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Has the Gita not helped you? || Acharya Prashant (2023)
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1 year ago
Bhagavad Gita
Paying the Price
Shri Krishna
The Right Center
Negation
Dhritarashtra
Charaiveti
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that to benefit from knowledge like the Gita, one must be prepared to pay the price. He contrasts Arjun with Dhritarashtra, noting that while Dhritarashtra heard the Gita, he was not willing to pay the price, unlike Arjun who was asked to slaughter his own kith and kin. This immense price is why only Arjun truly benefited. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that merely having knowledge demonstrated to you does not entitle you to it, just as test-driving a car does not mean you can take it home without payment. The price for the Gita, he states, was a "check signed in red," signifying the ultimate sacrifice. Using the analogy of a supermarket, Acharya Prashant explains that while everything is available in life, you only get what you pay for, not what you like or what seems grand. This principle applies to spiritual knowledge as well. When asked how to find the "right center" in life, he suggests that a practical approach is one of negation. If a center you hold proves incapable of keeping your mind together and things fall apart, you know you are operating from a weak or false center. The true center should provide "everlasting wholeness" and be so compelling and indisputable that it cannot be defied. Instead of seeking a specific definition for the right center, which he says could be figuratively called Dharma or Krishna, one should continuously discard loose, false centers and keep moving forward, a concept he refers to as "Charaiveti." Life should be an unending journey of learning, betterment, and dissolution, without seeking easy endings or quick conclusions. He encourages having the stamina for a lifelong marathon, stating that wherever one is, it is never the final point. Reaching a final destination is akin to a train journey ending, where one must get off. Therefore, it is good to be a continuous journeyman or journeywoman, and the mind should not get tired of traveling.