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Why Guru-Disciple relationship is so special? || Acharya Prashant (2023)
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2 years ago
Teacher-Disciple Relationship
Shri Krishna
Bhagavad Gita
Maya
Love
Free Will
Desire
Intimacy
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that for a teacher to guide a student, a certain intimacy is required. Even if the student cannot accurately articulate their real problem, they must at least present the false problem as they perceive it. The student must come up with something, even if it's not everything. For instance, in the Bhagavad Gita, the description of the false problem in Chapter 1 is what allows Shri Krishna to deliver the great discourse in Chapter 2. The entire first chapter is devoted to Arjuna's narration of the problem as he perceives it. This detailed narration becomes the student's eligibility to receive a solution. The student has to present whatever they know about their problem, laying it out in sufficient detail. This detailing, in some sense, becomes the eligibility of the student to receive a solution. Addressing a question on love and knowledge, Acharya Prashant clarifies that true love begins from an inner point, an inward glance, an inner cry of not liking the way one is and wanting to be okay. This leads to looking for resources and help. This is distinct from desire, which is blind to the self and looks outward for fulfillment from its inception. Desire does not look at itself or its source; it is always looking outward. True love, in its right form, starts from an inward glance and is a very inner cry. It is not about acquiring something from the world, but about a deep dissatisfaction with one's current state. He further elaborates on the principle of Maya, which is founded on free choice. Maya says, "I will disappear only when I choose to." The Truth cannot just declare Maya false and make it vanish. Maya must be lovingly embraced, convinced, and made to consent in its own free will to disappear. The teacher, even if perceptive, is helpless without the student's consent and honors the law of free will. The teacher is prepared to bear some resistance, but the student must offer their consent. It is a relative matter; there are no absolutes. The teacher's role is not about their own capability but about the student's consent. If consent is not forthcoming, the teacher will not operate. Finally, he discusses the interplay of grace and choice. While grace is far bigger than the chooser and their choice, it cannot descend if one does not exercise their choice. Grace is a function of one's own willingness to be a receptive. One must have an obsession with detecting Maya because she is always lurking. If she is invisible, it is a bigger problem than having her in plain sight. Therefore, one should not become complacent just because everything feels well.