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अकेली नहीं हैं आप || आचार्य प्रशांत, वेदांत महोत्सव (2022)
191.4K views
3 years ago
Solitude
Sociality
Spirituality
Internal Health
Donation
Compassion
Self-Reliance
Love
Description

Acharya Prashant begins by questioning the viewer's online search habits, asking when they last searched for terms like 'liberation', 'truth', 'salvation', 'nirvana', or 'philosophy'. He notes that since people rarely search for such topics, videos about them do not appear in their recommendations. Consequently, these videos must be promoted to reach a society he describes as very fallen. Without promotion, this content would be buried and unwatched. He explains that this promotion is funded by donations, which are currently insufficient, not even reaching a tenth of what is required. These videos are brought to the public by cutting salaries and expenses. In response to a question from a woman who lives in solitude due to past negative experiences and wonders if this indicates a low level of consciousness, Acharya Prashant clarifies that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with being content in solitude. He states that being self-sufficient and capable of handling one's own problems is a good thing and not a sign of a lower consciousness. He dismisses the notion of humans being mere 'social animals', arguing that spirituality is about realizing one is not an animal. He points out that the questioner already interacts with society as much as is necessary for her work, which is sufficient. Acharya Prashant elaborates that there are two kinds of sociality. Most people are social for pathological reasons, such as to cure their loneliness or to use others as crutches for their weaknesses, which he terms a sickness. In contrast, the sociality of an internally complete person stems from love and compassion. Such a person mingles in society not out of neediness or dependence, but to share what they have found. This interaction is likened to a doctor meeting a patient, rather than two sick individuals meeting. He concludes with the principle of "Pao aur Gao" (Find and then share). One must first attain internal health and completeness in solitude before returning to society to share their wisdom. He warns against preaching without having first found inner truth, calling it a "donkey's song." He advises those who have not yet found themselves to first build themselves internally through silence and solitude, a process that can take many years. Before touching others, one must first cleanse their own "dirty hands" through a 'soul-bath' (atma-snan), as interacting with others without self-purification would be a sin and cause harm.