a matter of small details, of big or small things! Someone else asked me why I am so enthusiastic. I went on a trip to Mysore just to see a palace. He felt that a saint should not show interest in seeing palaces or going to waterfall. That person felt that a saint should just sit in one place and preach! And that he should not be so enthusiastic about different menus, and all such things. 

In India, there is a concept that all the items of a saint's food should be mixed in one bowl; that he should not experience taste. Everything, sweet and sour, should be mixed together and eaten, i.e., the yogurt, gulab jamun, rice, dosa, dal, vegetables and everything else should be mixed into one lot and eaten. Only then can he be a great yogi! And here I am enjoying taste; saying something is sweet and something is a little hot, or something is sour. They find it difficult to understand and do not know where to place me!

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

ASHTAVAKRA GITA

💐☘🌾☘🍀🍁🍀☘🌾☘💐