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गर्लफ्रेंड मेरा धर्म-परिवर्तन कराना चाहती है, क्या करूँ? || आचार्य प्रशांत (2019)
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5 years ago
Religious Conversion
Love and Conditions
Truth
Jesus Christ
Vedanta
Bigotry
Upanishads
Bible
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a questioner whose Christian girlfriend wants him to convert. He begins by asking if she reads the Upanishads with him, just as he reads the Bible with her. When the questioner says no, Acharya Prashant states that in this case, reading the Bible is not righteousness (dharma) but unrighteousness (adharma). He clarifies that he is not a proponent of any organized religion and does not see Jesus and Vedanta as separate. The issue, he explains, is not about religiosity but about personal stubbornness. He argues that anyone who truly understands the teachings of Jesus cannot deny Vedanta, and conversely, one who understands the Upanishads cannot deny the Sermon on the Mount. If a person claims to love Jesus but refuses to read Vedanta, they neither know nor love Jesus. This is not about a transactional exchange of reading scriptures but about true religiosity, which transcends all boundaries. A person who claims to be a Christian but refuses to even hear the name of the Vedas is a false Christian. The speaker emphasizes that he is not just accusing the girlfriend of not loving the Upanishads, but of not loving Jesus either. Acharya Prashant explains that religion is about transcending all boundaries, not about the bigotry of holding onto one's own. He humorously notes the questioner's willingness to add Jesus to his pantheon of gods, while his girlfriend is unwilling to reciprocate. He asserts that anyone who imposes a condition like religious conversion for love does not truly love the person, nor do they love Jesus. He calls such conditions in love a 'game' and advises the questioner to run away from such a situation, comparing it to being invited into a mental prison by a loved one who refuses to step out into the open. He concludes by stating that his talks are not about promoting Hinduism but about speaking the Truth, which is why people of all faiths attend. The girlfriend's refusal to come is not because the speaker is a Hindu, but because she does not want to face the Truth. Her stubbornness is against Truth itself, making her company not good. He advises the questioner that if he wants to stay with her, he must help her get rid of this stubbornness.