I am pulling your ears so that no one can pull your ears || (2014)
Questioner (Q): Sir, it has happened many times that during the session we are not allowed to speak or ask our doubts. Why is it so?
Acharya Prashant (AP): It is because when a patient is being operated, when a surgical process is going on and the patient is lying on the table, you anesthetize the patient. You do not give the patient the freedom to walk. You do not give the patient the freedom to talk.
Do you understand this?
There are situations where your speaking will be extremely harmful for you yourself. A patient is being operated on the table and what if he starts walking and talking? He starts saying that ‘It is my right and freedom, how can you take away my freedom to speak, my freedom to walk?’
Would you allow him to walk? Would you allow him to talk?
Let me give you an example. When I entered this room, my friend here (pointing at one of the listeners) made quite a nice face looking at me.
She was actually delighted to look at me. So delighted that she quickly picked up her bag and tried to run away! Had I given her the right to run away, could she have enjoyed the session?
(Addressing the same listener) I ask here now that are you not glad to be here?
Q: Yes, Sir.
AP: There are situations in which you don’t know what is good for you. It is only later on that you realize. It is only later on that you come and say, ‘Thank you that you did not allow me to run away, thank you for applying that little bit of force on me because I anyway don’t understand any other language except force.’
Do you understand any other language except that of force? If attendance compulsion is not there, how many subject lectures will you attend? If this temptation of job is not there, how many of you will complete your B.Tech. course?
Q: But Sir, we have to plan for the future.
AP: If that temptation, ‘future’ is not there then will you study for love? So you work only through two engines which are: greed and fear. Remove greed, remove fear, you will not move at all. So even to liberate you, a little bit of force is to be used. It is a very peculiar situation. Even to set you free, somebody has to apply a little bit of force otherwise you would not have been here. You would run away.
We actually need somebody to pull our ears. It is unfortunate, but that is what we have come to. I desperately want you to come to a situation where nobody needs to pull your ears. And I am pulling your ears so that you can come to that situation.
Q: Sir, this is the same thing that our parents say.
AP: See, you have to look at what is happening to you. By getting your ears pulled, are you becoming free or are you becoming further bonded? You have to look at it yourself with open eyes. If I have stopped you here, am I making you feel small, or am I making you feel free? You have to look at that.
There is no doubt that I used a little bit of force to stop you here. But after that how have you felt, small, bonded, or free? This you have to ask yourself.
