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कभी इधर कभी उधर — मेरी ज़िंदगी जा किधर रही है? || आचार्य प्रशांत (2023)
298.4K views
1 year ago
Right Action
Bondage
Kabir Saheb
Love
Circumstances
Inaction
Ayn Rand
Maya
Description

Acharya Prashant begins by observing that if you ask people of any age how the last ten years have passed, they will say it went by in the blink of an eye, without them realizing where the time went. He addresses the questioner's dilemma, stating that this struggle will continue, and one will die with it, always lamenting that they could have done a lot, knew what was right, but never did it. They will keep saying they never lived the truth and don't know where the time went, blaming it on illusion (maya). The speaker calls this "loser poetry" (loser shayari), the kind of poetry found behind trucks or on WhatsApp, which blames time for one's failures. The speaker responds to the questioner's feeling of being fragmented, clarifying that it is not the individual who gives power to these fragments, but circumstances and coincidences. He describes these fragments as insolent, ignorant, and boastful. They claim power that is merely derived from coincidental situations. Using the analogy of a dog that barks loudly in its own street, he explains that this power is not inherent but situational. The dog barks because it is in its own territory with its companions, and it might even bark at a wolf, falsely believing in its own strength. However, if the circumstances change, everything will change. This means that what appears to be a choice is just a random occurrence, which is a horrifying way to live. Life just happens, without any real choice being made. The speaker advises that to find freedom, one must choose the right bondage. The right thing often does not seem beautiful or attractive at first because the mind is conditioned to see beauty in what is not right. Therefore, one must bind oneself to what is right until it starts to appear beautiful. He warns that the most dangerous situation is for those who know what is right but still run in the other direction because the right thing came to them late in life, after their minds were already corrupted. He quotes Kabir Saheb, "Kabir kuta Ram ka, mutiya mera naau, gale Ram ki jevri, jit khinche tit jaau" (Kabir is the dog of Ram, Motiya is my name; with Ram's leash around my neck, I go wherever he pulls me), to illustrate the concept of surrendering to the right bondage for liberation. He also quotes Ayn Rand: "If you know what is right and still don't do it, then you do not know what is right and you are not a man." He concludes by emphasizing that one must force oneself to love what is right, as true love has to be learned.