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ताकत चाहिए, आज़ादी चाहिए? || आचार्य प्रशांत, वेदांत महोत्सव ऋषिकेश में (2021)
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3 years ago
Freedom
Slavery
Bhagat Singh
Awareness
Dharma
Bhagavad Gita
Consciousness
Description

Acharya Prashant responds to a question about the strength of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, who followed the path of Karma Yoga, and what dharma today's youth should follow. He begins by stating that the yearning for freedom is inherent and universal, present in all living beings, not just humans. He illustrates this with the example of a calf tied to a post, which struggles relentlessly to break free, even at the cost of injuring itself. He asserts that everyone, including the questioner, desires freedom with the same intensity as Bhagat Singh. The crucial difference, Acharya Prashant explains, lies not in the desire for freedom but in the awareness of one's bondage. Bhagat Singh, at the young age of 22-23, was acutely aware that he was a slave. In contrast, today's youth believe they are already free and fail to recognize their own enslavement. He argues that if people could truly see the extent of their slavery, they too would be willing to sacrifice their lives for freedom, viewing death on such a path as meritorious. The problem is not a lack of desire for freedom, but a lack of awareness of one's own slavery. Acharya Prashant elaborates on the subtle forms of modern slavery, describing it as an enchantment that makes people accept a pathetic state as normal. He points to the anxiety caused by an unknown phone call or numerous missed calls as a sign of hidden fear and bondage. He contrasts this with Bhagat Singh, whose inner self was free, whereas modern individuals keep their tools of enslavement, like the mobile phone, close to their hearts. He notes that while Bhagat Singh would not tolerate being ordered by a foreigner, today's individuals are constantly commanded by forces acting through their devices and societal structures. He further contends that this slavery is systemic. The advertisements we consume are an insult to our intelligence, designed to lower our consciousness to make us buy products. The uniformity in people's lives—working similar jobs, marrying at a prescribed age, and living predictable lives—is another sign of this bondage. He concludes by stating that freedom manifests in a thousand diverse forms, whereas slavery is characterized by uniformity, like the identical uniforms and chains of prisoners. The first step towards freedom is to recognize the many ways in which we are enslaved.