Final Fruits – In Gita Verse 12.11 If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.
Krishna’s this verse we will be able to understand from Ashtavakra’s teaching. He says that forget about all the paths and take a direct leap. Swallow the medicine straight. He says what use are these practices?
That is why Ashtavakra is not a Gyan Yogi or a Bhakti Yogi or Karma Yogi. He says to drop straight into witnessing. These crutches are no use – this medicine can be swallowed directly. Drop these crutches, drop these vehicles – you can run directly. You can be the witness directly.
As far as Ashtavakra is concerned the witness and meditation are not different. But as far as other methods are concerned, the witness and meditation are different. Meditation is the process and witnessing is the destination.
For Ashtavakra the path and destination are one. So he can say to be blissful right now. One whose path and goal are different cannot say “right now.” He will say, “Move! The journey is long; climb, then you will reach the mountain.” Ashtavakra says, “Open your eyes: you are sitting on the mountain! Where are you going? How to go anywhere?”
Ashtavakra’s sutra is extremely revolutionary.
Neither gyan, nor bhakti, nor karma – none of these have reached his height. It is pure witnessing. Look at it like this: the medicine doesn’t even need to be swallowed, understanding is enough, awareness is enough. There is no need for help – you are already there. But it happens that people are incapable of understanding it.
A Sufi story…. A man went in search of the truth. The first religious man he met was sitting under a tree, just outside his own village. He asked, “I am searching for a true master. Please tell me the characteristics of a true master.” The fakir told him the characteristics. His description was very simple. He said, “You’ll find him sitting under such and such a tree, sitting in such and such posture, his hands making such and such gestures – that is enough to know he is the true master.”
The seeker started searching. It is said that thirty years passed while he wandered the whole earth. He visited many places, but never met the master. He met many masters, but none were true masters. He returned to his own village completely exhausted. As he was returning he was surprised, he couldn’t believe it: that old man was seated under the same tree, and now he could see that this was the very tree that the old man had spoken of “… he will be sitting under such and such a tree…..” And his posture was exactly as he had described. “It was the same posture he was sitting in thirty years ago – was I blind? The exact expression on his face, the exact gestures….!”
He fell at his feet saying, “Why didn’t you tell me in the first place? Why did you misdirect me for these thirty years? Why didn’t you tell me that you are the true master?”
The old man said, “I told you, but you were not ready to listen. You were not able to come home without wandering away. You had to knock on the doors of a thousand houses to come to your own home, only then could you return. I said it, I said everything – beneath such and such a tree. I was describing this very tree, the posture I was sitting in, but you were too fast, you couldn’t hear correctly, you were in a hurry. You were going somewhere to search. Searching was very important for you, the truth was not so important.
But you have come! I was feeling tired, sitting continuously in this posture for you. You were wandering for thirty years, but think of me sitting under this tree! I knew someday you would come, but what if I had already passed away? I waited for you – you have come! You had to wander for thirty years, but that’s your own fault. The master was always here.”
It happens many times in our life that we cannot see what is near, and what is far attracts us. The distant drum sounds sweeter, we are pulled by distant dreams.
Ashtavakra says that you are what you are seeking.
Krishna says that witnessing and meditation are one, because the goal and the path are one. But for all other paths and religious schools meditation is a method; witnessing – its final fruit.
Tags: Final Fruits
