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(Gita-11) Ancient Vedantic knowledge for immortality || Acharya Prashant, Bhagvad Gita (2024)
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Bhagavad Gita
Atma (Self)
Prakriti (Nature)
Ahankar (Ego)
Levels of Reality
Shri Krishna
Liberation
Grief
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that three levels of reality are being instructed. The first is the Truth, the Self, or Atma, which is beyond perception, boundaries, or change. It is not born, so there is no question of its death, and hence no point in grieving. The second level is the fact, which is Prakriti (Nature/Matter). Prakriti is ever-born and ever-dying; every moment it takes birth and every moment it dies, like waves in the ocean. Since it is a continuous process, there is no point in grieving over it either. The third level of reality is the imagined one, Ahankar, the personal self. This is what people grieve over, but it is purely imaginary, and it makes no sense to grieve over something that is not real. Shri Krishna is instructing Arjun on these three levels of reality to show him there is no need to grieve. Verse 25 of the Gita talks about the Truth, the Self, or Atma. Verse 26 talks about the fact, which is Prakriti. Verse 27 is an extension of verse 26, also about Prakriti. The speaker points out that many misinterpret these verses, for example, by believing in the rebirth of a dead person. He clarifies that the verse does not mention a person (vyakti) but refers to the constant cycle of birth and death within Prakriti. He further explains that consciousness (chetna) is a part of Prakriti and is material; there is no conscious being without a body. The idea of a disembodied being is a superstition not sanctioned by the Gita. Spirituality is about learning that liberation is simply coming to terms with your non-existence. The one you seek to liberate does not exist in the first place. Liberation is the last myth; it is freedom from the need for liberation. The purpose of life is to see that there is no personal self. When you see that, life becomes purposeless, which is joy. Joy is the name of your very disappearance. The speaker explains that Arjun's dilemma arises from a false belief in the personal self and its attachments. Shri Krishna is teaching him Dharma, which proceeds from knowledge (Bodh). The war is not for personal gain but to fight the root cause of all human misery, which is ignorance (avidya).