Acharya Prashant responds to a question comparing a disciple's willingness to surrender with a teacher's grace. He begins by clarifying that Arjun does not know the Gita is on its way; he is simply and helplessly expressing his situation to Shri Krishna. The speaker then reframes the question, stating that it should be about what is relevant to the seeker, not an inquiry into Shri Krishna's grace, which is his own prerogative. What is within the seeker's control is their own preparation, willingness, honesty, courage, and discretion. One should take care of their own situation, as that is a lot to handle, and not worry about Krishna's portfolio. The speaker explains that if one finds it difficult to be open, it is because of self-respect and a competitive mindset. One treats the teacher as an adversary, fearing that exposing one's secrets will lead to being seen as small, which would hurt one's self-respect. This happens because one wants to be seen as big by the teacher. He states that Arjun can express himself so openly only because he is no longer competitive. The speaker defines grace as the seeker's own ripeness. He says, "Your own ripeness is the grace of Krishna." This ripeness is not a natural event in time, like a mango ripening, but a conscious choice. When you are ripe, grace is yours; it is like a law. In this, Krishna is a timeless witness who does nothing; the seeker's ripeness itself becomes the grace. Acharya Prashant concludes that if you meet a true Krishna, you will receive grace. If you don't, your own discretion will at least save you from impostors. The task is not to moralistically try to "drop" ego and emotions, which he calls childish nonsense. Instead, the job is to realize one's own inner stateâdesire, fear, greedâwith sharp clarity. This sharp seeing is what is needed, and from that realization, certain things happen on their own for one's own good.
