Acharya Prashant addresses a question about a verse from the Hanuman Chalisa, "Bhoot-pishach nikat nahi aave, Mahavir jab naam sunave," which translates to "Ghosts and demons do not come near when the name of Mahavir is heard." He explains that a primary issue is the failure to place people and books in their proper perspective. He differentiates between ancient sages and philosophers like Sage Ashtavakra, Shri Krishna, and Sage Yajnavalkya, whose work is rooted in philosophy, and a great, more recent poet like Sant Tulsidas. While the former belong to antiquity, Sant Tulsidas is a poet from just a few hundred years ago, and his work, though wonderful, is a poem. The speaker elaborates on the distinction between Shruti and Smriti scriptures. The rule is that what is to be taken as inviolable is the Shruti, which consists of the Vedas and Vedanta (the Upanishads). Shruti is not considered a product of the normal human mind and thus has no human author. Everything else is aggregated under the term Smriti, which includes works like the Ramcharitmanas. Smriti texts are authored by human beings, such as saints and poets. The fundamental principle is that Smriti must follow Shruti, and where it contradicts Shruti, Smriti must be rejected. The Ramcharitmanas is a great epic poem (Mahakavya), not a great philosophy (Mahadarshan), and should be appreciated for its beauty and the poet's imagination, which includes poetic license, rather than being taken as infallible truth. Interpreting the verse, Acharya Prashant explains that "Mahavir" (Hanuman) represents the representative of Truth, being devoted to Ram, who symbolizes Truth. Therefore, when one is close to the Truth, stupid and horrifying imaginationsāthe "ghosts and demons"ādo not bother them. For someone who believes in such fantasies, they seem real, much like a nightmare. The answer to dispelling these notions is Truth. He further explains that spirituality involves knowing both the external world through science and the internal world through honest observation. If either is missing, one is bound to be superstitious. He concludes that the problem in India is a lack of both formal education and a genuine religious system, leading to a drift away from real spirituality.
