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Three levels of knowledge || Acharya Prashant, on Vedanta (2020)
Scriptures and Saints
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3 years ago
Vidya
Avidya
Para Vidya
Apara Vidya
Akshar
Conditioning
Ego
Upanishads
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the conflict faced by Arjun in the Bhagavad Gita represents the universal struggle of mankind, where both Shri Krishna and Arjun reside within us. He categorizes knowledge into three distinct levels. The highest is Vidya (Para Vidya), which leads to the indestructible and immortal (Akshar). Below this is Avidya (Apara Vidya), which encompasses worldly disciplines, sciences, and wisdom literature like the Vedas. While Avidya deals with the world and the mind, Vidya addresses the core of the ego. He emphasizes that Avidya is not the opposite of Vidya but a necessary lower level that prepares the mind for higher truth by removing worldly attachments and superstitions. Acharya Prashant introduces a third, even lower category called 'gutter knowledge,' which he argues constitutes 99% of the modern mind's content. This level consists of gossip, media influence, and social conditioning that lacks both scientific logic and spiritual depth. He warns that most people are not even worthy of Avidya because they are steeped in this trivia. This 'gutter knowledge' provides a false sense of security and kinship among the masses, making people afraid to walk away from nonsense for fear of isolation. He asserts that passive participation in such trivia is as damaging as active participation, as it sustains a culture of ignorance. True spirituality, according to Acharya Prashant, requires the courage to be 'elitist' by refusing to participate in the common nonsense of the world. He explains that while Avidya removes external attachments by showing their destructible nature, Vidya removes the 'I' or the ego itself. Only when the ego is deleted through Vidya does one reach a state of absolute security and fearlessness, becoming one with the indestructible. He concludes by urging individuals to investigate the sources of their beliefs and habits, blocking the 'inlets' of social conditioning to reclaim their lives from the 'gutter' and move toward the absolute truth.