Go for Gold Lecture

Dispossessiveness

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #32 – “Aniketah” or “Homeless”

50:10 Q&A Q1 – We get attached in our relationships. Is this something we need to work on to evolve?

51:50 Q&A Q2 – Sometimes, due to work obligations, we need to stay away from family for extended periods. Does this mean that we are forsaking our duties to our family?

58:00 Q&A Q3 – We have routines to stay focused in life. What happens if we get attached to that routine?

Being Content with Anything

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #31 – “Santuṣṭaḥ Yenakenacit” or “Content with Anything”

52:20 Q&A Q1 – If one is able to understand that we get what we deserve, this can help us stay content. However, occasionally, extremely unfortunate events such as a sudden car accident occur. In such situations, how do you convince yourself that this is what I deserve?

55:45 Q&A Q2 – Can the Law of Karma stand on its own merit without bringing in the concept of reincarnation?

Being Silent

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #30 – “Mauni” or “Being Silent”

47:35 Q&A Q1 – If one is in a public space and sees someone reacting in a negative way, how do we prevent ourselves from reacting to the other person’s negative reaction?

50:05 Q&A Q2 – Is it possible to suppress one’s reaction? Is it better to instead transform an automatic reaction into action?

53:53 Q&A Q3 – When I read about the recent bomb explosion in New Delhi, I had a reaction to it and also to the opinions of others with regard to this event. How do I handle this?

58:00 Q&A Q4 – How does one strike a balance between the need to network with others and the suggestion to not react unnecessarily?

1:00:20 Q&A Q5 – Sometimes I get stuck in the thought of past events, particularly if someone said something negative to me. How do I fix this tendency?

1:02:40 Q&A Q6 –Sometimes, thoughts keep coming to me and it feels like I have no control over them. Also, I get distracted and lose focus on the present moment. How do I manage my mind in these situations?

Equal to Praise & Criticism00:00 Quality of a Seeker #29 – “Tulyanindāstutiḥ” or “To whom censure and praise are equal”47:30 Open Q&A Q1 – How does one manage a situation where people spoil your reputation by speaking untruths?49:25 Open Q&A Q2 – It seems that people gossip about you when you rise or fall. Please explain how to handle both situations. 50:45 Open Q&A Q3 – How do you manage a situation when you are in a group that is gossiping? Should we suggest to others that we should not gossip?54:35 Open Q&A Q4 – Is gossip always a negative thing to do?57:05 Open Q&A Q5 – If a close family member is gossiping, should we suggest to them that they should refrain from this?

Free from Attachment | Desire for Liberation00:00 Quality of a Seeker #28 – “Sangavivarjitah” or “Free from Attachment”41:13 Question of the week: How does one develop mumukshatva (desire for liberation)?51:10 Open Q&A Q1 – Given we have existing commitments such as family and work, how do we direct more effort towards the pursuit of liberation or Self-realisation? 53:19 Open Q&A Q2 – Spiritual evolution requires us to be detached from objects or people. How do we ensure this detachment doesn’t damage our relationships?56:00 Open Q&A Q3 – Please explain the nature of the attachment that a parent has for their child. How does this attachment develop?58:15 Open Q&A Q4 – Is it better to have more lower intensity attachments or fewer high intensity attachments? 59:53 Open Q&A Q5 – How do I look at my current actions and change my internal orientation to direct the action towards Self-realisation?1:02:58 Open Q&A Q6 – Is it possible to live with someone for many years and not be attached?1:04:40 Open Q&A Q7 – Is it necessary to have detachment in every situation?1:04:55 Open Q&A Q8 – Is dismissing the first thought the best solution to avoiding attachment?

Equanimity | Power of Thought

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #27 – “Samaḥ śatrau ca mitre ca tathā mānāpmānayoḥ śītoṣna-sukhaduḥkheṣu” or “Alike to friend and foe, honour and dishonour, heat and cold, joy and sorrow”

49:14 Question of the week: Do thoughts have consequences even if not acted upon?

54:39 Open Q&A Q1 – Is it enough for one to act based on one’s values and goals even if nobody else recognises that?

57:25 Open Q&A Q2 – What is the difference between conscious and the unconscious mind? 

58:35 Open Q&A Q3 – The key to equanimity and the other qualities of a devotee is “right thinking”. How do we develop “right thinking”?

Renouncer of Good & Evil | Charity

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #26 – “Subhasubhaparityagi” or “Renouncer of Good and Evil”

43:20 Question of the week: How does one find a balance between giving and being charitable versus setting and pursuing one’s own personal goals?

51:43 Open Q&A Q1 – Given that we are advised to renounce both good and evil, how should we choose our values?

54:25 Open Q&A Q2 – To renounce good and evil, should we seek neutrality? 

57:13 Open Q&A Q3 – Charity can be considered a good quality. But on the other hand, charity makes one feel good, so it becomes selfish. How do we reconcile this?

One Who Does Not Desire | Reducing Frustration

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #25 – “Na Kanksati” Or “One Who Does Not Desire”

46:40 Question of the week: What is frustration? How does it arise? How does one reduce or eliminate it?

55:50 Open Q&A Q1 – Can we motivate ourselves with something apart from desire?

58:25 Open Q&A Q2 – What is happiness and how is it linked to desire?

1:01:45 Open Q&A Q3 – Desires are part of human nature but we must move to higher, spiritual desires. Please explain.

One Who Does Not Grieve | The Role of Gratitude in Spiritual Evolution

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #24 – “Na Socati” Or “One Who Does Not Grieve”

34:07 Question of the week: What is the role of gratitude in spiritual evolution?

46:30 Open Q&A Q1 – Is the higher feeling of gratitude the same as “true love”?

48:45 Open Q&A Q2 – When I am happy, is that egoistic?

49:55 Open Q&A Q3 – Is it the Spirit that remains forever?

50:15 Open Q&A Q4 – What can we do to help someone who has lost a child?

54:45 Open Q&A Q5 – There is an element of “I” in gratitude. The ideal attitude is to simply be aware of the benevolence of nature. As an interim step, is it helpful to move to “We are grateful”? 

56:20 Open Q&A Q6 – I get comfort from the fact that I will meet my loved ones in my after-life. Could you help me understand if I will? 

59:15 Open Q&A Q7 – How does one prevent oneself from becoming attached to something or someone that makes you happy?

In this recording from the Pearls of Practical Philosophy series of Sunday Wisdom Sessions, Sudhakar analyses “The Village Preacher” - an extract from Oliver Goldsmith’s long poem The Deserted Village.

Goldsmith portrays The Village Preacher as the very embodiment of an ideal human being. His life is rooted in service — uplifting the poor, comforting the troubled, and giving freely of his time and compassion. Duty never weighed on him; instead, he embraced it with empathy and warmth, extending his care equally to all who crossed his path. His selflessness became a guiding light, a quiet beacon for the community.

Goldsmith crowns this portrait with a striking metaphor. He likens the preacher to a mighty cliff towering above the valley. The cliff rises into the skies, its breast untouched by storms or rain, while sunlight glows endlessly at its peak. In the same way, the preacher’s heart held the emotions and struggles of those around him, yet his intellect remained serene, unshaken, and attuned to a higher Reality.

One Who Does Not Hate | The Way To Gain Anything Is To Lose It

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #23 – “Na Dvesti” Or “One Who Does Not Hate”

45:45 Question of the week: “The way to gain anything is to lose it.” Please explain

57:36 Open Q&A Q1 – When one has negative feelings towards someone it may be useful to temporarily distance oneself from them, is it similar to the quality of “Udasinah” or being unconcerned?

59:55 Open Q&A Q2 – Sometimes we see hatred around us. This troubles us. How should we handle that emotion?

1:01:50 Open Q&A Q3 – While making decisions, should we rely on the mind or the intellect?

1:02:40 Open Q&A Q4 – How should one develop the intellect?

1:04:37 Open Q&A Q5 – To achieve results, does one need to be driven by the results?

1:06:05 Open Q&A Q6 – Hate seems very common in today’s world. How does one help with this?

One Who Does Not Rejoice | The Law of Karma

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #22 – “Na Hrsyati” Or “One Who Does Not Rejoice”

39:45 Question of the week: Please explain “The Law of Karma”

51:18 Open Q&A Q1 – Does the ability to maintain balance even when experiencing joy require a measure of humility?

53:15 Open Q&A Q2 – Rejoicing for others can be uplifting, but are there any pitfalls to that?

54:15 Open Q&A Q3 – What is the entity within us that is the owner/subject of our emotions? Is it the Self, the ego, or something else?

1:00:18 Open Q&A Q4 – Can karma come from past lives?

1:01:41 Open Q&A Q5 – Why do good people who perform good actions always suffer in this world?

1:03:45 Open Q&A Q6 – What is the correlation between karma and one’s sense of purpose

1:04:28 Open Q&A Q7 – Is it true that children choose which parents to be born to?

Renouncing Doership | Austerity and Frugality

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #21 – “Sarva Arambha Parityagi” Or “Renouncer of all Undertaking”

36:05 Question of the week: Define austerity and frugality. What are the benefits of practising them?

48:15 Open Q&A Q1 – In the book “Governing Business and Relationships”, the author says – “The more you give, the more you gain” is the inexorable law of life reiterated by Swami Ramatirtha. The “way to gain anything is to lose it”. Could you elaborate on these statements?

53:50 Open Q&A Q2 – It is said that in the end you have to give up the reward of heavens or that you have to surrender everything. Please explain.

56:40 Open Q&A Q3 – At work, one often needs to sell oneself. In this situation, how does one control the ego?

58:30 Open Q&A Q4 – Can you recommend some practical tips to keep a check on the ego on a day-to-day basis?

Untroubled | Managing Criticism

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #20 – “Gatavyathah” Or “Untroubled”

37:35 Question of the week: How does one avoid getting agitated when criticised?

50:26 Open Q&A Q1 – When someone close to us is facing problems, how do we calibrate our response to them?

52:51 Open Q&A Q2 – How do we manage troubles that come from within – for example, living in constant pain from a medical condition?

54:50 Open Q&A Q3 – Sometimes when we have a problem, we keep thinking about it and it seems to become a bigger problem. How do we prevent this?

56:33 Open Q&A Q4 – The society we live in often has expectations of us. Sometimes we feel we cannot meet those expectations. As a defense mechanism, sometimes we put on a mask that helps us portray to society that we are meeting those expectations. What is the right approach to this?

59:45 Open Q&A Q5 – How does one carry out a proper self-assessment and how does one develop conviction in this self-assessment?

1:03:51 Open Q&A Q6 – Where our attention goes, our energy goes. By constantly preparing for trouble, do we end up increasing the trouble in our lives?

1:05:18 Open Q&A Q7 – What do we do when the mind overpowers our intellect?

1:06:25 Open Q&A Q8 – Does your intellect have to come into play on a daily basis?

Unconcerned | Obligatory Duty

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #19 – “Udasinah” Or “Unconcerned”

34:10 Question of the week: What is an obligatory duty? What is a self‐imposed duty? Is there a hierarchy of obligations in one’s life?

49:50 Open Q&A Q1 – Is the organisation of a wedding for one’s child an obligatory or a self-imposed duty?

53:50 Open Q&A Q2 – Is it ok to set a goal that is beyond our capacity?

55:45 Open Q&A Q3 – Can a higher goal be something apart from Self-realisation?

57:45 Open Q&A Q4 – Why are people concerned about other people’s lives? Why do people spread lies and fake stories about others even when they haven’t harmed them? Could you provide tips on how we can avoid such people?

Daksha | Dexterity | Skillfullness00:00 Quality of a Seeker #18 – “Daksha” 36:47 Question of the week: What is the significance of prayer, rituals, and idols?

Purity | Personalisation

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #17 – “Sucih” Or “Pure”

41:32 Question of the week: What is personalisation? How does one combat it?

56:32 Open Q&A Q1 – Does one really need to destroy the ego?

1:00:37 Open Q&A Q2 – Why do some people criticise/attack others? When others attack you, how does one handle the situation? 

1:04:32 Open Q&A Q3 – How does one balance between spirit and matter?

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #16 – “Anapeksah” Or “Free from Want”40:35 Question of the week: Please explain the quote ‘Intense work is rest’ by Swami Rama Tirtha.53:45 Open Q&A Q1 – Can meditation help bring your thoughts to the present and to a single thought? 55:52 Open Q&A Q2 – Why don’t we believe that we are the Self? 57:33 Open Q&A Q3 – What does “Knowledge of the Self” mean?1:01:05 Open Q&A Q4 – When I meditate, I recognise/experience some feelings. How do I manage these feelings?

00:00 Quality of a Seeker #15 – “Harsa Amarsa Bhaya Udvegaih Muktah” Or “Freed from Joy, Envy, Fear, Anger, Anxiety”27:55 Question of the week: Why is one scared of death? How do we reduce or eliminate this fear?52:00 Open Q&A Q1 – Death is explained as a transition into an environment that is more conducive to one’s evolution. If that is so, then why do some people appear to die despite being in the prime of life?54:00 Open Q&A Q2 – Please explain the concepts of Sanchita and Prarabdha Vasanas in the context of death58:45 Open Q&A Q3 – Life seems like being on a hamster wheel. How does one stay energised and motivated every day?1:01:45 Open Q&A Q4 – Many of us have plenty. Yet there is greed, envy and a tendency to harm others. Why is this?1:05:10 Open Q&A Q5 – Is there any relationship between discontent and selfishness?