While studying in college how can we not identify ourselves as students?

Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, if your study is doing a service of study to Krishna, how can we not identify ourselves as students, and still do our studies well? So, when I say I don’t identify as a student, that means that, that is not our foundational identity.
See, there is the foundational identity and there is functional identity. Functional identity means we have to perform various functions in the world. And for that purpose we have identities.
In Bhagavad Gita itself, 2.13 Krishna tells Arjuna that, देखिनोस्मिले था देहे कौमारं यवनंजरा था देहान्तरः प्राप्ति धीरस्तत्रनमोहियते Krishna says, you are not the body or the soul. The wise person who understands this is not disturbed. And yet, Krishna in the very next verse, 2.14, what does he say? मात्रास्परिशास्तु गौन्तेय शीतोष्टु सुखदुखदा भागमापाई नौवित्यस्ताम्सितिक्षस्वाभारता So Krishna is identifying Arjuna with two names, Kaunteya and Bharata.
Kaunteya is the son of Kunti. If Arjuna is not the body, then how is he the son of Kunti? If Arjuna is not the body, then how is he the descendant of the Bharata dynasty? So, it is not that the functional identity is to be rejected. The functional identity is an identity.
You have to accept that. But we don’t consider that our only identity. So, we have our foundational identity, which is our souls.
But as a soul, we may be doing various things in our life. And, you know, if I am going to apply for a passport to go abroad, and if somebody asks, what is your name? I am not saying I am a spirit soul. Isn’t it? I am in a particular country.
I am known by a particular name as a citizen. So, I will use the functional identity over you. So, our functional identity is not to be rejected.
But it is to be subordinated and integrated with our fundamental identity. So, while doing activities, we do remember our functional identity. And we have to act appropriately according to functional identity also.
So, as students, when I say don’t identify, that means that doesn’t become our primary identity. See, primary identity means that by which we define ourselves. So, for example, say if a boy-girl have a relationship with each other, and a man-woman have a relationship with each other as a husband-wife.
So, if a person defines oneself, a man defines, I am the husband of this wife, or the wife defines herself, I am the husband of this man. And suppose there is some problem in the relationship. And then what happens is, it’s not just that the relationship is broken, but people themselves feel unworthy.
People feel rejected. People feel as if their self-esteem has been shattered. So, we all get our sense of self-worth and self-identity from our relationships.
So, if my sense of self-identity and self-worth is coming from say, I am born in a Brahmin family. And then I come to know, actually my parents had adopted me and I was born in a Shudra family. Who am I? So, I will get totally disoriented.
So, what happens is, all of us, we get our sense of self-identity and self-worth from some family. We are relational creatures. So, we get our sense of self-identity and self-worth from our relationships.
So, if somebody rejects us in a relationship, then it’s not just that the relationship is broken, but our sense of self-worth and self-identity also gets taken away. So, if we identify ourselves first and foremost as servants of Krishna, then that means my sense of self-worth and self-identity comes not because this person loves me, not because this person respects me, not because this person thinks so good about me. My sense of self-worth and self-identity comes because Krishna loves me, because I am a part of Krishna.
So, that is our defining relationship. But as far as functioning in this world, we have to act according to whatever function we are performing. So, yes, I am this person’s son, I am this person’s brother, I am this person’s relative, I am a citizen of this country.
These are also roles which we are playing. We have functional identities. So, if I am a student, I do identify myself as a student, but that is my functional identity.
So, sometimes we may study well, but still we don’t get good marks in the exam. Okay, we see that this is a service which I was meant to do and somehow this service didn’t work out well. But that doesn’t mean that I am worthless.
Yes, as a student studying at a particular phase in my life, yes, I did not do so well. But I am much bigger than this particular event. I am an eternal being.
And therefore, I can see myself, see the big picture beyond this particular event. So, when I say don’t identify as a student, it means that our defining identity, the identity that brings us our self-worth and self-esteem, that should not be any contextual identity. That should be our central identity, that is, I am a soul who is a part of the question.