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अलूका-पाका-टोको: यो तो गयो || आचार्य प्रशांत, वेदांत महोत्सव ऋषिकेश में (2022)
74K views
3 years ago
Relationships
Parents
Family
Knowledge
Truth
Spiritual Activism
Change
Body-centric relationships
Description

A questioner asks Acharya Prashant for guidance on his relationship with his parents. He explains that after following Acharya Prashant's teachings, he has changed his life, including leaving his corporate job. This has caused his father to go into depression. The questioner has tried to introduce his parents to the teachings, but they resist, thinking he is doing something wrong. He feels love for them and wants to help, but doesn't know how. Acharya Prashant responds that this is a common problem. He explains that relationships have an old, established pattern. When one person in the relationship discovers something new, like spiritual knowledge, it is not just ordinary information. This new knowledge is not a continuation of the old but something that cuts and cleanses it. This fundamentally changes the basis of the relationship, which can make it better. However, the other person in the relationship only knows the old pattern and does not understand these new teachings. They don't oppose the teachings themselves, as they don't even understand them. Their opposition stems from the disruption of the old relationship. He uses the analogy of someone saying a meaningless phrase like "Aluka Paka Toko" and then punching you; you would then associate that phrase with danger and oppose it. Similarly, people misrepresent his teachings, creating enemies for him. Acharya Prashant states that parents are not concerned with the teachings but with the feeling that their son is being taken away from them. He points out the irony that parents don't feel their son is lost when he moves to another country for a high-paying job and doesn't visit for years, but if he stays home and speaks of truth, they feel he is gone. He advises caution, as truth is not a light matter and should be handled carefully, like a medicine administered by a trained doctor. He tells the questioner not to turn his home into a battlefield, as wasting energy on domestic conflict will prevent him from achieving anything in the wider world. He suggests keeping relationships at home simple and peaceful. He advises the questioner to spread the message far and wide, not starting at home. He should wait patiently. If he is truly becoming a better person, his family will eventually notice and ask about the change. Only then, after they have asked multiple times, should he show them a short video. The speaker explains that the foundation of most family relationships is the body, not knowledge. He concludes by advising the questioner to sow the seeds of knowledge everywhere, as one never knows which seed will take root and grow into a mighty tree. He suggests that the message will reach his family through others, not directly from him.