Literature

हम झूठ के खिलाफ़ विरोध क्यों नहीं करते?
हम झूठ के खिलाफ़ विरोध क्यों नहीं करते?
12 min
हम कभी जीवन के तथ्य को स्वीकार नहीं करते कि हमें सत्य से डर लगता है और हम अपनी क्षुद्रताओं और झूठ पर जीना चाहते हैं। फिर हम बड़ी तिरछी चाल चलते हैं। झूठ को सत्य का नाम दे देते हैं और कहते हैं कि सत्य के समर्थन में हैं। सत्य के खिलाफ़ तो सारा संसार खड़ा है, लेकिन इतनी भी आबरू और हिम्मत नहीं होती कि हम खुलकर कह दें कि हम सत्य के खिलाफ़ हैं। हमने झूठ को ही सत्य का नाम दे रखा है और झूठ का समर्थन कर रहे हैं।
जब गुरु के प्रति कृतज्ञता काम होने लगे || महाभारत पर (2018)
जब गुरु के प्रति कृतज्ञता काम होने लगे || महाभारत पर (2018)
4 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: आचार्य जी, गुरु के प्रति कृतज्ञता अगर कम होने लगे तो क्या करना चाहिए? कृपया मार्गदर्शन करने की अनुकंपा करें।

आचार्य प्रशांत: अपनी ओर देख लेना चाहिए। गुरु के प्रति यदि कृतज्ञता अगर कम होने लगे तो अपनी हालत को देख लेना चाहिए। जैसे कोई ऊपर से लेकर नीचे

वृत्ति नहीं, विवेक || महाभारत पर
वृत्ति नहीं, विवेक || महाभारत पर
7 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: आचार्य जी, प्रणाम। एकलव्य की कहानी सुनकर बड़ा दुःख होता है कि द्रोणाचार्य जैसा स्वाभिमानी और श्रेष्ठ गुरु भी अपने स्वार्थ और पक्षपात के चलते श्रद्धावान एकलव्य से अन्याय करता है। एकलव्य इस अन्याय के प्रति आदर प्रकट करते हुए अपना अँगूठा देकर भी गुरु के प्रति श्रद्धा से

शिव भी, शंकर भी, शक्ति भी .. शिव के सहस्रों नाम
शिव भी, शंकर भी, शक्ति भी .. शिव के सहस्रों नाम
6 min

जनमानस में तो शिव और शंकर एक ही हैं, जिनके सहस्रों नाम हैं। सब नाम सुंदर हैं। पर अध्यात्म की सूक्ष्मताओं में जाकर अगर हम इन नामों का अभिप्राय समझें तो उनका सौंदर्य और बढ़ जाएगा। ‘शिव’ अर्थात आत्मा, सत्य मात्र। आप कहते हैं ‘शिवोहम्’, ठीक जैसे उपनिषद कहते हैं,

साहब, नज़र रखना
साहब, नज़र रखना
3 min

साहब नज़र रखना, मौला नज़र रखना तेरा करम सबको मिले, सबकी फ़िक्र रखना न आदमी की आदमी झेले गुलामियाँ, न आदमी से आदमी मांगे सलामियाँ जो फ़र्क पैदा हो रहे, वो फ़र्क गर्क हों सबको बराबर बाँट, ये धरती ये आसमान कोई भी न हो दर्द में, सबकी ख़बर रखना

भूले मन..!
भूले मन..!
2 min

*भूले मन..!समझ के लाग लदनियां..! थोड़ा लाद..अधिक मत लादे.. टूट जाये तेरी गर्दनिया..!..*

*भूले मन…भूखा हो तो भोजन पा ले.. आगे हात न बनिया…!*

*भूले मन….प्यासा हो तो पानी पि ले.. आगे घात न पनियां…*

*भूले मन….कहे कबीर सुनो भाई साधो.. काल के हाथ कमनियां…*

निश्छलता
निश्छलता
1 min

मैं छुपाना जानता तो जग मुझे साधु समझता।

शत्रु मेरा बन गया है छल रहित व्यवहार मेरा।।

प्रश्न: सर, क्या यह पंक्तियाँ सही कह रही हैं?

उत्तर: विवेक,

छल रहित होना कभी कमज़ोरी नहीं होती।

निश्छलता आती है इस गहरी आश्वस्ति के साथ कि मुझे छल, धोखा, चालाकी की ज़रुरत

बेमतलब, निरुद्देश्य जियो
बेमतलब, निरुद्देश्य जियो
2 min

प्रश्न: मनुष्य ‘स्वार्थी’ है या ‘मतलबी’?

उत्तर: तुमने ‘स्वार्थ, मतलब’ के बारे में जानना चाहा है।

अर्थ माने कुछ ऐसा जो तुम्हें लुभावना, प्रिय लगता हो।

(यहां पर) ‘स्व’ माने अहंकार।

स्वार्थ माने वो जो अहंकार को प्यारा लगे।और मतलब माने भी अर्थ।

सत्य मात्र ‘होता है’, और उसका ‘मतलब’

धागा प्रेम का
धागा प्रेम का
4 min

रहिमन धागा प्रेम का मत तोड़ो चटकाय।

टूटे से फिर ना जुड़े, जुड़े गाँठ परि जाय।।

धागा क्या है? जिसके दो छोर हैं, दो सिरे हैं। दो दूरियों के मध्य जो है, सो धागा।

एक ही दूरी है जीवन में, बाकी सारी दूरियां इस एक दूरी से निकलती हैं। स्वयं

पुराण दिखाएँ मन का विस्तार, उपनिषद ले जाएँ मन के पार
पुराण दिखाएँ मन का विस्तार, उपनिषद ले जाएँ मन के पार
11 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: गरुड़ पुराण और ये सारे, जो वाचे जाते हैं, ये भी कल्पना हैं? कहीं न कहीं से तो ये आया है।

आचार्य प्रशांत: कुछ भी जो है, वो कहाँ से आता है? कुछ भी जिसको आप बोलते हो कि “है”, वो कहाँ से आता है? बोलिए?

प्र: रचना तो

How Not to React?
How Not to React?
6 min
The things that happen within you — anger, lust, disappointment, greed — are conditioned chemical reactions. It is the mark of a wise person not to be driven by one’s own reactions. Chemicals are reactive; consciousness can wait. Let the elements do what they are doing — 'I am not wedded to the limitations of this chemical godown.' This is what the knowers have called ‘detachment'. They have also called it ‘witnessing'.
संतों का रोना क्या दर्शाता है?
संतों का रोना क्या दर्शाता है?
14 min
जो जगेगा, वही रोएगा क्योंकि संसार बड़ी पीड़ा में है। और जो जगता है, संसार की पीड़ा अपने ऊपर ले लेता है। संतों का रोना संत की करुणा की अभिव्यक्ति है। वो तुम्हारे लिए रोते हैं, वो अपने लिए नहीं रोते। दस लोग सो रहे हैं और घर में आग लग गई है। उन दस में से एक जगा हुआ है, तनाव किसे रहेगा? एक जगे हुए आदमी को ना! जो जग जाता है, वह शिव की तरह संसार के विष को ग्रहण करता है।
How to Live Fully?
How to Live Fully?
3 min
Living fully does not mean adding something to life. It means recognizing that life is already complete, and you must not disrespect that fullness. It is not about going out and consuming life. The volume or quantity of experiences doesn’t matter; what matters is the quality. There is nothing but fullness—just go close to it.
How to Be Happy Everyday?
How to Be Happy Everyday?
7 min
Happiness is just a glimpse of the absence of suffering. Real happiness comes when you cultivate it, just like a gardener cultivates his flowers. Our normal happiness is ephemeral, preceded and succeeded by sorrow, whereas Ananda (Joy) is freedom from both. Real happiness is freedom not merely from sadness, but also from superficial happiness.
Who Is Today’s Ravana? What Evil Does Man Needs to Fight Today?
Who Is Today’s Ravana? What Evil Does Man Needs to Fight Today?
35 min
If somebody would declare himself as an enemy of God, as Ravana did, as Kamsa did, oh they were very innocent fellows, they did, then you could fight him. But today's Ravanas do not declare themselves as enemies of god, they declare themselves to be surrendered to god. Today's Ravana would probably be found in Rishikesh teaching Hatha Yoga. And saying, “This is yoga. This is yoga.” Now whom are you going to fight? They’ve all assumed the name of God. Man is god.
महाभारत सदा स्वयं से ही लड़ी जाती है
महाभारत सदा स्वयं से ही लड़ी जाती है
19 min

तस्मादसक्त: सततं कार्यं कर्म समाचर ।। असक्तो ह्याचरन्कर्म परमाप्नोति पूरुष: ।।३.१९।।

इसलिए अनासक्त भाव से सदा शुभ कार्य या कर्तव्य कर्म उत्तम रूप से करते रहो, क्योंकि मनुष्य निष्काम रहकर कर्म का अनुष्ठान करते हुए श्रेष्ठ पद मोक्ष प्राप्त करता है।

~ श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, अध्याय ३, श्लोक १९

आचार्य प्रशांत: हमने

Are These Absurdities or Miracles or What?
Are These Absurdities or Miracles or What?
19 min

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;

How to Correct a Bad Decision?
How to Correct a Bad Decision?
1 min
Do not focus on the decision. Rather, look at the decision-maker. The decision is not bad, humbly accept that the decision-maker is bad. Without this acceptance, the series of bad decisions will continue. When one realizes that the decision-makers' mind has been full of beliefs, past, and fear, then there is radical transformation in one’s being. The old, frozen, conditioned decision-maker simply evaporates.
काबिल-ए-तारीफ़ मैं तुम्हें चाहता हूँ || आचार्य प्रशांत (2019)
काबिल-ए-तारीफ़ मैं तुम्हें चाहता हूँ || आचार्य प्रशांत (2019)
6 min

आचार्य प्रशांत: जो बातें मैं कह रहा हूँ अगर उनमें कुछ दम, कुछ फ़ौलाद समझ में आता है तो उसको अपनी ज़िंदगी में उतार लें, मेरा उद्देश्य पूरा हो जाएगा। और अगर वो फ़ौलाद आप ज़िंदगी में नहीं उतार रहे हो और बस “गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णु” कर रहे हो, तो करते

How SMP* Are Crushing Your Soul [*Small-Minded People]
How SMP* Are Crushing Your Soul [*Small-Minded People]
8 min

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.

Why Do We Crave Holidays?
Why Do We Crave Holidays?
5 min
The mind is fed up of its daily, boring, routine, fettered and frustrated life. But it has no faith or courage to break away from this life. It is very necessary for it to keep looking towards the future. Some special day must always lie ahead: New Year, Valentine’s, Holi, your birthday, Diwali and so on. This cycle keeps up the illusion that something great is coming.
दूसरे के जीवन में हस्तक्षेप से बचो
दूसरे के जीवन में हस्तक्षेप से बचो
20 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: आचार्य जी! मेरा सवाल रिलेशनशिप्स (सम्बन्धों) को लेकर है और शादी को लेकर है और मतलब सम्बन्धों को लेकर के बहुत कनफ्यूज़ हो गया हूँ लाइफ़ में। पहले एक अभी रिलेशनशिप में था, कई सालों से। उसमें एक-दूसरे की हम मदद भी करते थे बहुत जो एक ज़िन्दगी को

क्या राम हमारे आदर्श हैं?
क्या राम हमारे आदर्श हैं?
19 min
ये युग, मूल्यों के संक्रमण का युग है। मूल्य संकुचित होते जा रहे हैं और राम जिन मूल्यों के प्रतिनिधि हैं, वो मूल्य हमें नहीं पसंद आने वाले भाई! कदम-कदम पर राम, कर्तव्य पर चलते हैं। वो ये नहीं देखते कि उन्हें लाभ क्या होगा? वो ये नहीं देखते कि उन्हें सुख, खुशी, प्रसन्नता मिलेगी कि नहीं मिलेगी। वो ये देखते हैं कि कर्तव्य क्या है ये बताओ? मैं तो अपने कर्तव्य का पालन करूँगा। आज कौन अपने कर्तव्यों का पालन करना चाहता है? तुम अपने कर्तव्यों का पालन नहीं करना चाहते तो राम क्यों अच्छे लगेंगे तुमको?
Worse Than a Dog, Higher Than a God || AP Neem Candies
Worse Than a Dog, Higher Than a God || AP Neem Candies
4 min
If dogs were to write a holy text, would they say that “We are inferior to humans”? If chickens were to write a Bible of their own, would they say that “We exist so that we may be slaughtered in factories and packed”? Read more....
Why Aren't You Free?
Why Aren't You Free?
15 min
If freedom is important to you, you will secure it, you will get it. Do you love being free? Are you really a free bird? No, you had accepted slavery long back. And then you complain, and then you put up miserable faces, that won’t do. These faces are masks. The one who wants it, gets it.
दशहरा, और रावण के दस सिर || (2016)
दशहरा, और रावण के दस सिर || (2016)
10 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: सर, अभी दशहरा आ रहा है और हर साल हम दशहरा मनाते आ रहे हैं लेकिन दशहरा का वास्तविक अर्थ क्या है?

आचार्य प्रशांत: जिसके दस सिर वही रावण। रावण वो नहीं जिसके दस सिर थे। जिसके ही दस सिर हैं, वही रावण। और हम में से कोई ऐसा

What is Spirituality?
What is Spirituality?
3 min
Being spiritual is simply about not being stupid. Spirituality is not at all organised religion. It is not about customs or rituals or beliefs. Spirituality is an awakened state of mind in which the mind really understands. So, mind has only two options: spirituality or stupidity.The mind when conditioned and away from origin (essence), is bound to be stupid. Only a spiritual man really lives, loves and enjoys. Others die without living.
The Madness called Man
The Madness called Man
9 min

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,

Let Each of Us Have a Hundred Names
Let Each of Us Have a Hundred Names
7 min

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

Awaken the Poet within, else Life remains Asleep
Awaken the Poet within, else Life remains Asleep
6 min

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.

Acharya Prashant on Osho
Acharya Prashant on Osho
19 min
Osho’s defining characteristic was courage. He was a man of deep intellect, prolifically well-read, a genius in devising new methods of meditation, yet above all his other qualities, his courage is his hallmark. Born in a middle-class family in a small city in the deprivation and resourcelessness of pre-independence India, he built himself up all on his own. Books would be his companions. Even as a teenager, he would travel across cities, to various libraries and sources, to look for books and knowledge.
To What Extent Is Education Important?
To What Extent Is Education Important?
4 min
Formal education is important to the extent the body is important. The less the body-identification, the less is the importance of object-centric education. A person's attachment to material possessions, driven by societal values, leads to poverty and duality. Poverty, unlike the natural world, is man-made and rooted in the desire to accumulate. While education enables material progress, it doesn’t address deeper issues of self-identity and existence.
Let Life Be a Celebration of Intelligence
Let Life Be a Celebration of Intelligence
5 min
Eating, walking, sleeping, working, dying – these alone surely cannot mean being alive. Life is much more than the physical and mental processes. Machines can walk, eat, work. The programmed analysis that computers do is no different from what we call thinking. Machines have no role in their formation, just as we have no role in our birth. And machines can be programmed to self-terminate after a certain time, just as we die.
Fake Depression Is Worse Than Actual Depression
Fake Depression Is Worse Than Actual Depression
18 min

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

How Ram and Krishna's Approach Can Defeat Procrastination
How Ram and Krishna's Approach Can Defeat Procrastination
9 min

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

देश दुर्दशा में है - भारत में रहूँ, या छोड़ दूँ?
देश दुर्दशा में है - भारत में रहूँ, या छोड़ दूँ?
25 min

प्रश्नकर्ताः धन्यवाद, सभा में उपस्थित सभी लोगों का अभिनन्दन! मैं डा. कुमार मनोज, मैं आधुनिक चिकित्सा में यूरोप से प्रशिक्षित एक चिकित्सक हूँ। और फिलहाल मैं दिल्ली के एक शासकीय चिकित्सा महाविद्यालय में मनोरोग विभाग में कार्यरत हूँ। मैं जब भारत वापस आया तो मैं अपने भारतीय समाज की सेवा

How can enlightenment be one objective thing?
How can enlightenment be one objective thing?
5 min

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

Meditativeness is a way of being
Meditativeness is a way of being
3 min

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,

Anything done in awareness is good
Anything done in awareness is good
2 min

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

To know what you already know
To know what you already know
2 min

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?

Can there be a method to attain enlightenment?
Can there be a method to attain enlightenment?
3 min

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

जो जीवन को मृत्यु जाने, वो मृत्यु के पार हुआ || आचार्य प्रशांत, आजगर गीता पर (2020)
जो जीवन को मृत्यु जाने, वो मृत्यु के पार हुआ || आचार्य प्रशांत, आजगर गीता पर (2020)
16 min

अन्तरिक्षचयाणां च दानवोत्तम पक्षिणाम्। उत्तिष्ठते यथाकालं मृत्युर्बलवतामपि।।

दानवश्रेष्ठ! आकाश में विचरणे वाले बलवान पक्षियों के समक्ष भी यथासमय मृत्यु आ पहुँचती है। ~ आजगर गीता, श्लोक १६

दिवि सञ्चरमाणानि ह्नस्वानि च महन्ति च। ज्योतींष्यपि यथाकालं पतमानानि लक्षये।।

आकाश में जो छोटे-बड़े ज्योतिर्मय नक्षत्र विचर रहे हैं, उन्हें भी मैं यथासमय

Spirituality- the ability to see the One in all
Spirituality- the ability to see the One in all
5 min

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

Why does one get trapped in false spirituality? || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
Why does one get trapped in false spirituality? || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
5 min

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

The Teacher must be a Nobody || Acharya Prashant (2011)
The Teacher must be a Nobody || Acharya Prashant (2011)
4 min

*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

Be simple, follow the simple Truth || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
Be simple, follow the simple Truth || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
5 min

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

What is absent mindedness?
What is absent mindedness?
1 min

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

The dangerous meaning of 'helping others' || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
The dangerous meaning of 'helping others' || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
3 min

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

The Truth stands before me ~Rumi
The Truth stands before me ~Rumi
1 min

*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

Why is authenticity so difficult for some people? || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
Why is authenticity so difficult for some people? || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
6 min

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