Leadership

How can you lead others if you are still dependent on others? The leader must first and foremost be a person who has attained his inner completion. Only then he can be of genuine use to anybody. “If I need others, I will exploit others. If I do not need others then I can give something to others. If I do not need others then I am in a position to give something to them and that is a healthy relationship”.

You are the personification of the only Real; why then must you chase an ideal? || Acharya Prashant (2015)

18 min

Questioner: Sir, it is also not incidental that man has, throughout history, connected other worldliness with Truth or God, I mean this is the way that things have been propounded, right, in all the religions, in all the images…

Speaker: Not really, are we saying that *Dattatrey*a is outside the… read_more

Who is an honorable man?

The real leader does not need followers || Acharya Prashant, with youth (2013)

Question: What is the definition of ‘an honorable man’? Is being honorable good or bad?

Speaker: सम्मान=सम्यक्+मान

सम्यक मानने का अर्थ है समझना ।

तो जो समझ सकता है, वो सम्माननीय। जो नासमझ है उसका कोई सम्मान नहीं।

तुम भी यदि किसी का सम्मान करना चाहो, तो उसे समझो। यही… read_more

Ideals and Intelligence

8 min

Student: Sir, what is an Ideal?

Acharya Prashant: You tell me. What is Idealism?

S: It is a prescription by the society in regard to how we should be.

AP: For an idealism to exist there must be an ideal and for an ideal, there should be an idea. Let’s… read_more

How can one help in Acharya Prashant's mission? || Acharya Prashant (2019)

Speaker : So, what is leadership?

Audience: The ability to lead others.

Speaker: Why must I be interested in leading somebody? Don’t I have my own life to live? Why must somebody be interested in following me? Doesn’t he have his own intelligence?

Listener: Sir, leadership is also taking initiative.… read_more

Teachers’ Day wisdom: the only way to truly honor your teacher || Neem Candies

Questioner: Pranaam Acharya Ji!

To me personally, the most recent Vishranti Camp was special, because, among other things, the Master spoke of one of the main projects of this life and extended an open invitation towards work, that came straight from the Source.

Ever since that camp, one of the… read_more

Superconscious Leadership (Part 1)

The teacher’s role is to show that a teacher is not needed. That is the rightful role of the teacher. I repeat, the teacher’s role is to show that you are unnecessarily coming to the teacher. You are self-sufficient.

Look at the way the world is—violent, chaotic, anarchic. Every thought… read_more

56 min

Acharya Prashant (AP): How do we begin?

Questioner (Q) (Nitesh): Yes, we’re here again. I know we spoke in the past about different topics. But I decided to use your help, or use your insight, into leadership and management side of things of life, and so we arranged this for… read_more

What is the right decision? || (2020)

Be fearless, patient and diligent || Neem Candies

Questioner: How do we say that a decision is right or wrong? What is right for one is wrong for the other. Nature has given everyone the right to decide, who are we to label someone as wrong?

Acharya Prashant: Right or wrong really are not decided in the context… read_more

Don’t blindly rush into ‘good’ deeds

Ruthlessly question everything, and patiently and devotedly seek to understand. You must ask the most fundamental questions. What is the school? What does it mean to be an American versus an Indian? Why do we call somebody a girl and the other a boy? What is our relationship with the… read_more

18 min

Questioner: Pranam Acharya Ji, So the regards to that what must be done v/s what we want to do. A lot of things, one is Environment, Veganism, etc. We understand we have to choose one activity that is most critical. When you say critical it is like most people are… read_more

We voted for crime || Neem Candies

To whom does the world belong?

The politician, we very well know, is a criminal and yet we belong to his fan club. So, who is it who is promoting crime, then? Look at the parliament of the country. I suppose half the parliamentarians have criminal cases against them, close to half. And they didn’t muscle… read_more

Consumption is not the way ahead || Neem Candies

3:45 am on a particular night: Just found Koham, Soham – the two pet dogs at office- romping merrily vigorously on the terrace. As I went to them they made all efforts to include this third one-an ‘outsider’ who keeps sitting inside- in ‘their’ sport, on ‘their’ playground.

To whom… read_more

Focus your talent, gain respect || Neem Candies

The mind of the economist has to now stop thinking in the language of consumption. All they talk of is demand and supply, production and consumption. Consumption is not the way ahead. Economics and spirituality have to converge now. You cannot keep measuring human wellness by human consumption anymore. Not… read_more

Earn the right to celebrate || Neem Candies

There is something honorable about dying against a major enemy. But what honor is there in being consumed by the little?

Set a great goal. Even if you lose, it will at least be a great defeat. And if you set a timid, scared, conventional, narrow goal, then even if… read_more

We do not deserve to celebrate. What is there to celebrate in our life? Every festival is like an examination day.

Yes, certain people do have all the rights to celebrate on an examination day; but who will be those people? Who have prepared well for those exams, who have… read_more

Sir, why do you speak?

Man must choose rightly || Neem Candies

Audience: Well, sir, you have been talking about radical change for the last 50 years, and obviously there is not any radical change in the world. My question to you, then, is why do you talk?

Krishnamurti: The gentleman asks, you have talked about fundamental change of human consciousness and… read_more

If a leader needs followers, he will never let them be free

Man has the capacity to choose, and man must take responsibility of how he is living his life, what he has turned the Earth into.

In fact, I feel impelled to say this: When I was in the process of quitting my corporate career and moving to teaching, I was… read_more

What does “Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya...” mean?

Questioner (Q): Sir, you have said that a real leader does not need followers. I want to understand this.

Acharya Prashant (Q): The question is, “Sir the handout reads very clearly that a real leader does not need followers. I want to understand this. To understand this statement, you will… read_more

24 min

We love saying, 'Yada-yada hi dharmasya – whenever there is evil, then Krishna comes.' The Lord does not physically drop from the heavens. The metaphor must be understood. It simply means that whenever the ego inflates, it results in suffering, and suffering itself calls for its cessation. This call for cessation of suffering itself is the coming of the Lord.

Alasinga Perumal - Swami Vivekananda's most loved disciple

The Many Images of Krishna: Their Utility and Limits

We all know Swami Vivekananda. But have you heard about 'Shri Alasinga Perumal'?

Probably not. But if Alasinga Ji had not been there, Swami Vivekananda would never have been able to give that historic speech in Chicago, due to which he brought fame to Vedanta and Hinduism throughout the world.… read_more

If you're obsessed with the lover-boy image of Krishna, then you will miss Krishna when he does not come as a charming lover. And he will not always come as a charming lover. If you are obsessed with Krishna, the male, then you will miss Krishna when he comes as a woman. Because, in your imagination, Krishna is the one wearing the peacock feather with the flute at his lips, appearing in attire that belonged to those ages, enjoying milk and butter, speaking Sanskrit.

Does Following Myself Lead to Freedom?

8 min

If following others is slavery, the mind quickly wants to conclude that following oneself is freedom. No, following oneself is deeper slavery because what we call the 'self' is just an aggregate of internalized, pervasive influences, like a crow mistaking a cuckoo’s eggs for its own. True freedom is to be free of others and, more importantly, yourself.

Is Krishna Available Only to Arjuna?

14 min

Remember, it is not as if Krishna did not try with Duryodhana. Krishna goes to Duryodhana and what does Duryodhana do? He tries to arrest him. Krishna goes as the messenger of peace and Duryodhana says no, no, no! The action of Love is still taking place. He is not saying that I will leave Duryodhana to his fate. He says it is my responsibility to teach even Duryodhana. But when Duryodhana proves it beyond doubt, that he is incorrigible, then Krishna says, “Fine, now that the battle is destined, let the blows rain.”

The More Alone You Are, the More Loving You Are

7 min

Acharya Prashant: The more you are capable of aloneness, the more you are capable of love. It is a paradox, but go into it.

Meet as you meet a lover. Don’t take the other for granted. Don’t expect that the other would answer the doorbell. Don’t expect that the other… read_more

What Are the Four Ways to Krishna Darshan?

13 min

The first way, the topmost one, is the Sahaja way (natural way). Krishna prescribes no method there. He says, “Arjuna, just come to Me and be seated in Me, be affirmed in Me, pretty steadfastly. Just do it. Simply, obviously, instantly.” That is the Sahaja way. “Do it directly, Arjuna. If you really are sincere, and if you really have love for Me, then do it right now, right here, right away. What are you waiting for? What do you require a method for? Nothing is needed. You have the intention, you really want it, you aren’t fooling yourself. I am here, come and be settled in Me and that’s it.”

Is Sex and Meditation Just an Escape of Ego?

8 min

The ego says that my first priority is to remain, exist, and after that comes everything else. Even the Truth must be subservient to my first priority. So, liberation is alright as long as it is a second of liberation. Peace is alright as long as it is five minutes of peace. But if silence threatens to take over the entire life, if peace starts dominating noise to the extent that the noise might be completely annihilated, then the ego rejects. The ego wants Truth, but only a modicum of Truth. The ego wants peace, but only a sliver of peace.

The Gap Between Understanding and Action

Understanding expresses itself through action. And understanding knows no other expression. Words are a very poor substitute for the right action and that is what Gibran is talking of here. He says that which is understood claim for its final expression as action in life. The poet often lets his understanding become his words. To that extent, there is a flow but if the words remain mere words and do not turn into life then there is no freedom yet. The imprisonment continues. Live what you love, otherwise, the punishment is tremendous.

‘I want’ versus ‘I must’

You May Be Wrong About Death: Bhagavad Gita’s Answer

Questioner: Is it possible to live without a target in life? I set a target for myself so that I have something to strive for, so that I have a sense of direction, but the thought of not achieving this target also brings sorrow and fear. So how can a… read_more

17 min

We have to investigate the meaning of the word ‘death’. When Shri Krishna says ‘death’, what does he mean? Is Shri Krishna looking at himself as a body? No. There is no way the author of these lines takes himself as a corporal being. Is Shri Krishna referring to himself as merely the Ātmān here? Well, yes and no. He does refer to himself as the Ātmān here, but the role that he is playing is not of Ātmān but of Avatar. Had he been merely the non-doer, Supreme Truth, then he would not have been found mortally present on the battlefield instructing Arjuna. So, discount these two and see what you are left with.

Why Do People Commit Suicide?

The Biggest Obstacle to a Spiritual Life || AP Neem Candies

Questioner: Why do people commit suicide?

Acharya Prashant: They still have a lot of hope. They feel that suicide would redeem them. They have not given up everything. They are still carrying a lot of hope. If I do not know what is beyond life, how can I enter that… read_more

Love or Knowledge: Which is More Powerful for Liberation?

Fulfillment is what you want, don’t you? There won’t be any fulfillment until you break your inner bondages. And the most central, critical, and primary bondage is body-identification.

Use everything that your birth, your body, and Prakriti (physical nature) have given you. Use all of that for the sake of… read_more

The Hypocrisy of Climate Warriors

Acharya Prashant: Love is the fire that melts down the bondage that is you. Knowledge is merely the light in which you can see your bondages. Even if you are able to look at your chains in the light of knowledge, that does not rid you of the chains. In… read_more

How to Overcome Perfectionism?

Acharya Prashant: The very urge for liberation, when it doesn’t find an outlet, becomes the urge to consume. Do you see this? Where does the tendency to consume so much come from? It comes from the misidentified and thwarted urge toward liberation. If you will not provide liberation to a… read_more

Why Others Can't Fulfill Your Expectations

Questioner: I want everything that I do to be perfect. Because of this, I end up procrastinating a lot of things and focus only on the minor ones that I can do almost perfectly and feel satisfied about. I am not happy about this tendency. How should I get out… read_more

The movies tell us that unless there is a special person in your life, you are really missing out on something big and you are seized by FOMO. What is FOMO? Fear of missing out. "Oh my god! Everybody has that. I am the only one left behind. I must also have a partner, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a husband, a wife, something. Hey, go grab somebody." So you go out and grab some Johnny next door. He was busy washing his sandals, and you went up to him and threw your most seductive smile and then he too was infected by FOMO. He said, "Now that I have the opportunity, why shouldn't I capitalize?" And thus, came about the relationship. And you call it a holy bond made in heaven. Why do we do that?

On Education, Corporate Life and Career Progress

32 min

Questioner: Good evening everyone, my name is Saurabh Sardana and you are watching the first episode of season 2, ‘Recast.’ I’m so glad to have you with me today, Acharya Prashant Ji. I’m pretty sure, that most of you that most of you sort of follow him on one of… read_more

To Love Somebody, Love Like a Nobody

15 min

Questioner: (Reads out the following)

If you love, love openly

Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing meditation with a certain Zen master.

Eshun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Several monks secretly fell in love with her.

One … read_more

Hurt by Those Around You?

12 min

Questioner: I’ll start by introducing myself. I’m a second-year graduate of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. So, in my daily life, my habits that I think have morphed into compulsion with time, and it disturbs me when people don’t do the same as I do. Like for example, I have… read_more

How to Make Oneself Do the Right Thing?

7 min

Questioner 1: In my experience, what’s happening is that I really like reading scriptures, so I’ve been reading them for quite some time. But with time, what I’ve observed is that earlier there used to be a freshness and it would stay with me. There was a sense of excitement… read_more

For Those who Want Freedom

11 min

Questioner: Namaskar Acharya Ji. You talked of Mukti. So, I would like to know, is it a Mukti from life and birth? I mean, more, If you can elaborate?

Acharya Prashant: Mukti from internal compulsions. The goal of life can be talked of as Mukti which is Liberation, which is… read_more

Stay Cautious with Such Energies

Questioner: My question is that I heard that there are two cosmic energies, these two Cosmic energies will take out all the sufferings of the people, which are from treta yuga of Lord Sri Ram and Lakshman get received the cosmic energies from Sage Vishwamitra, those are called some bala… read_more

What is Clarity?

Spontaneous, or Carried Away?

Questioner: Sir, what is clarity?

Acharya Prashant: Clarity is two things together: One, it is the absence of readymade concepts based on which one lives, one reacts, one sees the world, and parallelly, simultaneously, on the other hand, it is the ability to respond greatly. So, on the one hand,… read_more

11 min

Questioner: Why think so much about decisions? Shouldn’t our decisions be spontaneous? I like to decide in a free flow.

Acharya Prashant: So the questioner is stressing on the spontaneity of decisions. He says that he likes to decide in a flow. It's a good thing, your intention is good.… read_more

Can There Be Self-Love Without Self-Knowledge? || AP Neem Candies

5 min

Acharya Prashant: Pleasing oneself is not at all an example of self-love; if at all, it is an example of lack of self-knowledge. You cannot have self-love without self-knowledge; it is a great misconception that must be cleared very very thoroughly, very very finely. Making yourself happy is not at… read_more

Women in Revealing Dresses: Liberation or Titillation?

To those who articulate that women should mind their clothes and dressings, the question arises: what kind of person are you, man or woman, if anything is able to disturb or provoke you so easily? The allegation is that when watching a woman dressed skimpily, it becomes a disturbance, a distraction, even a provocation. How will you insulate yourself, and how much will you insulate yourself from the world? And what are the limits to what you want to see and not see? Today, it is said that a woman’s legs or thighs provoke you. What prevents you from saying tomorrow that her ankles and fingernails provoke you? Would you then demand that she should cover up from head to toe?

Why most People Fail in their Goals || AP Neem candies

Do I Know You? || AP Neem Candies

Acharya Prashant: If I am incomplete, then sitting where I am, what would be the quality of my actions, thoughts, and imagination? They, too, would be of an incomplete nature.

So, incompleteness is projecting more incompleteness for itself and then trying with all its might to reach more incompleteness. How… read_more