Literature

Brother, I have seen some astonishing sights. A lion keeping watch over pasturing cows; a mother delivered after her son was; a guru prostrated before his disciple; fish spawning on treetops; a rooster is eating a cat; a gunny sack driving a bullock cart; a cat carrying away a dog; … read_more

Acharya Prashant : If it was possible for one man to move toward greatness, it was possible for everybody. Even if you have collected great numbers, all those numbers mean nothing in front of the one person who is demonstrating that something could have been done. So, they get hurt.… read_more

How do you, ask the chief of police, patrol a city, where the butcher shops are guarded by vultures, where bulls get pregnant, cows are barren, and calves give milk three times a day, where mice are the boatmen, and tomcats row the boats, where frogs keep snakes as watchdogs, … read_more

Questioner: Hello, sir. I observed that Arjun has been basically called by Krishna by multiple names — Parth, Bharath, and then Kaunteya, that one clicked. So, I was just curious that it is just an ornamental value, or is there any significance to it?

Acharya Prashant: I think that's a… read_more

Questioner: My question is, why is creativity, like poetry, dying these days? And poetry is a part of literature. And how much contribution of literature is there on the way to Adhyatma?

Acharya Prashant: See, the more you will lose touch with yourself, the more material your world will get.… read_more

Questioner: Pranam Acharya ji. I am Ritu Tiwari. I am an alumnus of this college. My question is related to defamation of mental health problems. I’ll give you three examples – first comes from a recent murder case that happened in the capital of our country where a man named… read_more

Questioner: Acharya Ji, today I am listening to you from my workplace, so, I have a question related to work.

You shared an inspiring story of Kabir and his profession, I want to have the same level of inspiration and energy in my profession. Your teaching has helped me to… read_more

Question: Sir, how does a mind that is enlightened look at life? What happens to its thoughts? Does its wiring change in response to fear? Does it change its response to emotions?

Answer: Assuming sufficiently good understanding of the brain and sufficiently developed scientific processes, anything can surely be done… read_more

Question: Dear Sir, we have been talking about how to use the ‘higher’ desire of brahman as a broom to clean up all the desires and then to burn the broom itself. Do you think I should simply sit back and read without this burning desire, this lust for knowledge,… read_more

Question: Dear Sir, when I review the discussions that take place in the clarity sessions, most of them are beyond my ordinary imaginations. The experiences or the words mentioned in these sessions sound very pure and pious but very difficult to attain. Why is it so?

Answer: The Sunday discussions… read_more

Question: I read somewhere that when a person dies, the stream, of which it was a manifestation, still goes on. What is the process of this stream and how does it manifest itself?

Sir, is there life after death? What sort of knowledge passes on at the time of enlightenment?… read_more

Question: I have been reading Buddha and Kabir for long, and both are my favorite. While reading them I realized that both had different methods to get enlightenment.

Buddha said, “Renounce the world and be a monk.”

While Kabir said, “Don’t renounce the world, be in this world, face… read_more

Question: Sir, when all men are equal, then why are some people given extra importance and addressed with words like Mr. President etc.?

Answer: All men are equal only at the level of their core, center, essence. Otherwise, people are very different and unequal.

At the core, not only are… read_more

Question: Acharya Ji, Pranaam! People’s faces and vocal tonality show what they mean in actuality. But people like Toohey (one of the principal characters in Ayn Rand’s novel ‘The Fountainhead’) have control on their emotions like an actor. They dumb down our intellect using emotions.

How to recognise such people… read_more

*Question: Sir, what does it mean to be a Teacher?*

Answer: Going through Shankar’s works and then a few Upanishads, I am humbled by the pain these teachers have taken to bring the concept to the student.

Shankar announces, even before the beginning, that only the most deserving and… read_more

Conversation between Roark and Dominique at a social gathering:

Miss Francon (Dominique): “You’re wrong about Austen, Mr. Roark. He’s very successful. In his profession and mine you’re successful if it leaves you untouched.”

Howard Roark: “How does one achieve that?”

Miss Francon (Dominique): “In one of two ways: by not … read_more

Question: What is absent mindedness?Answer: Absent mindedness is mind being anywhere. Whenever you are occupied with anything, it is absent mindedness. Any act of focus, concentration, having ‘something’ as important in mind, becoming a subject,all these are acts of absent-mindedness. Mind busy with any object is absent-mindedness.

Mind busy… read_more

Ellsworth Toohey (giving an advice to a young man who is passionate about law):

“No, I wouldn’t go in for law if I were you. You’re much too tense and passionate about it. A hysterical devotion to one’s career does not make for happiness or success. It is wiser to … read_more

*The Truth stands before me,On my left is a blazing fire, and On my right, a cool flowing stream.*

*One group of people walk toward the fire, into the fire,And the other towards the cool flowing waters. No one knows which is blessed and which is not.*

*But… read_more

Question: Acharya Ji, Pranaam! While reading the first chapter of the Fountainhead, I found that the character Peter Keating shows us our reality. But in front of Howard Roark Peter can’t hide his falsities, though he tries his best to.

Even though Peter gets a glimpse of what his reality… read_more

Question: What is the legend behind the festival of Kumbh ?

Acharya Prashant Ji:

The legend of Kumbh revolves around the perennial struggle between the Devas and Danavas , the resident gods of heaven, and the lords of hell, respectively.

The two keep jostling for superiority, and the demons are… read_more

Question: Sir, I would want to seek clarification on the requirement of regularity in life. In being regular we would be stressed to do things even when we aren’t feeling good about it on some days. For example, if we pray to God everyday and don’t feel like doing it… read_more

Questioner: Dear Sir,

My silly questions aside, I wanted to know your perspective on this one issue:

How can a sensitive man survive in the world as it is? I mean, an artist, or for that matter, anyone who draws from the springs of his inner depths will be sensitive.… read_more

Questioner: Dear Sir,I have been following Nisargadatta Maharaj. I have read all his dialogues, books, and watched most of his videos. But I feel I have been just sticking his words as knowledge in my mind. What you bring to me is something alive, I ‘see’ and I ‘feel’ whatever… read_more

Question: Dear Sir,

All desires, all wants are motivated by the ego and hence desire too is an extension of the self. Now my question is that if we are our thoughts only, then how does one move from what one does not like, let us say his present occupation,… read_more

Henry Cameron said to Roark,

“You love your work. God help you, you love it. And that’s the curse. That’s the brand on your forehead for all of them to see. The substance of them is hatred for any man who loves his work. That’s the only kind they fear. … read_more

Questioner: There is one thing that comes up when said ‘Live fully’. So, let us take an example of the bath. By 'fully' what occurs to me is you can use a hundred types of products to wash your body.

Acharya Prashant: Living fully does not mean that you have… read_more

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

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

Are you looking for me?

Look a little closely!

Am I in the Stupa, am I in the Shrine?

You really want me , or just images of mine?

… a little closely!

The crowds in the Ashram are all misled,

What you call as Yoga is such a dread,… read_more

Conversation between Roark and Hopton Stoddard at the end of which Roark agrees to raise the Stoddard Temple: “Roark rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes, helplessly. It was not possible. It simply was not possible. That could not be what the man wanted; not that man. It … read_more

Question: Today I saw some children roaming outside my hostel. They were trying to get some money or food but no one came out to help them. In what ways can we help others?

Speaker: Helping others is great. But to help others, we must first be free of our… read_more

Question: Dear Sir,

There is one question on the ‘action’ that has been playing on my mind since you sent me the mail about the desireless action.

You said when there is no self, there is purity in being and hence the desireless action takes place. By this do you… read_more

Question: I have been reading Osho’s book ‘Vigyan Bhairav’ and in this book Lord Shiva explained 112 meditation techniques to keep the mind in present. However, Osho has also said that, “meditation is a quality of being that you bring to the act”.

I am confused as Osho has… read_more

Question: Sir, I am awake almost 14-16 hours a day. I have been feeling that I have just been wasting away this time. Nothing is getting done. Nothing is being accomplished. There is so much I can do, but I avoid it because I have a doubt that may be… read_more

Question: Sir, many a times it happens that we ask a question to ourselves and then we are also able to answer it on our own. Moreover, this is what forms the basis of so many assumptions that we take. Is this an appropriate method or should verification also be… read_more

To understand Love, consider a triangle ABC. A is the vertex, and BC the base.

There are an infinite number of points on base BC.

A represents the individuality-the one, common, impersonal individuality.

All points on BC represent persons i.e. personal, differentiated minds.

Love is the rising of the base… read_more

Question: Dear Sir,

Why does it happen that on particular nights, despite my head heavy with knowledge of the outside, reading a scripture or listening to Osho or JK is so clear to me?

Answer: It often appears as if we have met some new ‘experience’.

Remember, all that is… read_more

Questioner: Dear Sir,

You once told me that teaching was the ability to see shit. I dare say it is more. It is not just the ability to see shit but to swim in it and come out clean on the other side and taking a few people out along… read_more

Question: Given that all our relationships seem to be arising purely out of a sense of imagined need, is it possible to have any other kind of relationship?

Acharya Prashant Ji:

Those who are free of the world, are free to relate with the world in a healthy way. And… read_more

Gatay, Gatay, Paragatay….

I will miss you so much, Pardon me, I will have to die. We played together for long, Now I’m going home to the Sky.

I will miss you so much, I’m going to where I belong. It breaks my heart to leave you, I tried hard… read_more