What Are People Thinking About You?🔗

Today I will start on Authenticity.

The next dimension that is mandatory for you to enrich yourself and others in enlightenment is authenticity. The exact translation of this word in Sanskrit is shraddha. This word is from kathopanishad, which teaches the science of death and beyond death. Let us enter into authenticity.

Let me define authenticity. Authenticity is you being established and responding to life from who you believe yourself to be for yourself, who you believe yourself to be for others, and what others believe you to be for them.

Understand, you are responsible even for what others believe you to be, for them. Knowingly or unknowingly, it is your indirect commitment, your indirect co-operation. Please understand, unless you also give them certain indirect signals through your body language, they do not believe what you are, in their heart.

Let me give you a practical example from my life. Even if I don’t declare it in words, the moment I assume this throne and let you see me in this throne, I have declared and made you believe that I am an incarnation. The moment I sit on the throne and put my feet on these padukas, and the mantras chanted by the devotees describes me as ‘sarva deva devi svaroopaaya’ – (embodiment of all the Gods and Goddesses), the moment I let that mantra be chanted in my presence, I have already committed to all who have heard that mantra. I have already declared. Now, I have to authentically stand by my commitment, even if I have not verbally said it. In the same way, the moment you marry somebody, you have committed to that person with authenticity, even though there are many vows that you do not verbally or directly commit.

Authenticity has three layers. One, what you believe as yourself, for yourself. Yesterday, I tried to have some fun. I tried to do svapoornatva with the mirror. But the moment I sat, I got lost, as there was neither kaaya (body), nor chaaya (reflection)! After that, I got up, washed my face and went to sleep. I am so happy that I hold myself as a pure super-consciousness!

The second layer is how you show yourself to others, and what others believe as you.

Understand. Let me define this once more. What

you believe as yourself for yourself is mamakara. Please understand. How you project yourself to others is ahankara. What you believe as yourself, for yourself is mamakara. How you project yourself to others is ahankara.

The third layer that is very important is how others perceive you. Others may perceive you differently from how you project yourself. Even for that, you become responsible! You become responsible for how others perceive you, because you subtly co-operate with it, whether you want it or not and whether you are aware of it or not. For example, you may believe yourself to be an ordinary man, but you may project yourself to others as a great sadhu, and others may not believe it! So there are three entities here. Somebody may believe that you are enlightened; somebody else may believe that you are an incarnation; somebody may think that you are just a fake sadhu. But you are responsible for each one's belief, because you subtly cooperate with it!

That is why I declare with integrity and authenticity, that I am responsible for every image created by me. That is why I feel powerful. I don't feel abused. If you call me as a poornavatara because I gave you something, I am responsible for it. If you call me a great sadhu because I gave you something, I am responsible for it. If you call me enlightened because I gave you something, I am responsible for it. If you call me a fake sadhu, I am responsible for that also. Because, I did not stop you or try to change your belief! So I authentically declare that I am responsible to live with it. I am complete with it.

For others' perception of you, we use the Sanskrit word 'anyakara'. So, there is ahankara, mamakara and anyakara! I am responsible even for anyakara, because I allow it! I allow all the devotees doing the pada pooja to invoke me as an embodiment of God, because thousands of peoples' devotion is invoked, with which I can enlighten them. But at the same time, if there are people who are not convinced, who feel that I am a cheat, I am responsible for that also, because I allow this mantra to be chanted. Or I should have waited without letting this be chanted, until the whole world believes that I am an incarnation - for which even Jesus would have been waiting until now! So naturally, we do take some hurried steps, even though the whole world is not ready to come with us, at our speed.

Just for the sake of the few who are ready to come with me, I tolerate the disturbances caused by the negative anyakara. I bear with it because of the benefits the seekers get. If some people feel that I am fake, I feel responsible even for their anyakara. That is why I don't feel powerless before their anyakara. It is not a surprise to me.

Poison is not a surprise to Mahadeva. There will be people who will have doubts! Mahadeva is complete with being 'Neelakanta', the one who has swallowed the poison and holds it in his throat. People ask, what is the meaning of the symbol of poison in his throat? Neelakanta is the symbol that Mahadeva is complete, even with the negative anyakara. He declares his authenticity, and he is complete with his ahankara, mamakara and anyakara. That is why he is Mahadeva, Shiva! By having the haalahaala poison in his throat, Mahadeva declares,

'Nothing is a surprise for me!'

Only when you have the clarity that nothing can be a surprise for you, you will have the guts to take responsibility and enter into others' life. Only then will you understand the meaning of the words, 'Don't give up on people.' Understand, when you are complete with the statement, 'Nothing surprises me, I am ready for any anyakara, I will face anyakara,' only then will you learn the meaning of the truth – 'Don't give up on people'.

I want you all to meditate on the word anyakara. All of you know ahankara and mamakara. mamakara means what you feel as yourself. ahankara means what you show to others as yourself. anyakara means what others believe as you, independent of what you project as you.

Contemplate on anyakara. What others hold as you is independent of what you project as yourself to others. That is why the effects of anyakara surprise you, whether it is good or bad. I am neither surprised by a devotee who is ready to give his life for me nor surprised by a devotee who is ready to take my life. I am complete with both, because I know both the possibilities.

Today's assignment is this: What are the sufferings that you think were caused in your life, by others' anyakara, which is independent of your ahankara? What do you think happened in your life because of anyakara, the idea that others carry about you, which is independent of what you project as you?

It is a very powerful assignment. For the next two days, do this. For the next two days, I want you to work on anyakara. Contemplate, contemplate, contemplate on anyakara. I tell you, if you are complete with anyakara, I can declare you are God! I can authentically declare you are God. Completion with anyakara is where people miss. People always catch completion with ahankara and mamakara, because both are in your control. Complete with anyakara.

So all of you will do the home work assignment. Look at your life and pen down:

œ What are all the good and bad things that happened in your life, due to anyakara, others' idea and image about you, which is independent of what you feel as you and what you project as you. Ready? When you express more and more, the deeper and deeper truths come out.

œ The second part of the assignment - find out how you are responsible even for what others hold as you! Write down how you are responsible for others' anyakara.

It is the confusion between your ahankara and mamakara that is responsible for anyakara. If you are surprised about others' anyakara about you, it means that there is some unconsciousness in you. Work on how you are responsible for anyakara.

Please get your paper and pen and start the assignment on anyakara now. Please write down - what are the good bad things that happened to you, because of what others feel as you, independent of what you project as you to others.

(While the participants write, Swamiji starts singing in Tamil)

This is satsang! – you sat, I sang – this is sat-sang!

I bless you all! Let you all achieve, experience, live, express, radiate, share, explode and enrich with eternal bliss, 'Nithyananda'. Thank you!

Take responsibility for your ahankara, mamakara and anyakara. Then no suffering can come to you. No one can bring suffering to you. You don't want to take responsibility. That is why life brings surprise sufferings to you.