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Your pious deeds will not help you || Acharya Prashant, on Ashtavakra Gita (2018)
Scriptures and Saints
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2 years ago
Ashtavakra Gita
Morality
Spirituality
Pious deeds
Ego
Realization
Action
Virtue
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that in the spiritual world of Ashtavakra, prosperity, pleasure, and pious deeds all belong to the same worldly dimension. While conventional morality distinguishes between good and bad deeds, real spirituality focuses on the actor rather than the action. He clarifies that both virtues and vices are equally part of the ego's domain if they are performed without true understanding. Pious deeds, such as charity or helping others, can often enhance the ego if the underlying reality of the action is not realized. Therefore, spirituality denounces both virtues and vices to point toward something beyond that duality. He further discusses how morality is often a product of social conditioning and laziness, where individuals follow rules without personal inquiry. Labels of 'good' and 'bad' are inconsistent across different cultures and times, proving they are merely mental constructs. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that true realization and action are inseparable. If one claims to have realized the truth but fails to act, then realization has not truly occurred. Realization possesses a power that overrides personal decision-making and fears, making the right action spontaneous and inevitable. If any doubts or concerns remain alongside a supposed realization, it indicates that the realization is incomplete.