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गृहस्थ जीवन की मर्यादा || आचार्य प्रशांत (2020)
2.4M views
5 years ago
Love
Marriage
Illusion (Maya)
Freedom
Peace
Responsibility
Kabir Saheb
Mind
Description

A questioner explains that before listening to Acharya Prashant, he considered arranged marriages natural and love marriages artificial. However, his perspective has now reversed. He is in an arranged marriage and, along with his wife, feels their relationship lacks the kind of love the speaker describes. While they do not wish to separate, they seek guidance on how to live together. Acharya Prashant responds by explaining that while it is good to have goodwill for each other, one must also have the responsibility to know what true well-being is. Merely wanting it is insufficient. He uses the analogy of a faulty car: just wishing for it to run won't fix it; one needs knowledge of its mechanics. Similarly, to do good for another, one must understand the complexities and games of the mind. Otherwise, people unintentionally harm each other while believing they are doing good. People often cannot even do good for themselves, let alone for others. He addresses the concept of "natural" marriage by stating that both arranged and love marriages are typically born of illusion (maya). Arranged marriage stems from the family's illusion, while love marriage arises from the mutual illusion of the couple. In both cases, the decisions are based on flawed calculations. He questions how one can have a "love marriage" without understanding what love truly is. The arranger in both scenarios is the mind, and if one doesn't understand the mind, one cannot trust the arrangements it creates. Acharya Prashant defines love not as a natural instinct but as a spiritual quality. He quotes Kabir Saheb: "The path on which you find the Master, that is called love." True love is the attraction of a restless mind towards peace. It is a great responsibility. The dharma of love is to be free oneself and to help the other person become free; to be peaceful and to give peace. This requires the eligibility to understand oneself and the courage to speak the truth for the other's well-being, even if it is unpleasant. He contrasts this with common relationships, where people often reserve their worst behavior for their loved ones, mistaking intimacy for a license to be abusive. This, he says, is not love but enmity. The natural attraction between the sexes is for security and procreation, not love. Love must be learned. There are two types of love: one where you show your most base form, and another where you take the responsibility to show your highest form. He urges the couple to choose the latter.