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ये काम गंदा है, पर इसमें पैसा ज़बरदस्त है || आचार्य प्रशांत, अष्टावक्र गीता पर (2023)
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1 year ago
Spirituality
Worldliness
Duality
Society
Kabir Saheb
Fear
Hypocrisy
Ashtavakra Gita
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that it is a great mistake to believe that there are two separate realms, one worldly and one spiritual. He asserts there is only one world. To remain on the surface of this world is called superficiality or worldliness. To dive deep into this same world is called spirituality. He quotes a couplet from Kabir Saheb: "Those who sought, found, by diving into deep waters. I, the fool, was afraid of drowning and remained on the shore." The worldly person is the one who is afraid of drowning and stays on the shore. They are like those who go to the riverbanks but only touch the water with their heel or toenail. In contrast, those who dive deep find the pearls, and this is spirituality. The speaker illustrates societal hypocrisy with an example: a family will celebrate if their child gets a job in a slaughterhouse, which are among the world's top companies. However, if the family's talent moves towards spirituality, the mother, aunt, and grandmother will emotionally blackmail them, even threatening suicide. He uses another analogy of a single thief in a city causing the sale of a hundred thousand locks, making the thief a significant contributor to the city's economy and GDP. He notes that the ones in jail are often the innocent ones whose only crime was getting caught, while the real criminals are those who haven't been caught. Society, the speaker explains, sees only two types of people: those who are like them (worldly) and those who are criminals or outcasts. Therefore, anyone who deviates from the norm is considered a criminal. This makes it difficult for spiritual individuals to emerge. Out of a thousand people, 990 are worldly, nine are criminals, and only one is spiritual. The worldly majority uses the fear of the nine criminals to keep their children in line. The speaker criticizes the education system for creating a false division between the material and the spiritual, ensuring that people know one but not the other. This separation is a conspiracy to prevent the integrated understanding that the Upanishadic sages spoke of. Society deals with the one truly spiritual person by either killing them or deifying them, placing them in a temple. Both methods neutralize their influence, making them seem like unattainable avatars, thus relieving others of the responsibility to follow their path.