Gita 3.29

Sadhak: "This seems to justify keeping spiritual knowledge secret or withholding truth. Isn't that elitist?"

Guru: "It's not about hoarding truth but recognizing readiness. A medical student learns anatomy before performing surgery—not because surgery is 'secret' but because prerequisites exist. Similarly, certain teachings require a prepared mind. Sharing prematurely doesn't help; it confuses or destabilizes. The Gita itself is shared openly—anyone can read it. But understanding its depth requires maturity. The verse counsels against aggressive preaching, not against teaching the receptive."

Sadhak: "But if someone is suffering because of their attachments, shouldn't we help them see the truth?"

Guru: "That suffering is often their teacher. Sometimes people must exhaust attachment through experience before they're ready to question it. Premature intervention might take away their lesson without replacing it with genuine understanding. The alcoholic who hasn't hit bottom may resist all help; the one who has touched bottom becomes teachable. This doesn't mean ignoring suffering—offer what help is accepted. But don't imagine your philosophical insight will liberate someone who isn't asking to be liberated."

Sadhak: "How do I know if someone is ready or 'manda' (slow)?"

Guru: "By their questions. The ready soul asks: 'Who am I? What is real? How can I be free?' The unready asks: 'How can I get more? How can I win? How can I be proven right?' When someone's entire orientation is toward acquiring, achieving, and affirming the ego, they're not ready to hear that the ego is illusory. When they begin questioning the ego's pursuits—when a certain dissatisfaction with worldly gains arises—they become teachable. Until then, respect their process."

Sadhak: "What does 'na vicālayet' (should not disturb) actually mean in practice?"

Guru: "Don't undermine their working worldview without offering a functional replacement. If someone derives meaning from career success, don't casually mention that success is illusory—you'll take their meaning without giving liberation. If someone is religiously devoted to a form of God, don't debate non-duality—you may destroy their devotion without establishing the formless. Disturbance without elevation serves no one. Either share the complete teaching or remain silent."

Sadhak: "But wasn't Arjuna disturbed? Krishna disturbed his entire understanding!"

Guru: "Arjuna asked. He came with a genuine crisis: 'I am confused about my duty; teach me.' That request grants permission. Moreover, Krishna doesn't just deconstruct—he builds an entirely new understanding. The complete teaching includes both negation of the false and affirmation of the true. This is kṛtsna-vid speaking to a ready student. Had Arjuna not asked, Krishna would not have disturbed him. Teaching requires an invitation."

Sadhak: "So I should never share my spiritual insights with family or friends who seem identified with the material world?"

Guru: "Share when appropriate openings arise—when they ask, when they're suffering in ways that suggest readiness for a different perspective, when your sharing would genuinely help rather than just demonstrate your knowledge. But don't corner people at dinner parties with discourses on non-doership. Don't argue with their beliefs. Don't make them wrong for finding meaning where they find it. Your best teaching is your presence—if your understanding makes you more peaceful, loving, and wise, they'll notice. That inspires inquiry far more than lectures."

Sadhak: "What if I see someone making terrible decisions based on their delusion?"

Guru: "Offer practical advice appropriate to their worldview. If they believe in personal agency, give advice in those terms: 'Perhaps consider...' You can guide without shattering their framework. Sometimes the kindest thing is to help someone succeed better at their current level rather than pulling the rug out. If they're building a house of cards, you can help them build a sturdier one rather than proving it's all cards. Unless they ask to see what's beyond cards, let them have their structure."

Sadhak: "This seems like it could justify never teaching anyone anything challenging."

Guru: "The key is 'na vicālayet'—don't unsettle. Teaching that settles, that provides stable ground, that answers genuine questions—this is always appropriate. What destabilizes is challenging someone's reality without invitation or without offering a more stable alternative. The Gita itself is challenging, but it settles Arjuna into clarity. Challenge with care and completion is service; challenge that leaves someone fragmented is harm."

Sadhak: "How does the knower remain engaged with the world while seeing through its reality?"

Guru: "By playing the role without believing the role is who they are. An actor can play a character brilliantly while knowing they're not the character. The sage engages in the world's conventions—social niceties, practical planning, emotional appropriate responses—while knowing these are the play of gunas. This isn't dishonesty; it's skillful participation. You meet people where they are because that's where communication happens. Demanding that everyone operate at your level of understanding is ego, not wisdom."