Focus on yourself

Dronacharya was supposed to be the ultimate Guru in archery and any kind of arms bearing for that matter. The Kauravas and Pandavas were his disciples. Out of these 105 brothers, Arjuna became his favourite disciple, to whom he revealed the most. He revealed almost everything that he knew only to Arjuna. Why this is so is not because Dronacharya had some favouritism or because he was biased, but simply because nobody else had the quality to receive.

One day, the 105 brothers were in a class. Dronacharya was talking about archery. For "practical laboratory work," he took them outside where he had set up a toy parrot on the topmost branch of a tree. He took them out and one by one he told them, "There is a little spot on the neck of the parrot. Aim at that spot and shoot." When they drew their bow, they were to wait till he said "shoot." And he kept them waiting for a few minutes. Most people cannot keep their focus in one place for more than a few seconds. Have you noticed this with yourself? Most people are simply incapable of keeping their focus on anything. So, Dronacharya would let them wait for a few minutes with the bow drawn. It is physically strenuous to hold the bow and be focused. Then he would ask them, "What all do you see?" They would go about describing all the leaves on the tree, the fruits, the flowers, the bird and even the sky. When Arjuna's turn came, he focused, he drew his bow and Dronacharya asked, "What all do you see?" Arjuna said, "Just one spot on the neck of the parrot, that's all I see."

This man gets somewhere. People who see like the other 104 brothers, where will they go? If they get anywhere, it is only accidentally. If they get somewhere, it is not because of themselves but in spite of themselves, because so many forces in the existence take them on. But Arjuna will get somewhere because of himself; because he knows where he is. That is how you should be. You simply be where you have to be, focused on what you have to be. Then what has to happen will happen. What happens to somebody need not happen to you, but what has to happen to you will definitely happen; nobody can deny it to you. If you are so concerned about what is happening to somebody else, time goes waste; life goes waste.

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the "Padma Vibhushan", India's highest annual civilian award, by the Government of India in 2017, for exceptional and distinguished service.