Climate Crisis

How Will “Making America Great Again” Harm India?
How Will “Making America Great Again” Harm India?
11 min
Americans constitute only 4% of the global population but are responsible for 25% of the excess CO₂ in the atmosphere. As a result, a huge humanitarian disaster is unfolding, with the Indian subcontinent being the worst sufferer. However, the ego does not consider anyone or anything more significant than its own petty interests. We find this myopic and self-centered behavior in every household; it's just that this is being played out on a much grander scale.
2025: The Year of Final Judgment – Doomsday Awaits!
2025: The Year of Final Judgment – Doomsday Awaits!
49 min
These feelings that are inside humans that I am a human who is born to consume, who is separate from the world, who can fulfill his self-interest, can find happiness by destroying others"—as long as this thing remains inside humans, till then, fighting it is very difficult. Look, child, if it could happen any other way, I would have done it. There's no way other than spirituality. There is no way.
How India Pays The Price For America’s Climate Negligence
How India Pays The Price For America’s Climate Negligence
8 min
The United States emits around 17.6 metric tons per person annually, while India, despite its vast population, emits only about 2.5 metric tons per person. Yet, it is India that faces the harshest consequences. Rising sea levels threaten to swallow coastal cities like Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, displacing millions. In the north and central regions, heatwaves will turn entire towns into furnaces, where stepping outside could mean death for those forced to work in the open.
Doomsday: Wake Up, it's Already Late
Doomsday: Wake Up, it's Already Late
17 min
We say, “Because the global temperature is rising and there is the climate catastrophe awaiting us, let’s be do-gooders. Let’s recycle plastic, let’s replace our old-style electric bulbs and let’s plant trees.” The thing is, planting trees is way too insufficient, now it’s not going to help. These two trees, four trees that we are thinking of planting are not going to help because the cause is Consumption, the cause is Overpopulation.
External Challenges, Internal Solutions
External Challenges, Internal Solutions
7 min

The kind of challenges we face as we approach another new year are unprecedented. Given the novel and cataclysmic nature of these challenges, old approaches are not going to succeed. These challenges come from almost all areas of human activity, and therefore their origin has to do with something in

How India Pays the Price for America’s Climate Negligence
How India Pays the Price for America’s Climate Negligence
8 min

As wildfires rage, glaciers melt, cities drown, and farmlands crack under unrelenting drought, climate change is no longer a distant catastrophe—it is here, unfolding before our eyes. Every season brings fresh devastation, yet we continue down a path of environmental neglect. The signs are clear, the science is irrefutable, and

California Wildfires & the 1.5°C Barrier: Is Humanity Headed for Collapse?
California Wildfires & the 1.5°C Barrier: Is Humanity Headed for Collapse?
14 min
The more prosperous you are, the more you emit, the more you chase happiness, the more you emit carbon. Unless we are educated to find the right avenues of joy, we will continue to hunt for pleasure. And this hunt for pleasure is the wildfire that you are seeing. If you want to address climate change really you will have to inculcate wisdom in human beings. When I say that, a lot of people find that utopian impractical. Might be utopian, might be impractical, but that's the only feasible solution.
जलवायु संकट को कैसे रोकें?
जलवायु संकट को कैसे रोकें?
25 min
बहुत सारा उपभोग (consumption) इसलिए हो रहा है, क्योंकि हमें यह नहीं पता कि हमें ज़िंदगी में करना क्या है, हम कौन हैं और ज़िंदगी का उद्देश्य क्या है। भीतर लगातार एक बेचैनी बनी रहती है। हम उपभोग के द्वारा उस बेचैनी को मिटाने की कोशिश करते हैं। इस उपभोग की प्रवृत्ति के कारण उत्सर्जन (emission) तेजी से बढ़ता है। और यह उपभोग की प्रवृत्ति तो किसी आध्यात्मिक माध्यम से ही कम की जा सकती है। इसलिए जलवायु संकट (Climate Crisis) का केवल आध्यात्मिक समाधान हो सकता है।
आदर्श, शिक्षित, सुसंस्कृत उत्तर भारतीय घर || आचार्य प्रशांत
आदर्श, शिक्षित, सुसंस्कृत उत्तर भारतीय घर || आचार्य प्रशांत
13 min

आचार्य प्रशांत: तो हमें बेटियों की चिन्ता हो रही है, होनी भी चाहिए। लेकिन बेटियों की चिन्ता का जो कारण आपके पास है, शायद बेटियों पर जो ख़तरा है वो किसी दूसरे कारण से है। जिस कारण से है, उसकी बात कर लेते हैं।

आप जब कहते हैं कि भारत

तीर्थयात्रा के नाम पर मज़ाक? || आचार्य प्रशांत
तीर्थयात्रा के नाम पर मज़ाक? || आचार्य प्रशांत
8 min

आचार्य प्रशांत: उत्तरांचल को बर्बाद करके उत्तर प्रदेश, बिहार, बंगाल बच लेंगे क्या? क्यों नहीं बचेंगे? एक छोटा-सा नाम है ‘गंगा’। बाढ़-सूखा कुछ भी आपने गंगोत्री का जो हाल कर दिया है उसके बाद ये आवश्यक नहीं है कि बाढ़ ही आये। जब ग्लेशियर नहीं रहेगा तो गंगा जी कहाँ

Do Vegan Athletes Really Avoid Animal Cruelty?
Do Vegan Athletes Really Avoid Animal Cruelty?
6 min
If you can deal with human ignorance only then there is the chance, we will be more friendly, more compassionate towards animals. Otherwise, a sectoral approach, a fragmented approach will at most make you feel good about yourself. But in the bigger picture, it does no favor to the animals or to the environment.
Your Worth does not come from Bearing Babies or Breast-Feeding || AP Neem Candies
Your Worth does not come from Bearing Babies or Breast-Feeding || AP Neem Candies
6 min

Acharya Prashant: You have said, “What kind of change our education system needs to have so that our coming generations live together in peace and fulfillment?” Live together with each other, right? You haven’t said they live together with animals. The trees, the rivers, the rabbits, and the lions. That

The Only Way to Help the World Is to Leave the World Alone
The Only Way to Help the World Is to Leave the World Alone
6 min
When you know that all this doesn’t mean anything, then the world’s problems are taken care of. And that is the only way problems like global warming will be taken care of. When you know that, “I do not need to exploit the earth, because all this doesn’t mean anything.” When you realize that the world doesn’t mean anything, then the world’s problems are solved.
Stop Calling These as Scriptures
Stop Calling These as Scriptures
8 min
A scripture is a book that tells you about yourself. A scripture has to deal essentially with self-knowledge. A book that talks of dietary choices cannot be called a scripture. A person who talks of the kind of things you must eat to enhance your health and such things cannot be called a Guru. Shastra is what deals with self-knowledge; a guru is one who encourages self-knowledge in you.
Overpopulation and Greed: Is There Any Future for Mankind?
Overpopulation and Greed: Is There Any Future for Mankind?
4 min
We are looking at a scenario where nations have the population of India and the per capita consumption of the U.S. Multiply these two, and what do you get? Utter tragedy. Unless there is this basic recognition, which you can call a spiritual awakening, that the good life doesn’t consist of conspicuous consumption, we are hurtling towards a great disaster. It is already upon us.
Don’t Blindly Rush into ‘Good’ Deeds
Don’t Blindly Rush into ‘Good’ Deeds
18 min
Climate change is a result of the absence of spiritual education. The problem is man’s misguided and uneducated ego. Unless you educate the ego about who it really is, it will keep proceeding in the direction of blind consumerism. Lack of spiritual education has brought this catastrophe upon us. That is the only problem, and therefore, that has to be the only solution.
छठे महाविनाश की शुरुआत हो चुकी है!
छठे महाविनाश की शुरुआत हो चुकी है!
4 min

पृथ्वी पर आज तक पाँच बार महाविनाश हो चुका है। महाविनाश माने सारे जीव जंतुओं का संपूर्ण नाश।इतिहास में 5 बार पृथ्वी का तापमान बेहिसाब बढ़ा, और ग्रह पर जीवन ही समाप्त हो गया।

और अब, छठे महाविनाश की शुरुआत हो चुकी है!और इस छठे महाविनाश का कारण भी

Surprise! A Delicious Dish
Surprise! A Delicious Dish
5 min

Acharya Prashant: In general, human beings are not cannibals. We do not eat other men and women, do we? Why don't we ask ourselves: “Why don't we eat other men and women? If flesh is what we want to eat, then why kill animals?” There are many who say, “Eating

टेक्नोलॉजी के विकास से बचाव या विनाश?
टेक्नोलॉजी के विकास से बचाव या विनाश?
7 min

आचार्य प्रशांत: आज से चालीस साल पहले हिन्दुस्तान की सड़क पर कौन सी गाड़ियाँ चलती थी? मैं कारों की बात कर रहा हूँ।

श्रोतागण: ऐम्बेसडर।

आचार्य प्रशांत: ऐम्बेसडर और फिएट चलती थीं। मान लो पेट्रोल पर चलती थीं, माइलेज क्या देती थीं?

श्रोतागण: दस-बारह।

आचार्य प्रशांत: आठ-दस। फिएट दे देती

पर्यावरण कैसे बचेगा?
पर्यावरण कैसे बचेगा?
9 min
दुनिया की सारी समस्याएँ बस एक वजह से हैं—हम न सिर्फ़ अपनी आबादी बढ़ा रहे हैं, बल्कि प्रति व्यक्ति उपभोग भी बढ़ाए जा रहे हैं। बच्चे यूँ ही नहीं पैदा हो रहे हैं; लोगों को एक झूठी संस्कृति का प्रसार करके बच्चे पैदा करने पर मजबूर किया जा रहा है। ज़्यादा नहीं, अगले बीस साल यदि बच्चे न पैदा हों, तो सब ठीक हो जाएगा क्योंकि आबादी बढ़ाने की इच्छा और ज़्यादा-से-ज़्यादा उपभोग की इच्छा, दोनों एक ही स्रोत (मन) से निकलती हैं।
सिर्फ़ मेरी बात नहीं है  हज़ारों जानें बच सकती हैं  मुझे जाना होगा!
सिर्फ़ मेरी बात नहीं है हज़ारों जानें बच सकती हैं मुझे जाना होगा!
6 min
15 नवंबर को गीता सत्र से कुछ घंटे पहले, देश की बड़ी पशु कार्यकर्ता, गौरी मौलेखी जी का एक संदेश आया। उन्होंने आचार्य जी से नेपाल में होने वाले ‘गढ़ीमाई महोत्सव’ के विषय पर बिहार के, मुख्यमंत्री, मुख्य सचिव और प्रेस से बातचीत के लिए पटना आने का अनुरोध किया। यह एक गंभीर मुद्दा था—हजारों जानवरों की जान बचाने का और एक सदियों पुरानी कुप्रथा के विरुद्ध आवाज़ उठाने का।
Bleeding Throat, Unyielding Spirit: Acharya Prashant’s Fight for the Voiceless
Bleeding Throat, Unyielding Spirit: Acharya Prashant’s Fight for the Voiceless
5 min
On the evening of November 15, just hours before a scheduled Gita session, a message arrived from Gauri Maulekhi, a prominent animal rights activist. She requested Acharya Prashant to join her in Patna the following morning to meet the Chief Secretary of Bihar and address the press about the Gadhimai festival in Nepal. This was no ordinary request. It was a plea to save thousands of animals and to raise a voice against a centuries-old practice of cruelty disguised as tradition.
Why Is The Planet Dying?
Why Is The Planet Dying?
13 min
Today, if you see AQI levels beyond tolerance, glaciers melting and the coral reefs being destroyed, the reason is very simple. We do not know what is the right relationship to have with the world around us. So, all we do is consumption and destruction. There can be therefore no scientific and technological solution to this problem. The solution is self awareness.
दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा संकट
दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा संकट
12 min

आचार्य प्रशांत: औद्योगिक क्रान्ति से पहले दो-सौ-सत्तर, दो-सौ-अस्सी पीपीएम कार्बन डाईऑक्साइड होती थी। अभी बताइएगा कितनी होगी? (श्रोता उत्तर देते हैं) नहीं, नहीं। उतनी हो गयी तो फिर तो ख़त्म। अभी साढ़े-चार सौ।

उन्नीस-सौ-नब्बे में क्योटो प्रोटोकॉल के आसपास के वर्षों की बात कर रहा हूँ, से लेकर अभी तक

Climate Change: Who’s the Real Culprit?
Climate Change: Who’s the Real Culprit?
9 min

Questioner: When we were studying at IIT, we used to think that climate change is actually a technological problem, that renewable energy sources and electric vehicles, etc. are the solution to the rising carbon dioxide levels, and we were even doing research on this. Consequently, I also had the same

Tree Plantation is False Climate Activism
Tree Plantation is False Climate Activism
9 min

Acharya Prashant: I will say something with respect to this tree plantation thing. You see, it is very well known that one tree over the course of forty years would absorb just one ton of carbon dioxide. How effective is that? Please. And that is if that tree gets to

What does it mean to Love a Jungle?
What does it mean to Love a Jungle?
6 min

Acharya Prashant: You look at the last few centuries. Even the declaration of the rights of man came just three hundred years back. Then came the declaration of the rights of slaves. And in the last century came the Declaration of the Rights of Women.

I am seeing that in

The Hypocrisy of Climate Warriors
The Hypocrisy of Climate Warriors
4 min

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

There Is an Elephant in the Room (We Smoothly Ignore It)
There Is an Elephant in the Room (We Smoothly Ignore It)
23 min

Questioner 1 Thank you Acharya Ji for taking the time and giving us this opportunity to sit down with you and discuss climate change, veganism, and a lot of other questions that we have for you. With me I have on the panel today, Niharika Raizada Ji, a renowned actress,

To Give Birth is to Take Debt
To Give Birth is to Take Debt
4 min

Acharya Prashant: Parents have first of all committed the mistake of bringing another person into this world of agony, longing, and suffering that they compensate for by investing themselves in raising the kid. That is why it is imperative for parents to bring education to the kids, give food to

Want Satisfaction? Maximise Consumption || AP Neem Candies
Want Satisfaction? Maximise Consumption || AP Neem Candies
7 min

Acharya Prashant: You might just say, “Well, no I am not looking for flesh, I am looking for money. I am looking for material success. I am looking to have another factory. I am looking to have a bigger house with better furniture.” You might talk of material things other

We forced the virus to come to us || AP Neem candies
We forced the virus to come to us || AP Neem candies
5 min

Acharya Prashant: What’s worse, there might be much more lethal and incurable viruses to come in the future.

We talk of the virus as the problem. In fact, if you go to social media to get a hang of how we are looking at the whole thing in a cultural

पृथ्वी नहीं खत्म हो रही, इंसान खत्म होगा
पृथ्वी नहीं खत्म हो रही, इंसान खत्म होगा
17 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: नमस्ते आचार्य जी। मैं कसौली हिमाचल प्रदेश का रहने वाला हूँ, शिमला के पास में ही है बिलकुल। यहाँ पर पिछले कुछ सालों में टूरिज्म बहुत बढ़ गया है। और उससे जॉब्स तो क्रिएट हो रही हैं, परकैपिटा इन्कम भी बढ़ रही है। बल्कि रीसेंटली मैंने एक स्टडी पढ़ी

Still living in the jungle? || Neem Candies
Still living in the jungle? || Neem Candies
1 min

If you say that you must provide your daughter with a protein rich diet, why does the protein have to come from dairy? When everything in your life is anyway factory produced, why not use factory produced protein as well? People say, “Oh! But that would be unnatural.” Hello? If

External growth is passe, we now need internal growth
External growth is passe, we now need internal growth
13 min

Questioner: Adam Smith, who is considered to be the father of modern economics, said that economics is a science of wealth; he places primary importance upon money and not on man. Alfred Marshall, another economist, said that economics is a study of material welfare; there he puts importance on man

The Violence of Giving Birth
The Violence of Giving Birth
5 min

Acharya Prashant: And there is another reason why kids appear so fascinating to us: it’s the hormones. It’s not only the human kid; the babies of even animals appear so cute. That’s a ploy of Prakṛti (physical nature). Babies have to appear cute; otherwise they are so defenseless that they

How Will Your Lungs Adapt to This? || AP Neem Candies
How Will Your Lungs Adapt to This? || AP Neem Candies
3 min

Acharya Prashant: Man is born in a battlefield; man will have to deal with challenges. Now it is upon you, which challenges you chose to deal with. You could either fight several miscellaneous, petty, worthless wars that cannot really be called as wars, call them skirmishes, squabbles. Or he could

Is It Better to Let the Poor and the Sick Die?
Is It Better to Let the Poor and the Sick Die?
12 min

Questioner: We know that currently the Earth is overpopulated. People around me very loosely say that the people who are physically, mentally, or economically not so well off, they are better off dead. So, I want to ask, what is your take on this? And what do you think is

He Chose a Wife, Not a Guru
He Chose a Wife, Not a Guru
6 min

Questioner: We have a question by Pooja. So people who try to become self-aware and you know knowledgeable of themselves. They usually became the black sheep of their families.

Question by Pooja is what can we do if our loved ones, that is spouse, parents, friends are not receptive to

The One Species We Are Most Unfair To || AP Neem Candies
The One Species We Are Most Unfair To || AP Neem Candies
6 min

Acharya Prashant: If all those who oppose beef and cow slaughter would really know that the beef industry and the dairy industry are deeply interrelated, would they still be milk lovers? The majority of opposition to beef in India comes from those who love milk. That’s very, very strange.

Look

God Made a Mistake || AP Neem Candies
God Made a Mistake || AP Neem Candies
4 min

Questioner: It is said specifically that butter, milk, and ghee is good for health, and this is what our mother cow gave to us as an offering. What would you say about that?

Acharya Prashant: You see, these are very basic things. To be a believer in the Vedas is

महात्मा बुद्ध ने अपने भिक्षु को माँस खाने की अनुमति क्यों दी?
महात्मा बुद्ध ने अपने भिक्षु को माँस खाने की अनुमति क्यों दी?
5 min
बुद्ध निर्विकल्प जीवन जीने को कहते थे| निर्विकल्पता में आता है कि पात्र में जो दे दिया विधि ने, वहीं खा लेना है। अगर बुद्ध ने अपवाद खड़ा कर दिया होता, तो भिक्षु निर्विकल्पता का पालन करने से मुकर जाते| तो बुद्ध ने कहा, ‘नहीं, अब आ ही गया है माँस तो खा लो। वैसे भी इसको तुमने मारा नहीं’। पर ये समय सापेक्ष बात है | भूल होती है, जब कहते हैं ‘बाज़ार में जो माँस है, हमने तो मारा नहीं,तो हम उसे खाएँगे।’ ये मत कर लेना, ये केंद्रीय, कालातीत बात नहीं|
Vegan India Conference Interviews Acharya Prashant
Vegan India Conference Interviews Acharya Prashant
15 min
When I was in IIT, in my second year or something, there was a Hindi story I read, an autobiography of a calf, a cow's calf. So, how it is born and what it has to go through, and then how it was denied milk, how it was castrated and then how it was exploited in the field, and ultimately how it was dispatched to the slaughterhouse. So that made me quit milk at that time.
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....
Should You Sacrifice Your Pleasures - When and How Much? || AP Neem Candies
Should You Sacrifice Your Pleasures - When and How Much? || AP Neem Candies
6 min

Acharya Prashant: You have to ask yourself what your primary identity is. If your primary identity is that of the body, then do what the body commands you to do. Good. The body has an inbuilt software of its own, and it’s a self-improving software. Its capacity to keep improving

अच्छा काम नहीं मिल रहा?
अच्छा काम नहीं मिल रहा?
11 min

प्रश्नकर्ता: आचार्य जी नमस्कार, मैं अभी आपसे दो-ढाई महीने से जुड़ा हुआ हूँ। मेरी उम्र तीस चल रही है, तो आज भी मैं जी रहा हूँ और दो-ढाई महीने पहले भी जी रहा था। पर पहले वो जीवन में ठसक नहीं थी जो अभी है। पहले मैं जो भी काम

These two need some education || AP Neem Candies
These two need some education || AP Neem Candies
3 min

Acharya Prashant: You might be an MBBS, or an MD, or a DM, but you could still be quite illiterate; you might still not have basic knowledge regarding the nutritional value of various food products. You could have a quack graduating even from the best medical college.

And you are

Ancient Man a Carnivore? || AP Neem Candies
Ancient Man a Carnivore? || AP Neem Candies
3 min

Acharya Prashant: There are a few myths that need to be dispelled. Yes, man has had the inclination and the capacity to eat meat since a very, very long time. But even when man was in the jungle, he was primarily herbivore. And this is born out by scientific analysis

The Only Way to Help the World Is to Leave the World Alone
The Only Way to Help the World Is to Leave the World Alone
6 min
The world’s problems are solved by those who do not contribute to those problems. The world’s problems are not solved by those who take the world seriously. The world’s problems are actually solved by those who know that the world does not mean anything; hence they leave the world to itself. Read more....
The One Most Important Thing About Life
The One Most Important Thing About Life
34 min
“The will to live.” “The will to just continue.” That, he said, is the basic human existential tendency. I’m asking, “Don’t animals have that tendency?” At the root of all consciousness; is the will to survive and continue. We don’t want to die; the animals, too, don’t want to die, right? We feel pain, we suffer; so do animals. The reasons might be very different. Often the reasons are, in fact, not too different. Separate a human mother from her baby and you see the suffering. It’s very apparent. Separate a cow from her calf, and the suffering is much the same. Read more...