Questioner (Q): What is the right age for spirituality?
Acharya Prashant (AP): See, passive voice in the English language is quite deceptive. “Spirituality is associated with old age,” and you have conveniently hidden- by whom?
Is Kṛṣṇa telling Arjuna , “ Arjuna you come to me after 50 years when you are about to die.” Is that so? Or Vasiṣṭha of Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha is telling Ram that, “ Ram you are too young to receive this revelation come to me when you are half dead”?
Spirituality of old age is merely repentance, it is not spirituality. And what you are repenting? You are repenting, “How I wish this could have happened when I still had energy and time.” When you are 132 years old, would you be able to sit here till midnight with me? I just said work, work, and work very hard. Remain occupied with the right work constantly, and if this teaching reaches you when you are 102, of what use would be the teaching? Then work is not even work to you, “It is work! (speaks like an old man without teeth). What are you doing? “I am Worrr… (emulates someone who can’t speak properly because of old age),” this kind of work will happen then, “I am working (sluggishly moves his hand).”
Do you want to receive the right directions after the journey is over, and time is up? But your enlightened majority wants you to first finish the journey, and then receive the directions.
Q: Acharya Ji, what are the signs of a good student?
AP: “Bhala bura kahan jaye uth nai bhagiye.” (Sings and smiles) (Don’t get up and leave when the teacher says something harsh to you).
That is the utter maximum. Spirituality begins when the allotted spiritual time starts getting over. So, after 11:00 p.m. it's time to see real spirituality. Before that, it is the personally allotted time. “I allotted X hours, from my schedule to… [spirituality]. After that, is my… [personal time].” And my job is to invade the personal time. That's real spirituality, right? That's work, so work begins after 11:00 p.m. Before that it's word. 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. it's word. After 11:00 p.m. it's work. And work will win you the battle not word.
