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ये सीधा-सादा बंदा तो बहुत टेढ़ा निकला || आचार्य प्रशांत (2021)
50.9K views
4 years ago
Simplicity
Self (Atma)
Bondage
Liberation
Rebellion
Truth
Spirituality
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the apparent contradiction between his call to 'rise high' and the traditional spiritual emphasis on 'simplicity'. He explains that this is a matter of understanding the true meaning of words. The life most people live is not simple but is a polluted existence filled with flaws, pains, and bondages. True simplicity is not the current state but what is achieved after breaking free from these bondages. The words 'simple' (saral), 'ordinary' (saadhaaran), and 'plain' (saada) are spiritual terms that have been misused. In spirituality, these words are reserved exclusively for the Self (Atma) and Truth (Satya). Only Truth is truly straight, plain, and simple, whereas lies are crooked and distorted. He criticizes the common misconception of equating simplicity with foolishness, fear, or weakness. For instance, a person who is easily fooled or a prisoner disciplined out of fear is not simple; this misunderstanding leads to the mockery of spirituality. True simplicity is not weakness or spinelessness. The Self imparts strength (atmabal). A genuinely spiritual person possesses the strength to prevent foolish things from happening to them. The Self is also synonymous with freedom (mukti), making simplicity and liberation interchangeable concepts. Therefore, the only person who can be called truly simple is one who actively rebels against their bondages. This is why Acharya Prashant urges people to set the highest goal for themselves, which, for someone in bondage, is to sever those chains. Only after cutting these bondages does one earn the right to be called simple or ordinary. A spiritual person is not one who passively accepts everything; their primary characteristic is the ability to say 'No' and the inner fire of resistance against falsehood.