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वासना मिटती क्यों नहीं, सौ ठोकरें खाकर भी? || आचार्य प्रशांत, उद्धरण (2020)
181.5K views
2 years ago
Attraction
Consciousness
Self-knowledge
Body-identification
Relationships
Beauty
Discernment
Spirituality
Description

Acharya Prashant responds to a question about being attracted to women despite worldly experience. He counters by asking if one would be attracted to any woman, regardless of her character—for instance, one who is absurd, has fallen conduct, is a liar, a cheat, and violent. The obvious answer is no, which implies that attraction is not based solely on physical form but also on a person's virtues and knowledge. To illustrate further, he uses the example of a very beautiful woman who is discovered to be a blood-drinker. The attraction would vanish. He compares this to horror films where a beautiful ghost lures victims, but they flee once her violent nature is revealed. This demonstrates that a beautiful form alone is insufficient to sustain attraction; inner qualities are also considered. If a woman, however beautiful, is found to be ignorant, deceitful, and violent, the attraction diminishes and can turn into repulsion. This indicates that consciousness knows not all individuals are worthy of being approached. The speaker advises enhancing this consciousness, which is self-knowledge. While the body is drawn to another body, consciousness is drawn to consciousness. A human is both body and consciousness, and the key is to determine which aspect is dominant. If one is predominantly body-identified, they are like an animal, which is mostly body with only rudimentary consciousness and does not seek knowledge or liberation. The problem lies in the basis of attraction. If it is only the body, it leads to suffering because your own consciousness will degrade. Spirituality is not against the union of man and woman but against the superficial reasons for which they often come together, which are fundamentally harmful. When a relationship begins on a flawed basis, like 'love at first sight' which is based only on physical appearance, it is bound to lead to trouble. The root of the problem is not knowing oneself. When you don't know yourself, you don't know what to look for in another, and you live on the surface, which is the body. Living on the surface deprives one of life's true wealth. The solution is to improve oneself and seek self-knowledge. When your own eyes begin to search for and respect consciousness, you will look for depth in others. On what basis you form a relationship is the central question. If the foundation is right, the relationship will be right.