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Why does one suffer in the world? || Acharya Prashant, on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2017)
Scriptures and Saints
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3 years ago
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Sage Yajnavalkya
Maitreyi
Immortality
Truth
Fear
Mind
Guru
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun represents a universal internal conflict, where Shri Krishna is the heart within every individual. He describes scriptures and their characters as mere gateways that one must pass through to reach the ultimate truth. Using the story of Sage Yajnavalkya from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, he interprets the sage's two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani, as two dimensions of the human mind. Maitreyi symbolizes the mind's aspiration for truth and realization, while Katyayani represents the mind's attachment to worldly attributes and physical appearances. The speaker emphasizes that the choice between worldly riches and spiritual essence is always available to the mind. Maitreyi demonstrates wisdom by rejecting material wealth, questioning if it can provide immortality or freedom from fear. Acharya Prashant asserts that all religious scriptures aim to heal the mind of fear, which stems from the mortality of things bound by time. He explains that seeking the unlimited through limited worldly mediums is the cause of human disappointment. True contentment is found only when the mind stops running after proxies and directly seeks the source of all existence. Furthermore, Acharya Prashant discusses the role of the teacher or Guru, stating that a disciple should seek nothing less than godliness from them. He notes that Maitreyi's realization was instantaneous the moment she made the right choice, as the beginning and end of the spiritual journey are rooted in the same center. The teacher's ultimate purpose is to bring the student to a state of oneness with the truth, after which the physical presence of the teacher becomes secondary. He concludes that all human desires are essentially a search for the Self, and realization occurs when one recognizes that the truth is already present and within.