Life Problems

Question: What do I do to cross the river? To me, it is such a challenge.

Acharya Prashant: Crossing the river is easy. Just hold the hand of someone who knows the other side, and cross. You have already crossed the river a thousand times with me. Your failure is… read_more

Do Love And Attachment Go Together?

10 min

Attachment is just a promise. A lack of fulfilment. It is a substitute for love because the real thing is not available. If you find yourself attached, it means there is a desire for love; it means there is a call for love. Know that a fake is presenting itself as a substitute for the real thing.

Why Should I Trust you, Acharya Prashant? Why Should I Trust the Gita?

26 min

The same suffering that we hide behind so many things— entertainment, even knowledge, so-called distractions, achievements, pleasures, accumulations, prestige, sanctions, and approvals from all around. We hide that fact of human suffering behind all these things. So, it's a big problem. It's a big problem that we want to address. So now, I want to look at — why am I suffering? Why am I suffering?

To know why a man and a woman are in conflict is to know why world is in conflict || Acharya Prashant (2016)

29 min

Question: I want to know why the world is at the moment so harsh?

Acharya Prashant: There is nothing that one group, one community or one person experiences that the other has never experienced or is not experiencing even to the slightest degree. Fundamentally we are all one. As human… read_more

The Real Way to Deal with Dependency

12 min

You are born with a feeling of loneliness and dependency. Even if you live till 126, you will find that loneliness still haunts you. The real way to fight this is to go to the scriptures. Once you develop the taste of being with Shri Krishna or a Mahavira, you will forget loneliness and dependency. And to make space for them, you have to evict all the nonsense that is sitting in your mind.

When Will Life Be Sorted for Good?

7 min

There has never, ever been anybody 100% sorted. There are always challenges, and those challenges arise from the body itself; your enemy is within you, and it will remain as long as you are alive. So, learn to revel in this situation — it's called life. And instead of asking for a final victory, start asking for a good battle — battles where, even in your pain, you can say, “This one was good!”

True Relationships Arise from Aloneness

6 min

You may say that you are in love; but do you love that man, or do you love what you get through that man? When you are needy and lonely, then your relationships are like band-aids: they are there to take care of your wounds. But if you live your life from a point of aloneness — which is totally different from loneliness — your relationships will take on a different colour. Then you will really be free and not a slave.

Why do ‘Good’ People Suffer while ‘Bad’ Ones Seem Happy?

14 min

Happiness that is neither temporal nor chemical has been classically called as joy. And it is not something to be obtained. It is not something to be obtained. It is nature. It is who you are. Provided you refuse to abide by what you are not. Happiness is not something you have to hunt for. Otherwise, happiness remains eternally elusive.

Should You Trust Your Feelings?

7 min

When feelings surge in your mind and body, be careful and pay attention! This is the moment when you lose the plot. The initial surge of energy that a feeling has is beyond your consciousness and control; it is determined mostly by your conditioning and partly by your genes. So, don't add conscious energy to the unconscious uprising. The most important mark of a wise man is that he does not live by feelings.

Is Capitalism the Root of Our Problems?

6 min

It’s not capitalism versus socialism; if the center I am operating from is itself animalistic, then I will want to earn profits for myself, whatever be the social cost. The change that we need is inward- ‘self-knowledge’. We need an education system in which the child is very openly helped to face his/her animalistic nature, then we will develop a certain humility to look for solutions beyond our tendencies.

Why Don't Indian Women Pay on Dates?

13 min

Traditionally, women have been trained to be at home, while men have been conditioned to be breadwinners. The forces of conditioning cut both ways. Both are merely playing pre-scripted roles, shaped by their bodies and society. You are not you; you are manufactured by your body and trained by society. And so is she. So just as you resist from asking her to pay, she resists offering to pay — and it’s a bad game.

How to Make Your Parents Happy?

9 min

For you to make your parents happy, the first requirement is that you must be happy. If you are not happy, how can you give happiness to your parents? There is a basic law of existence: you can only give what you have. How can you suffer and still make others happy? Please, get rid of the notion that you can compromise your life to make others happy.

Sexual Predators Within the Family

15 min

And with human beings becoming more powerful technologically, economically, the little being at home is even more staggeringly at the mercy of the grown-ups. The little one is absolutely at the mercy of everybody else. And these grown-ups, they have so much today. Don't you see how human consciousness and the corruption within it is manifesting itself in a 100 ways and sexual exploitation of vulnerable sections is just one way this corruption is manifesting itself.

Why is Religion Obsessed with Sex?

10 min

Sex has to become something small, something not very important, not a great monster that you are fighting all the time. Just as you do not remember what you took for breakfast yesterday, sex is something you do not even remember. If it is instead present in the mind all the time, what to do?

Heterosexual or homosexual—does it really matter?

15 min

How does it matter whether you are homosexual or heterosexual? You're still body-identified. The lust for the body is still there. If one has homosexual desires, they are desires. If a man lusts after a woman, that too is a desire. And neither of these desires takes you anywhere. The superior being is the one who stops running after the body.

Desire or Surrender? The Hidden Truth of Karma!

7 min

Once you know where you are chained, you already have the right desire. The right desire is to break the chain. It begins with an observation, and admission of your own state. The right desire is a desire to be free, to be at ease, to be able to flow. To be without fear, that is the right desire. But when we say the right desire is about being fearless, first of all you have to figure out where your fears are.

Understanding Guilt for True Self-Improvement

6 min

Guilt says, “I am better than my mistakes.” But for most people, it is very important to accept that they are not accidentally making mistakes; what they call mistakes is their standard state of being. So, guilt can be a great alibi against improvement. Far better than guilt is the honest and silent realization of one’s actual state. And this realization is highly transformative.

Is Getting Angry Right or Wrong?

25 min

Let’s drop the notion that anger is inherently evil. There is an anger that arises out of frustration—frustration that your desire could not be fulfilled. If there is one thing you may want to call bad, it is misplaced anger. There is no worse sight than a young man who cannot be angry. Be angry for the right reasons. Let your anger spring from the right center, not from your petty self.

For Those Who Think a Lot About the Future

6 min

The worst thing is to postpone action and keep worrying or keep thinking, overthinking as you said. So, whenever you find yourself in that mode, the best thing is to ask yourself - isn’t there something that I need to be, rather doing at this moment? Not thinking. Doing!

Porn and Guilt, Physical and Social Conditioning

7 min

On one hand, because you don’t understand what this thing called sex is all about, so you can’t resist it. You have no understanding of what this entire process is. You have never bothered to understand what this hormonal business is. So, you come to a particular age and your body becomes mature; there is a chemical action within the body, and you start getting influenced by it. You cannot resist it because there is no understanding. Only out of understanding there is freedom from influence.

How to Break Free from the Trap of Seeking External Validation?

10 min

The relationship can be very strong, but the strength of the relationship may not necessarily be an auspicious thing. You can have a very, very strong relationship with the external, and yet it could be from a very wrong center. And what do we mean by wrong? The center of inner ignorance.

Kids and Anxiety: What’s Going Wrong?

11 min

If a kid has been continuously told that the world is everything, how will an untouched point remain within? The world, as we know, is quite fickle, while our real nature is stability or permanence. It is this dichotomy that pushes us into stress and anxiety. A big portion of the mental health problem can be addressed if we provide the right value system to the kid—the right literature.

Relationships: Trust & Broken Expectations

8 min

Don’t wear masks. Have that self-respect. That’s what is dignity. This is who I am, and I’ll not exchange my truth for your sake. If you are all right with who I really am, let’s be together. But don’t ask me to drop my authenticity. Most of your existing relationships will fail this test because they are relationships between masks. You wear a mask, and you expect the other to wear a mask. And you know, there is no fun. You do not even know the other’s face. There is actually no relationship at all.

Why Life Seems to Involve Pain?

4 min

You didn't have anything special in the past. Had we had anything special in the past, then we wouldn't have come to the state of suffering we find ourselves in today. So, the past is not the solution. You have to realize how things are with you today. You have to look at your interactions with human beings today. You have to see how you relate to your body, to your friends, to your workplace—all these things. And from there, you—you develop an insight, and that insight offers, some freedom.

Live-in Relationships: When Parents Get a Shock! |

13 min

The lust inside us seems to be never-ending. So the reason should be something else. And the fact is that humans are the only animals who are actually spiritually thirsty. But then, there is a lack of knowledge as well. Now, the thirst is spiritual, but we do not know what this thirst is for. Because of the lack of knowledge, they don’t know. Then what do we do? We try to quench that thirst by finding anything to bring from anywhere.

Why Does Society Favor Extroverts?

6 min

Society favors extroversion more than introversion because introversion is dangerous for capitalist consumerism. Why would someone spend a lot of money in the markets if they enjoy their own company? That’s why the entire media is full of characters that glorify extroversion and try to sell you a philosophy that promotes reckless consumption. Be very mindful; it will destroy you.

Instagram Fame, and Anxiety Pills

7 min

Shallow philosophies and false treatments do not work for anybody. It's another matter if we want to keep fooling ourselves. There has to be self-love. There has to be courage. One has to say it's all right to be devastated and destroyed but it's not all right to keep yielding moment by moment the way I do.

Such short attention spans?

5 min

How is it surprising then that nothing really appeals to you, that you don't find anything worthy of—let's come to that word—love? And except for love, what is it that can hold you for long? Greed, attractions, good foods, good clothes, nice odor, prestige, excitement—these are small things that will not be able to keep you for long. However, to compensate for their lack of quality, they proliferate in quantity.

Ditch the Trauma: Embrace Your New Self!

4 min

Outgrow. Outgrow your past. Look at your past and say, ‘Oh, she's a different girl. She's not me. And, I find no pleasure even looking at her. I mean, all right, she's a younger self, some kind of a younger sister— cute, all right, but nothing of much interest to me now. I have better things to look at. I have more important stuff to attend to.’

How To Be Motivated?

6 min

You have to know what you are doing. Once you know what you are doing, then the knowledge itself is the motivator. Whereas, if things are happening in a very unconscious way, you will not know why you should exert yourself at all. If you are somebody who frequently needs to be motivated by an external source, then you should ask yourself, “Do I really know what I am doing?”

How Relationships Become Just a Convenience?

18 min

It's all situational. You never know why it is happening. Indian philosophy calls it mere sanyog. All kinds of sanyog—it is not knowable. Prakriti is an endless network of cause and effect. You look at an effect—you can never pinpoint what the cause is. Because the causes themselves are infinite. And it is not a straight chain of causes. It is at least a two-dimensional network of causes. Not a straight chain—this causes that. Everything is affecting something else.

Are We Trapped by Romanticized Illusions?

18 min

It's a very, very dangerous notion if you say—"You know, all the fun, all the pinkness, all the tenderness lies in stupid kind of notions. And everything that is conscious, elevated, sublime—is dry." It's very dangerous and you are becoming a victim of the propaganda of the juice sellers. There is nothing more fascinating than the truth. Go ask that to those who have dedicated their lives to the service of truth—exploration, discoveries.

(Gita-27) Krishna's Warning to Arjuna: Everyone is Making This Mistake

39 min

Who are the people who never understand Shri Krishna? The ones whose minds are full of Karmakand. If your mind is full of Karmakand, Shri Krishna himself has very clearly said, you will never understand the Gita because Karma Kand deals with desire, because whatever you do, you do for the sake of desire.

Why Misinterpretations of the Gita Still Influence Millions

7 min

A mind full of desires gets blind. It comes to supremely stupid conclusions, and it refuses to see or acknowledge facts that disrupt or disprove its biases. It's just that the fulfillment of the desire stands zero chance of your fulfillment. But there is definitely some chance that the desire can get fulfilled. And if you are stupid enough and laborious enough, the chance of desire fulfillment can also multiply.

How To Stop Being Lazy?

14 min

Those who are lazy, lack not in energy but in understanding. In physical nature, there is a tendency toward work minimization. If something gives you more output with less work, you will do it. You do not know that the right work brings benefits, dividends, and joy. Had you known it, you would have chosen the right action over laziness every moment.

Celibacy and Masturbation

15 min

The big thing is not about attaining the big thing. The big thing is about fighting the stuff that keeps you away from the big. That fight is a very real thing and one needs to take that up. That's called love. That's called love. You cannot ever fully completely have it, but it's still worth the fight. And when you plunge yourself into the fight, then you do not care about these small things.

What To Do When Life Seems Hopeless?

5 min

Do the utmost that you must in any situation, and you will find only the joy of right action. Tears are for those who turn away from their responsibility. If you were truly dedicating your energy rightly, how would you have any left to weep? So fight so hard that you either win or perish. If you win, the glory is yours. If you perish, at least all suffering is gone.

Are Single Women Happier?

13 min

When it comes to real happiness, there is no rule that a single woman would be happier than a married woman, or vice versa. Even sharing dinner or being friends with someone means you're not truly single. We must have the sense to relate properly. If you can connect with someone who brings beauty and understanding to your life, nothing like it. But that alone should be the objective of the relationship.

Ultimate Antidote to All Addictions

8 min

What is the most beautiful thing you can think of? And why is it not worth committing yourself to if it is indeed high and beautiful? Give yourself totally to it. And then even if you have to go to Netflix etc. you'll go with a purpose. It's not some kind of a heinous crime to watch videos or something but you will remember the purpose. You're not going there to waste your precious time. Even there, the mind somewhere is remembering what the purpose is.

A Life free of suffering?

4 min

Questioner: You have said that one must learn to suffer graciously and be calm and firm even while going through it. I am just too anxious to pass through this suffering phase as early as possible; I am not able to keep my calm and go through it with dignity.… read_more

Want a Life Free Of Suffering?

7 min

Laugh with no care at all. Why take oneself so seriously? What hurt, what wound can be so big? When we fully well know that the only thing that really is the Truth. Can there be two truths? The truth and the wound. The wound has to be a lie. But it will continue to pretend to be the truth as long as you avoid looking at it. The more you look at it, the more you will see that the wound is just some kind of dressing up that has been needlessly done.

How To Deal With Lack Of Motivation?

9 min

All motivation and ambition are rooted in a sense of unworthiness, inferiority, and incompleteness. Motivation is external, meaning an outside force is acting upon you, making you react. If motivation can come from outside, it can also disappear when the outside factor disappears. That’s no way of living a conscious life. However, when you start from a point of completeness, you perform all your actions out of love and joy, and the result becomes irrelevant.

How to Overcome Fear?

7 min

Fear is biological. You are not supposed to fight fear because, even to fight it, you would have to enter the domain of the body. Ignore fear and attend to the task that your consciousness is suggesting to you. Let fear be there; you do what you must. You don't need willpower or motivation—rather, you need wisdom to ignore these things.

Solution to Overthinking

5 min

The one who has something to live for will never be mentally sick. And mental illness is a pointer that life is devoid of essence. I have no time to be anxious. Even anxiety requires time. I don't have time. Not that you aren't great. Obviously, you are great and powerful. The entire world kneels to you. You're wonderful. But as far as I'm concerned, no vacancy. Give all your inner space to something that is beautiful for you. Let there be no vacancy.

Connection Between Thoughts and Wrong Relationships

13 min

I’m already bad, and through the thought process, I make a choice that makes my condition worse. I will always choose a woman who does me no good. And if a woman exists, coincidentally, who can be of real help to me, the job of thought will be to push that woman aside. Ditto for the other combination. As a woman, you don’t want a man who will challenge your most fundamental beliefs.

Why Do We All Act so Blindly?

18 min

Questioner: * I am Darshan, and my question is very simple yet complicated. So why do we not work? So even after knowing that if we work, we will get something that we are looking for. So, to take an example, I had the opportunity to interact with a lot… read_more

Why do we suppress sexuality? || Acharya Prashant (2016)

20 min

Questioner (Q) : Acharya Ji, I want to talk about sexuality. Are there ways in which a person can healthily express sexuality?

Acharya Prashant (AP) : Whatever we do is an expression. Breath is an expression, eating is an expression, these hand gestures they are an expression, and the way… read_more

Popular reasons to marry || Neem Candies

1 min

In our country, most people marry because that is sometimes the only way of getting some good sex—good and assured sex. Otherwise, the fellow would either have to spend a lot of money or a lot of time, or both, and then still return empty-handed. Isn’t that so?

Now, if… read_more

Choose Joy || Neem Candies

1 min

Be compassionate towards yourself, and have faith that freedom is possible and that life can be enjoyed really. Life need not be a melancholy song; it can be a symphony of ecstasy. That faith has to be there.

Do not surrender so easily to the forces of littleness. They will… read_more

Living a selfish life? || Neem Candies

1 min

People talk of personal time as opposed to professional time, right? They forget that the profession that they have chosen has also been chosen by the person. So, even that which they are mistakenly calling as professional time is only personal time.

Our lives have only personal time. To be… read_more