Upanishads

Overview

Fighting Duryodhana is Dharma. Fight Duryodhana in the way you can, that is swadharma. Dharma is the same for everybody, but swadharma varies according to your physical, social, temporal conditions. But remember that swadharma can never be in contradiction of Dharma; swadharma will always be something…

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युवावस्था बहुत ही नाज़ुक समय होता है। यही समय निर्धारित कर देता है कि जीवन किस दिशा जाएगा।

हमारा मिजाज हमेशा दूसरों और परिस्थितियों पर निर्भर करता है। नतीजे आपकी उम्मीदों के मुताबिक नहीं रहे। इसलिए अब आपको मनोबल बढ़ाने वाले किसी प्रेरक वक्ता की ज़रूरत है। जैसे ही वह व्यक्ति चला जाता है, आपकी ऊर्जा भी थम जाती है। लेकिन जीने का एक और तरीका भी है। अपने भीतर गहराई में, मुझे एक ऐसा बिंदु मिलता है जिसे कोई बाहरी परिस्थिति छू नहीं सकती। जो कुछ भी होता है, वह सतह पर ही घटित होता है। वह स्थिर, उदासीन और तटस्थ बना रहता है। तब आप सचमुच स्वतंत्र होते हैं।

How did the Buddha look then? Who is the Buddha? Let’s try to understand with the story of Gautama Buddha, The ‘Shakya Muni Buddha’ as we call him. So, who was he? Let’s look at his central characteristics. One, someone who is well versed in the knowledge of his time. Buddha had deep scriptural knowledge. He was born in a Hindu Kshatriya family, he was a prince and ever since his childhood he was quite talented. So, one thing about him is that he was quite well-read. Second thing is, he was deeply interested in knowing the depths of life. He did not want to remain merely at the superficial levels, so he would observe a lot, he would think a lot. https://acharyaprashant.org/en/articles/todays-buddha-1_4d1b6bf

The Upanishads were not composed to give you the normal kind of comfort and happiness. The Upanishads are there to give you an exalted happiness, a transcendental happiness, an eternal happiness. A happiness so rare and exquisite that it is not called as harṣa or moda or prasannatā; a…

Questioner (Q): I am studying philosophy at Hansraj College, and I have read that Hegel’s philosophy was that mankind has been increasing its power by increasing its knowledge about itself and its surroundings. This kind of a philosophy might suggest that our projected purpose is to become the most powerful…

Questioner (Q): Does Vedanta, or wisdom literature in general, offer any fundamental solutions to the problems that we face as normal individuals in our personal and professional lives?

Acharya Prashant (AP): Vedanta doesn’t go at all into the specifics of the problems we face. If it does that, it would…

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते । ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायां रताः ॥

andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'vidyāmupāsate tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṁ ratāḥ

स पर्यगाच्छुक्रमकायमव्रणमस्नाविरं शुद्धमपापविद्धम्‌ । कविर्मनीषी परिभूः स्वयम्भूर्याथातथ्यतोऽर्थान्‌ व्यदधात् शाश्वतीभ्यः समाभ्यः ॥

sa paryagācchukramakāyamavraṇamasnāviraṁ śuddhamapāpaviddham kavirmanīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūryāthātathyato'rthān vyadadhāt śāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ

Questioner: You mentioned that mumukṣā (deep desire for liberation) is what matters when we choose a path for liberation. But the mind is always playing games. Once I do things against its comfort, it tries to make up stories, create random, non-existent problems for me. Should I listen to my…

Questioner: I see myself rooted in habit, and I procrastinate real work by thinking that the real happens on its own. Please talk about breaking habits and living a more aware life.

Acharya Prashant: Habits will remain. As long as you are alive, habits will remain. You know what is

Questioner: In Katha Upanishad, the young boy Nachiketa attained the highest wisdom and immortality by the virtue of dispassion and the firm resolve to know the Truth. Kindly speak on the virtues of determination and dispassion that Nachiketa had.

Acharya Prashant: Yes, obviously Nachiketa had determination and dispassion, but…

Questioner: Wherever I find myself entering into conversations with people, I am often asked questions such as ‘How are you?’, ‘How was your day?’, ‘Where are you from?’, ‘What are your hobbies and interests?’. Any answer that I give I know to be ultimately false. Answers such as ‘I am…

अन्यत्र धर्मादन्यत्राधर्मादन्यत्रास्मात्कृताकृतात् । अन्यत्र भूताच्च भव्याच्च यत्तत्पश्यसि तद्वद ॥

anyatra dharmādanyatrādharmādanyatrāsmātkṛtākṛtāt anyatra bhūtācca bhavyācca yattatpaśyasi tadvada

इत्थं वाक्यैस्तथार्थानुसन्धानं श्रवणं भवेत् । युक्त्या संभावितत्वानुसन्धानं मननं तु तत् ॥

itthaṃ vākyaistathārthānusandhānaṃ śravaṇaṃ bhavet yuktyā saṃbhāvitatvānusandhānaṃ mananaṃ tu tat

निद्राया लोकवार्तायाः शब्दादेरात्मविस्मृतेः । क्वचिन्नावसरं दत्त्वा चिन्तयात्मानमात्मनि ॥

nidrāyā lokavārtāyāḥ śabdāderātmavismṛteḥ kvacinnāvasaraṃ dattvā cintayātmānamātmani

क्रियानाशाद्भवेच्छिन्तानाशोऽस्माद्वासनाक्षयः । वासनाप्रक्षयो मोक्षः सा जीवन्मुक्तिरिष्यते ॥

kriyānāśādbhavecchintānāśo'smādvāsanākṣayaḥ vāsanāprakṣayo mokṣaḥ sā jīvanmuktiriṣyate

The destruction of action leads to that of thought; thence results the dwindling of innate impulse (to act). The obliteration of innate impulse is liberation; it is held to be freedom in life.

Questioner: In the last session you said that cessation of passion is dispassion. I don’t feel I am passionate towards anything in my life. I like classical music, reading about spirituality, listening to the masters, I like the silence, but I am not passionate about anything. I am unable to…

यथाऽपकृष्टं शैवालं क्षणमात्रं न तिष्ठति । आवृणोति तथा माया प्राज्ञं वापि पराङ्मुखम् ॥

yathā'pakṛṣṭaṃ śaivālaṃ kṣaṇamātraṃ na tiṣṭhati āvṛṇoti tathā māyā prājñaṃ vāpi parāṅmukham

Just as a pulled-up water reed stays not still even for a moment, so does Maya (ceaselessly) envelop even a wise man if he averts his

Throw out concepts like ‘I am virtuous’ or ‘I am a sinner’. What is the entity that senses this? Body-consciousness will not lose its grasp on you with the thought that your well-being is the result of some spiritual activity. All you need is to keep observing yourself.

Do not…

Vidyā does not take you to Brahman. That is another popular misconception, kindly get rid of it. Vidyā has to go away for only Brahman to remain. Brahman is immortality. When you believed in the universe, then you also believed in the study of the universe. So, a belief in…

तपसा प्राप्यते सत्त्वं सत्त्वात्संप्राप्यते मनः । मनसा प्राप्यते ह्यात्मा ह्यात्मापत्त्या निवर्तते ॥

tapasā prāpyate sattvaṃ sattvātsaṃprāpyate manaḥ manasā prāpyate hyātmā hyātmāpattyā nivartate

Through penance, one gets to know the inborn disposition (sattva); from sattva one gets (stability of) the mind; through the mind, one realizes the Ātman; by realizing the

द्रव्यार्थमन्नवस्त्रार्थं यः प्रतिष्ठार्थमेव वा । संन्यसेदुभयभ्रष्टः स मुक्तिं नाप्तिमर्हति ॥

dravyārthamannavastrārthaṃ yaḥ pratiṣṭhārthameva vā saṃnyasedubhayabhraṣṭaḥ sa muktiṃ nāptimarhati

Questioner: Acharya Ji, today I was reading about brain and conditioning. Our brain is affected by experiences all the time, and these experiences put the brain in a certain form and cause deformities also. I have some memories about some people that do not allow me to feel free. I…

ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਗਤਿ ਪਾਵੈ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਾ ਪਾਥਰ ਤਰਾਵੈ ॥

ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਾਸ ਤੇ ਰਾਖੈ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਾ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਭਾਖੈ ॥

ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਾ ਪਤਿਤ ਉਧਾਰੈ ॥ ਆਪਿ ਕਰੈ ਆਪਨ ਬੀਚਾਰੈ ॥

Questioner: Acharya Ji, I have noticed that people who have known me since childhood are now facing difficulties in understanding what I am doing. For instance, it took two years for me to convince my wife and relatives, etc. to even allow me to practice spirituality. Why do our close…

“Run from what’s comfortable. Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious. I have tried prudent planning long enough. From now on I’ll be mad.”

~ Rumi

ਜਤਨ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੁਖ ਕੇ ਕੀਏ ਦੁਖ ਕੋ ਕੀਓ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਹਰਿ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋ ਹੋਇ ॥੩੯॥

jatan bahut sukh kay kee-ay dukh ko kee-o na ko-ay kaho naanak sun ray manaa har bhaavai so ho-ay

People make all sorts of efforts to find peace and

Questioner: Acharya Ji, since the last few days I have been sharing my learnings with my parents. Every time I discuss something with them, I have to deliberately attack their conditioned mind to make them aware of their conditioning. I feel sorry for them and I find myself being cruel…

Shuzan held out his short staff and said, “If you call this a short staff, you oppose reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now, what do you wish to call this?” ~ ‘The Short Staff’, a Zen Koan

Questioner: Acharya Ji, like…

देहाभिमानपाशेन चिरं बद्धोऽसि पुत्रक । बोधोऽहं ज्ञानखंगेन तन्निष्कृत्य सुखी भव ॥

dehābhimānapāśena ciraṃ baddho'si putraka bodho'haṃ jñānakhaḍgena tanniṣkṛtya sukhī bhava

Questioner (Q): You said that consciousness is precious, it should be valued, and that is why we shouldn’t kill animals. We can take it the other way around also, that if we are killing animals, it means we are killing our own consciousness somewhere, and therefore we are not valuing…

Questioner (Q): So far I have asked so many questions, and patiently you have answered all. I have made sincere efforts to walk in the direction shown by you as much as possible. Now, no question bugs me except the same old one: What do I do to go to…

ਸਾਧ ਕੀ ਮਹਿਮਾ ਬੇਦ ਨ ਜਾਨਹਿ ॥

saaDh kee mahimaa bayd na jaaneh

The glory of the Holy people is not known to the Vedas.

Then an old man, a keeper of an inn, said: Speak to us of Eating and Drinking. And he said: Would that you could live on the fragrance of the earth, and like an air plant be sustained by the light. But since you must kill to eat, and rob…

ਸੁਖ ਮੈ ਬਹੁ ਸੰਗੀ ਭਏ ਦੁਖ ਮੈ ਸੰਗਿ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਭਜੁ ਮਨਾ ਅੰਤਿ ਸਹਾਈ ਹੋਇ ॥੩੨॥

sukh mai baho sangee bha-ay dukh mai sang na ko-ay kaho naanak har bhaj manaa ant sahaa-ee ho-ay

In good times, there are many companions around, but in bad times,

ਜਨਮ ਜਨਮ ਭਰਮਤ ਫਿਰਿਓ ਮਿਟਿਓ ਨ ਜਮ ਕੋ ਤ੍ਰਾਸੁ ॥

Questioner: Is everything happening in the realm of consciousness, and the Absolute lies outside of that realm unaffected?

Acharya Prashant: The first part of the question is valid, the second one is merely speculative, of no help.

ਜੋ ਪ੍ਰਾਨੀ ਨਿਸਿ ਦਿਨੁ ਭਜੈ ਰੂਪ ਰਾਮ ਤਿਹ ਜਾਨੁ ॥ ਹਰਿ ਜਨ ਹਰਿ ਅੰਤਰੁ ਨਹੀ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਚੀ ਮਾਨੁ ॥੨੯॥

jo paraanee nis din bhajai roop raam tih jaan har jan har antar nahee naanak saachee maan

That mortal who meditates and vibrates upon the Lord night and day—know him to

ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

ik-onkaar satgur parsaad

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

Questioner: The Sikh Gurus gave swords to the Khalsa to protect their religion. Gandhi Ji used non-violence to get freedom for the Indians. Jainism, too, gives a lot of emphasis to non-violence. I don’t understand the concept of non-violence in this context. Kindly give me clarity.

ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਿੰਘਾਂ ਸਿੰਘਣੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਧਰਮ ਹੇਤ ਸੀਸ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਬੰਦ ਬੰਦ ਕਟਾਏ ਖੋਪਰੀਆਂ ਲੁਹਾਈਆਂ ਚਰਖੀਆਂ ਤੇ ਚੜੇ ਆਰਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਚਿਰਾਏ ਗਏ ਗੁਰਦਵਾਰਿਆਂ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਲਈ ਕੁਰਬਾਨੀਆਂ ਕੀਤੀਆਂ ਧਰਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਹਾਰਿਆ ਸਿੱਖੀ ਕੇਸਾਂ ਸੁਆਸਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਨਿਬਾਹੀ ਤਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਕਮਾਈ ਦਾ ਧਿਆਨ ਧਰ ਕੇ ਖਾਲਸਾ ਜੀ ਬੋਲੋ ਜੀ ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ

jinhaan singhaan singhaniaan nae

One who is not perturbed by misfortune, who is beyond comfort, attachment and fear, who considers gold as dust; he neither speaks ill of others nor feels elated by praise, and shuns greed, attachments and arrogance. He is indifferent to ecstasy and tragedy, is not affected by honors or humiliations.…

ਹਰਖੁ ਸੋਗੁ ਜਾ ਕੈ ਨਹੀ ਬੈਰੀ ਮੀਤ ਸਮਾਨਿ ॥ ਕਹੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੁਨਿ ਰੇ ਮਨਾ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਤਾਹਿ ਤੈ ਜਾਨਿ ॥੧੫॥

harakh sog jaa kai nahee bairee meet samaan kaho naanak sun ray manaa mukat taahi tai jaan

One who is not affected by pleasure or pain, who looks upon friend and

Questioner: Swami Vivekananda has said, “Education must strengthen the mind, expand the intellect, form the character, and make one stand on one’s own feet.”

So, the existing education system, I think, presumes that all which is to be known has more or less been known, and whatever little is left,

Questioner (Q): Swami Vivekananda has said, “First of all, our young men must be strong. Religion will come afterwards. Be strong, my young friends; that is my advice to you. You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita. These are bold words; but…