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अर्जुन गीता ज्ञान भूल क्यों गए? || आचार्य प्रशांत, उत्तर गीता पर (2019)
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5 years ago
Uttar Gita
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
Shri Krishna
Maya
Abhyas (Practice)
Mukti (Liberation)
Psychology
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a question regarding the Uttar Gita, a dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun that takes place after the Kurukshetra war. The speaker explains that the very existence of the Uttar Gita reveals several important truths. The first is that practice and continuity are essential. Even with Shri Krishna as the Guru, the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita as the teaching, and a capable and loving disciple like Arjun, one still forgets. This is a fundamental reality. The Uttar Gita begins with Arjun admitting to Shri Krishna that he is starting to forget the knowledge imparted to him in the Gita. Shri Krishna, though a little angered, asks, "What kind of man are you? You forgot the Gita?" He then proceeds to give a summary of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, which is what the Uttar Gita contains. This demonstrates that even with the most perfect teacher, teaching, and listener, forgetting is possible. However, credit must be given to Arjun for asking again and listening again. This is despite Arjun having repeatedly claimed in the eighteen chapters of the Gita that he had understood everything and that his delusion was gone. The speaker explains this phenomenon by stating that as long as the body exists, Maya also exists. If Shri Krishna were to say it, he would say, "Arjun, as long as your body is there, Maya is also there." If the saints were to say it, they would say, "No matter how much penance or spiritual practice you do, never consider Maya to be dead." It can diminish, become minimal, almost like zero, but it will not become zero. A tiny seed remains. Therefore, constant attention is needed. You can never reach a time when you can say, "I have become liberated." As long as the one who says, "I have become liberated," remains, liberation is not complete. The Gita is the highest text of psychology, and the existence of the Uttar Gita is another chapter in that psychology. The speaker concludes that it is appropriate to read the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and the Uttar Gita together, as there is a continuity between them. The Uttar Gita is, in essence, similar to the Bhagavad Gita, but the circumstances under which it is spoken are special.