Anti-life education || Acharya Prashant, with IIM Calcutta (2022)

Questioner: Namaste Acharya ji. My question is that I see many institutions are fueling the concept of Maya. Because I have seen on many premier institutions having Upanishadic phrases as their mottos—Na hi jnyānen sadṛushan pavitramih vidyate, Téjasvi nāvadheetamastu, sā vidyā yā vimuktaye. But at its core, I believe that besides some ritual, there is no meaning in their entire knowledge system.

So, my question is, no one is talking about the Truth. So, unless we build one strong system for it, and I have heard that you have some goal to build institution like Nalanda or something like that. So, will you please throw some light on it? And why this is happening that many institutions are just become job placement agencies and nothing more than that?

Acharya Prashant: No, it's got to do with popular culture. Institutions do not lie at the root of culture, it is culture that gives rise to institutions. And later on it becomes a cycle, where the institution keeps reinforcing the culture. But ask yourself, what came first?

We established our institutions; and when we established our institutions, our institutions reflect our mindset. We decide what we are going to our institutions for. Are you referring to institutions of higher learning or to social institutions? Political institutions? I suppose you are referring to institutions dealing in education, typically professional education, right? You are talking about the coaching industry, you are talking about IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) and such things, right?