Death, Money, Addiction, Purpose: For the Youth | Mauritius | Acharya Dr. Ishan Shivanand Ji

Death, Money, Addiction, Purpose: For the Youth | Mauritius | Acharya Dr. Ishan Shivanand Ji

Author Name:Ishan Shivanand

Youtube Channel Url:https://www.youtube.com/@IshanShivanand

Youtube Video URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewB2IkQ8fh8



Transcript:
(00:02) [music] >> There are lots of secrets in the mountains. You have to find them. >> [music] >> In your book, you said something about immortality. >> It was the beginning of the journey, whereas now I find myself >> If today were your last day, >> If it was the last day on this planet, I would want to live like Shiva.
(00:29) Shiva today Jaya Jaya. Anyway, you took us to Shamshana. >> [laughter] >> Forget parenting, love, this, that, to death. We had Patala, we had Swarga, we had Earth, we had different planets communicating with each other. We [music] were an intergalactic civilization. >> What book should everyone read? >> Shiva Sutras.
(00:48) >> One Sanskrit word everyone should know. >> Mahadev. >> What question do you wish people ask you more often? >> How can I be self-realized? >> How can people tell the difference between [music] intuition and fear? >> Fear, if left unchecked, is poison. But fear, if understood, is a gift. >> So, what destroys relationships today more than anything? >> Imagine Nikola Tesla, how he would see the world, or or mathematicians like Ramanujan, how he would see the world.
(01:21) You know, yoga is all about looking good, having followers on Instagram. That is not you. That is not what my ancestors gave to the world. Lakshmi, Kali, Saraswati. It is the power, it is the wisdom, and wealth follows. >> How can leaders stay humble when people begin admiring them? >> It's possible through the correct planning, through the correct infrastructure.
(01:44) >> good leaders. >> They are not sitting on TikTok 10 hours a day. They are not sitting on Instagram thinking about how many people like. They are using the mind as a Ferrari, as a Rolls-Royce. >> How do we love someone without becoming emotionally dependent? >> Then ego is like a snake leaving behind its skin gradually.
(02:07) So, I dropped the ego. [music] When we look at our grandparents, our nannies and daddies, they made the world beautiful because they were willing to work on the world and on each other. >> All right. All right. All right. All right. Thank you for meeting me. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your time. So, yeah. Everyone, welcome.
(02:34) Uh this is my first time hosting Mr. Ishan G. What a beautiful book. Uh we won't go through it all because you need to read it. So, this is mystery. Okay. >> Namaste. Namaskar. Kaisa hai? Theek hai. >> Welcome to Kref Gör. So, Kref Gör is over there, my village. Itto Boff is right here. And also right here. So, we are in the boundary of Kref Gör and Malmö.
(03:12) Welcome. >> Thank you. >> I won't talk too much. I'll let you do most of the talking, but I'll just ask you some questions which Jana >> [clears throat] >> said I can ask as many questions as I want. So, let's talk about All right. In your book, you said something about immortality. Okay? So, it's a state of consciousness rather than living forever.
(03:44) Okay? Now, what was your personal experience that uh convinced you that this wasn't just a philosophical idea because you you embodied it. So, before you you take it out, you need to embody it and then give it to the world. Right? So, tell us a bit about that. It's not just an idea. >> So, two things two things that I experienced Jaggi >> No, no.
(04:23) I'm just smaller than you. I'm younger than you. Lot to learn. Jag. >> Jag. >> Or Jagish. >> See. So, one would be this process of prati prasav. Prati prasav is a very powerful process that every monk goes through in every tradition. In the Jain parampara, we have Jati smaran. In the Hatha Yoga traditions, in Sanatan, we do prati prasav and prati prasav means that we existed before birth and we exist after death.
(05:01) So, while right now we may be here, where has the soul been? Since the time of Krishna, where was my soul? Time of Ram, where was my soul? When Mahadev walked the earth, where was my soul? And and going through those lifetimes that I've lived on the planet, reliving the experiences, relearning the knowledge I had, and reliving the traumas that still impact me.
(05:33) Because if I look at human existence and the pain some people feel, sometimes the amount of years they've lived on this planet doesn't justify the pain they have in their heart. So, where has this pain come from? It has to be some past life from where I am carrying this trauma. So, when my guru Avdhoot Shivanand who is from the Shiv Yog Sanatan Parampara >> [snorts] >> unbroken lineage that comes from Mahadev himself.
(06:05) He made me do the Prati Prasav. And I was just sitting there. Chronologically, I was just sitting there for 30 minutes, but each time I would come back, it was as if I'd lived many lifetimes. And I would feel different. I would feel awakened. I would feel lighter from the karmic load that I had dropped, but also wiser from the lessons that I picked up.
(06:30) And then it made me realize that how did people like Ashtavakra, or how did people like Dhruv, how did people like Nachiketa, how did people like Prahlad exist? Because if you look at their age, they are just 10 years, 5 years, 11 years, but they have the wisdom of lifetimes. And then I realized that I am so much more than what society wants me to believe.
(06:57) And that was my experience of Prati Prasav. And second is the experience of Samadhi. So, Prati Prasav makes you feel time. Like Mahakal, makes you feel time and and and the process of time on how you have lived. Samadhi makes you go beyond time. And imagine how the sun is for millions of years, or how the planet Earth is for millions of years.
(07:28) And millions of years is nothing when it comes to cosmos. It is just a speck of existence. Now, imagine when you attain that meditative state that the yogis call Samadhi. And what it means is that you are in oneness with the cosmos. Right now, I am in fight with the cosmos. I want to be Jayesh, or I want to be Ishan.
(07:52) And the tree doesn't want to be anything. The bird doesn't want to be anything. The mountain doesn't want to be anything. But I make it something. And that is the constant friction of ego and the cosmos. And Samadhi is I embrace the cosmos and I let it flow through me. And that is timelessness. That is immortality.
(08:16) And that is what even you can experience. >> I'm not there yet. Just starting out. So we have two different type of person. >> You are already there. In my head, you are already there. Again, you're looking at time as if it is linear. >> Yeah, I see. >> In my head, Jai is a yogi. In my head, he's enlightened.
(08:38) In my head, he's already there. All you have to do is look at yourself through my eyes. And that is what a guru does. >> I can't see your eyes. That's why it's covered, right? >> [laughter] >> See? >> All right. All right. All right. All right. Okay. So immortality is not living forever. Okay? It's just a state that you're in. >> Yes.
(09:06) >> So when we talk about old souls, we we've all heard that term, right? Old souls. What are they? >> There is the Parabrahma. The universal consciousness. Like the ocean. And then there is the drops of the ocean, souls. An old soul is someone who is awakened. Or parts of a self is awakened, or part of the realization that I'm part of the Parabrahma, the Paramatma, the ocean.
(09:45) And a young soul is just someone who is still so very lost in pleasure, in the present Maya. >> Yeah. >> Is is still running and burdened by ego, anger, sorrow, pain. Whereas an old soul is someone who is awakened a part of himself and and understands that all this is pointless. All these games that people are playing is pointless, and they are able to see through those games, and they start to hear something in their heart that is a bigger calling.
(10:24) That soul that refused to be manipulated by the agenda, propaganda, and marketing of whatever powers may be that control the world today. That wants to find their own path. That's what I call an old soul. The one who has started to hear the music, and it knows it's coming from somewhere, but it still doesn't know the direction, but at least he's heard the music.
(10:52) >> Mhm. It starts somewhere, right? Now, let's let's shift a bit. We we we will try to [clears throat] bring the ancient knowledge that you have into the modern world. So, it's going to be like that. Okay. Yeah, it's going to be like that. Now, I'll ask some of the Yes, there are other people here, too, huh? So, people, one [clears throat] by one, I'll tell you some uh How do you say that? Titles.
(11:29) You're going to choose. Okay? We'll start with Okay, Jada. You tell me which one resonates with you. Okay, and then I'll ask him a question. So, purpose and meaning, drugs, nature, masculinity, technology, money, mental health, relationships, parenting, leadership, death. Tell me. I'm sure it's going to be parenting. >> Death.
(11:59) >> Death. Okay. Are you ready? >> Straight away you took us to Shamshan, huh? >> [laughter] >> Forget parenting, love, this, that, to death. >> Death directly, death. All right. If today were your last day, what would you stop worrying about immediately? >> So, in the tradition of yog, there is a parampara of Avadhut.
(12:32) An Avadhut just means the one who is beyond, who has embraced Mahadev, and they have to live as if this is it, not even the last day, the moment. And if you are living your life as if this moment matters the most, more than anything else, then there cannot be any worry whatsoever. That's how I tend to live my life, but if ever I look at my life as a at a perspective of normality, and I think to myself, is it something that I worry about?
(13:21) Then my worry would be what I teach to people. What will they do with that wisdom? And will it bear fruitation? And if a lesson that has to come to me at that moment, it would be trust. That you give what you can to the world and you hope for the best and you trust people. Because a lot of the people that I see from my lineage, even if you look at the scriptures, we read that before the Pandavas retired, they had so much wealth of knowledge, weapons,
(14:05) and they threw it in the ocean rather than trusting anyone with that same power. I know so many monks and saints that they have the power to change the world if they choose. But they choose to live in the Himalayas all alone. Not sharing the wealth of the information that they have just from the fear that what if the wrong person has it, what will happen? And then I look at Mahadev.
(14:33) If you look at all of the Indian scriptures, everyone is trying to control who should get power, who should not get power, and Mahadev doesn't ask if you are asur or dev. He's neutral. Whomsoever comes, Mahadev says they deserve a chance. And he gives it to them and he trusts them and he's my isht.
(14:55) So I I I still have to learn from him. I have to be like him. Unconditional love, compassion, and acceptance. Whomsoever comes, is Shiva coming to Shiva to gain the ultimate knowledge. And if it was the last day on this planet, I would want to live like Shiva. Shiva tulya jayate. And that day whomsoever comes to me asking even for enlightenment, who is this? >> [laughter] >> It's going to be like that after every question, huh? >> Yeah, yeah.
(15:29) So, Jonna, I hope you got >> Yes. >> something that you can use. Next, uh Rahul. Can I? >> Yeah, of course. >> Cuz you're all here. I don't want you to just pretend just us. Okay, you tell me one. Purpose, drugs, nature, masculinity, technology, money, mental health, relationships, parenting, leadership, death. >> Leadership. >> Leadership.
(15:54) How can leaders stay humble when people begin admiring them? >> They need to be more conscious. It was never about admiration when we are talking about leadership because if admiration becomes motivation, that is a very slippery slope. Leaders need to be focused beyond what Bhagwan Krishna says, that three gunas, we have to be above that of Arjuna, meaning
(16:44) if you are seduced by any of the gunas, may it be then you forget why and what it is that you are doing. So, if I am a leader, I will focus on the goal and what is most important for me to achieve that goal irrespective if I get admiration or if I get hate. The goal is the most important thing and that is dharma.
(17:15) So, I I leaders need to be more conscious. They need to meditate. They need to go inside and they need to lead from a place of firm compassion. And firm compassion means that I have this goal, vision, and wisdom for the world. And I must manifest it. Irrespective of what other people say because many time if my dream exists, people will not understand it.
(17:45) People have a certain level of consciousness and leaders can be genius. Imagine Nikola Tesla, how he would see the world or or mathematicians like Ramanujan, how he would see the world. Normal people, the 90% can't see the world in that same manner. And if I start to lead thinking [snorts] about what the other 90% will say then the world will never grow and evolve because sometimes to go where you've never been, you must take a path that has never been taken.
(18:17) And people don't know what they want. They just know what they have experienced. And future sometimes has something that is blissful, more important, more powerful, more evolved, and somebody has to have that vision of the future in mind. And and the thing about people is today they will complain. Tomorrow they will admire.
(18:44) And then third day, they will follow. So we have to be blind to to the admiration or the hatred, what Bhagwan Krishna says to Arjuna. And if it's good enough for Arjuna, it's good enough for me. And we have to have leaders who are grounded, compassionate. And my dream is enlightened. Imagine if you have a world of enlightened leaders.
(19:18) Because when people talk about meditation and yoga, you know, we have this this very perverted version of yoga that we are wearing skimpy bikinis on the beach doing yoga. And and you know, yoga is all about looking good, having followers on Instagram. That is not yoga. That is not what my ancestors gave to the world. Yoga was for the kings who were leading empires.
(19:43) Because if the king could be yogi, there would be Ram Raj Satya Yuga in the kingdom. That is for whom yoga existed because they needed to be leading from a place of divinity. And we need to bring the yoga back to the CEOs. Back to the kings. Not just on the beaches, on skimpy bikinis. It needs to go back to the boardroom. And if people in Davos, if people in the boardrooms, if people in tech can become yogis, then the world will not look like the way it is right now.
(20:16) Then environment will not be killed for profit. Then the world would be leading towards galaxy. We can go beyond planet Earth. Because when we look at scriptures, Earth wasn't just Earth. We had Paatal, we had Swarg, we had Earth, we had different planets communicating with each other. We were in intergalactic civilization.
(20:44) And now we are living on this small rock that can be taken out by a meteorite like the dinosaurs. What's the difference between them and us? We need to broaden our horizon, our consciousness. And I think that is what good leadership can do. So for me, bring yoga to the boardroom, bring enlightened leader to the present moment.
(21:07) That is my vision. >> You said take yoga back to the boardroom. What would be different from the current yoga? With the mat, doing asanas and everything. What's different? The real the real yoga. >> So, there is a lot of focus on aesthetics. There is a lot of focus on heart. There is a lot of focus on just the asana. The meditation on theology.
(21:39) The meditation on cognitive aspect of yoga is negligible to completely absent. And there needs to be a focus on the cognitive aspect of yoga because the body is a very small part of my existence. It is my mind that makes me who I am. That is why in in Hindi we say manav. From man is the body.
(22:11) From from the mind is the consciousness, is the human being. And if you look at any stone temple of the past in India, then they will portray a yogi, he will not be portrayed doing downward dog. He would always be portrayed in meditation. >> Yeah, always. >> And that jugglery that would happen would not be physical. Yes, physical existed, but as a very preliminary part of that process. Very small part.
(22:46) The rest of it would be the mental jugglery. Would be the consciousness at play. If you look at Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Mahanirvana Tantra, if you look at Tripura Rahasya, it is all about the mind and what we are doing with that. That needs to be reintroduced because these people who are who are the CEOs, they are high-performing individuals.
(23:07) They are not focused so much on the body consciousness. It's just all about the mind for them. What they are doing with their mind. They are not sitting on Tik Tok 10 hours a day. They are not sitting on Instagram thinking about how many people like. They are using the mind as a Ferrari, as a Rolls-Royce. So, we need to give them those modalities on how their mind can function in a better manner because what I believe is a person who is a genius, who is a brilliant, if the correct tools are not given to them, then they are like the Superman
(23:43) villain, Lex Luthor. >> Mhm. >> And if they are genius and we get the correct tool, then they can be enlightened Yogi. And this is where I feel humanity is suffering. We are not thinking about the genius. We are not thinking about giving them the correct tool. And if you are not thinking, then then then the world, we will have super villains.
(24:05) Now, especially with AI and technology the way it is, what do we do when we give a nuclear bomb to a monkey? Then bad things happen. So, we must focus on providing the correct tools to people who are having a vision for the future. Yes. Cognitive tools. >> After every question, I said this. Thank you. Next, who's Yes. Uh pose, drugs, drugs and addiction, nature, masculinity, technology, money,
(24:50) mental health, relationships, parenting, leadership, or death. >> I think a lot of people seek their identity. >> Purpose. >> Purpose. >> Okay, purpose. Purpose it is. This one is for the young. Okay, I got many questions about that. Many young people are not lazy. Okay? They're just lost. How does someone discover purpose when they don't even know where to begin? >> There has to be a a love affair.
(25:38) For example, when I would be young, I would read about these knights that had all the power of the world. >> Knights like >> Knights like that, like like warriors. >> Yeah. >> And these are the knights that have been through the battle. The war is finished. And now they have all this power and all this genius, and they're sitting under a tree, and there is no war to go to.
(26:06) No princess to conquer. And they would just forget the power that they hold inside themselves, and then there comes a little girl or a little child that needs help. And suddenly the knight, the warrior, will remember. And suddenly they will have a mission back in their life. And they will rediscover themselves. So, I believe community is a key factor that the youth are losing today.
(26:45) If we look at the mental health research and data, then alienation and isolation are two key components that detrimentally affect our mental health. The more alienated and isolated we become and then social media has done this. Technology has done this. It has put us in in this room and it gives us this illusion of connection whereas it has alienated and isolated us more and COVID exasperated that whole situation.
(27:15) And because we are alone then we don't have a purpose, we don't have a community to to stand for, to be a warrior for. And I believe that if we can bring community back into the equation, just like when I saw you and we were talking and you had such pride with your village and you had such pride with that mountain. This mountain is your family.
(27:38) It is community. Every single tree here calls to you and then when you made that nature call, birds talk back to you. This is your community. This is your people. This is where you belong and you have found that you are lucky and that's why tomorrow if you have to do something for them, you will.
(27:58) Strength you don't have today, you will find it then from yourself for this purpose that you gave yourself. And I believe that the youth even before they look for purpose, they need to have community. They need to have family. They need to have friend. They need to have something that they are standing for and then everything else will come.
(28:23) >> So basically what you're saying is we should just >> It's too expensive. >> [laughter] >> Find better use of it. >> Uh >> Yeah, don't let it use you. You use it. >> Don't let the things you own own you. >> Yes. >> All right. Next. Purpose meaning. Drugs and addiction. Nature. Masculinity. Technology. Money. Mental health, relationships, parenting, leadership. Death.
(29:04) Mental health. Mental health. How can people tell the difference between intuition and fear? Fear has its purpose. So, if we read the works of The Gift of Fear, it's a very interesting book. And it talks about that if there is a sudden awareness because generally what happens is when when we have fear, we deny it.
(29:43) We don't understand it. We don't go with the feeling. We don't try to find the core of it. We just ignore it and we try to run away from it. But in The Gift of Fear, the author talks about that um there are such situations where if a person is more aware then fear can guide you and prevent you from getting into situations where you can be harmed.
(30:11) Because the subconscious is much more aware of the situation in which you are in. I'll [snorts] give you an example that many times you're sleeping and you're dreaming. And in your sleep in your dream something is happening like a beautiful girl is saying to you, "Wake up." And suddenly your mother is next to you saying, "Wake up.
(30:35) " So, how did you in your dream know that exact same moment when the girl will say, "Wake up." the mother will say, "Wake up." Because a part of your brain understands and sees the world in ways that your five senses cannot perceive the world. So, you have extrasensory abilities. Even the parts of our brain if we if we look, the amygdala, the hippocampus, the the the cerebral cortex, our brain is ancient.
(31:07) And if we are here on this planet right now, that means threat detection and analysis, we had much more than other of species that went extinct because we were able to sit and be aware that the bushes are moving, there is a tiger behind it, or or if there is the wind, we could smell a predator where other species could not. That's why we survived.
(31:36) But now the problem is that we are not living in the jungle. And imagine if we have those heightened perception of threat analysis all the time, then we will suffer from anxiety and that anxiety will lead to burnout. So, what yogis do is we practice this thing called awareness. We practice meditations like Yoga Nidra, in which we tell to the mind that yes, we understand threat analysis exists, but there are times when we need to switch off and [snorts] be in a state of peace.
(32:18) So, a yogi would control something that in an anxiety anxious person it's happening automatically and it can't control. And it's it's it's a life skill. It's a it's an evolutionary advantage, anxiety, because we are able to see things that other people cannot see. But now the problem is the gift has become a curse because we can't control it.
(32:41) Now we are sitting with our family and we need to relax. We need to just be happy, have our cup of tea more and do our saga, but the anxiety is not going away because we are analyzing of the threat that will come tomorrow. And it's fine. It's a gift. The yogis teach you how to deal with your gifts, how to control the evolutionary superpowers that you have so that when the time comes, you can utilize it.
(33:09) So fear, if let unchecked, is poison. But fear, if understood, is a gift. So we should not leave these these beautiful powers that God has given us just like that. We must analyze, understand, and evolve. And that is what meditation does for us. >> Next. All right. What was your meaning? Drugs and addiction,
(33:53) nature, masculinity, technology, money, mental health, relationships, leadership, parenting, death. >> Money. >> Money. Okay. Can someone become very wealthy without becoming attached to wealth? >> First of all, can someone become very wealthy? >> I cut you off. Sorry. There's another way to say it.
(34:35) >> Yes. >> So, if spirituality teaches detachment, >> Yes. >> should entrepreneurs still pursue not billion, but maybe million-dollar ideas or businesses? >> See, all the very successful entrepreneurs that I have worked with or have seen, they never care about the balance sheet. They are chasing the idea. And it is that idea that is generating the value.
(35:06) It is that idea that is solving a problem. And that solution becomes worth millions of dollars when X number of people adopt it, and it becomes worth billions of dollars if XY number of people adopt it. The entrepreneurs who are just chasing the balance sheet, they are very limited. And what they generate, it can create temporary wealth, but it is not sustained legacy.
(35:41) So, any entrepreneur that has a thought, that has an idea, that has a solution, that is generating value, money will just follow. Because in India, we say Mahalaxmi is money. But she's never alone. Maa Saraswati and Kali, wisdom and power. It goes hand in hand. If you just chase Lakshmi, and you don't have wisdom, Lakshmi will come, and she will go away.
(36:13) And we see this. Today, we see this more than anything. We have these new rich kids that yesterday were rich, today they are dirt poor. They don't know what to do with their money. You give money without wisdom, then we have all these people in the West that are so rich, but then they die with overdose alone in their hotel room.
(36:41) So, Lakshmi Kali Saraswati. It is the power, it is the wisdom, and wealth follows. So, a real entrepreneur, a true entrepreneur is chasing that thought. And they are very service-oriented in the heart. They are very compassionate in their heart because they see a problem where the world doesn't see a problem.
(37:04) The world is lazy. The world is [clears throat] happy with their little do of what you wrote to and and whatever the complication of the day is. But it is these entrepreneurs that think that no, I want the world to be happy. I don't want the world to suffer. I see a problem, and I want to give this solution to the world.
(37:27) And then they go crazy making the world adopt that solution. And then money follows. So, I believe we need to be compassionate. We need to think of how we can serve the world. And if you can have the empathy to identify the problem and the genius to then solve the problem, then forget million. We are living in the world of trillionaires, my friend.
(37:53) The world has changed. >> See a need, fill a need. >> Yes. >> That's the one-liner. Good. When are you becoming a trillionaire? >> Don't forget us. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. Purpose and meaning, drugs and addiction, nature, masculinity, technology, money, mental health, relationships, parenting, leadership, or death.
(38:27) relationship How do we love someone without becoming emotionally dependent? >> By first loving ourselves. If we love ourselves, we are complete. If we accept ourselves, if we celebrate ourselves, and cherish ourselves, then we are whole. And if we love someone thinking that they will fill the hole that is in our heart, then we will become dependent upon them.
(39:03) Then without them, there will be no sunrise. Without them, there will be no moon. Without them, there will be no walk on the beach. >> Mhm. Yoga? >> [laughter] >> So, I think we need to love ourselves, and that's what I think the yogis they have taught us. They're so happy. They they have this concept.
(39:25) My father used to say Har Hal May Khushi. That we are happy. And when we are happy just on our own, and we are with someone, then we are sharing what we are with them. Rather than I am incomplete, you are incomplete, let us be complete together. >> And another question in that >> Yes. >> same area. So, what destroys relationships today more than anything else? Cuz obviously, divorce and everything is all-time high.
(39:59) People are marrying and getting rid of them in like 2 years. It's not like It's not the same as before. People getting married and 40 years together. I don't know. >> I think >> [snorts] >> a lack of humility. There's too much ego. And that ego doesn't allow you to grow or work because uh right now we are sitting in a gazebo. Now it's such a nice gazebo on such a nice road.
(40:37) Like you were telling me that, you know, years from now it was impossible to just find your way into this place in this beautiful path that has been made has been made through the hard work of someone. When we look at our grandparents, our nanis and dadis, they made the world beautiful because they were willing to work on the world and on each other.
(40:59) There was a joy in service. There was an acceptance of delayed gratification. That if I work on it today, then maybe I will not get the fruit today. 10 years from now. And there was a joy in just that hard work irrespective of the thought of reward. But today what I feel is what I see so many young people so many options that why should I why should I work on why should I endure today when I have the option to swipe left.
(41:34) You know, because then there's so many. Then I'll just keep on keep on keep on going till swiping becomes my identity and my soul is hollow and numb because I did not grow. It's like when you have a pot and you plant a seed in it and it becomes a beautiful flower. But it has the scope of becoming a tree if you allow it to take root.
(42:01) But what if after every one day you pluck it and put it somewhere then pluck it put it somewhere. It will remain that small flower and it has its beauty and its smell, but it's never something that will give shade and fruits to the world. It will not have meaning. And I think if humility is brought back into relationships and the sense of service is brought back and this understanding is that sometimes good things take time.
(42:30) effort >> effort Mhm. takes time >> relationships can be so much better and it has to be in both both the people who are trying to make something beautiful. And I think if that comes back then once again we will have love affairs in this world. >> It's like nananani. >> Yeah? >> Take it and go. Now one for you. I was missing this.
(43:07) >> [laughter] >> All right. purpose and meaning drug addiction nature masculinity technology money mental health relationships parenting leadership death >> You haven't chosen. You choose. >> I will I will. loss loss >> addiction >> addiction If you didn't choose it I I would have chosen. So It's going to be in two two parts. Okay.
(43:48) First one Do you believe addiction is primarily a spiritual crisis? a psychological illness or a social problem So repeat spiritual crisis, psychological illness, or just a social problem? >> All of the above. A psychological problem, if left unchecked. In in technical terms, we will call it a dual diagnosis. Where, let's say a child has ADHD, or a child has depression, underlying depression.
(44:31) And he has never been diagnosed, he's never been offered the help that he needs. So, then the child will eventually, because of social situations, be introduced to substances. And a child may start to use substances as a form of self-medication. So, dual diagnosis is a key component when it comes to substance abuse.
(44:59) And if you look at the spiritual crisis, then definitely, if I don't understand my own thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and self, then life is hard. Life is a turmoil, life is a constant state of crisis, and I need some form of respite. And the things about substances is that in the beginning, they are easy, they are dependable.
(45:25) So, a person will again, look at them not as a form of recreation, but as a form of medication. And finally, social crisis, because what we have to understand is that drugs are evolving, just like technology. 300 years ago, drugs were let's say, marijuana, or herbs that had little impact, but you could not say the impact was catastrophic.
(46:05) Even alcohol if we look at alcohol that existed a thousand years ago, the alcohol percentage of that alcohol was what? 8% 9%? Then we started to make those substances super. Even alcohol becomes hard liquor and now we are living in a world of synthetic drugs that like fentanyl that is 100 times more addictive than any other herb.
(46:32) It is more detrimental and it is fatal. So if those kinds of drugs are available in society, a society that leaves these things unchecked or doesn't care, then think about it. 200 years from now if a child wanted to dabble in his curiosity for substances, then maybe he'll have some marijuana and then stop. But what if that same child today is exposed to synthetics like fentanyl? Then he goes in a loop, a doom loop of addiction that he did not even look for.
(47:11) So society plays an extremely important role. So all these three together need to be worked upon when we are looking for a solution of the crisis we are facing today. >> And the second part is that was a really nice way you put it. Because uh many uh rehabilitation programs focus on uh stopping drug use. I've been recently on on another podcast where people were talking.
(47:43) There was an ex-user and people from centers and everything, but I didn't get a proper answer. I hope I get it. So many rehabilitation programs focus on stopping drug use, okay? Should they instead focus on helping people discover meaning instead? >> When we are looking at drug rehabilitation, look at it in two parts.
(48:17) One is acute care, and then one is chronic care. So, when we say many rehabilitation centers are focusing on stopping use, maybe I think we are looking at the acute care that needs to be provided. For example, somebody is suffering from intense alcohol abuse, so AUD, alcohol use disorder. Then the body will be negatively affected if you just stop alcohol use altogether.
(48:47) There is a detox process that needs to be followed. Even in drugs like heroin, or even synthetics, if the body is now habituated to use that certain substance, there is a process of clinical detox that a patient must go through. But after that detox is done, now we have to look at the broader picture. Then why drug abuse started, and what is the chronic care that we prescribe to the patient so that they can once again find purpose and meaning in life.
(49:25) Because you have to understand sobriety exists, but sobriety exists one day at a time. >> Yeah. >> And every single day we have to make an effort. That why are we sober? What matters to us? And what is the action that brought us sobriety in the first place? What is that action that we can put between me and that substance? Because that substance will always exist.
(49:53) A part of my brain knows it now. It's like a cheat code for my brain to go away from life, rely upon that substance. And if I don't put that action between me and that substance every single day, then it doesn't matter if my sobriety is 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. Relapse can be inevitable. So, we must find those actions.
(50:21) And that is where I think maybe the rehabilitation centers will not be well equipped to think of a plan of chronic care. Because presently we are not having an integrative approach towards therapy. So, this is somewhere where there needs to be a marriage between Eastern and Western thought. There needs to be an integration of yoga and meditation-based modalities for the rehabilitation of the user.
(50:57) Otherwise, what will happen is if we are just relying on the centers, then we will have acute care again and again and again. It's like revolving door therapy. We get detox, we go out. >> Yeah, and they come back again and >> And that is where we are trying to do research now and we are trying to bring the set modalities back into the picture so that the user can once again find meaning, purpose, stability.
(51:27) Again, as I said, sobriety is 1 day at a time. And sobriety is putting that right action between you and that substance every single day. But what that right action is, we need to teach to the user. And it will take time and effort. And it will also require infrastructure. And right now we are doing that job ourselves, but hopefully we can get community leaders to be part of that program and eventually maybe even government institutions, because then the job would be easy because if you look at the economic value of the drug crisis, the dollar cost, it is
(52:07) unsustainable. If you are just relying on Western healthcare therapeutic modalities, it is unsustainable and sooner or later we will have youth on the road that we don't know what to do with. So before that problem that has hit North America, Canada, even parts of England comes to Mauritius, I believe we have not reached that point of no return just as yet.
(52:32) So we have to do a preventative action and if we can do that then maybe Mauritius can show to the world how it's done. >> Let's hope so. Let's hope so. But following that thought, how do you replace the dopamine from drugs with something healthier? Because it's it's just dopamine, right? Or serotonin, I don't know, but how do you replace that with something healthier like >> Dopamine is in the preliminary usage of drugs.
(53:05) That high, that hit only exists in the beginning. So if I'm a user, first the dopamine high comes. Then if I continue to use, then it's not about dopamine, then it's about sustaining that addiction. Then it's about avoiding the crash. So we are thinking that drugs is giving us a positive reinforcement.
(53:36) No, it's it's it's it's preventing that crash that I know I'll feel horrible if I won't have that substance. and if you talk to any chronic user, they're not chasing the dopamine high, they're just trying to prevent that crash and that's why the dosage of the substance is increasing more and more and the cost of the habit is increasing more and more and the social pressure is more and more.
(54:04) So, dopamine is long gone. It's in the rearview mirror. We left it in Port Louis. Now yeah, now it's not here anymore. Now it's avoiding the crash. So, now we have to first rehabilitate the body and then we have to go beyond the dopamine economics. Because dopamine economics, if that is what we are chasing right now, then then the world we live in today is is extremely corrupting.
(54:34) Because if you look the cell phones, it gives us dopamine hits. What in India we call Sasta Nasha. >> Sasta Nasha? Ah, cheap. Ah, cheap. >> Like if I want to work hard today or if I want to climb a mountain, then then the joy that comes is much delayed with much more hard work. >> Delayed gratification. >> Exactly.
(54:58) But now Sasta Nasha is who want to climb the mountain just you know that dopamine hit or play some video game or or even if you look at the food delivery apps, it's a Sasta Nasha. It's quick. It's quick. It's fast. It gives us the hit. It's like smoking. So, then we are just in that loop of of of chasing those highs. But when we practice meditation, we are teaching ourselves to be in that state of calm and and there's a whole process of detox first that goes into play.
(55:33) Because when you will close your eyes and want to sit for like 1 hour and if you want to sit then the body will fight back. The brain will fight back because the brain is so used to that dopamine stimulus. Then it will be jittery, but if we continue to go and there's a way we don't just close our eyes and go because otherwise the mind will always win.
(55:55) There's a whole process. So in in the practice that I teach we we have this process of YOI, yoga of immortals that helps our brain detox, that helps our mind detox and then we find that peace and in that peace the high is much more than what dopamine can ever give us. It is a manga nasha. It is like the nasha when we think about Bhole Baba.
(56:24) And we say that oh he's in a constant state of bliss. Amrit ka sevan karte hain. So people don't know what that is. But we experience that through samadhi. But yes, that detox process has to happen and until and unless we do that meditation will be very hard. >> Thank you. My turn. >> Yes. I've been waiting for this.
(56:53) >> [laughter] >> So mine is going to be about two things. Nature and masculinity. I have two if if I may. So nature, if every child spend one uh week and a month or maybe even more in nature, how do you think society would change? Because we talked about almost everything. Talk about this, community, drugs, uh death, leadership.
(57:32) We talked about everything. It all comes It all boils down to what the young generation are doing. And if they are all on that, we already know where it's heading. But what about the you know, reverse card, you know? So, my question again, if a child spends a few weekends in nature, maybe even more, how would that change that society we live in? >> My friend, I will call this a hypothetical question.
(58:09) Because if you look at the world today, a major part of the population is an urban population sections. And very few or very small population group is in access of rural sectors. So, when we talk about nature, right now we are blessed. We are in Mauritius. That's why I called Mauritius the island of the goats.
(58:38) We are never far away from the ocean. We are always like 2 hours drive to the ocean. It's right there. You can see. Exactly. We are never far away from a forest. We are never far away from a mountain. We are blessed. So, if we are having this conversation of a child having access to nature, we can have it in Mauritius, but then think about Tokyo.
(58:57) Think about Delhi. Think about Bangalore. It doesn't exist. If you look at cities like New York or cities like San Francisco, where a lot of the world's economy passes through and people are extremely successful, you will find that in New York, there is Central Park. So, they have maintained a forest. And a lot of very successful people say that because we have access to that nature, then we have that capability of our mind to function in a certain manner.
(59:29) But then I can give you examples of cities in India where a child, even if he wants to, has no access to the ocean, no access to the river, no access to the forest, and it becomes a matter of economic disadvantage rather than a choice of acceptance of nature because the people who are rich then in India they can definitely fly to Switzerland and then have access to the Alps, so they can fly somewhere to Kenya and see Masai Mara, but a poor child who's living in the ghettos of Dharavi in Maharashtra, even if he wants, he will
(1:00:14) have no access to the said nature that we are talking about. So a part of me definitely believes that extremely important it is that a child should have access to nature, but a part of me also understands that in today's world of have and have nots and vulnerable communities there is a major population of children that will not have the bliss and advantage of you and I have while we are sitting in Mauritius.
(1:00:46) So it is at times like this what can we give to them? Because yes, pollution is a problem, population is a problem, access is a problem, uh class is a problem when it comes to socio-economic backgrounds. And it is at that time I again go back to Indian knowledge systems because they have a solution for these problems.
(1:01:15) They talk about Aham Brahmasmi. And Aham Brahmasmi means that the universe is within me. The universe is within me. So, if I have to access the cosmos, then one way is that I should have the means to find that cosmos and go outside. But, till that time, I do not have that means. And if I don't have access to the cosmos, then I'm not having the advantages that everybody else has.
(1:01:41) So, what do I do? I travel the inner cosmos. Aham Brahmasmi. I must learn to travel within and have access to that nature. So, whenever I am thinking of a solution, I am thinking of the solution not just for the rich kid sitting in a penthouse. I'm also thinking of the solution for the child who's living in the village, in the ghetto.
(1:02:06) The child that doesn't have access. What can we do for them? Because when I grew up, I grew up in the desert. I grew up having nothing to my name. I grew up surrounded by sand. I had not seen trees. I had not seen rivers. I'd seen nothing. And I seen the universe because I had yoga. >> What does healthy masculinity look like uh from the yogic point of view or tradition if you healthy masculinity.
(1:02:47) >> How do you define the term masculinity? >> It it depends on people, but the way society wants us to believe it the way society uh They say masculinity needs to be aggressive, needs to be how to say that? Torturing people, oppressing. This is masculinity. You need to go for it. Don't listen to anyone.
(1:03:13) Boom boom just yang energy. Yang or yin? I don't know. it's it's not the once again the word balance cuz healthy masculinity according to me is the divine marriage between the feminine and the masculine side. >> I'm not sure. >> According to me, but what they are preaching is another thing which many of us see on social media.
(1:03:44) Like if you do this, now you're not mas- you're not masculine. You're not You're a simp. >> No, see I think we are defining masculinity by the current standard. Because earlier when if I look at it as a mental health endeavor then when the onset of social media we were studying we realized that women were disproportionately affected by social media than men.
(1:04:16) Because women would suffer from body dysmorphia. This is unreal, that is unreal, and and then again if you are rich then you can reach to that metal if you have an army of doctors to make you certain way and then girls who do not have access to all that they would have dangerous procedures done upon them or or go through these dangerous processes and developmental head disorders like bulimia, anorexia nervosa where that that self identity was so scarred that it would lead for them to live a very unhealthy lifestyle.
(1:04:58) But now what we are seeing is it's not just the females that are affected by such culture, even men are affected by such culture. Because nobody talks about the mental health struggle of men. Whereas if we look at mental health in itself, then men suffer much more dis- proportionately uh than women in terms of mental health crisis.
(1:05:24) >> That's why there's men in mental, you know? >> Yeah, there's men in mental. Precisely. It's like the mental health crisis and and men do not seek help. Men are expected to to suck it and toughen up and and and they don't have people to talk to. They don't have support systems, whereas women can rely upon each other.
(1:05:48) Men do not have that, so they suffer more. And if it comes to the impact of social media, what we have seen is that PED use has shot up astronomically in young men. We have young boys that are now using uh different forms of steroid to have that certain type of physique or or boys that are look- ing. So, again, going dangerously uh to a certain lifestyle to look in a certain way and deal with whatever mental health crisis that they are going through by relying upon what society has prescribed to them.
(1:06:27) And it is extremely detrimental for the mental health of young boys because they are looking for answers and solutions and they don't have them. And when they look at what's happening around them, what has become the current normal, it is extremely bad. So, if we are defining masculinity by what the current standard of masculinity is, is extremely toxic and dangerous for young boys.
(1:06:51) And what you said, what we believe, masculinity is Ardhanarishvara, and Shakti. Where Shiva is the protector as well, but Shiva is the poet as well. Where Shiva is uh the provider as well as Shiva is the listener. Because when we talk about masculinity in Indian theology, it's amazing. If you look at the Abrahamic religions, you know, God is male and male, everything is male.
(1:07:22) Male is the guy that has to do everything. But whereas we look at the Indian theology, we have Agam Nigam Shastras. And Agam Nigam Shastra is that Shiva is talking, Shakti is listening. >> So, it's a one at a time. >> And then Shakti is talking. >> And then >> Shiva is listening. So, it's not that God is just male. And God has all the wisdom and male has all the wisdom. No. It's balanced.
(1:07:47) Ardhanareshvara. Then sometimes female is talking, male is listening. Male is talking, female is listening. And then eventually they both become one. Ardhanareshvara. And that is the masculinity that I was taught. And I think that is what we need to reintroduce to the young boy to be like fire, but have the capability to be the water, to be a warrior, yet have the capability to be the poet, to have belief in the self, and celebrate the self.
(1:08:22) And it's not just about aesthetics that makes you masculine. It is about performance of what you can achieve and accomplishness accomplish with what has been given to you. And I think that education somewhere down the line is gone from a boy's life, and boys need better role models. And uh And I can't blame society as well, because even in India, we knew this, that sometimes parents will be so busy in their lives, kings would be so busy ruling the kingdom, that they may not be the best role model for their kids.
(1:09:04) So, we had a concept of guru. gurukul So, we would take the kid when they would be most impressionable and we would take them to the guru. And the guru was the enlightened one. And the guru will not give a cookie-cutter approach to the child. The guru would look at the child, understand the child, and then give what the child needs for the child to become the best version of himself.
(1:09:33) And when the child will come back to the parents, he would come back complete. And I think society needs that. And I think it's possible because 100 years ago we did not have electricity. >> Mhm. >> And now we have a bulb everywhere. 20 years ago we had no cell phones. So, so I don't think these dreams are far-fetched. 70 years ago space travel may not have been possible.
(1:10:05) Today everything is possible. So, don't tell me we can't have the age of gurus come back. We can't have the age of gurukuls come back. Everything is possible now. It will look a bit different, but I think if somehow we can marry the ancient, the sacred with the technology then everything can be possible. And I think that is the world I look forward to living in.
(1:10:41) >> Thank you. Now rapid-fire question. >> Okay. >> Because you took all your time to think, now you won't have time to think. >> I will try to think. >> Shiva Krishna >> Shiva >> Silence or music? >> Music >> Discipline or motivation? >> Discipline >> Forest or temple? >> Forest >> Wealth or wisdom? >> What? >> Wealth or wisdom? >> Wisdom >> What book should everyone read? >> Shiva Sutras, Abhinavagupta >> One Sanskrit word everyone should know.
(1:11:27) >> I don't think it's Sanskrit, but Mahadev. >> Um What's one belief you've changed your mind about? >> Technology >> What's the biggest misunderstanding people have about spirituality? >> You have to be an ascetic to be spiritual. >> What question do you wish people ask you more often? >> How can I be self-realized? >> Last one.
(1:11:59) This one, take your time. It's not rocket Imagine every young person in Mauritius is listening to you right now. Okay? >> [clears throat] >> Some feel lost. Some are addicted. Some have no direction. Some don't believe in themselves. You have 5 minutes to talk to them. What would you tell them? >> I would call them.
(1:12:38) And I would request for the pleasure of their company. And I won't tell them anything. Because I feel they have been told so much that they have become numb to listening. What I would invite them to do rather is to sit with me in silence and contemplate. But we won't just jump into contemplation immediately. We would be compassionate towards each other.
(1:13:20) And I would invite them to close their eyes. And for the first time in their life discover themselves. I will present them with a plethora of tools like breath awareness and like a child enjoys the roller coaster I would request them to discover their mind at their own pace. I would invite them to experience their emotion without creating boundaries or judgment.
(1:14:02) I would request them to express themselves in complete safety in whichever way they feel most comfortable. And just like after the storm light of the sun reaches you when they will find their peace it is at that moment I would ask them to contemplate with me. Go deep within dive and find the jewels of your own wisdom.
(1:14:45) And then when they will swim back to the surface with it, I will celebrate with them this new hope that they have found when the whole world was telling them that they are not enough. Now, as they sit with me, they understand they are all that they need. I will celebrate with them. And while they would go back, I would give them these tools like a precious gift to take back with them and empower every single day of their lives.
(1:15:25) That would be my journey with the Martian youth because I believe in them. And I believe the place the future holds [snorts] for them is much greater than what the world might say. >> Is ego >> Mhm. >> something you destroy or educate? >> Ego is false. Because ego is dependent upon my current understanding, my knowledge, my perception, my state of
(1:16:11) consciousness. So, it's not real. As I educate myself more, as I grow, as I evolve, as I understand, as I comprehend, then ego is like a snake leaving behind its skin gradually. So, I drop the ego. And then many times I have to go through that process of dropping that which I have been holding on to. And only then what is the truth is revealed.
(1:16:38) It is said that you keep on removing that which is not divine, neti neti. And then what remains in the end has to be truth. But, ego doesn't let me do that. So, in a way, both need to be done. You need to evolve, and you need to destroy. >> Because many say ego death. Ego death. But, like we said when we were over there, ego has its meaning, right? Just like the wolf.
(1:17:06) >> Mhm. >> I'm still stuck on that wolf. >> That wolf, yes. >> It's there for a reason. >> Ego is what So, Patanjali says >> What does it do? >> Patanjali says uh asमिता So, avidya asमिता rag dvesha abhinivesha klesha. Meaning, lack of knowledge. So, I don't have identity of who I am. That makes me create a false identity of what I think I am.
(1:17:38) And that false identity of what I think I am creates negative emotions, klesha, problems. And that problem create fear, fear of death. So, if I want to get rid of ego, which means, in terms of yoga, the false I that I have created. And that is the only purpose of ego to to give me identity. Without identity, I'm an animal.
(1:18:06) The first thing that a man ask himself when he's conscious, who am I? What is my purpose? And I must give myself some answer. I must give myself some task to feel that I'm justified to be on this planet. But, yoga says rather than feeding that false I, you have to make an effort to find the real I. That's why the real I-ization.
(1:18:33) >> Realize. >> Yes. >> I have a quote. >> Yes. >> Real eyes realize real lies. >> [laughter] >> Some quotes you find on Facebook is like, "Whoa." Your understanding about spirituality. What changed since you wrote the book? Because I believe that you were a certain person before writing it and you're another one after.
(1:19:05) Did something change if it changed? Did something change? >> When I was asked to write this book >> You were asked to? >> Yes. >> By whom? >> By the publisher. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Okay. >> So, I was writing this book as who I am today. And that book looked completely different. That book was a very uh It's like the perspective of a professor rather than the perspective of the student.
(1:19:40) And I believe that the perspective of the student would be much more valuable than the perspective of a professor because a professor gets projected in his own little world. So, I made it a point that I first go back to the mindset of where I was back then. And that is how I wanted to talk to the reader. Not as this person that I am today sitting from a place of accomplishment but as the curious boy that I was.
(1:20:16) And that's why when I travel the world, I have you so many young people coming to me and they say the book resonated with us. Because I was giving a very raw and honest take and a very real take because when I was a child and I was in the ashram, you know, sometimes when you are child in that ashram, you don't think about God.
(1:20:38) You think about chocolate. And in my book, I talk about that whole uh paragraph that some lady gave me chocolate for the first time and I thought that was enlightened. And now it's so easy to, you know, talk big things and be so very grand, but sometimes real and honest is better. For me, chocolate was enlightenment.
(1:21:00) And then I put that raw essence in that book. So, nothing has changed in me from when I wrote the book till now, but when I wrote it, the perspective from where I wrote it, it was the beginning of the journey, whereas now I find myself somewhere near the top. >> So, you need to write another book. >> It is in the way, of course.
(1:21:27) >> [laughter] >> Thank you for meeting me. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for your time.