The more one relies on knowledge, the more ignorant one is

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

तस्मादज्ञानसम्भूतं हृत्स्थं ज्ञानासिनात्मन:।

छित्त्वैनं संशयं योगमातिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ भारत।। 4.42 ।।

tasmād ajñāna-sambhūtaṁ hṛit-sthaṁ jñānāsinātmanaḥ

chhittvainaṁ sanśhayaṁ yogam ātiṣhṭhottiṣhṭha bhārata

Therefore, with the sword of Realisation (of the Self) cut asunder the doubt about the Truth, born of ignorance, residing in your heart and take refuge in Yoga, arise O Bharata!

~ Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 42

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Acharya Prashant (AP): Krishna is saying, “The mind is full of doubts. The Yogi is the one whose mind has left all doubts behind.” And Krishna is saying, “Those doubts can only be cleared away using the sword of realization.” Krishna says, “Your mind is full of ignorance,” and then he says, “Your mind is full of doubts.” Can we see that these two are one?

Conventionally, ignorance is considered as the absence of knowledge.

But Krishna is saying, “Ignorance is not the absence of something; rather, it is the presence of doubts.”

And all knowledge leaves you with doubts because no knowledge is complete. Whatever you know, is always incomplete, and hence leaves scope for doubts.

You may know that your work is well-secured, but is your knowledge about that security total? Because that knowledge is not total, hence when an opportunity to doubt the security comes, the opportunity will succeed.

You may be greatly assured about your husband, your wife, or your child, but is that assurance total? It can never be total because it is based on some knowledge, and hence when more knowledge, more information comes, then that assurance is shaken up.

Ask yourself, “Is there anything in my life that cannot be shaken up?” You may have…