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सब कुत्ते बनारस चले जाएँगे तो दोने कौन चाटेगा? || आचार्य प्रशांत (2019)
13.5K views
5 years ago
Liberation
Desire
Parable
Banaras
Ganga
Choice
Worldly Pleasures
Description

Acharya Prashant narrates a story from the East to illustrate a point. A Pandit visited a village with many dogs and delivered a sermon, stating that bathing in the Ganga river washes away all sins, especially if it is the Ganga in Banaras. The villagers and the dogs listened. After the sermon, sweets were distributed in leaf bowls (donas). The people ate and threw the bowls behind them, where the dogs were. Inspired by the sermon, the dogs held a meeting. They decided that since they had lived their whole lives as dogs, they should seize the opportunity for liberation by going to Banaras to bathe in the Ganga. A large pack of dogs set off for Banaras. However, some dogs remained behind. The dogs on their way to Banaras turned back and angrily asked the others, "You worms of hell, do you want to remain dogs forever?" The dogs who stayed behind replied, "If all dogs go to Banaras, who will lick the leaf bowls?" Acharya Prashant uses this parable to explain why not everyone seeks liberation. He questions why everyone should want to go to Banaras when there are leaf bowls to be licked. He relates this to the choices people make on platforms like YouTube, where there is a vast array of content, including what he humorously calls "miracles of porn" and intoxicating voices. He emphasizes that seeking liberation is not a compulsory exam that everyone must pass; it is a voluntary and optional path. He clarifies that he is not forcing anyone to watch his videos. He concludes by humorously stating that he cannot compete with the alluring music and entertainment available. He describes his own content as throwing stones and sticks, while other content features intoxicating voices and goddesses who don't just sing but moan, making the world colorful and showering it with roses. He humorously suggests that if someone finds his face unappealing, they can open two windows on their screen: one with an entertaining video and the other with his audio, so both programs can run simultaneously.