Baba Bulleh Shah

Let the Words Take You to Silence – Baba Bulle Shah

There is such great fun in leaving yourself behind and turning a servant to the Truth. It’s almost like Krishna advising Arjuna, “Talk in everlasting words and dedicate them all to Me—*mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja, sarva-dharmān parityajya*.” And at numerous places in the *Bhagavad Gita*, he says, “Arjuna, you are not fighting for yourself, you are fighting for Me. As long as you fight for yourself, if you win, you suffer, and if you lose, you suffer. And when you fight for Me, then you are a victor even before the fight begins.”

In the middle of your wounds, celebrate! || Acharya Prashant, on Saint Kabir (2017)

8 min

Questioner (Q): I read some couplets by Saint Kabir and they touched me deeply. He wants to become one with God or Truth so much, but he is pained that he is unable to do that. At times I feel like meeting Him is the only thing left for me… read_more

Can A Common Language Unite a Nation?

13 min

As long as one tries to standardize or enforce something that varies from man to man, it will only create division, violence, and suffering. You have to focus on that which we all have in common—something that unifies us so strongly that all the differences become worthless. That unifying principle is our urge to rise, to know, and to be liberated from inner ignorance.

Are You Foolish, Clever, Or Innocent?

10 min

Foolishness is about maintaining the rotten ego while still expecting a great life; but it does not make profits because it can't. In cleverness, you are still rotten, but you have managed to appear otherwise to others; so you start making profits, but they do not suffice for inner fulfillment. In innocence, you can make profits but don’t care to, because you have realized that the very problem that made you relate to the world in a profit-seeking way is gone.

Can't Say 'No'?

20 min

You’ve to remember the end. If the end is remembered, practically anything can be a means to that end. If the end is remembered, no means is important. Only that particular means is important that leads to the end at any particular moment. And, you don’t need to stick to any particular means. Because, life changes, so means have to change. The end alone is changeless, the end alone is endless. Everything else must come to an end, except the end itself.

Why Don't Indian Women Pay on Dates?

13 min

See the conditioning. The forces of conditioning, they cut both ways. So, just as women are trained to be homemakers, similarly men are trained to be the breadwinners and the ones who would bring in the cash. So, from your point of view, it might be quite surprising that she didn’t offer to pay but probably from where she was looking at it, it was quite natural that you being the man, would take care of the payment.

Love or Just Desire?

9 min

Love relates to the topmost point because love knows that the purpose is topmost. If you are to serve the topmost purpose, then you have to relate to the topmost point in the others being. So, the student will come to me and seek not flesh but wisdom from me or whatever I can give, some knowledge, something, the intent is very different, desire wants blind gratification, love wants illuminated liberation, the very intent.

Science and Spirituality Always Go Hand in Hand

5 min

The most common thing in spirituality and science is 'an honest urge to know the Truth.' Science observes the external universe, and spirituality observes the mind. These two have to be in tandem. The one thing that enables true knowledge in any field is honesty and integrity.

The SECRET About Life, Art, and Beauty That Changes Everything

11 min

Have you seen an ant hill? Have you seen an ant hill? Now, an ant hill—for an ant—is Taj Mahal. And what is your Taj Mahal for an ant? Nothing. A heap of white rubbish. Think of what pigeons and crows do to the Eiffel Tower, for example. But we look at it, as I said, from the human ego point of view—an anthropomorphic view. We say, "Wow!" We don't appreciate an ant hill. Now, tell me, why don't you appreciate an ant hill? An ant would appreciate an ant hill; we don't appreciate it.

Is Ignoring Grief the Key to Wisdom?

10 min

No wise man will ever take your problem seriously, believe me. For the wise one, all your problems are bad jokes—not even worthy of a sound laughter. But then he says, "You know, I can see through. You cannot. So, I'll give up my right to laugh at you. I'll instead pretend to be serious." "Yes, yes, yes, of course! We have a problem!" He says, "You know, there was a time I was so much like you. These same things were big issues even to me. But I know they can be outgrown.

Are We Revering the Right Voices? A Look at True Wisdom

14 min

That's the wrong relationship that the world is choosing to have with an unwise man. If you are to respect, you have to respect someone who is wise and who can bring his wisdom to your use. Instead, if you choose to have a relationship of respect with someone who is himself unwise, obviously, he can be of no use to you. So again, it's a failure of relationship—something is misplaced. Respect is something that has to be placed at the right point.

Living Without Illusions: A Lesson on Expectations and Reality

25 min

It is not that the way the world is, the ignorance, the stupidity, the suffering, the perverseness of it all. It's not that that hurts or surprises you. What shocks is that adverse things come from people you think of as decent, respectable and wise. It is not events or people, therefore, who are shocking you, it is the expectations that you hold of them.

Leadership and Spiritual Insights from the Bhagavad Gita

5 min

My concern is the way we are. My concern is the face of the human being. My concern is the little sparrow. I'm not here to tell people what God has said. I'm here to take care of the sparrow. That's my concern. And the sparrow cannot be taken care of unless we go to the Gita. Hence, the Gita.

Shivling: Understanding Before the Debate

28 min

Now comes the deeper symbolism of Shivlinga. It says—look, if you have taken birth, then you are there in the body. But even while living in the body, you have to live as if you are without a body. So, the shape of the Yoni that you see in the Shivalinga is actually the world or the body, and this Lingam that you see in the middle of it is the Consciousness—the Consciousness which is located in the body.

What Is Missing in Our Education?

10 min

A good education system should have two components. The first is deep, clear, and factual knowledge about the world, without which we would become superstitious. And secondly, it must include a very important component that tells us who we are and why we need to be educated at all. This second component is almost completely missing today.

Which Is the Best God to Pray to?

14 min

The one you love must be worthy of worship, and the one you worship you must be in love with. If there is a difference between the two, then there is a problem, a big problem. If you can’t worship your lover, then drop him or her, whatever, I don’t know. And if you can’t love your gods, those gods must be thrown away.

Is Time Travel Possible?

13 min

It’s a fantasy. Where does the future come from? Where does the future come from? The future comes from the choices that you make today. You are there and the material world is there and you are a creature of choice. If you’re not a creature of choice, everything is deterministic and then life is not worth living. There is no freedom. If everything is predetermined, where is the question of freedom then? And freedom is the highest spiritual ideal.

This is What Makes India a Nation

16 min

India is not really an idea. Ideas are things of ego, desire, and imagination. All nations have governing principles, but India is governed by freedom from all principles. It is a spirit found in Vedanta, the spirit that says, “I want to know.” India has known love—a love beyond territory, ethnicity, and materiality. The true Indian would be a fighter and a lover, fighting what is untrue because he loves the truth.

Balancing Act: Juggling Multiple Roles and Responsibilities

6 min

Questioner: Sir, my question is, that since you have graced multiple responsibilities throughout your life, from being a Civil Services officer to being a teacher, graduating from IIT and IIM to being an animal rights activist, how do you zone yourself out from one responsibility to another?

Acharya Prashant: No,… read_more

What is Dharma in Today’s World? How to Fight Adharma?

7 min

Revenge and retribution, these are small things for a wise man like Shri Krishna. The wise ones do not get hurt easily; why will they clamour for revenge? What is Dharma then? Please always remember, “The rise of consciousness is the path of Dharma. We begin as animals, we must end, dissolve, as pure consciousness. That is Dharma.”

Delimitation - Injustice to the South

26 min

The North has grown its population so much that if we opt for delimitation, 70 to 80% of new seats would go to them. This is absolute injustice. The South reduced its population, invested big in education, and its taxes largely funded the North’s development projects. The southern states worked hard and took tough decisions, while the North simply refused to change. Shouldn't the community that made better decisions be rewarded?

Empowering Choices: Impact of Knowing What to Do and What Not to Do

9 min

We often say, ‘Oh, there is that little voice inside us; we call it conscience.’ Wisdom is to realize that your conscience is all artificial. 100% influenced. And that’s why the so-called inner conscience is totally outer and varies from person to person. People have done horrible deeds based on the advice of their conscience. Hitler, too, in his own eyes, must have been a man of conscience.

How to Abide in The Shiva Truth? On Ribhu Gita

11 min

So 'know', don’t try to know about Shiva. Shiva is not furniture. Shiva is not a tree. Shiva is not a cloud, not even the sky. How will you know Shiva? Do you know of anything that has no shape, no form, and is eternal? How will you know Shiva? But know, do know. What can you know? This world and yourself. Know that. That knowing is Shiva-ness. Shivatva.

Real Meaning of Duty in the Mahabharata

6 min

Always begin from your inner condition. Your inner condition is of illusion and consequent suffering. Vedanta asks: For whom? To you, it is not phenomenal. Therefore, you have to learn that it is phenomenal, and that's what the Gita is about. What Arjun is doing is that he is embarking on a course of action that will keep proving to him that the phenomenon is not a phenomenon but a reality.

Ghosts Flee from Hanuman’s Power

6 min

Mahavir Hanuman is to be taken as the representative of truth. When you are close to the truth, then stupid imaginations do not bother you. Bhoot Pishaach Nikat Nahi Aawe, Mahavir Jab Naam Sunawe. When you are close to the truth, then stupid imaginations do not bother you. That's what these words mean, that's all.

Are We Losing Ourselves to AI (Artificial Intelligence)?

9 min

All your genetic material can be taken and a clone can be raised, that is still not you again. How does that threaten you? So, go to Nirvaan Shatkam. When such doubts arise and worries, you need to know what you are not. That which you are not—let it be copied, substituted, or outsourced or whatever. Someone copies my voice, but how does that threaten me? Am I my voice? So, Nirvan Shatkam. And when you can discount everything that you are not then, Chidanand rupa Shivoham Shivoham.

Breaking Through Pride: Finding True Clarity in the Present

11 min

The question is, if one does not have the courage or the intention to bring even trivial change in life, how will one bring deeper change in life? That's the question. I'm not saying that deeper change will necessarily follow external change because there are a lot of people who keep changing their hairstyles every second month and yet there is no real inner change. We know all that.

God, Allah, Ram: One Truth, Many Names

23 min

Some say 'God', others say 'Allah', and some say 'Ram'; all three refer to the same entity. If a name or sound reminds you of the nameless one, it's wonderful. The problem arises with self-appointed meanings. The purpose of religion is to convey the truth, not obstruct it. You have a variety of flutes, but there is one music. Religion is that music.

Is AI Going To Destroy Humanity?

25 min

If you are full of inner ignorance, desires, temptations, jealousy, and greed, even the most spectacular technology cannot help you. In a wise man's hands, AI can be put to constructive use. Unfortunately, most of us are far from being wise, and so, AI will be put to violent, destructive use. This has to be fought by having something within us that is immune to the world. If the world cannot touch it, then the world cannot damage, co-opt, or enslave it.

Life’s a Joke, But We’re the Punchline!

19 min

There is just no meaning in existence, and yet we all move around with a self-appointed sense of seriousness and purpose. Existence itself, consciousness itself, is a joke. The human being taking himself seriously is the joke. Real humor is when you can destroy your own darkness. If you are someone who cannot tolerate jokes, you need to check your insecurities. Laugh at yourself. That's the best joke.

The Key to Overcoming Difficulties in JEE and Life

5 min

It’s about the self-concept that we carry. That self-concept is not innate but gets built over several years. If your self-concept tells you that you do not deserve to crack the toughest question, then you'll not put everything into cracking the toughest question. In fact, you will needlessly make any question the toughest one. You have to tell yourself that you deserve to solve even the toughest problem, and then the tough problem is no longer all that tough. One has to love himself a bit more and say—yes, it's difficult, but for me, it's doable.

Break Free from the Need for Approval

16 min

You’re conditioned to think you can only exist with social approval. What holds you back is the fear that something devastating will happen if you don’t conform. Challenge that belief. One must have a healthy contempt for the world, which is possible only when one has deep love for what’s real. Otherwise, you'll keep bowing your head.

The Hypocrisy of Liquor Companies: Social Responsibility or Marketing Ploy?

16 min

All kinds of things you can enlist, but the thing is—the list is not complete. Similarly, alcohol can be stated to have these so-called positive effects. Yes, friends get together, and if there is alcohol, it brings about a certain felicity in the conversation. People open up, and there might be a grain of truth to the whole thing. But are you stating the full story? Are you telling the whole thing?

The Right Way To Help Others

5 min

The right kind of help is that which awakens others' potential, and the one you are helping should soon become free of the need to be helped. Also, the right kind of help works both ways—it benefits the person or cause and also helps you, the helper.

Why Mother Tongue Education Beats English for Better Development?

10 min

The first thing is quality. Quality. The first thing is that the child should be built up. The first thing is that education should be able to raise consciousness. The language comes after that. The medium of instruction comes after. It is very important, but it is not the first thing. The first thing is consciousness. The second thing is language.

How to Use Prakriti for Liberation?

10 min

All three gunas, all said and done, belong to prakriti, and you have to move beyond prakriti, move beyond your association with prakriti, move beyond your consumption of prakriti. Even sattva can become an object of consumption. Don't we know of so many learned and knowledgeable people whose knowledge becomes their identity, who eat their knowledge? Just as it is possible to get trapped in tamas and raja, it is equally possible to get trapped in sattva.

Why Did Sufi Poets Like Kabir Emphasize Love in Bhakti?

5 min

The saints don't display affection at all. Affection actually means disease. Affection means disease. The saints have no affection. The saints have love and love has nothing to do with affection. Affection and affliction go together. It is not affection that characterizes a saint. It is love that characterizes him. Affection and dryness, they go together. Together always. And affection and love, they never go together. So you have to be very clear about what accompanies what.

Redefine Love This Valentine’s Day

9 min

The purest definition of love is when the mind is very, very joyful, and that joy shows up in all your relationships. Love is your internal joy spilling over. Love is not about trying to find love. Love is about letting yourself be absolutely free! That is it! Love is not object-based. Love is not about - 'I love this person,' or 'I love this work,' or 'I love this book.' Love is your inner state of mind.

What is 'Nature Worship' in Vedas?

14 min

You cannot worship something with the intent of obtaining favors—that's exploitation. Worshiping a cow while asking for milk is not worship. Worship is when you do not use any dairy product and yet respect the cow. The common man sees everything as an object for consumption. True nature worship is desireless—not based on consumption, with no one left to desire.

Is Secularism Possible Without Religion?

5 min

A secular person is one who does the right thing irrespective of his religious association. And if you want this, then you should be deeply religious. Because in secularism, you want equanimity, a certain detachment, respect towards divergent opinions, and non-violence; but who teaches these things? Religion. Therefore, if secularism is in strife with religiosity, it means both are misplaced. The religiosity is fake, and the secularism is shallow.

Kumbh: Truth Beyond the Myth

28 min

Amrit is at the center of the story. And where can we get Amrit from? By self introspection. The more a person knows himself, the more he will become free from himself. Free from death. What you think of yourself is known as death. And the more you look at yourself, the more you understand that what I think of myself is all futile. I'm actually not that. Negation, Neti Neti. Amrit does not mean gaining something. Amrit means being free from death.

Is Philosophy Truly 'Life-Changing' or Just a Degree?

12 min

It's an argument coming from insecurity and fear. First, to assure your money and then you should look at your passion. No, that's a very lifeless and loveless argument. You attend to your love and forget about money, livelihood, these things have a way of taking care of themselves. Nobody who very honestly, very sincerely pursued her love was found dying of starvation ever. The world has a great need for people who can understand, who can think, who have some intellect, who have some depth and since the world has a great need for these people so you'll be paid.

How To Express Love?

15 min

Love and realization are things that roar aloud. They are extremely intimate, yet if they are there, there is no way you can hide them. These are not things that you can ever prevent from getting expressed. So, don’t even try. This expression means living it. Every thought is an expression, every action is an expression. You just express. By blocking it, you are blocking the thing itself. You don’t allow it to be expressed, and it’s gone.

How To Watch One's Tendencies? How To Associate With The Right Objects?

12 min

So, you look at your current state. “This is what I abhor so much.” “This is what I like so much.” “This is what I just don’t want to look at.” “This is what I must daily look at.” “That’s my favorite TV show.” “That thing, that shop, that product is what I feel addicted to.” And you then ask yourself, “Is all of that or is any of that doing any good?” Because it is all about me. And then things get dropped. And then the right things happen on its own.

Are You Living Your Own Life, or Someone Else's Script?

18 min

Just try figuring out where the thing is coming from. You'll not always succeed. It's a bit of a guesswork but it at least tells you that the thing is not original or authentic, it is coming from somewhere. So you find, for example, some descendant of an aristocratic lineage talking to you and he's talking in a particular manner and if you can see that the manner belongs to his great grandfather that brings a smile to you. Where is the thing coming from? That's not him talking, that's his great grandfather talking.

Liberation Seems Distant, Gratification Seems Easier. What to Do?

12 min

One has to come to a certain purposelessness with respect to what one has always been doing. And when one comes to that purposelessness, that’s now like being with a clean slate. One does not like the words futility. So something within us just silently conspires from inside. So there is futility but then in that futility some meaning will be found. And that’s a conspiracy. There is purposelessness but some meaning will be attached to the word purposeless and that defeats the whole thing.

Message For the Youngsters

13 min

There has to be a love for freedom. Especially as a young person, one should remain young all his life. You see, but you know, at least when you are in your 20s or 30s, you need to have a burning desire to to live as a sovereign entity. And when that is there, then anything that comes your way would be rightfully utilized, including crutches.

The Foundation of the Indian Nation

9 min

Questioner: Acharya Ji, in few days, Republic Day—that is, the 26th of January— will be celebrated, and the work that Foundation is doing is very closely linked with 'The Youngsters'. So, I wish to ask you in what ways the youngsters of today have lost love for the Nation?

Acharya … read_more