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Why Misinterpretations of the Gita Still Influence Millions? || Acharya Prashant (2024)
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11 months ago
Desire
Probability
Bhagavad Gita
Bias
Ignorance
Karma
Belief
Astrology
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why misinterpretations of the Gita, which seem to fulfill people's desires, become popular. He explains that a mind full of desires becomes insane, losing its capacity for logical and critical thinking. Such a mind forgets the basics of probability and starts perceiving stochastic, or random, events as divine. It becomes blind to facts, refuses to acknowledge anything that disrupts or disproves its biases, and comes to supremely stupid conclusions. He elaborates that any desire has some chance of fulfillment, but the fulfillment of a desire has zero chance of bringing personal fulfillment. However, a desire-filled mind, being stupid and laborious, will keep trying. For instance, if one visits a divine place 50 times, the probability of the desire being fulfilled becomes nearly 100%. Using the analogy of a dice roll, he explains that the probability of getting a six is 1/6. If one desperately wants a six for money or a son, and keeps rolling the dice, a six will eventually appear. The person then attributes this to divine interference rather than simple probability. This system of belief is self-perpetuating. When a desire is fulfilled, it is seen as a blessing from a deity. When it is not fulfilled, it is rationalized through concepts like karma, with the person believing they are a sinner whose karmic account is negative, or that there is a greater good in the non-fulfillment of the wish. This whole maze of beliefs is built to keep one trapped. The speaker concludes that this is how fields like astrology operate, by making general predictions to stupid people, some of which are bound to materialize by chance, thus reinforcing the belief in the astrologer's powers.