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जब किसी ने दिल दुखाया हो || आचार्य प्रशांत, वेदांत पर (2021)
170.2K views
4 years ago
Expectations
Prakriti (Nature)
Consciousness
Anger
Atma (Self)
Compassion
Relationships
Detachment
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the questioner's anger towards others' wrongdoings by explaining that the root of this anger lies in not placing people in their correct positions. He states that anger arises from unfulfilled expectations. One must question what expectations they hold for others. High expectations can only be placed on someone who is spiritually elevated. It is futile to have expectations from the elements of nature that are contrary to their inherent qualities. The speaker refers to a previous talk titled, "If you have expectations from animals, your heart will surely be broken," clarifying that "animal" here refers to "Prakriti" (nature). The mistake is in giving the status of the Self (Atma) to the elements of nature and then being disappointed when they do not exhibit qualities like loftiness, clarity, or truth. These qualities cannot be present in them because they are simply creatures of nature, a fact the questioner has not yet understood. When they engage in inappropriate behavior, it feels bad because you have not recognized them as what they are. You have assumed they were high, but they behaved lowly, whereas the reality is they were never high to begin with. Using analogies, he explains that if a pet dog chews your slippers, your heart doesn't break, but if a friend does, it does, because you don't see the friend as a dog. Similarly, if a cat drinks milk, it's acceptable, but if a "human cat" drinks your blood, it causes outrage because you don't see them as a cat. The solution is to recognize them for what they are. Once you understand that they are like animals, creatures of nature, your heart will not break. Instead of outrage, compassion will arise, or at the very least, you won't burn your own blood. Addressing the follow-up question about tolerating others' wrongdoings, Acharya Prashant clarifies that it is not about tolerance. Just as you would shoo away a dog that chews your slippers without feeling bad, you should deal with people appropriately. The feeling of having to "tolerate" them comes from not seeing them as they are—as beings of nature (Prakriti), not the Self (Atma). He advises evaluating people based on their level of consciousness. Those with high consciousness deserve respect. Those willing to raise their consciousness deserve encouragement and support. And for those with low consciousness who are unwilling to change, you should simply show them the door. This approach is not cruel but is based on ease and clarity.