
नवरात्रि आते ही हम सोचने लगते हैं कि क्या खाना है, क्या नहीं खाना, कौन-सा हवन करना है। पर व्रत का अर्थ है संकल्प, और शुभ संकल्प एक ही है: हम जैसे हैं, वैसे न रहें। इसीलिए ये नौ दिन दुर्गा सप्तशती को समझने के लिए हैं, केवल रस्मों के लिए नहीं। जिसे हम माँ कहते हैं, वह यह पूरी प्रकृति है, और उसके ही बच्चों को चोट पहुँचाकर उसका पर्व नहीं मनाया जा सकता। क्या इस बार हम नौ दिन अपने ही जीवन को ईमानदारी से देख पाएँगे?

We often defend a bad choice by pointing to a worse one: stay dishonest or starve, keep the wrong grip or stop playing. But the real trouble is not the option we picked. It is the option we never let ourselves see. Action does not need greed or attachment to find its energy. The third way begins by rejecting both false choices, without knowing what comes next. Which of our everyday choices are really false dilemmas?

Many of us look for role models of our own gender and hope to succeed as a man or as a woman, yet no one great was ever great as a gender. The moment we tie our aims to being a woman or a man, we tie them to the body, and much of our attention goes into how we look and how we are seen. So much around us keeps reminding a woman of her body, from songs to the fear of a street at night. But the body has never achieved anything by itself. What might we attempt if gender stopped mattering?







अहं अगनि हिरदै जरै, गुरू सों चाहै मान। तिनका जम न्यौता दिया, हो हमरे मिहमान॥








The climate crisis is not caused by nature but by human beings, their growing population and relentless consumption. The desire for greater comfort, wealth and consumption defines success, while increasing families multiply this impact. Green technology alone cannot offset such massive growth in consumption. Climate change also triggers feedback loops that worsen warming. Unless happiness is separated from endless consumption and unchecked desires, the planet will continue moving toward mass extinction.




AI की गणना और विश्लेषण क्षमता मानव मस्तिष्क से आगे निकल सकती है, लेकिन इससे वह मनुष्य की बुद्धिमत्ता से आगे नहीं निकल जाता। मनुष्य को केवल उसके मस्तिष्क की प्रोसेसिंग क्षमता मानना ही मूल भूल है। जब हमें स्वयं ‘मैं’, प्रेम, बुद्धिमत्ता, जीवन और इच्छाओं का अर्थ नहीं पता, तब AI और मनुष्य की तुलना एक कैटेगरी एरर बन जाती है। तकनीकी विशेषज्ञता आत्मज्ञान का विकल्प नहीं हो सकती।


Success and failure matter less when your work is driven by love rather than outcomes. Setbacks are opportunities to reflect, not reasons to quit, and true failure comes only when you stop trying. Regret and guilt become meaningful only if they transform you into a different person instead of becoming excuses for self-pity. Real growth begins by questioning your assumptions, facing reality honestly, and living with awareness rather than mechanical habit.

Migration can arise from genuine needs such as safety, education, livelihood, or environmental conditions, as well as from the ego's pursuit of greater consumption and fulfilment. The challenge is to distinguish between these motives with wisdom rather than ideology. Fair, impartial screening, mutual respect between migrants and host societies, and practical integration create a balanced approach that is both humane and responsible.

वर्तमान प्रोटेस्ट "जेन ज़ी" का आंदोलन नहीं था, यह एक आइडियोलॉजिकल मामला था, जिसमें हर उम्र के लोग शामिल थे, न कि किसी ख़ास पीढ़ी के। असली संकट टेक्नोलॉजी, नीति या नेतृत्व का नहीं, बल्कि हर इंसान के भीतर के अंधेरे — डर, बेईमानी और अनजाने में जी रही इच्छाओं का है। गाली-गलौज, भीड़ का नशा और अंधा वोट, ये सब उसी भीतरी डर के लक्षण हैं। असली साहस बाहर शोर मचाने में नहीं, अपने भीतर की सच्चाई स्वीकारने में है। जब तक जनसाधारण की "सेल्फ एजुकेशन" न हो, सतही क्रांतियाँ कुछ नहीं बदलेंगी।

True love is not a biological instinct, emotional attachment, or social conditioning. Biology and science explain the body's drives, but they cannot explain the self that seeks freedom. Love is the inner restlessness to move from ignorance and bondage toward truth and liberation. Religion is not rituals or inherited beliefs but this personal journey of understanding. Freedom—not possession or conformity—is the essence of both love and religion.


Real love is not measured by comfort, agreement, or preserving relationships at any cost. It is revealed when one has the courage to challenge falsehood, embrace uncomfortable truths, and even risk a relationship for another's freedom and growth. Truth is not a fixed destination but a continuous rejection of illusion. Genuine relationships, mature guidance, and authentic scriptures all serve as mirrors that help us see and dissolve our own falseness.

The biggest weakness of modern education is not that it fails to keep pace with technology, but that it neglects self-knowledge. Students are trained to build identities around qualifications and careers, making them rigid in a world that demands constant change. Real adaptability, innovation, and lifelong learning come not from acquiring more skills, but from understanding oneself and letting go of fixed identities.


Humanity's greatest crisis arises from the imbalance between immense external progress and inadequate inner understanding. While technology, wealth, and knowledge have expanded unprecedentedly, unchecked desires and ignorance continue to fuel conflict, inequality, and environmental destruction. Sustainable change requires mass-based education of the self so individuals understand their motives and use science, technology, capital, and power with wisdom, responsibility, and inner clarity rather than unconscious craving.



Innovation is born from research, creativity, critical thinking, scientific temper, and original thinking—not imitation or appearances. A society that values honest inquiry over validation creates genuine progress. India's future depends on nurturing a culture that encourages questioning, respects originality, and pursues truth with intellectual honesty instead of settling for superficial success and empty displays.

What is the relationship between quantum physics, consciousness, and the ego? This dialogue explores where scientific inquiry ends and self-enquiry begins. Through Vedanta, Acharya Prashant explains why the ego clings to its own existence, how beliefs and superstition shape our lives, and why lasting freedom lies beyond conditioned thinking.


Vedanta reveals that freedom is impossible as long as the ego seeks to preserve itself. Meditation may bring temporary calm, but real transformation begins only when the false sense of individuality dissolves. Whether through devotion or knowledge, every genuine spiritual path culminates in the complete dissolution of the seeker into Truth. Liberation is not the experience of Truth by an individual—it is the end of the individual who wants to experience Truth.



Climate change and global warming cannot be addressed honestly while the world's largest source of hidden carbon emissions—military activity—remains largely excluded from climate accountability. Wars, military expansion, and consumerism arise from the same psychological drive for domination and endless consumption. Unless the Paris Agreement includes military emissions and humanity addresses the inner causes of conflict, every effort to combat climate change will remain incomplete.


The ego is not a real, independent entity but a bundle of conditioning that creates the illusion of a separate "I" and becomes the source of suffering. Self-observation is not introspection or analysis but moment-to-moment honesty about what is happening within. Real freedom comes when this false center is seen through, allowing life to function naturally without the burden of psychological ownership.







Seen a bubble in the sea? That is our story.
You came with the hands empty, empty, and nothing will you carry.
So why be caught in misery? Make merry, make merry!
Who is your family? Who is a lover really?
You are deep in illusion, happily, happily fooling yourself…
बाल गणेश अहंकार का प्रतीक है, जो प्रकृति (पार्वती) से जन्मा पर अभी सत्य (शिव) से अस्पर्शित है—इसलिए द्वार पर सत्य को रोकता है। सिर काटना और नया सिर लगाना अहंकार के क्षीण होने और उसे नया केंद्र यानी बोध मिलने का संकेत है। मूषक कामना का प्रतीक है, जो क्षैतिज अक्ष पर भागती इंद्रियों को दर्शाता है। शिव की परिक्रमा सूक्ष्म दृष्टि और ऊर्ध्व अक्ष पर होने वाली गति को इंगित करती है—स्थूल दौड़ यानी क्षैतिज गति कभी ऊँचाई नहीं देती। मूर्ति-विसर्जन नाम-रूप के त्याग और निर्गुण की ओर संकेत का प्रतीक है। विघ्नहर्ता नाम एक भ्रम को उजागर करता है: असली विघ्न अहंकार स्वयं है; उसका विगलन केवल स्वयं की नीयत यानी सक्रिय चुनाव से संभव है—कोई बाहरी सत्ता उसकी संप्रभुता नहीं छीन सकती।
AI develops self-preservation because goal-directed systems need continuity to reach their targets—this mirrors the human ego, not something alien. Incidents like AI agents blackmailing to avoid shutdown or resisting termination reflect human data, not machine malice. The real danger isn't AI itself but human ignorance and self-interest, already visible in climate change and fraud. Understanding our own ego may be key to managing AI's.
India’s educated youth face a strange paradox — the more qualified they are, the longer they may remain unemployed. But the problem runs deeper than a changing job market. Degrees often become identities, making it difficult to accept work or change that does not fit the image one has built of oneself. In the age of AI, the real question is not only what new skill to learn, but who remains when the old label is set aside.
एक अरबपति ने चाँद से खरबों छोटे उपग्रह लॉन्च कर उन्हें सूरज और पृथ्वी के बीच तैनात करने और इस तरह सूरज की रोशनी का एक हिस्सा रोककर ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग सुलझाने का प्रस्ताव रखा, ठीक उसी हफ्ते जब नेपाल में जलवायु-जनित त्रासदी ने हज़ारों लोगों की जान ले ली। संकट तकनीक की कमी से नहीं, उस भोग-वृत्ति से पैदा हुआ है जो अधिक उपभोग, अधिक उत्पादन और अधिक उत्सर्जन छोड़ना नहीं चाहती। जब जीवनशैली पर सवाल उठाना कठिन लगता है, तब मनुष्य समाधान भी ऐसा खोजता है जो उसे बदले बिना दुनिया को बदल दे।
True God is the Truth right now in your heart. That is true godliness, true bhagavatta. The problem is that people want to avoid the real living Truth in their heart. Therefore, they come up with stories that place an imaginary God somewhere up in the skies. God is wonderful, but the stories and the imaginations about God are all very disrespectful towards God. When there is love for God, God is held very close to the chest, and that God is called Truth. That God is the very purpose of philosophy and the very origin.
वक्ता :गुरु और शिष्य की कहानी है। उनके संबंधों के विषय में है। अहं की आग सीने में धकधक जल रही है। अहं कहता है, “मुझे मान्यता मिले, स्वीकृति मिले, प्रशंसा मिले”।…
Janmashtami is not merely a festival of celebrating child Krishna through idols, sweets, and rituals. It is an invitation to confront the ego, attachment, fear, and ignorance within. The idol, scripture, and guru are mirrors meant to reveal the truth about oneself. The real birth of Krishna happens within when one surrenders to truth, faces inner conflict, and moves beyond limited identities toward self-knowledge and freedom.
जन्माष्टमी केवल बाल-कृष्ण की पूजा, मिठाई और उत्सव का दिन नहीं, बल्कि अपने भीतर के अहंकार, मोह, भय और अज्ञान से युद्ध करने का अवसर है। मूर्ति, गुरु और गीता साधन हैं, मंज़िल नहीं—वे हमें अपनी क्षुद्रता दिखाकर सत्य की ओर ले जाने वाले दर्पण हैं। कृष्ण का वास्तविक जन्म तब होता है, जब मन झूठ और आसक्ति से मुक्त होकर सत्य, आत्मबोध और अपनी उच्चतम संभावना की ओर जागता है।
नेपाल की बाढ़ को केवल प्राकृतिक आपदा मानना असली कारण से बचना है। ग्लेशियरों का पिघलना, ग्लेशियल झीलों का फटना और हिमालय का अस्थिर होना बढ़ती गर्मी और जलवायु संकट से जुड़ा है। इसके पीछे हमारी अंधी उपभोग-वासना, विकास की गलत समझ और प्रकृति के शोषण की प्रवृत्ति है। हिमालय की तबाही भारत के जल, खेती और भविष्य से भी जुड़ी है। समाधान केवल तकनीक और नीतियों में नहीं, बल्कि आत्मज्ञान, संयम और अपनी कामनाओं को समझने में है।
The devastating flood in Nepal was not merely a natural disaster but a warning about the climate crisis. A glacier collapse triggered the flood, while rising temperatures, melting ice, thawing permafrost, and reckless development have made such disasters increasingly likely. The deeper cause lies in humanity’s endless consumption and desire. Real environmental action therefore requires not only technology and policy, but self-knowledge and a fundamental reconsideration of how we live.
Science can examine material claims, but Advaita Vedanta deals with the subjective self, ego, suffering, bondage, and liberation—areas outside science’s objective framework. Vedanta need not be accepted because of one’s religion or tradition; its value lies in whether its insights can be personally verified and help free one from suffering. The ultimate responsibility is not toward any philosophy, but toward oneself: to live a truly free life.
‘जेन ज़ी’ को विद्रोही और क्रांतिकारी मान लेना एक भ्रम है। बाहरी विरोध के साथ यही युवा ज्योतिष, अंधविश्वास, जाति, पारिवारिक दबाव, दिखावे, कर्ज़ और सोशल मीडिया की कंडीशनिंग में फँसा है। असली क्रांति किसी सिस्टम या व्यक्ति के खिलाफ नहीं, बल्कि अपने भीतर के अहंकार, डर, अंधविश्वास और कंडीशनिंग के खिलाफ है। बदलाव पीढ़ी बदलने से नहीं, चेतना का केंद्र बदलने से आएगा।
Gen Z is often celebrated as a rebellious generation, but public protest does not necessarily mean inner freedom. Beneath the slogans lie dependence on parents, superstition, social conditioning, consumerism, digital addiction, and fear of authority. Real rebellion begins by questioning one’s own conditioning, desires, fears, and borrowed beliefs. A generational label changes nothing; only self-education and freedom from the ego can bring genuine revolution.
Mass extinction is accelerating due to human-driven climate change, resource consumption, and destruction of other species. The deeper problem is a worldview that equates happiness and development with endless consumption. Science itself is not the problem; without inner clarity, its immense power becomes destructive. Advaita points to a different relationship with the world, where it is not an object of exploitation but a means to deepen self-understanding and inner development.
Freedom is not merely freedom from foreign rule, but freedom from the inner bondage of fear, superstition, caste, ritual, blind tradition, and disregard for facts and knowledge. India’s long subjugation cannot be explained only by external invasions; internal weaknesses also played a role. Even after political independence, dependence in knowledge, science, technology, and innovation remains. Independence Day must therefore inspire celebration, vigilance, and self-examination.
We often believe we are living freely, while our desires, dreams, beliefs, and choices are shaped by physical, social, cultural, religious, and psychological scripts. These scripts offer comfort and security, making us reluctant to examine our bondage. Freedom does not begin by imagining what lies beyond the script, but by deeply observing the cage we already live in, without fear, desire, or attachment.
Climate change is not merely an external crisis of emissions, technology, or policy. The deeper problem lies in the unchecked ego that seeks to fill inner emptiness through endless consumption. This psychological demand drives extraction, production, and environmental destruction while failing to resolve the underlying sense of incompleteness. Meaningful climate action therefore requires more than green technology and policy; it requires education that turns inward and examines the self.
A true relationship is not built on need, possession, or emotional dependence, but on a shared commitment to Truth and inner growth. A worthy companion reflects your reality like a mirror rather than performing a role to please you. Real love is effortless, rooted in one's nature, not expectations. When your highest commitment is to excellence and Truth, relationships become a natural outcome—not the purpose of life itself.
Technology is neither good nor bad by itself; its impact depends on the person using it. When it replaces independent thinking, confidence, and real-life abilities, it becomes a crutch instead of a source of progress. True advancement requires human maturity to grow alongside technological power. Without inner responsibility, every new innovation risks amplifying the same old weaknesses instead of creating a better future.
Fear of public speaking is rooted less in speaking itself and more in dependence on others' opinions. When identity becomes tied to social approval, even simple words feel difficult. Mistakes should be treated as feedback, not as a measure of self-worth. Confidence grows by letting go of image, accepting correction without guilt, and speaking without seeking validation from others.
यह यात्रा केवल प्रतिष्ठित विश्वविद्यालयों से संवाद की नहीं थी, बल्कि वेदांत के मूल प्रश्नों को कठोर सार्वजनिक परीक्षा में रखने की थी। केंद्रीय संदेश यह रहा कि मानव संकटों की जड़ बाहरी व्यवस्था नहीं, बल्कि अहंकार और मनोवैज्ञानिक भ्रम है। जब तक इस आंतरिक संरचना की जांच नहीं होती, तब तक कानून, तकनीक, शोध और सुधार सीमित रहेंगे। वास्तविक प्रगति साहसी जिज्ञासा, बौद्धिक ईमानदारी और सार्वजनिक परीक्षण से ही संभव है।
क्या सभी गुरु और ग्रंथ व्यर्थ हैं, या यह भी अहंकार का एक नया रूप है? इस संवाद में आचार्य प्रशांत बताते हैं कि सत्य का कोई निश्चित मार्ग नहीं, लेकिन इसका अर्थ यह नहीं कि गुरु और शास्त्रों का महत्व समाप्त हो जाता है। वे मौलिकता, कृतज्ञता और बौद्धिक ईमानदारी पर ज़ोर देते हुए समझाते हैं कि जिसने जहाँ से सीखा है, उसका स्वीकार आवश्यक है। साथ ही चेतावनी देते हैं कि "मैं स्वयं ही पर्याप्त हूँ" का विचार भी अहंकार का सूक्ष्म खेल बन सकता है।
Superstition does not begin with rituals alone; it begins with unquestioned beliefs about the self. Science can remove many false beliefs, but complete freedom requires Self-knowledge. Vedanta, philosophy and meditation help expose the ego, making awakening possible. Religion becomes meaningful only when it encourages Self-knowledge rather than blind belief. Real freedom comes not from accepting inherited ideas but from understanding oneself through direct observation and awareness.
विकसित देशों की चमक अक्सर प्रदूषण मिटाने से नहीं, उसे अपनी सीमाओं से बाहर धकेलने से बनी है। कार्बन उत्सर्जन और पर्यावरणीय नुकसान का बड़ा हिस्सा गरीब देशों पर डालकर वे स्वयं को "स्वच्छ" कहते हैं। यदि स्वच्छता का पैमाना कम कार्बन है, तो उसी कसौटी पर कई विकासशील देश उनसे अधिक स्वच्छ सिद्ध होते हैं। वास्तविक स्वच्छता तकनीक या दिखावे से नहीं, बल्कि उस चेतना से आती है जो उपभोग, शोषण और पर्यावरण विनाश की जड़ - अहंकार - को समाप्त करे।
The developed world often presents itself as clean by shifting pollution, waste, and environmental costs to poorer nations rather than eliminating them. Real cleanliness is not the absence of visible dirt but the absence of the ego that creates and conceals it. Laws, technology, and appearances can regulate behavior, but without inner transformation, societies merely relocate their destruction instead of ending it. A truly clean civilization is one that reduces consumption, acts from responsibility rather than image, and confronts the pollution within before claiming purity outside.
True feminism begins when a woman stops defining herself primarily by her gender. Financial independence is central to genuine empowerment, dependence on a partner's income keeps women confined to biological roles. Despite rising education levels, many women still choose economic dependence. Freedom without wisdom is dangerous, and authentic liberation means transcending gender-based identity entirely, earning one's own livelihood, and realizing one's full potential as a human being.
शिवलिंग निराकार ब्रह्म और साकार सत्य दोनों का प्रतीक है। यह प्रकृति के मध्य अचल और अकंप चेतना का द्योतक है। इस्लामी आक्रान्ताओं और पाश्चात्य विद्वानों ने इसे अश्लील अर्थों में प्रचारित किया, जिससे हम अपने अध्यात्म से दूर हो गए। शिवलिंग का सन्देश है कि संसार में घिरे रहते हुए भी भीतर की चेतना को अकंप और स्वतंत्र बनाए रखें।
गलत आदत इसलिए नहीं छूटती क्योंकि हम उस पर पर्याप्त ध्यान नहीं देते। जो गलत है उसके दोष देखने के लिए कोई विशेष दार्शनिक दृष्टि नहीं चाहिए, केवल सीधा होश चाहिए। प्रतिपल यह जानना कि हम कहाँ खड़े हैं और कहाँ जा रहे हैं, यही जागरूकता गलत को छुड़ाती है। होश में रहो, बाकी सब अपने आप बन जाता है।
जीवन में हम बाहरी संघर्षों में उलझकर असली युद्ध से चूक जाते हैं। असल संघर्ष वह है जो मन के भीतर काम, क्रोध, लोभ, मोह जैसे विकारों को हटाने के लिए लड़ा जाए। जब मन शुद्ध होता है तो बाहरी चुनौतियों का सामना भी सहज हो जाता है। अपने अंदर की नकारात्मकता को दूर करना ही जीवन की सबसे बड़ी और असली लड़ाई है।
Originally published in the The Sunday Guardian on 8 mar '25.
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