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What is an evil womb? How to know Prakriti-Purusha? || Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita (2020)
Scriptures and Saints
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1 year ago
Purush
Prakriti
Kshetra
Kshetrugya
Gunas
Gyan
Conditioning
Self-inquiry
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Purush and Prakriti represent the subtle and gross elements of existence, corresponding to the seer (subject) and the seen (object). He clarifies that both the subject and the object belong to the domain of Prakriti, while the witness or Truth exists beyond them. Regarding the concept of being born in a 'good' or 'evil' womb, he argues that no child or womb is inherently evil. Instead, a child is born with a specific biological and genetic configuration, and their 'goodness' or 'evil' is a matter of how their environment and guardians handle their unique tendencies. He uses the analogy of sodium, which can be life-giving or destructive depending on whether it is placed in oil or water, to emphasize that the responsibility for a child's development lies with the parents and society. Furthermore, Acharya Prashant defines wisdom (Gyan) as the simultaneous knowledge of both the object and the subject. He critiques modern education for focusing solely on objective information while neglecting self-inquiry. True wisdom involves understanding not just the world, but also the internal motivations and fluctuations of the one who is observing the world. He stresses that without knowing the 'self'—the subject who desires or seeks knowledge—information can become dangerous. To 'know Purush and Prakriti together' means to constantly ask why one is doing what they are doing and to understand the inner biological and psychological conditioning that drives human behavior.