In response to a question about religion being the cause of much violence and bloodshed, Acharya Prashant uses an analogy. He says, imagine you are covered in mud from head to toe, so much so that it's in your eyes and ears, and you can't see or hear properly. If someone gives you clean, pure water to wash yourself, and you use it, the water that flows off you will be dirty. If you then look at that dirty water and exclaim, "You gave me such dirty water! You are my enemy! Because of you, I have become dirty," it would be a foolish conclusion. The water was clean; it became dirty because of your own filth. Acharya Prashant explains that this is what happens with Dharma (religion). We are inherently impure people, and when we are given a pure, clean Dharma, we contaminate it. Then, we have the audacity to blame Dharma itself, claiming it was flawed or that it made us dirty. We fight in the name of Dharma because we want to fight. He gives the example of rabbits, which are known to kill their young, to illustrate that violence is inherent in nature (Prakriti) and is not taught by Dharma. Nature itself is not compassionate; it only cares about survival, where fewer numbers mean more food. We are those beings who forget who we are. The devil within us, our inherent tendencies (vrittis) and our identification with the body, is what makes us fight. This inner devil is so powerful that it can sometimes overpower even Dharma. We don't want to acknowledge this devil within because it hurts our ego to admit that we are the problem. Instead, we blame Dharma for the turmoil in the world. The speaker clarifies that no religious scripture is useless, provided one knows how to read it correctly. These texts were written in a specific time and context, and some parts may not be relevant today, but they all contain life-giving wisdom without which one cannot live. The impurities found in religions today, such as the caste system in Sanatana Dharma, were not introduced by the founders or the Upanishads but by people with vested interests for exploitation. Man wants to exploit man, and nature teaches us exploitation. Dharma, on the other hand, teaches compassion, love, and non-violence. Therefore, one should hold oneself responsible for all the ruin in life and credit Dharma for everything that is beautiful, peaceful, and sublime.
