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पिंकिया-तोतिया-चिरैया-छोटिया - सबै के ब्याह हुइ गबा || आचार्य प्रशांत, वेदांत महोत्सव (2022)
203.2K views
2 years ago
Financial Independence
Family Pressure
Marriage
Dowry
Tradition
Self-Respect
Shri Krishna
Practical Spirituality
Description

A young woman, who is financially independent, asks Acharya Prashant for advice on how to handle her family's pressure to get married and their expectation that she save money for her own dowry. She wants to know how to tell them that she is not responsible for their honor and prestige. Acharya Prashant advises her not to tell them anything directly. He explains that a direct statement like, "I am not responsible for your honor and prestige," is not a way to maintain a connection. He humorously notes that the 1400-kilometer distance between her workplace in Pune and her home in Jharkhand is sufficient. He suggests a few practical, albeit playful, strategies. First, she should tell her family that she has a very demanding job that requires 16-18 hours a day and that she is only available to talk between 1 AM and 4 AM. This way, she can avoid their calls. Second, when invited to family weddings, she should make excuses like her semester exams are ongoing, or that she is not in Pune but in Chennai, Bangkok, or even Chicago. She could even jokingly say that a special visa is now required to enter Jharkhand. He also suggests that to counter their demand for dowry money, she should tell them she has bought a 40-lakh car and a 1-crore flat, or that Pune is a very expensive city with a rent of 70,000 rupees, leaving her with no savings. Acharya Prashant's underlying point is that one can only explain things to someone who is ready to understand. For those who are not, it is better to use practical methods or let time resolve the issue, as direct confrontation will only lead to conflict. He explains that he can speak openly with her because she has shown the eligibility to listen by making the effort to attend the session. He says that one must deal with people at their own level, giving the example of how Shri Krishna had to descend to Arjun's level to communicate with him. He concludes by stating that her parents' actions are driven by a desire for wealth (dowry) and lust (getting her married off), and are rooted in false traditions and a hollow sense of self-respect, rather than genuine love for her.