Especially in the modern world, unfortunately, a degree of constant anxiety has become an almost normalized state for us. A large portion of our mental health problems as a collective is very much about anxiety and fear. Burn-outs, career pressures, problems with self-esteem, fear of others, stress about studies etc.—all…
प्रश्नकर्ता: अगले प्रश्नकर्ता आपके साथ गोवा शिविर में भी थे और वहीं से ही वे उद्धृत करते हैं। आपने कहा था, ‘आदमी वास्तव में जान जाए उनके ऊपर कौन है। तो आगे लिखते हैं कि आचार्य जी, इस बात को मैं कैसे समझूँ और जान पाऊँ कि ज़िन्दगी निजी भोग
Sisyphus pushes a rock up a hill forever, knowing it will always roll back down. A regular workman does the same thing inside a job: he keeps pushing too, except he hopes it will eventually pay off, a promotion, a house, a better life. This hope is often just a comfortable lie. Sisyphus, who expects nothing and still keeps going, is actually more honest than we are. The real question is not whether the effort is worth it, but whether we can stop lying to ourselves about it.
Relationships normally proceed because people need each other. “I need you and you need me. I will fulfill your desire, you will fulfill my desire. Let’s connect.” And the day someone becomes needless, useless for you, it becomes difficult and unnecessary to carry on with him or her.
You want the other person to be nice. We are such idiots. We want the other person to be nice. And if the other person is not nice, we feel there is no love. We do not understand anything. We are prepared to give up our life probably when somebody
A relationship of dependence cannot be a healthy relationship. A relationship in which the other becomes central towards your well-being is not a welcome situation.
“I am pious and I have holy intentions”—this was the first piece of fake news invented by man. All attempts, all intentions, all likes and dislikes, all decisions ultimately boil down to just the
There was a kids camp, I have freshly returned from there. I bought three or four masks, really scary masks as per my standards, and I wore those masks. I also bought a couple of rubber snakes, and I took those rubber snakes, and when the kids were sleeping, I
Wherever there is an objective, there would be fear associated with it. You hope to get something and you fear that you may not get it. So, if the boss wants to get work done, he threatens the employee. No other engine is possible; only when he is afraid will…
When you say that you go to your workplace for a purpose, is the purpose ever the work? The purpose is the salary cheque. In fact, if work could be bypassed and you could straightaway reach the salary cheque, then who would want to work? Is work the purpose really?
Questioner (Q): Sir, many times in life we go through such periods where we lose our hope, and there's absolutely no motivation and we feel very down. And no matter how much harder we try, nothing works out. So sir, how do you push yourself through these worst phases of
Do not wait for the great institutions to act. Do not wait for the right day to arrive. Do not wait for your capacities to build up. In your little capacity, in your little way, do whatever little you can.
Let’s assume for a while that your worries about the future are founded in facts. Let’s say some grand evil army is invading your little fortress and you can see them all coming with your binoculars, and you are estimating that they will reach you in another four hours. They…
Questioner (Q): How do we know what is useful for us if we are in ignorance? How we can decide if maybe that movie, which we don’t like, and we should give up because we think that will actually benefit us? So, maybe there is a point of we are
When somebody comes to you and says that he is bothered about what happened yesterday or last month or ten years back—and that somebody could be yourself—when you feel that you are bothered with what happened yesterday or ten months back or ten years back, then you should immediately know
Worrying is the other name of hope. When you think negatively about the future, you call it worry. When you think positively about the future, you call it hope. So, worrying is just as equally bad as hoping.
You have all the right to make a choice. But if you make a choice and don’t do justice to it, then that is very bad. In fact, correction of choices happens only when you have first of all fully tried out what you are doing. Unless you dedicate yourself
Questioner: When I send Advait’s broadcasts to the world, the world sends me back some stupid videos and posters, and that irritates me a lot. Though I delete them, yet I remain disturbed. What is this disturbance?
आचार्य प्रशांत: अभी हम ऋषिकेश में हैं, इससे थोड़ा सा आगे पड़ता है कोड़ियाला। तो कोड़ियाला में शिविर हुआ था आज से आठ-एक साल पहले की बात होगी। तो उसमें ज़्यादातर जो आये थे, वो कॉलेज के ही सब थे छात्र-छात्राएँ थे। बड़ी बढ़िया वो जगह थी जहाँ पर हुआ…
जहाँ तुमको कामवासना के पूरे होने की उम्मीद हो और वहाँ वह पूरी ना हो रही हो तो फिर जो फ्रस्ट्रेशन (खींझ) और हताशा उठती है, वो बहुत-बहुत तीव्र होती है। वह इतनी तीव्र होती है कि उसकी लहर में लोग हत्या तक कर जाते हैं। जिसको एक बार यह
अभी मर जाओ तो तुम्हारी देह को लोग कहेंगे, “वह मिट्टी रखी है, मिट्टी।“ यह हैसियत है हमारी गंभीरता की। यह भी नहीं कहेंगे कि, “वह नवीन रखा है”, क्या कहेंगे? “मिट्टी रखी है; वह मिट्टी।“ और जब तक साँस चल रही है तब तक बड़े गंभीर हो, “अरे! दर्द-ए-दिल,…
We leave a talk moved, and by evening it has faded, so we ask how to stay aware every moment. Yet one glance at a report that says cancer is never forgotten; even in our dreams we remember it, and no one has to remind us. We remember what we truly want to save. The mirror is held up once, and a teacher can do no more than that. Sunlight pours through every window, and we can still crawl under a rock. What are we choosing, each time we forget?
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The first kind of hope says, "I want to get something," while the second says, "I want to get rid of something." Most of us focus on the first kind, which keeps us dependent and afraid. The second kind urges us to shed everything and discover our true nature. If you must hope, hope for the second kind—hope to free yourself from societal bondage, fear, and all that’s accumulated. You are already perfect, like a diamond. What can a diamond want? What more can be added to it? Just remove the dirt. Hope to get rid of the dirt.
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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.
Excerpts from Articles
क्या शक्ति ही शिव का द्वार है?
अहंकार के लिए समझना बहुत ज़रूरी है कि उसकी वास्तविक स्थिति क्या है। अपने बारे में कल्पना में रहना कोई अच्छी बात नहीं। हमारी तो चेतना भी हमारे शरीर से उठी है। तुम प्रकृति से मुक्त कैसे हो जाओगे ?
कुछ भी करने में एक डर क्यों बना रहता है कि कोई और मेरे विषय में क्या सोचेगा? ये डर सिर्फ कुछ स्थितियों में नहीं होता हमारे जीवन में। सच तो ये है कि हमारा जीवन ही डर बनकर रह गया है।
Independence Day: अपने मन के भीतर की इन गुलामी से मुक्ति पा लेना ही वास्तविक स्वतंत्रता है
जीवन को चुनौती दिए बिना जब स्वयं को स्वतंत्र मान लिया जाता है तो वह स्वतंत्रता नहीं, पलायन होता है। आप कितने स्वतंत्र हो, यह पता तब चलता है जब आप अपनी बेड़ियों और बंधनों को चुनौती देते हैं।
शिव स्थिर, अचल और अगम्य सत्य हैं, जबकि शक्ति मन, संसार और जीवन की समस्त अभिव्यक्तियाँ हैं। शिव तक पहुँचने का एकमात्र मार्ग शक्ति से होकर जाता है। नवरात्र के नौ रूप यही सिखाते हैं कि जीवन के हर अनुभव सुख, दुख, आंसू, मुस्कान सभी पूजनीय हैं। संसार से भागना सत्य से दूर होना है। जीवन में पूरी तरह डूब जाना ही मुक्ति का मार्ग है।
क्या हम यज्ञ जानते हैं? हम न ध्यान जानते, न यज्ञ जानते, न पूजा जानते, न पाठ जानते, न भजन जानते, न कीर्तन जानते। न हम ये जानते कि वो क्या हैं, न हम ये मानते कि हमारी समस्या क्या है, तो तुम्हारे काम क्या आएगा?
रक्षाबंधन केवल भाई-बहन का पर्व नहीं, यह दुर्बल की रक्षा का संकल्प है। पौराणिक इतिहास में यह धागा शक्तिशाली को भी बांधा गया। आज असली जरूरत है पर्यावरण, पशु-पक्षी, मातृभाषा और संस्कृति की रक्षा की। भाषा गई तो संस्कृति जाएगी, संस्कृति गई तो अध्यात्म और फिर मानवता। इस रक्षाबंधन पर प्रण लें कि इन अनमोल धरोहरों की रक्षा करेंगे।
वर्तमान का अर्थ केवल इस क्षण में जीना नहीं है। जो दिखता है वह इंद्रियों पर निर्भर है, इसलिए वह सच्चा वर्तमान नहीं। वर्तमान वह है जो बदलाव के बीच भी अपरिवर्तित रहे। भूत और भविष्य समय की धारा हैं, और उस धारा का साक्षी होना ही वर्तमान है। वर्तमान में जीने का अर्थ है बोध, जागरूकता और होश में जीना।
तो आप जो भी कुछ करते हो, पूजा-पाठ, तप, यज्ञ इत्यादि, आप पूछ लीजिए इससे आपकी परेशानी कैसे मिट रही है। आप ये सवाल इसलिए नहीं पूछ पाते क्योंकि आपने कभी खुद से ही स्वीकार नहीं किया कि आपकी असली समस्या क्या है।
Decision-making, for most of us, becomes heavier than it needs to be. The moment a choice appears, the mind begins its familiar dance. Thoughts circle around the options, trying to predict outcomes, trying to secure certainty, and the whole thing turns strangely tiring.
इतना तो हम सभी जानते हैं कि राम के स्पर्श ने रामबोला को तुलसीराम और तुलसीराम को तुलसीदास बना दिया। लेकिन याद रखना होगा कि जैसा भक्त होता है, वैसा ही उसका भगवान भी होता है। भगवान तो भक्त को रचता ही है, भक्त के हाथों भी भगवान की रचना निरंतर होती रहती है।
दीपावली पर घर साफ होते हैं, पुरानी वस्तुएं हटती हैं, कोने चमकते हैं। उधर बाजार कपड़ों, आभूषणों और उपहारों से भर जाते हैं। एक ओर घर से अनावश्यक सामान निकालते हैं, दूसरी ओर नई वस्तुओं से उसे फिर भरते हैं। लेकिन जिस गंभीरता से घर साफ करते हैं, क्या उसी गंभीरता से अपने जीवन की भी जांच करते हैं? दीपावली प्रकाश का पर्व है।
Sanatan Dharma is the way if the world is to be saved, rest is just cult
When it comes to philosophy and spirituality, the discourse often becomes dense. But in our endeavour to understand Sanatan Dharma, we will proceed with simple definitions and queries.
अध्यात्म आने का नाम नहीं है; अध्यात्म एक अंतिम विदाई का नाम है। अध्यात्म बिलकुल अलग आयाम की बात करता है। वो कहता है ये आने-जाने का कार्यक्रम तो तुम्हारा बहुत चलता रहा, तुम्हारा आना भी झूठा, तुम्हारा जाना भी झूठा।
Climate change is not just about data and systems. It reflects something deeper: the confusion in the human mind. We are not just harming the planet by accident. We are driven by wants we do not understand, chasing comfort, status, or identity without pausing to ask: What do we really need?
अध्यात्म संसार में आने का नाम नहीं है; बल्कि एक अंतिम विदाई का नाम है
लेकिन जो समझदार हो जाता है, उसके लिए शुभ बात या बड़ी बात ये नहीं होती कि शारीरिक रूप से दुनिया में आ गए। उसके लिए बड़ी बात ये होती है कि मानसिक रूप से दुनिया से प्रस्थान कर गए। अध्यात्म आने का नाम नहीं है; अध्यात्म एक अंतिम विदाई का नाम है।
Complex challenges necessitate consciousness and policy shift
India faces multitudes of challenges arising from different quarters. But essentially all problems have their roots in the mind of the human being and arise from a lack of adequate understanding of the self. The solutions therefore have to be both in the external and the internal domain.
A Lesser Known Incident From Mahatma Gandhi’s Life
Mahatma Gandhi had been in South Africa at the center of a civil movement for more than two decades but he kept coming to India to attend Congress sessions. There was not much depth in those visits.
A true victory is not over an external opponent, But over one’s own limitations: personal, cultural, historical. When women play freely, the nation breathes freely. When women claim their place, the planet finds its peace.
Dr. Ambedkar is an enduring symbol of struggle, dignity, and the relentless pursuit of justice. His life was not merely a series of events that were linked with politics or social reform. It was an intellectual, social, and spiritual odyssey. Dr.
Nobody wants to admit to jealousy, not even to themselves. It is easier to look away from than to examine. But it is worth looking at, because jealousy tells you where your sense of worth is kept.
Navratri is not just about outer restoration. It is about inner illumination. Liberation is knowledge, and knowledge is restoration. Until man knows himself, no river will run clean, no forest will stand safe. To worship Devi is to end the demon within; only then will the earth be free.
Contemporising Kumbh: Ancient wisdom, Modern Relevance
The story, the myth, is elaborate, but one word that firmly dictates the narrative of the Kumbh saga is immortality. Immortality is to live deeply, not necessarily long. It is to go to one’s deepest desire, fulfill it, and extinguish it forever. Another Kumbh beckons us. Can we go beyond the ritualistic dip and honestly observe life as it is, within and around us?
Most of the times, we are preoccupied with the first kind of hope, which says, “Get something, get something.” That kind of hope will keep me dependent and afraid. The second kind of hope which says, “I just want to get rid and discover my true nature, discover my aloneness and freedom." In this hope you say, “I am already a diamond. Just that a lot of dirt has gathered on the diamond, and I want to get rid of the dirt.
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“आशा हि परमं दुखम"— आशा से बड़ा दुख दूसरा नहीं। जैसे लॉटरी। मन कहता है, सौ बार नहीं लगी, कोई बात नहीं, एक बार लग गई तो सब वसूल। पहली गलती है गलत काम में लगना, दूसरी है सही अंजाम की उम्मीद। बीच-बीच में थोड़ा सुख मिलता है, ताकि सौ गुना दुख झेलो। अपने दुख से ज्यादा सुख को टटोलो। जब सुख की असलियत समझोगे, तो पूर्ण निराशा आएगी और तब नया जीवन शुरू होगा, जिसमें हल्कापन, आनंद और निर्भयता होगी।
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Acharya Prashant: What is the fact of life? How do you react to your own sweat? Have you seen how one reacts when one is sweating? The trickle can be quite unnerving. Have you seen the aggression with which one often wipes out his sweat? The aggression, the frustration, the…
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Acharya Prashant: What is ‘hope’?
First of all, it is an obvious matter to see, that hope is always located in the future. And hope is always related to the expectation of – getting something, or not losing something.
So something good will happen in the future – this is…
Hope promises change, but is actually an agent of continuity. There is a lot of ‘hope’ in my life. Why?
Speaker: Keep hoping. The other day somebody was quoting the Quran to me. There was a beautiful verse there. It said, “Go out. Look at the entire world, and…
Relationships are…
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In fact, the other that has become central to your well-being, is he even worthy of offering you that wellness? Chances are he might himself…
prakritik
narrative—food, comfort and sex. That’s what we live for, that’s what we act for, and
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Acharya Prashant (AP):
Dropping the feeling that I already know what is best for me. Would you call knowledge as knowledge, if you are not sure of it? Would you call yourself
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There was the Cricket World Cup in 2003, and the finals were played between India and Australia. I know of a man who…
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How was the world spoiled in the first place? People…
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Conserve your energy. Train your thoughts. Discipline your little self. Time is…
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An episode in my life haunts me. It’s me who keeps on revising that ugly memory when there is a similar situation? How do I prevent myself from such an emotional self harm?
Acharya Prashant: The mind is such a bottomless abyss. An abyss tired of its own bareness,…
Acharya Prashant (AP):
Yes, of course.
The Teacher is the bridge – a bridge between dimensions.
One end of the bridge is this world – space and time, thoughts, emotions, appearances. The…
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These are two words that you must be very careful about, ‘want’ and ‘must’, ‘I want to do this thing’ versus ‘I must do this thing’—these are dimensionally different statements. All ‘want’ is conditioned. ‘Must-ness’ is an entirely different thing.
“This must be done. And in front of this it…
Acharya Prashant:
This disturbance is your hope that your relationships are all not
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Acharya Prashant (AP): If you have none of these, then you do not have a future, what are you worried about? If you have…
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प्रश्नकर्ता: प्रणाम, गुरुजी। मैं आपसे दो-तीन बार मिल चुका हूँ। आपको जब से सुन रहा हूँ तब से मेरा जीवन काफ़ी हद तक बदल गया है। लेकिन मैं जब ग्रन्थों को पढ़ता हूँ, तो लगता है कि मुझे प्रतिपल साक्षी बनकर ध्यान में रहना चाहिए। लेकिन आचार्य जी, मैं अभी…
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आचार्य प्रशांत: कह रहे हैं— ‘फल आशा अनुसार नहीं मिलता तो निराशा हावी हो जाती है’ और आशा अनुसार मिलता है तो क्या हावी होता है? तब ‘फल’ हावी होता है! जब फल आशा अनुसार नहीं मिलता तो कह रहे हैं निराशा बड़ी हावी लगती है, अपने ऊपर से विश्वास…
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टॉक्सिक पॉजिटिविटी
(ज़हरीली सकारात्मकता) को लेकर है। आजकल बहुत सारे
मोटीवेशनल स्पीकर्स
(प्रेरक वक्ता) हैं और
इन्फ्लूएंसर्स
(प्रभावित करने वाले) हैं। वो ये बताते हैं कि अगर आपकी
लाइफ़
(जीवन) में कुछ बुरा चल रहा है, कुछ ख़राब स्थिति चल रही है
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प्रश्नकर्ता: आचार्य जी, शानदार व्यक्तिव का मालिक बनना चाहता हूँ।
आचार्य प्रशांत: मालिक बनो नहीं, मालिक के हो जाओ। जो शानदार मालिक का हो जाता है, उसको फिर बहुत सारी शानदार चीज़ें मिल जाती हैं। जल्दी से बस माँग रख देते हो, हाथ फैला देते हो — ‘ये चाहिए।‘ जो…
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कबिरा आप ठगाइये, और न ठगिए कोय|
आप ठगे सुख होत है, और ठगे दुःख होय||
~संत कबीर
वक्ता: इसको समझने के लिए एक दोहा और लिखिए इसके साथ:
माया तो ठगनी भयी, ठगत फिरत सब देश|
जा ठग ने ठगनी ठगी, ता ठग को आदेश||
मुक्ति सर्व आयामी और…
ऐसा ममता रहित, अहंकार शून्य पुरुष कर्म करता हुआ भी उसमें लिप्त नहीं होता।
The Bhagavad Gita is often accused of supporting caste and misogyny through selective quotations that ignore context, grammar, and the text's central teachings. A closer reading shows that its emphasis is on inner qualities, conscious action, and spiritual equality rather than birth-based hierarchy or gender discrimination. Misinterpretations arise when isolated verses are detached from their broader meaning, while the Gita consistently points toward self-knowledge, freedom from ego, and the universal possibility of liberation for every human being.
We have all put down a book that could have helped us, or dozed off halfway through something that mattered. A man who could not keep food down was given medicine, and he threw that away too, since it went in by the same route. Most of us strike a similar deal: we move into a place that stinks and, within a week, call the smell normal. Show our fifteen-year-old self the life we lead now and they would scoff. What would change if we admitted we do not like our condition?
आचार्य प्रशांत की गीता कम्यूनिटी इस सदी का एक अद्भुत आध्यात्मिक प्रयोग है।
आचार्य प्रशांत के यूं तो सोशल मीडिया इत्यादि पर तीन करोड़ से अधिक फॉलोवर और तीस करोड़ से अधिक श्रोता हैं, परंतु गीता कम्यूनिटी कुछ अलग ही बात है। इसमें मात्र वे गंभीर साधक सम्मिलित हैं जो…
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.
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?
Spirituality is neither a tradition nor a culture. Spirituality is not at all about following something or somebody. When it is said that you must follow the Guru, the Guru is the Truth, not a person not a man. Spirituality would never say, “Follow the words of a man.” Spirituality says, “Let the mind follow the Center, the Truth or you may call it the Heart or God.”
