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बिना अध्यात्म के कैसी होगी राजनीति! || आचार्य प्रशांत (2019)
3.4K views
5 years ago
Spirituality and Politics
Awakening
Leadership
Dharma
Fearlessness
Shri Krishna
Gita
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that a spiritual person's involvement in politics is an inevitable outcome of their awakening. He states that one cannot ignore politics, as politicians and their policies affect life in numerous ways beyond just basic amenities. As a person becomes more awakened, they grow conscious of their environment and seek to remove anything that corrupts or pollutes it. This naturally extends to the political sphere, leading them to desire the best possible leaders. The speaker emphasizes that the ideals one follows have a profound influence. When an individual becomes concerned with the awakening of society, they also become aware that the leaders of that society must be righteous individuals. He cites the Gita, where Shri Krishna explains to Arjun that the actions and behavior of leaders are emulated by the masses, following the principle of "As the king, so the subjects." Therefore, the quality of leadership directly impacts the entire society. Acharya Prashant further argues that spirituality is inseparable from any aspect of life. Just as one would not tolerate garbage in their home because it would eventually pollute the inside, one cannot tolerate corrupt leaders or debased politics, as they will inevitably soil the mind. He asserts that every field of life, from business to justice, needs spiritual people, but politics needs them most desperately. Politicians hold immense power to influence lives, and if they are not spiritual, the nation is destined for ruin. Addressing the issue of fear, he states that a lack of spirituality breeds fear. The higher the position of responsibility, the more critical it is for the individual to be spiritual, as their fear can cause great harm to justice and dharma. True fearlessness, he explains, comes only from the Self (Atma), and spirituality is the investigation of the Self. The common perception that a spiritual person should not be in politics arises from a fragmented view of life, where people separate their spiritual practices from their worldly duties. The reality, he concludes, is that spirituality is not a separate domain but the light that illuminates all fields of life. The goal is not to renounce politics but to engage in the right kind of politics—the highest and purest form, as exemplified by Shri Krishna.