12 November 2014 - QA 1

Gurudev, this gross material world appears to be real, but it is actually unreal and temporary. It also appears to be full of misery and suffering. How can an object be both true and untrue at the same time?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

You have rightly said that it only appears to be real. In reality it is not.
I will give you a simple example to understand this. Look at a flowing river. Would you call it ancient or new? Try answering this question for yourself.
Now you would think, 'How can the river be both?' But then, that is how it is. The river has been in existence since ages, yet there is a constant flow of new and fresh water in it. Every moment the water is fresh. So in the same way, this world appears to be real and permanent, yet in reality it keeps changing every day. That is why it is not regarded as the truth.

What is the definition of truth? In principle, truth is called as 'Trikaalabaadhitam yad tat sat'. It means that truth is that which remains constant and unchanging through the three phases of time.
If you look at the world in light of this definition, then the world truly appears unreal. But that does not mean that it does not exist. It is just that it is not the same at all times and is constantly changing, yet it does exist.