In response to a question about the fear of being cursed by a friend if brought to the satsang, Acharya Prashant advises to make it certain that the friend will indeed curse, so that the doubt is completely eliminated. He defines doubt as the absence of certainty about a fact. It is when one is unsure whether something is one way or the other. To end this uncertainty, one should settle the matter decisively. Acharya Prashant then re-frames the act of cursing, stating that a curse is a sweet thing. He explains that in traditions like weddings and Holi, and even in the life of Shri Krishna, curses are sung. A curse, he argues, is not inherently bad; it signifies intimacy. One only curses those they consider their own, not strangers. The mind will only curse someone it considers its own, so he humorously suggests, "curse him twice." He points out that no one curses God more than a devotee. He quotes Bulleh Shah, who questions God for hiding behind a veil, which is a form of loving complaint or curse. Devotees have historically expressed their longing through such means, even telling God they won't speak to Him for being distant. This is a way of asking, "If you created everything, why this separation from your own creation?" He further elaborates that even negative engagement with the Truth, such as protest or criticism, is still a form of engagement. It is a way of holding onto the Truth, albeit a crooked one. While a saint holds the Truth through worship and praise, one can also hold it through protest and condemnation. The Truth is such that any form of engagement, even for negative reasons, will reveal its magic. He considers those who curse to be naive and honest, and in a better state than those who are indifferent. The most unfortunate are those who don't even care enough to find fault. For them, the ego is so dense that it believes it is already perfect and has no need to investigate further. Acharya Prashant concludes by saying that in this age of doubt and transition, the path of the critic might be more suitable for the ego, which prefers to test and verify rather than accept things on faith. He invites people to connect even as critics, to find faults, but to do so by genuinely searching and investigating, not by imagining flaws. He assures that this path of investigation, even if started with the intent to criticize, will ultimately lead to the Truth. The key is to engage, to look, even if it is to find fault, because the act of looking will reveal the reality.
