On YouTube
Why did God create the universe? || Acharya Prashant, on Ribhu Gita (2018)
Scriptures and Saints
373 views
1 year ago
Duality
Leela
Bhagavad Gita
Spirituality
Truth
Non-duality
Universe
Creation
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a question regarding why the eternal and infinite self projects the universe as a moving shadow picture, a concept often dismissed by scriptures as mere divine play or leela. He asserts that the questioner's dissatisfaction with traditional scriptural answers is justified because those answers are often misleading or incomplete. He humorously suggests that the universe exists to bring an individual to a point of deep inquiry and dissatisfaction, rather than being the result of a divine conspiracy or a reasonless manifestation. He emphasizes that such transcendental questions about the origin of duality or the nature of God's creation are often used as dishonest escapes from the practical realities and struggles of daily life. He criticizes the tendency to seek entertainment through spiritual stories and personified deities instead of engaging with the pure essence of truth found in texts like the Bhagavad Gita. He points out that people often prefer spicy, humanized stories of the divine because they provide titillation rather than genuine devotion. Acharya Prashant urges the listener to move away from intellectual gossip and mythological confabulations. He concludes that true spirituality is not about collecting stories or asking abstract questions about gravity or gender, but about addressing one's own fears, insecurities, and daily reactions. Spirituality must be lived and paid for with one's own life to have any real quality.