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तुम श्रीकृष्ण नहीं, मेरे दोस्त! || आचार्य प्रशांत (2021)
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4 years ago
Niyat Karma (Prescribed Action)
Dharma
Ego (Aham)
Shri Krishna
Gita
Bondage (Bandhan)
Spirituality (Adhyatma)
Kabir Saheb
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a question about the principles of Karma, particularly 'Niyat Karma' (prescribed action). The questioner expresses confusion about performing actions for the good of society or nature, given the transient nature of existence, and questions why Shri Krishna emphasized the victory of 'Dharma' or why saints created the Vedas. Acharya Prashant clarifies that Shri Krishna does not need 'Dharma' for himself. He advises that whenever one asks "why is it so?", one must also ask, "for whom is it so?". Shri Krishna is not delivering the sermon of the Gita to himself; he has no need for any knowledge, 'Dharma', or duty. The need for 'Dharma' is for the one who is in bondage, and the ego is that bondage. Anyone who experiences their individual existence and lives from that center, saying "I, I," is the one who needs 'Dharma'. Therefore, the need for 'Dharma' is for the questioner himself. The speaker points out the dishonesty in using spiritual concepts to justify inaction. For instance, saying one shouldn't care about nature because it's transient like a wave in the ocean is a dishonest argument from the ego. The ego is deeply concerned about its own existence and would be bothered by even a small scratch. If one's own child or family were in trouble, they would not dismiss it as a mere wave. This misuse of half-baked spiritual principles to protect the ego and harm others is why an ordinary person with no spiritual knowledge is often better. 'Niyat Karma' is for you because you need to do something good and right. It is not an action decided by someone else, but an action that arises from the highest possible level of consciousness. Your intention ('Niyat') is liberation ('Mukti'), and the action that leads you towards that liberation is 'Niyat Karma'. Acharya Prashant warns against misusing spiritual teachings. He cites Shakespeare, "The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose." People use spiritual figures to justify their own actions, such as claiming Shiva's intoxication to justify their own, or Krishna's love to justify their false love, or Kabir's illiteracy to avoid reading. One must remember their own reality and not imitate the state of the enlightened. The teachings of the enlightened are for those at a specific level of consciousness and cannot be applied indiscriminately. He uses the analogy of an airplane's navigation system, which can fly straight over any terrain, versus a car's, which must navigate roads and obstacles. One must know their own level. The Gita is Shri Krishna's gift to you; you should accept its teachings rather than prying into his personal life, like the 'Raas Leela', which was between him and the Gopis and not for you to imitate.