Don’t quote somebody else, keep going within
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The most tremendous uttering of mankind, have been spoilt by our touch. They were said authentically. They were spontaneous utterances of men, who knew what they were saying. Those words arose from the utter core of Being, from the very Aatman, and then they had some gravitas.
But today, what do we do? Plug and play, borrow and speak, copy and broadcast. Shakespeare it was, right? “The devil can cite scriptures for his purpose.” And nine hundred ninety-nine times in a thousand, it is only the devil who is citing the scriptures. So what happens to the scriptures then? They come to be seen, as the devil’s instrument.
Your words must have the weight of your Being behind them. Otherwise, words mean nothing. The greatest words mean nothing. They are indefensible.
They are coming from ‘you’, how can they protect you? ‘You’ are bigger than your words. Your own words cannot come to your rescue. It’s the other way round. When you have IT, then your words have IT. But we think, that by borrowing heavy words, we will have IT. Do not quote somebody else. Keep going within.
A point comes when you are your own Krishna, when whatever you say, is in itself a fresh, a new, and an authentic Gita.
Then you don’t have to worry about memorizing, and quoting, this and that. Even in the general run of affairs, if you remember something, it is alright.
Otherwise, there is no need to remember. The disciple asks the Upanishadic sage, “Sir, please speak the Upanishad.” The sage replies, “Ukta te Upanishad (Whatever I am saying, whatever I say, is an Upanishad) Will it be a separate, a grand, an exclusive occasion, when Upanishad will be spoken? Whatever I speak, is an Upanishad. My life is an Upanishad.” Then you don’t have to memorize.
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