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आचार्य जी के प्रश्नों का समाधान कौन करता है? || आचार्य प्रशांत (2019)
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5 years ago
Inner Nourishment
Mind
Saints and Sages
Scriptures
Self-Inquiry
Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib
Subtle Body
Honesty
Description

In response to a question about whether he has questions and where he finds answers, Acharya Prashant states that many more questions arise in his mind than in the questioner's, and he gives himself far more convoluted answers. The difference, he explains, is that he gives all these convoluted answers to himself first, and they go into his own dustbin, never reaching others. He likens this to a cook's honesty in not serving half-cooked food. He affirms that questions constantly arise in his mind, and he explores all possible ways to find answers. He has sat at the feet of the experts of mind and life. Since he couldn't find such a person alive, his only recourse was to sit with the words, speech, and scriptures of those who have passed. He emphasizes that he has done this and continues to do so, which is why he can confidently advise others to do the same. Acharya Prashant elaborates that for his own entertainment, which he calls "purification of the mind," he turns to the same sources he recommends to others, such as the verses of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. This, he calls the nectar and nourishment that the heart needs. Without this nourishment, the inner self becomes malnourished. The subtle body, or mind, cannot be nourished by physical things like food, drink, or clothes; it is satisfied only by the words of sages and the songs of saints. He explains that you are not just the body; even if you deny the soul, the mind exists. And the mind needs nourishment, which comes from only one place. Watching movies, partying, or shopping cannot provide this essential sustenance. He contrasts the Western world, which is physically robust but internally withered, with traditional India, which focused more on inner nourishment. He uses the analogy of a small, fragrant local rose versus a large, scentless foreign rose to illustrate that inner quality is more important than outer appearance. He also mentions Babur's account in the Baburnama, where Babur found the people and fruits of India to be small and unattractive compared to his homeland. He concludes that while taking care of the outer self is necessary, nourishing the mind with the words of the wise is far more crucial.