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Are these absurdities or miracles or what? || Acharya Prashant, on Saint Kabir (2019)
Acharya Prashant
1.9K views
6 years ago
Kabir Saheb
Ego
Prakriti
Shrimad Bhagwat Gita
Truth
Personal Universe
Inverted Tree
Suffering
Description

Acharya Prashant interprets a verse by Kabir Saheb that uses surreal imagery to describe the human ego and the personal universe we inhabit. He explains that while the imagery—such as a lion watching over cows or a guru prostrating before a disciple—seems absurd in the natural world (Prakriti), it is a literal representation of how human beings live. In nature, a lion is honest about its intent to eat a cow, but in the human world, we often mask our predatory tendencies with a facade of compassion or well-wishing. The speaker notes that we are often blind to these inversions in our own homes and lives, only finding them perplexing when projected onto the jungle. He further explains the concept of the 'inverted tree' with roots in the sky and branches in the earth, a motif also found in the Bhagavad Gita. This signifies that our true source and nourishment come from the transcendental or the 'sky', rather than the material earth. To prosper on earth, one must remain rooted in the higher truth; those who believe they belong solely to the earth face suffering and disrespect. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that the truth is actually the easiest thing to find because it has no boundaries and does not change with time, whereas the 'surreal' or false aspects of our lives are marked by suffering, conflict, and deception.