Acharya Prashant responds to a question about a verse by Kabir Saheb, which states that the joy found in the company of a sage is not even found in heaven. He explains that this represents one of the moods of a sage. There are other times when the sage expresses a desire to leave the world, saying things like, "This world is a bush of thorns, one gets entangled and dies," or "I don't want to live in this strange land. I want to go to Ram." This mood reflects a feeling that the world is a village of the dead and one wants to leave. In contrast, the mood from the verse in question is when the sage is so immersed in the company of Truth (satsang) that he tells Ram (God) to wait, saying, "Ram here or Ram there, how does it matter?" The sage has brought Ram right here through his words. This seeming contradiction is explained as the freedom of the sage, who can be with both the formless (Nirakar) and the form (Sakar), the attributeless (Nirgun) and the one with attributes (Sagun). This is described as divine play (Leela), where Maya, in understanding, becomes Leela. The speaker then narrates a story to illustrate this point. A man was building a temple for Truth with immense dedication. When Truth appeared in person, the builder, engrossed in his work, put Truth to the task of carrying stones. A priest, seeing this, scolded the builder for not worshipping the deity and being lost in the material. However, Truth declared the builder as his real friend because he was not lost in abstract concepts but was engaged with the material, which is the only way for a material being to approach Truth. For a human being, all one has is the material and the idea (thought). Truth becomes a concept if one merely thinks about it. It is better to engage with the material and the idea fully. The speaker criticizes the dualistic approach of seeing thought as an enemy to be fought, as this assumes something exists apart from Truth. The non-dual approach recognizes that since there is nothing but Truth, everything visible, including thought, must be an expression of Truth. Therefore, one should not fight or suppress thoughts but go close to them and witness them. By observing the daily facts of life and the workings of the mind, one reaches the root of thought and the ego. Acharya Prashant concludes that reaching yourself is reaching the Truth, which is continuously present. He quotes Dattatreya, saying, "There is nothing but samadhi. There is nothing but Truth." By thinking that Truth must be reached, one assumes a separation from it. The more one seeks, the more this assumption is reinforced. As a human being, all you have is the material and the idea. By going close to the material and the thoughts in the mind, and knowing what is happening without ignorance of yourself, you reach the Truth. Samadhi is always there.
