Speaker 2 (00:00.3) We start? Let's do it. Speaker 2 (00:06.508) Be selfless. These were the two words that our guest today uttered to me when in an audience of about 100 people, I asked him that we move to this new country called Australia after 38 years of living in India. And how do I build new connections because building new connections is really hard. And then this guest from the stage said these two words, be selfless. Welcome to another episode of the IgnitedNeurons podcast. Today I have a very special guest who joins us from ISKCON. Arjun Prabhu is a monk at ISKCON Australia in Melbourne and today my hypothesis is that we will talk about consciousness, will talk about happiness, we will talk about just how to make human life even better than what it is supposed to be. Welcome to the conversation Arjun Prabhu. Look forward to having this chat with you. Hare Krishna, Utkarsh It is so nice to be here with you. Absolutely. Hare Krishna. and I, that moment when you said those two words to me, I think it was very special because, and I've contemplated upon that these two words be selfless again, again, with myself, with my wife, but being selfless is so hard. So today we definitely touch upon that too. but as we start all our podcasts, we start with this question that if that eight year old boy growing, growing wherever he was at eight years old, If that little boy were to come to you right now and have a conversation, what kind of a conversation would emerge? Speaker 1 (01:36.75) That's an interesting question. I'll have that conversation in two parts. First, I would like to have a conversation with an eight year old boy and understanding him and what sort of nature that eight year old boy has. I would like to have the second part of conversation with the parents as well. I'll not just hold on myself to the eight year old boy because Still there are three to four years of amazing transformation or I would say character building is left in that boy which parents can really do very well. So as I said, I'll do both ways. That's very interesting. I'm thinking about it. It's 33 episodes now. So you want to talk to that eight-year-old boy and then also to the parents. Let's do this in two parts then. So what kind of a conversation will happen between the eight-year-old and your current self? So my first approach to that 8 year old boy would be have a very very warm friendly conversation because I want him to open up to me. know how we are assuming he is a that this particular kid is is is not very easy to reveal his heart or her heart and then is that it what is that 8 year old boy me? Okay, okay. Speaker 2 (03:04.94) Yes. Yes, that is your younger self. Then it's much a little bit easier. And I definitely want to speak to the parents. Let's talk about both of them. Let's let's so what would what would your what were those memories at eight years old or what were those experiences that eight year old that you would like to kind of have this conversation about? Yes, two or three aspects that straight away comes to mind. First is there were no worries at all. You know how Australia is the land of no worries. At least not the land of no worries. We use those terms there. Somehow the worry is everywhere very, very heavily spread around. But that particular boy who was genuinely enjoying life completely dependent on what parents provide him, completely oblivious to what challenges are awaiting for him in the teens to begin with. And when hormones are going to hit him hard and then the world seems upside down and then the same girls which he happily plays with or fight with, the whole vision changes towards her. Speaker 1 (04:25.55) I would just really tell him, just utilize this time because there is something very different coming, waiting for you ahead of you. That's one very base level conversation we'll have. But second, which very serious conversation I want to have with this 8 year old boy, which is me, is there's two or three certain values I want to be instilled. in me when I was 8 year old. And the first value is never take things for granted, especially never take people for granted. Because if we cannot appreciate the sacrifice of people who are building our lives, the world will not appreciate our tiny sacrifices. If we do not have the attitude of gratitude, then an ungrateful person is a great fool if he is not grateful. And if that 8 year old boy, I think it may be too much of philosophy for an 8 year old boy, but there are ways to do it. That's why I want to speak to the parents for that matter. That in their tiny ways, I would like my parents to do their part even differently where that 8 year old boy would really inculcate these qualities of being very grateful. to whatever life is offering, people are offering, family is offering. And never take things for granted, never take people for granted because what goes around comes around. If sacrifices are appreciated, then your sacrifices will be appreciated too. Speaker 1 (06:26.966) And the last thing which I would really like to share or would like to speak to this eight-year-old boy would be Speaker 1 (06:41.074) Life is meant to throw challenges and at every age it will be a different challenge. Now when you are 8 year old your challenge will be will my parents get me PS5? Will my parents get me certain video games? Will my parents allow me to watch YouTube for certain hours? And the same intensity of challenge will move to the next stage as age passes. Do not deviate from what you're supposed to do with what all offers life gives you in terms of temptations. And then I will take these three aspects and I'll reach out to the parents. And I would say you have done an amazing job with your son till now. Can we focus a little bit more on these three issues? Speaker 2 (07:42.55) Wow, I need to take a moment. There's so much wisdom in there. So the phrase that you started with, worries. Our audience in Australia really resonated with that because I came here three years ago. No worries was not a commonly used phrase back home in India. But here, whatever you do, you send a wrong email. No worries. You want a cup of coffee? No worries. You want anything? The answer is those two words, no worries. And then what's interesting is what you're saying, the three things you can either be grateful or grateful. Then you spoke about not taking anything and anyone for granted. And then having this conversation with the parents also where there'll be new challenges at every level, how you maneuver those and navigate those changes and not getting into that temptation. think that's what you spoke about. Yes. But probably it's really hard because because temptations are really strong. We feel that being grateful is is just something that looks good, but we still don't do it. And for granted, I mean, I love for you to double click on these things for me because also seeing you get a little bit almost emotional while you were talking about taking people for granted. So the reason I mentioned this is now more in my spiritual journey, I'm trying to deal with lot of people from different walks of life and more we try to help people in their journey and we see how much it matters to them. If someone does make a tiny sacrifice and in this case, I'm talking about us making some sacrifice for their well-being. And when Speaker 1 (09:31.894) We are taken for granted. It hurts the most. But because we are trying to do it selflessly to our best of capacity, then we move on. But I was contemplating on that the other day that, you know, there many world scriptures including Bible or even in Vedic system, even in Sanatana Dharma. Very, very pure common understanding is you deal with people the way you want to be dealt with. Right. Thanks treat your neighbor as yourself. This is one of the 10 commandments also. And I personally feel that if I feel I'm trying and I'm walking on spiritual path from almost two decades and I feel discouraged when we are taken for granted or misused, even we're trying to do our best to help the other person. What about those who I have taken for granted over the years? and not appreciated their sacrifices. That's why I thought to me as an eight-year-old, I want this quality to be there for sure. That it should not take me a very long spiritual journey to understand this very important aspect. I want me to be very efficiently dealing with people's emotions from very early on. Speaker 1 (11:01.07) I'll tell you something very interesting. Speaker 1 (11:06.626) I'll tell you something very interesting. Most of the people are working very hard in this day and age to make money. then money, is an important ingredient to have a peaceful life has turned into all in all. So I'm not against money for sure, because even to run a spiritual institution, resources are required. To run a family, you need resources. But let's take a simple example. Let's compare our life. to an amazing buffet you go your family to enjoy with. And you enter that place and you see, there is, I'll take an Indian cuisine for that matter, right? You see amazing naan rotis, you see very fragrant rice there, you see, there is nice curry there, and there's lentil soup, and there's amazing salad. Now, all those ingredients to be very tasty. Salt is very essential. Salt is a very essential ingredient to make everything very tasteful. So scripture says or this ancient Vedic wisdom says that salt is like that ingredient which is giving taste to it. Similarly money or resources are exactly like those ingredients which makes life very tasteful. But our issue is, imagine you go to a buffet and your curry is not made of vegetables, it's made of salt. Speaker 1 (12:45.432) think about instead of fragrant rice you just have salt. Instead of lentil soup, just have salt. Instead of salad, you just have salt. So when you make something which is necessary, which gives taste to life, which brings value to life, as all in all, life starts turning bitter. Speaker 1 (13:17.378) And that's we as people, as human beings who are very emotionally motivated, even to do projects at work, we have a natural need to love someone and to be loved by someone. It's a natural need to love someone and to be loved by someone. and if that is not fulfilled to the root Speaker 1 (13:48.014) Life will not offer you the happiness you're really trying to extract it from. And you may assume and then your checkpost may change, may shift and you may continue to reach out and gain and really, I would say, acquire more and more sources of getting salt. But it will not be tasteful. It will not be tasteful. So that's appreciating people's sacrifice, dealing with people's emotions, offering that loving affection, receiving it accordingly, being grateful to people, it's a very important ingredient for a tasteful life. Beautiful. There's more to the buffet than just salt. And what you're saying very rightly so is that the focus on salt is too much. And you just put maybe an extra couple of spoons of salt into your lentil curry or to whatever you're having that turns bitter. So with this focus on money slash salt that we're having, is adding bitterness to our life. Yeah, I did a math I did a math calculation the other day should have shared it. You know, how it's a simplistic one, not a complicated one. let me know how we have 24 hours a day. And then we work eight to nine hours a day. And it takes maybe someone is going to work, it takes maybe a couple of hours going back and forth. commuting to work and coming back home. So it almost 11 hours a day is gone. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Speaker 2 (15:09.164) Yes. Speaker 1 (15:25.922) then a healthy person should sleep seven hours minimum and some people sleep more. So let's assume seven hours. So 18 hours are gone. And then to get ready in the morning just to clean up yourself and then cook for the day and eat also to take care of your basic bodily needs. I would take very less hours, but let's say at least take two hours to do all this throughout the day. That means we are talking about 20 hours of your day is gone. Yeah. And what in doing three things, go to work, sleep, and take care of your very basic bodily needs. Now you have left with, you're left with four hours in those four hours. Suppose someone is a family man. That person has to take care of one's own mental wellbeing, one's own physical wellbeing. You have to take care of your, your family's wellbeing. You have to spend time with your spouse, with your children, quality time. Then you have to deal with your own family back home. Or if you have family here in Australia and your in-laws family and your extended family. Then you have friends here who will take your time and you need them as well. Then you have social media commitments. All right. Then you have emergencies. Then you have favorite sport networks that you want to follow. You follow some celebrities, you follow this, you follow that. Then you follow news. And then you have societal commitments if some people may have. some community commitments. And then if a person is interested, he wants to have some spiritual inclinations and want to have some spiritual practices. Do you think this can you visualize how much you have to fit in those four hours? And what does the person decides? I'll do overtime. Speaker 1 (17:27.616) I'll work overtime and all that is squeezed out from that four hours. And then we ask this question, why there is an imbalance? Why am I stressed out? is there, why so much anxiety? Why sometimes I feel depressed? Why my relationships are not going through the way it should go? Why my mental health, my physical health is not at par on and on and on and on and on. It's a very simple math, but this is misjudgment or extra usage of salt, I feel. this. Speaker 2 (18:08.462) But where's the challenge? I think you've very beautifully defined the problem statement, right? And this was on my mind that I'll talk to you that we look at the data and we look at people around us. You see less and less people happy, but wanting more and more. You see less and less people satisfied with life, but doing more and more. You see suicide rates high, you see mental health challenges high, you see everything that it seems to us that we are progressing in some aspects of humanity. But in the most basic and critical and important aspects, we're deteriorating very quickly. But then the math that you just presented to us, it seems like that's the norm. Someone who's like me, 40 years old, if they have to sustain their mortgage and sustain their life and sustain their relationships and everything, the math doesn't math for me. That's why I said it's simple maths. There are many nuances to it. But isn't it an eye-opener maths? Does it really, does it not push you to think that is there something really wrong I'm doing? Is there something better I can do? Is there something more tangible I can do to make my life a little bit better? Maybe I can squeeze out half an hour more for my own wellbeing. so that I can offer it back better. To whom I, who matters to me more. So that's why I gave this math so that it makes people think that, you know. Yeah. And even before we go deep into the math, and I think we should talk about this math, I think this is a good foundation to the conversation. But the challenge is I think very few people even pause and ask the question because they get and we can call it the rat race or whatever we want to get into this very vicious cycle where it seems that's the cycle you end your Friday at 6pm after work. And then you're like elevated to your social connections for the next two days or something like that. Speaker 2 (20:12.01) and then by Monday morning you're Monday's hair again. So people don't pause and ask a question to improve and modify the cycle. But then what's your solution? Like you've given us the equation, but how do we solve the equation? How do we make people happier and more satisfied with their lives? Yeah, I think that poor little eight-year-old kid, let him wait. We can get into some better discussions. Speaker 2 (20:50.926) That's why we love this question, right? throws us in the deep end, but there are many 30 year olds and 25 year olds and 47 year olds Prabhuji who are asking this question. So how do we help them? Should we ask them to sleep less? Yes. Speaker 1 (21:04.116) No, not at all, because it's a very important ingredient. It's a very, very important ingredient for your own well-being. Society is less satisfied. And because people have lost this very important ingredient, which is called satisfaction, that's why the race is on. You know, so commonly this word is used rat race, rat race. But what is it? rat Race is basically a direction in which the whole world is moving to not thinking is there a way out? or it's called even in, you know, the herd of sheep's moving in one direction. We call it Bhed Chal, know. Moving in one direction where this very important question is not asked by anyone. Where am I coming from? Where am I going? What is the purpose of life? What is life? I'll speak something a little strong if I'm allowed Classic Bhagavad Gita, but very, very essential to our conversation right now. And I'll use example, which is suppose my father passes away and I'm crying, my father passed away. I'm crying, my father passed away. And I'm heartbroken and I'm crying. And then suddenly you come in front of me and you say, hey, why are you crying? Absolutely. Speaker 1 (22:46.766) Your father is lying in front of you. Who are you crying for? I said, no, no, my father passed away. But you say, come on Arjun, he's lying in front of you. Who are you crying for? Oh, my father left me. Who has left you? He's right in front of you. No, no, my father left me. Who left me is a question. What's missing from that same person I loved so much that I'm so morose and so much in sorrow. And now from last 40 years whom I thought is my father, I don't even want that person around me. I want the ceremonies of cremation and whatever people do in their own culture to happen soon. But I still missing something. What is it? What am I missing? Because whom I considered my father as, I don't want him. But what's missing? I never met him. So my 40 years passed and I never met my father. I never had that connection with that life within my father. And that happens with all the relationships. And that's exactly what we do to ourselves also that we do not go deeper, stop, pause. rethink, revisit our lives and talk to ourselves. Who am I? Where am I coming from? Where am I going? Speaker 1 (24:20.55) If I am nothing more than this body what we see around then why worry anyways because I'm bunch of chemicals. Then why worry about some chemicals being lost and some chemicals being gained. Why I worry if someone passes away? Because we are not this bunch of chemicals. We are life within this. How can a person ever ever come to terms with purpose of life if they don't understand life? It's a very deep philosophical questions. Many Vedas have asked many upanishads many scriptures have very pointedly asks, do you understand what is life? Do you understand what is source of life? Then how can you find purpose of life? There is a term called identity crisis. So many people, they go through a phase in their life where they have identity crisis. But who am I anyways? Because my designations will keep changing. So the deeper me, if not explored. then the outer me will constantly be on search for happiness. Speaker 1 (25:44.768) and the journey will be continued in searching happiness and the answer will be, you know why I'm not happy? Because I only have three investment properties. That guy seems to be happy because he has five. So maybe that's the way to go. And then we never ask this question that, this guy who has five investment properties is thinking exactly the same looking towards the guy who has seven. This is the address. This is called address. Yeah. If one wants to cut through this rat race, the most important fundamental question should be who am I? What is life? Sorry, it went a little more philosophical, but I had to bring it to that point. Speaker 2 (26:34.757) It was necessary and it's a question that I have been lucky and blessed by parents environment and whatever supported this question. This quest started for me personally and I'm going into a very personal terrain here when I was about 18 years old and I finished school and with my friends I had gone to a t-shirt shop in Cannaught Place in Delhi and they were like those slogan t-shirts which were very cool at that time in India. And the one T-shirt that I loved and I picked up, it said in Hindi, 7-8 times on that T-shirt. And I picked that up and I wore that for like many years because it was my favorite T-shirt. And I've started to then reflect on this idea. Who am I and what is my life and where is it going? And I think these deeper questions, they might not have the right answer because there's no right or wrong answer here. So my answer will be very different from yours and will be very different from the other 8.5 million on the planet. And so if we were to at least get onto this pursuit of answering this question, my hypothesis is that we will end up in a better place than when we are looking at others and comparing their answer to ours. Would you agree? Yes, that's where, partly to add on to what you said, that's where the competition is always with us. To make myself better version of who I am, than having to compete with others. Because rat race forces you to compete with others. A deeper spiritual reflection force you to compete with your own self. Because the journey is yours, not someone else's. And because it's your own journey, naturally, you have to upgrade yourself. So for a person who is fighting in this world to make a mark, to leave a very powerful footprint behind, this is very essential that they must conclude Speaker 1 (28:46.072) certain aspects of life which have deeper spiritual reflections. And of course, there many ways to do it. But it should happen. Very important ingredient. will not go there yet because I want people to really understand where is this conversation coming from because it's a deeper conversation but we will get to that before we end our conversation and in my notes I have put it in a block that how do you really do and and would it be okay for me to say we are not here saying we've not used we're using the word spiritual which is the spirit which relates to whether you are in India in Australia, in Afghanistan, in America, in Europe, wherever you are, your spirit still needs that deep spiritual work. Yeah. Yes. And that's the difference between, at least the way it is understood now between religion and spiritual. Because the way even the term is used or the way even certain aspects of religion are used, it basically boxes you. It does not allow you to see beyond what the creation or the universe can offer. spirituality is, the purpose of spirituality is to unbox. Yeah. So many people say, no, I cannot be spiritual or it limits me. But what is materialism doing anyways? What is it's forcing you to walk in certain direction? Yeah. So that's why spirituality is a natural way of living, which allows you to explore life. Speaker 1 (30:36.705) unconditionally. We gotta pause on that. Spirituality is a natural way of living which allows you to explore life unconditionally. Whereas if you see materialism or I like to call it as hedonistic lifestyle. know the hedonistic mantra is earn, buy, consume, die. And then generation after generation, a very proud parent gives that same mantra to the next generation. My dear son, my dear daughter. The goal of life is earn, buy, consume, die. Speaker 1 (31:28.462) and you can add your own flavors based on time, place and circumstances. I used to play video games in which there were Mario, Contra. You can do PS5, but what is the goal? Earn, buy, consume, Because life has nothing deeper to it. This is Rattras. This is Rattras. And it comes out. Yeah. That's why call it as the hedonistic treadmill. Because you're not going anywhere. You're just there. But it appears that wow, I'm such an amazing consumer. Wow, I can learn, buy, can consume and then that's it. Yeah Speaker 2 (32:10.988) and you'll keep running and you'll keep running and you'll die. and you will not go anywhere, you are there. That's why it's treadmill. Correct. Correct. but let's go 20 years back because you said before your spiritual journey started and you've spoken about your spiritual journey. Help me understand because it, it could be a one day decision. could be a long-term decision. What prompted you? What was that pre-Arjun and what prompted that Arjun to tip over and become a monk? Because it's a big decision. It's a big decision. Yes, so what I can remember is from when I was 16 or 17, a very natural inclination towards exploring spirituality started, where I started asking questions. I grew up in a middle-class, so-called religious family, a business middle-class religious family, but I would never call myself as very religious. I would just move along with my parents. you know, okay, let's go there. Okay, let's go there. And for me, it was more of a tourist spirit where I would go to holy places with them and whatever, but then when I was 16 or 17, something very interesting happened in my life that my father hit rock bottom in his business and he hit bankruptcy from a very successful business to really rock bottom. And, that triggered a lot of questions. Speaker 1 (33:45.102) And when I was 19, that's where somehow I came in contact with the teachings of Bhagavad Gita. I was actually coming to Australia. My whole visa process had done. Everything was done. Applications were done. And then my mother was worried that I should be a little bit more saner than what I was before I leave India. Before I leave the CCTV of my parents, the cameras and the whole control of my parents to my own personal life. So she without even telling me enrolled me for a Bhagavad Gita session, which was a seven day session, a summary of Gita. And first day only I knew this is what I want to do because I just started getting my questions answered straight on. And after seven days, I remember talking to myself that I found what I want to do. There's a lot of clarity. I don't have any more questions to argue for now. I was asking a lot of questions. I'll give you an idea on that. 10.30 if the session finishes in the night, including dinner, I have never even once gone home before 2 a.m. because for the next three, four hours, I would just ask questions. And someone was kindly answering me. And that was intellectually really satisfying me. So that's how the journey started. And then, of course, I came here, then I studied, then I was working for almost five or six years. In 2013, I decided that I want to try this life of a monk, at least for one year. Let's see how it is. Let's see how it is to live. more for others than yourself. Let's see, I wanted to try for one year. I was really, really keen on living a life in which it's less for you and more for others. I really wanted to taste it once. So somehow by God's grace, it's continuing. that was synopsis of how it started and where I am right now. Speaker 2 (36:00.556) And the day it happened, when you, in a way, are initiated into this moment, or maybe even when you told your parents or your friends or where you were working, if I was a fly on the wall and you're having this conversation with your parents, what kind of conversation was that? When they decided to become a monk or yes, first I spoke to my father, actually, because I had to speak to them separately to get the Nordic. My father very kindly agreed straight away on the spot. He said, okay, try for one year, go for it. My mother was a little worried and she had genuine reasons because as parents, as a parent, you will understand, appreciate it also now. You're very impute. the day you've decided to become a monk. Speaker 2 (36:33.567) Yeah. Speaker 1 (36:49.93) You really want two things from your loved ones, especially your dependents, your children. They should be with you. They should, their relationship with you should actually get better or at least it should maintain the way it is. And second, your children, your dependent should not spoil their life. So these were the two major concerns my mother had, which took a couple of years for her to understand that. My relationship with her is very nice till now and I was not wasting my life. So now she appreciates, but initially, you know, it was not that easy. So if you were a fly on the wall and I'm speaking to you, something very interesting happened in my own thinking. I going through, I told myself, I'm in Australia. maximum what will happen after one year. My bank balance, what it is now will be delayed by one year. Right? If I have to become a millionaire, for example, I'll be a millionaire one year later. But if I miss this opportunity now, then I will regret it for my whole life. So let me become a millionaire a year later and let me try this. Yeah. Love it. I love it. This this word, I think why live a life with regrets, at least at least go for it. And what I feel is like if you're not hurting anyone, if you're not making it difficult for someone else by taking some actions which you feel are true to who you are, then it's worth it. It's worth the journey. If you are not happy, people around you will not be happy. Speaker 2 (38:44.44) Correct. But let's go back then because people still don't understand where does their happiness lie. And so what I want the next say 10, 15 minutes for our conversation to go towards is so we spoke about the deep spiritual work and we spoke about the earn, buy, consume and die cycle. And what my understanding right now is that it would be amazing for our listeners or for anyone else for that matter to achieve freedom. Yes. Speaker 2 (39:14.702) from this cycle. Right now they don't know how that freedom will look like. So what's your understanding? If we achieve freedom, what does that look like? And then we can go into the deep spiritual work. Yes. Speaker 1 (39:28.654) So for a person who wants to cut through this hedonism, this very stale life, which may appear very glittery to begin with, but it's like a deep swamp which just consumes you. And there is no way to look out. And that's what rat race is. Just imagine, just think about it. Let's visualize something. You are running a race and there are millions of people on that same street running with you and only thing you can see is everyone is going in one direction and suddenly a paper falls in front of you which says hey you are part of Ratteris what are you doing can you think something different about life do you know where you're coming from do know where you're going do you know what your purpose is the pressure on that person is so intense to turn back and run the other way because millions are running in one direction. To become that odd one out is so way high and I really really appreciate and I really really empathize what people go through when they have to change their ways of certain lifestyle. My only and only suggestion will be please work on who is around you. In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says in second chapter, Sangat sanjayate kaaman, your association develops your desires. Speaker 1 (41:14.67) you become who you associate with. One of my friends says, you just tell me your five friends and I tell you future. Yeah. So in our network of five very close friends, if we can have at least one or two, if you're very lucky, you can have all five. But if you at least, you're bare minimum lucky, have one or two, which are not interested in this rat race, which are a little spiritual in their search. their search for happiness takes them to a spiritual route via spiritual route. If we have someone in our very close connections like that, it'll force you to think about life a little deeper, a little different. You know how powerful association is. Just a funny example, you If you've traveled through metros or train, even in Melbourne on very busy hours, you don't experience that. You have to go to Delhi or Mumbai or extreme busy hours where you have to push people to go in. The power of association is that if you're smart enough on very busy hours, if you know where to stand, the crowd only takes you inside. And if you're smart enough and you know where to stand and your stop is coming, the cloud only will take you out. So where do you place yourself in what association? When I say association, I mean, what sort of mindset around you? Words of same feather flock together, right? But who are these words? And where are you going to flock to? What do you want to achieve? Do you have deeper questions in life? If you have, have people around you who also are inclined towards lifestyle like that. And that amazing transformation happens from there. Speaker 2 (42:57.987) Yeah. Speaker 1 (43:16.652) Because when millions are running in one direction and suddenly 10 of you decide, no, let's change it. It's easier than one person deciding. RIP. Love it. And that's the power of communities. That's the power of communities. Communities help you change course of life for better directions. Speaker 2 (43:45.568) Let's take a moment. Because I understand what that freedom will do to someone and why I feel I understand that Arjun Prabhu is... My dad used to watch Mahabharata and Krishna during growing years. I used to be in a profession being a physiotherapist where I was taking care of the elderly and so they were all spiritually inclined because that's another hypothesis that we must break which we'll have a second episode on that people feel that... let me get to my 60s and then I'll be spiritual. And which I feel like what if sir you die by then, what if ma'am you die by then and what if you don't even have the energy? Why can't you start to be spiritual from a young age and continue to do your karma, right? Continue to do what your job is, whatever that might look like. But just be present to this possibility that you can break the cycle. And so that has allowed me to have choices and have the freedom to choose the path that I want to be on. Mm-hmm. But what you spoke about, creating associations, I think that's extremely powerful. Warren Buffet has this exact same thing. So I think he captured it from the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita where he said it is absolutely possible where he says that the people who you surround with, that's who you become. We see that a box of strawberries. If one gets fungus on it, the rest of it also goes away and you take one out. And so it's the mindset, it's the people that you are with that starts to decide on what you're saying. 10 people changing the direction is much easier than one person changing. What is one spiritual practice or what is one practice? Let me even make it easier for our listeners. What is one practice that you would recommend? Which someone who's listening to this right now can start with to put them on the path of this deep spiritual work and the vessel has to be ready to do deep work. Speaker 2 (45:45.442) But what can be like an initiation point? What triggered for me was knowledge. And I'll recommend that same thing only. No sentiments, no emotional dramas, no fancy things that I saw in the temple or anywhere else. For me, when I was intellectually convinced, I was amazed by the clarity Bhagavad Gita had. I just couldn't, I couldn't believe how many how many answers on what level Bhagavad Gita could answer would really help me with. And when I reflect back what 20 years before I had questions and what Bhagavad Gita was able to answer and those who were helping me, mentoring me were able to answer using Bhagavad Gita is phenomenal actually. So my one suggestion to people will be at least 15 to 20 minutes a day dive deep into learning by Bodhgita or books which are basically of same stature. Because it will create a niche within you to think differently than what the consumeristic society offers you. I'll tell you why. The way how consumeristic society offers you and I'll tell you why because all of us Go ahead. Speaker 1 (47:13.644) And no one is spared from this. All of us are product of someone's propaganda. All of us. All of us are products of someone else's propaganda. The brands we choose, the hairstyles we have, the brand of specs we choose, the watches we choose. what sort of ingredients we use, what sort of chai, this that everything someone else's creates a propaganda. chia seeds are in. Okay, let's get chia seeds. Okay, quinoa is in. Okay, let's do that. And if we are product of someone else's propaganda, why can't we have a spiritual propaganda also shaping our lives? Love it. Love it. And marketing companies understand it very well that people are products of propaganda and let's make it a very good propaganda so that people are forced to buy into it. Imagine, know, 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro is just near by coming in the market and you see an ad and it promises you, you'll be happy. This guy will never question that. Come on, man. When the 16 Pro ad came, were they lying? Because they said the same thing that time also, right? And I purchased it. Now with 17th row, making the same statement. This is called propaganda. You know how politics, when we hear it has a very negative connotation to it. Similarly, word propaganda has negative connotation to it. But the fact is, it should not have because even politics can be good. Even propaganda can be used rightly for our own benefit. So let's have deeper knowledge. Speaker 1 (49:03.319) Let deeper knowledge create propaganda for us. Because we are the of someone else's propaganda for sure. And so what I'll promise right now listeners is that we will do a part two of this conversation because my thirst for knowledge is not satiated right now. And so maybe we'll do like a longer episode where I would love for us to deliberate on each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita because things like non-attachment, things like how to make sure that you stay on your karma yoga or action, how to make sure that you act without the expectation of the results. how to make sure that there are endless lessons like I can even count like I'll need 15 more minutes to count like 18 lessons after the book with Gita. But so we will absolutely have that conversation. But this this deep conversation we've had this very actionable. Now, as we move towards the end, we ask this question of our guest that if now moving forward a few decades, if that 80 year old eight zero, 80 year old wise man were to come back to you right now. and give you one piece of advice. And so Arjun from 80 years old comes to you and gives you one advice. What would that advice be? Mm-hmm. Speaker 1 (50:22.282) Okay, that's interesting one. Speaker 1 (50:34.188) What strikes me straight away is Speaker 1 (50:41.928) Love more unconditionally and be more selfless. Because there is something amazing waiting for you if you do it properly now. And don't hold on to it. Don't hold on to your own agendas. Be more unconditionally offering love and be more selfless. Because that 80 year old can see things closer. he's towards the closure. Yeah. Which I'm not. Maybe I am, but I don't know. But, yeah. Yeah, we started the episode with with being selfless and we ended on being selfless and loving unconditionally. For our listeners who are listening to this on podcast, like and comment and share it with someone who you feel would value. If you have someone in your network who has the mindset that pushes you to become a better version of yourself, then send this to them. If you're on YouTube, I hope you enjoyed it. Put in the comments. What is one thing that you gained from this episode that will help you? because your being selfless and subscribing to the channel will help us in getting more deeper conversations here. But Arjun Prabhu, thank you so much for being here. I know we had some technical glitches before we started, but this conversation was worth the wait. And I look forward to being in the same room with you in person and recording that massive episode where we put out all the lessons from the Gita to the world outside. Amazing work you are doing Utkarsh. Thank you so much for having me. It's of some value to you and your listeners. Speaker 2 (52:20.558) Absolutely. Pleasure. 100%. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna