An enlightened person doesn't jump for joy or sink with sorrow

Swamiji, you will be lecturing on Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita on the part that pertains to the description of an enlightened person. What are the salient points of your four-day lectures?
I will be talking about the perfection of the human being. The various traits and qualities and the spiritual heights that a human can reach. Mainly that perfection in man or woman is about not being affected by the external world, a sense of self sufficiency. While plants are completely dependent on the external world and animals are self-sufficient within limits, it is only man or woman who are spiritually designed to be self-sufficient.

Self sufficient in what sense exactly...?
An enlightened person doesn’t jump for joy or sink with sorrow. They may experience joy and sorrow but they are not affected by it. It’s not about being unfeeling, on the other hand it’s a state of unrestricted inner freedom and joy that’s not dependent upon external situations.

How does one achieve this. Is there a practise?
I don’t advocate any practise, I say that it’s about wisdom or intellect. And you can achieve this by reading my 10 books or a single volume of my The Complete Works of Swami Parthasarathy. Or by attending the three-year course that I run in Lonavla at my training academy.

How have you been sequencing your lectures on the Gita for your teaching life?
The Bhagavad Gita has 18 chapters and I do one complete circle of lectures on those 18 chapters once every 20 years. I’ve been teaching for the last 46 years and I’m on my third circuit.

What have you learnt from your interactions with listeners all over the world who come to your lectures?
Nobody understands what I’m talking about. But we don’t bother about results. I do my duty and I have the patience and endurance of doing my duty.