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Can Bhakti and Vairagya go together? || Acharya Prashant, on Saint Kabir (2018)
Scriptures and Saints
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2 years ago
Bhakti
Vairagya
Devotion
Dispassion
Truth
Surrender
Duality
Kabir Saheb
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that bhakti and vairagya are inseparable and necessarily go together. Bhakti is the realization that only the truth is real and worthy of love, while vairagya is the understanding that one's own possessions, thoughts, and ego are valueless in comparison to that truth. He clarifies that the devotee's longing for God is not attachment but supreme dispassion, as it leads to the dissolution of the self rather than its reinforcement. He emphasizes that things in the world only appear significant when compared to each other; however, when compared to the benchmark of truth, their littleness becomes apparent. He further describes God as a benevolent possessor who, once he occupies a person, grants them absolute freedom. This freedom allows one to interact with the world and its 'toys' without being enslaved by them, provided one remembers their ephemeral nature. Acharya Prashant addresses the common fear that spirituality ruins one's life or relationships, asserting that truth only destroys one's 'diseases' or false attachments. He notes the irony in society's acceptance of destructive habits while viewing spiritual devotion with suspicion, concluding that the ego avoids truth by falsely claiming it is harmful.