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It takes a lot to know Krishna || Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita (2020)
Scriptures and Saints
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1 year ago
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita
Liberation
Sadhana
Sin
Self-inquiry
Realization
Truth
Repentance
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the simplicity of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, chapter 10, verse three, can be deceptive. While the verse states that knowing Shri Krishna as birthless and beginningless frees one from all sins, this 'knowing' is not mere information gathering or data bits. It is a profound realization that requires the sacrifice of an entire lifetime. Because humans are complex and mired in things that begin and end, realizing the beginningless truth implies admitting that one's current life and values are false. This realization demands that one rejects and stops giving value to the falseness they have patronized. He clarifies that no 'clean sheet' is being given to sinners. Instead, liberation is an arduous and time-taking process of self-purification. Sin is defined as operating from the wrong center or forgetting one's real nature. To stop being a sinner, one must stop identifying with the limited personality and concepts as the truth. This requires constant cleansing and practice over decades. Acharya Prashant warns against 'snake oil salesmen' who promise instant liberation, emphasizing that true sadhana involves the difficult work of self-inquiry and giving up obsessions with forms and time. Finally, he addresses the concept of settling one's bills. He explains that one either willingly settles their bills through sadhana or pays through the nose with interest and penalty through the suffering of life. Attaining Shri Krishna is described as a fancy name for basic self-inquiry and getting rid of the internal dirt. Since the outside world is a projection of the inside, one cannot find the truth without first purifying the self.