A scandal can feel like a fire painful, consuming, and unjust. But Swami Prakashanand Saraswati reveals how such fire can also become a purifier, burning the ego and making the soul fit for divine love. Drawing from the Bhagavad Gita, he shows that spiritual growth often begins where worldly comfort ends.
Swamiji explains that ego is the first to scream when defamed. It is the part of us that clings to image, praise, and power. When scandal strikes, it exposes the fragility of that ego. But instead of resisting, the Gita teaches us to observe the suffering, reflect on its cause, and detach from the false sense of self.
“The world may misunderstand you, but God never does. Pain becomes a blessing when it breaks your pride and brings you closer to Krishn.”
— Swami Prakashanand Saraswati
In one of his speeches, Swamiji compared slander to a spiritual test. He said that God sometimes allows insult to protect us from our pride, from illusion, and from attachment to temporary things. When others take your honor away, you are left with only one choice: turn inward and find your real identity in Krishn.
The Bhagavad Gita is not a book of revenge. It is a guide for transformation. Swamiji emphasizes that the soul is never stained by scandal, only the ego reacts. And the more one surrenders that ego in devotion, the more one experiences true freedom, which is beyond blame and the need for approval.
When faced with betrayal or false accusation, Swamiji recommends not resistance, but introspection and purification. He says, “Use the pain. Don’t waste it. Let it burn what is false in you. Let it reveal what is eternal in you.”
Conclusion
A scandal does not define you; it refines you. In the light of Swami Prakashanand Saraswati’s teachings drawn from the Gita, we begin to see that even in a public scandal, there is hidden grace. It is the grace of being forced to confront the ego, to detach from illusion, and to anchor ourselves fully in Krishn. That is where pain ends, and spiritual growth begins.