On YouTube
आओ झूठ तलाशें || आचार्य प्रशांत (2021)
22.6K views
4 years ago
Parmatma Tattva
Truth
Maya
Self-Knowledge
Life
Falsehood
Freedom
Kabir Saheb
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the term 'Parmatma Tattva' (the Supreme Element) does not have a meaning in the conventional sense. He advises against asking for its meaning and instead suggests that one should investigate the truth of the meanings that surround us in our daily lives. The 'Parmatma Tattva' is not an ordinary element; in fact, it is not an element at all. Therefore, any inquiry about it will lead back to the advice of examining the life one is living and the things one is involved in. It is neither necessary nor possible to know the Truth or the Supreme Being. What is both possible and necessary is to honestly reflect on how one is living. Engaging in excessive talk about the 'Parmatma Tattva' leads to imagination, stories, and fables. The choice is between creating stories or facing the reality of one's life. The speaker emphasizes that the only life we know is our own, the one we have experienced. The focus should be on this life, not on what is written in books or defined by scholars. The task is not to search for Truth but to clean up the falsehood within. When the garbage of the mind and life is cleared, what remains is the pure element, which is called the 'Parmatma Tattva'. Truth will reveal itself on its own. The speaker criticizes the phrase 'seeker of truth' as laughable because the falsehood lies within, yet the search for truth is directed outward. He uses the analogy of a person with closed eyes searching for light; the first step is to open the eyes. Similarly, one should look at the eyes themselves, not try to find truth with them. He also compares this to a drunkard searching for consciousness while holding a bottle of alcohol. Consciousness is our nature; one must let go of the bottle of intoxication. He mentions Kabir Saheb's analogy of a fish being thirsty in water to highlight the absurdity of searching for something that is one's very nature. Acharya Prashant points out that humans have a dangerous capacity to become habituated or conditioned. We get used to our state and fail to see the problem. He uses the analogy of caring for clean clothes and masks (what is visible) while neglecting the mind, which is full of filth. The stains on the mind are not visible, so we do not care. He quotes Bulleh Shah, who said that people talk about heavenly matters but do not know what is right at home, within themselves. The speaker concludes that the only thing worth knowing is Maya (illusion). Self-knowledge is the knowledge of Maya. Truth cannot be known because it is not an object of knowledge.