Ranveer Allahbadia - Vivek Jacob

1) Major Vivek Jacob, an Indian military legend, explains that Special Forces is more than just a military unit; it is a mindset that develops over time from life experiences. He believes that everyone is uniquely special and once this is realized it turns into a mindset which can be focused on achieving targets. Special Forces is directed energy which can be applied to protect the nation and make it a safer place to live, ensuring that people can go about their lives without worrying about the future. An example of a Special Forces mission is taking out a group on the other side of the border silently and stealthily.

2) Vivek explains the concept of Special Forces as an expression of a form of energy that can be directed to execute certain tasks or remove certain things from the nation's matrix that do not fit the long-term visions of the government. He discusses the uniqueness of Special Forces and the fact that every operation is different and has its own parameters, making it crucial to be flexible and open-ended. He acknowledges that while he has had his own experiences, there are many other people who have done more than him and whom he looks up to.

3) Ranveer discusses the harsh reality of modern battles with a fellow Special Forces veteran. They talk about the movie Lone Survivor and how it accurately portrays the intensity of battle, with the actual events being even more extreme than depicted in the film. They also delve into the mental and physical challenges that come with being on the battlefield and how anxiety and discomfort can arise even in experienced soldiers. The guest recounts his own personal experience of feeling extreme anxiety during an operation despite having never encountered any problems before.

4) Vivek recounts a situation where he felt like leaving his base for no apparent reason. After analyzing his situation, he realized that he had become lazy and wanted to return to his base's comfort. However, he decided to stay put, which saved his life. Later, an explosion occurred, and his colleague lost his leg. In such critical situations, the difference between success and failure is how a soldier handles it. In this instance, Jacob's quick-thinking and level-headedness allowed him to extracthis team mate and save his life, even though chaos and death loomed around them.

5) Vivek discusses how he went into a flow state to save a fellow soldier's life. He describes the importance of surrendering to the situation and accepting the reality of chaos and disorder. Major Jacob emphasizes that the experiences he and his team had in the Special Forces are extreme situations of life and death, where even a single mistake could be fatal. He also recalls a situation where a young soldier got injured during an operation, and his bulletproof vest had collapsed, causing him to lose an eye.

6) Vivek shares the story of himself who was shot during an operation that caused his severe injuries. He was hospitalized for many months after suffering memory loss and undergoing numerous treatments. The incident left him disfigured, and he lost an eye, which caused his engagement to break up, leading to him questioning his life's purpose. Despite the heartbreak he experienced, his open and simple personality helped him recover over time and start accepting his new reality.

7) Vivek discusses how one's spiritual aspect opens up in war or chaotic situations. He explains that one needs to enter a dimension where chaos exists and, to conquer, you have to surrender and accept and become aware and then focus. With time, the instinct in oneself starts getting developed, creating a new neural network forming, a new dimension where you and material form can experience something that hasn't happened yet. Overtime, you start realizing this connection between yourself and what is happening. You start becoming aware of when something is going to happen, whic his a result of your intuition getting developed over the course of your military career.

8) Vivek discusses expanding one's mind beyond the five senses and becoming aware of the limitations of one's own mind. He explains that by becoming lighter through fulfilling what one's heart desires and expanding one's experiences, individuals can tap into a higher power and download information from a higher place, dissolving the ego and discovering their true selves. Major Jacob also shares his opinion on karma and says it exists for those with neural networks formed in that way, but for those who have zoomed out of that consciousness, it is an illusion.

9) Vivek reflects on the merging of military life with raw nature. Jacob describes the stark contrast between city life with no dangerous wildlife and the army's work, which brings them to combat zones in deep forests and mountains, where nature is in its full form. He explains how soldiers operate in this space where wild animals and dangerous threats reside, and how this connection merges not only at a physical level but also at a deeper level of consciousness. Jacob recounts a time when, on sentry duty, he encountered a leopard staring at the same location as him for an hour and a half, highlighting his deep connection to the environment around him.

10) Major Vivek Jacob discusses the mindset of Special Forces and soldiers in combat, explaining that being in the moment without thinking allows for greater focus and immersion within the physical surroundings. He also discusses his encounters with bears and how animals, including bears, operate on instinct without the constructs or limitations that humans have. Major Jacob highlights that bears are extremely dangerous and can easily tear a person apart with their long sharp claws and teeth, emphasizing that the most dangerous bears are often mothers protecting their cubs. However, he also mentions that an alignment with nature and a lack of fear can lead to a peaceful coexistence with wild bears, with soldiers being familiar with the smell of the forest and thus not a strange entity to the animal.

11) Vivek recalls an incident where he and his team encountered two bears while on a mission. They had observed an area and stationed themselves on a cliff to continue their surveillance. Suddenly, the team heard heavy movement and Major Jacob thought it might be enemies. However, to their surprise, they saw two big bears climbing up towards where they were. One bear stood up and sniffed the team, but then left. Major Jacob realized that the bed and large pile of excrement he had found earlier belonged to the bears and that they had unwittingly set up camp in their territory.

12) Jacob recounts a close encounter with a bear during a mission where it charged towards him and came to a stop just two meters away from him. He notes that he did not want to harm the animal or give away their position by opening fire, so he waited with his weapon raised, and his teammate shone a laser light in the bear's eyes to scare it off. Major Jacob describes the state of mind he experienced during the encounter, where he was solely focused on the bear's movements and his own actions, with no space for emotions or fear.

13) Vivek talks about some books that have influenced him, including a book about unexplainable anomalies, a science fiction book that fired his imagination, and a book about love. He also talks about a magical space he discovered while exploring the Himalayas. The space was a high-altitude lake that was unlike anything he had ever seen before, with layers that were both visible and invisible. He encountered two ducks swimming together on the lake and felt that they were two gods who had transformed into ducks. The experience was very real and profound.

14) Vivek talks about his posting in Siachen, which he describes as the most difficult place to work and survive. The cold temperatures make everything frozen, including water that freezes in the air, and even sweat freezes and forms icicles. He details the harsh reality of being in the glacier, including the threat of enemy attacks and incoming artillery shells that can be the sound of horror, with metal disintegrating and flying in all directions with razor-sharp edges. Despite the harsh setting, he believes that the perception of reality can make the difficulty of existing in any circumstances easier or harder.

15) Vivek describes the intense fear he experienced during missions while being bombed. He explains the fear is like nothing else, and hearing the shelling coming closer is almost unbearable. The most intense fear he faced was during a time when he was stuck on a cliff with no where toturn, and he felt hopeless. He describes a near-death experience where he saw his entire life flash before his eyes. He says it was emotionless, a detached observation, and there was no judgment.

16) Vivek speaks about how soldiers who have experienced intense combat often come to realize the nature of reality, which is that all of reality is an illusion or a dream. He makes a connection to ancient wisdom and says that all characters in the dream come from consciousness, which is the source. Once one understands that it is a dream, they can mold it to be the dream they wish to dream. Major Jacob's realization is that all possibilities exist in the infinite universe simultaneously.

17) Vivek discusses the chaos and uncertainty that comes with being in the middle of a firefight and how survival comes from being aware of the opportunities around you. By surrendering to the truth of the situation and accepting that you are in the dimension of death, you can objectively look at the circumstances and see the infinite set of possibilities that are available. The key to survival is being able to pick the opportunity that works for you and executing it.

18) Vivek Jacob talks about the exchange of energy between people and how it can be experienced as division or merging. He also discusses his current project, Solo Steel, which is a design based on his military and mountaineering experiences. Solo Steel is a hybrid of skillsets and mindsets from both fields, teaching skills such as unarmed combat, navigation, and survival. This project aims to create human ability biomes, where people can realize their potential and become better human beings, spreading love, joy, peace, and capability in the world. Major Vivek Jacob believes that everyone has a god inside them and that it is the journey of life to realize that godliness within yourself.