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Why is 'Karma' book causing discomfort to some readers? || Acharya Prashant, in conversation (2021)
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4 years ago
Karma
Bhagavad Gita
Shri Krishna
Karma Yoga
Truth
Mind
Soul
Advaita
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that what we call our personal life or personal space has been accorded a certain sacredness that it hardly deserves. He argues that only the truly sacred should be held sacred. When we accord value to something that does not deserve it, we miss out on what is truly valuable in life. He states that life is meant to be lived, but we are often busy with other things. Responding to a question about the Karma theory in the Bhagavad Gita, Acharya Prashant asserts that the Karma Yoga explained in the Gita is the only real thing. He dismisses any other so-called "karma theory" that deviates from it, stating he neither knows nor intends to know about them. He clarifies that he is not saying the real elucidation of karma has been offered only by Shri Krishna, but that wherever a real explanation has been offered, it is merely an echo of the Bhagavad Gita itself. Therefore, by naming the Bhagavad Gita, he is naming all authentic sources together. For anyone interested in understanding karma, he recommends chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Bhagavad Gita. When asked how karma impacts the soul, Acharya Prashant first deconstructs the concept of the soul, calling it a mental figment or just an idea. He posits that there are only two realities: the Truth and the mind. Karma belongs to the domain of the mind, and the mind's purpose is to act in a way that takes it to the Truth. There is nothing called the soul; it is just an idea in the mind. The mind must come to see itself as false, and what remains then is the one Truth, which is called Advaita (non-dual). He further explains that all the foundations we rely on for security are not truly functional. We must question if our current way of living provides any real assurance. If it does not, we must discard it to make space for something new. He defines 'home' as the place of final settlement and relaxation, and unless a place offers this, it should not be called home but rather a temporary inn.