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जिनमें सच सुनने का दम है, सिर्फ़ उनके लिए || आचार्य प्रशांत, वेदांत पर (2021)
92.2K views
4 years ago
Desire
Pleasure and Pain
Choice
Self-love
Bliss
Liberation
Reality
Bondage
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the dilemma of being drawn to small pleasures despite the subsequent guilt. He explains that it is impossible for a small pleasure not to lead to a greater sorrow. If the pleasure truly outweighed the sorrow, he would advise indulging in it, but this contradicts the law of existence. The small pleasure one obtains comes at the cost of a much larger, forfeited pleasure, which is a matter of great sorrow. To make the right choice, one must be a little selfish and constantly remember this loss, like avoiding a deal where you lose fifteen rupees to gain five. This self-awareness is only possible with self-love. While it is said that the nature of the mind is bliss, this is not true for the ordinary person who has strayed far from their true nature and lost affection for bliss. Instead, they have become accustomed to sorrow, making it their nature. They no longer object to being sad, weak, or helpless, and an identity forms around this state: "I am just like this." The mind attached to the Self is blissful, but when detached, it becomes sorrowful. It's a tragedy that most people make sorrow their nature, feeling agitated in blissful situations and at home in misery. The right desire arises from the realization of one's reality. It is not about acquiring more things but is a reaction to one's sick state—a desire to be healthy and free. The one on the path of liberation (mukti-margi) first fully recognizes their reality and then completely rejects it, rebelling against their inner and outer conditions. In contrast, the one on the path of imprisonment (kara-margi) accepts their flawed state and tries to adjust their life around it, rather than seeking to change it. Most people do not want to erase their false self; they want to live with it. The right desire is not to get something for the self but to get freedom for the self.