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🔴 Reflection: I had to meet Acharya Ji, so that’s how a trip to Goa happened. Because I have a UPSC background, I instantly picked up the geography, topography, native language, clothing, transport system, administration, whose government is there—caught all of that in a flash. → On the 19th, I attended the session sitting right in front of him. → I have never seen a person in my life who hounds people soooooo much for their own good..... Who has ever run around this much for us till today???? Even in that crowd, he is the only one I can see— the one who knows love. ❤️ And I have just one relationship—with my teacher. I see only his face. If I have to work, it is for our Mission. This is the only thing that is clearly visible in my life as well. Offer your head, fight straight— why all this hopping around for nothing. 🙂

✍🏻 Post 1 | 28 September '26 💭 Topic — Indian Current Affairs ───────────── Why do dowry deaths still not end? ⚖️ In Khoda, Ghaziabad, the death of 30-year-old Preeti Singh and her 3-year-old daughter has come to light. The police have registered an FIR against Preeti’s husband, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Preeti’s parents have alleged that she was harassed for dowry and that after the motorcycle given at the time of marriage, a car was being demanded. The husband has been detained for questioning. The post-mortem and further investigation will clarify the circumstances of the deaths. But this is not just the story of one family. 📊 What do the 2023 NCRB statistics say? • 6,156 cases of dowry deaths were registered. • 15,489 cases were registered under the Dowry Prohibition Act. • 1,33,676 cases were registered for cruelty by husband or his relatives. • In dowry death cases, 2,122 deaths were recorded in Uttar Pradesh alone, the highest among all states. ⚖️ What does the law say? In India, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 makes both giving and taking dowry a criminal offence. Demanding dowry is also a crime. Apart from this, Section 80 of the current Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) defines dowry death. If a woman dies under unnatural circumstances within seven years of marriage, and it is proved that just before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or his relatives in connection with dowry, then it comes under the scope of dowry death. The punishment ranges from a minimum of 7 years to life imprisonment. Further, Sections 85 and 86 of the BNS make cruelty by the husband or his relatives and harassment for unlawful demand of dowry punishable as well. 💰 There is also a legal distinction here. Not every gift given in a marriage is automatically considered dowry. The law allows certain customary presents given without any demand, but it lays down conditions such as maintaining a list of these items. At the same time, any agreement to give or take dowry is legally prohibited. So the question is: When the law has treated dowry as a crime since 1961, why were there still 6,156 recorded cases of dowry deaths in 2023? Perhaps the problem is not just the existence of the law. 💭 Dowry becomes possible when marriage is turned from a relationship between two individuals into a kind of transaction. “How much does the groom earn?” “What vehicle will we get?” “How much stuff will be brought?” “We’ve spent on our son’s education, what will we get in return?” Here, the person recedes into the background and their economic value comes to the front. ⚠️ It is not enough to treat violence related to dowry only as a legal offence and stop there. The law is necessary, but it cannot, by itself, change the mindset in which the calculation is done even before marriage: “What am I going to get out of this?” When this kind of self-interest lies at the very foundation of a relationship, the possibility of exploitation and violence also remains. 🎓 Simply being formally educated is not the solution either. If even after a good education and a good job, a person uses their qualifications as a basis to demand more dowry, then we must ask: what has education really changed in their perspective? 🌱 So the movement against dowry is not only about making laws; it is also about changing how we look at marriage and the other person. Where a partner is not seen as a means for gain or social prestige, but as an independent human being, the very basis for turning marriage into a deal starts to weaken. But can the tendency to treat marriage as a deal be changed by law alone? Here, inner clarity is the real solution. ❓To end dowry, is changing the law enough, or do we need to fundamentally change the entire way we look at marriage and relationships? Sources: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/dowry-case-against-husband-in-laws-after-woman-3-year-old-daughter-found-dead-in-khoda-home/articleshow/134509540.cms https://www.indiacode.nic.in/indiacode/handle/123456789/1679 https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/20062/1/a2023-45.pdf

Today, something from our discussion on a few lines from Baba Bulleh Shah’s kafi “Bulla ki jaana main kaun” came to rest deep within: “Na main vich ved kitaaban, Na main rehnda bhang sharaaban, Na main rinda mast kharaaban…” On one side, the Vedas and scriptures: words, beliefs, traditions, accumulated knowledge. On the other side, the reveler’s ecstasy: intoxication, carefreeness, the attempt to lose oneself in pleasure. And Baba Bulleh Shah seems to be rejecting both ends together. Truth is neither locked only in pages, Nor dissolved into cups of wine. To know the book is not to know oneself. And to be so drunk on the world that you become oblivious to it is not to be free from ego either. From today’s discussion, the meaning of “rind” deepened for me. Sometimes indulgence too builds a whole philosophy around itself. A person begins to take his own drunkenness, his waywardness, his carelessness as rebellion and freedom. Just as a religious person can be proud of his religiosity, so too can the rind be proud of his rindi. In both places, perhaps the “I” remains. One says, “I know.” The other says, “I don’t care about anyone.” But maybe liberation begins where this very “I” itself is brought into question. That’s why the Sufi word “kharab” felt very beautiful to me—not being ruined from the outside, but the collapse, within, of that false structure we have constantly been calling “I.” Neither the intoxication of words, Nor the intoxication of wine. Neither the pride of being knowledgeable, Nor the pride of being a rind. Whatever Truth is, it probably does not come to decorate any identity. It puts a question right at the root of identity itself. Bulla ki jaana… main kaun? And perhaps spirituality begins exactly here— when, instead of collecting answers, for the very first time, with complete honesty, the one who is asking himself becomes the question.

✍🏻 Post 20 | 27 September '26 💭 Topic — History ───────────── 🔥 Ulgulan: A rebellion that laid the ground for changing British law In 1899–1900, a major rebellion of the Munda Adivasis was rising in Chotanagpur. It came to be called Ulgulan, meaning a great upheaval. 🌳 Its roots were not limited to opposition to British rule. Outsider landlords, moneylenders, and other powerful groups were increasingly taking control of Munda lands. Colonial control over forests was tightening, and practices of forced labour like beth-begari were also a part of the exploitation. The land and forest on which their life depended were steadily slipping out of their own control. ⚔️ It was against this backdrop that Ulgulan gathered force. The aim of this movement was not just to drive out the British. It was also a struggle against external control over land, forests, social order, and over their very lives. 👤 Among the key leaders of this movement was Birsa Munda. Born in 1875, Birsa was only 25 years old at the time. He was arrested in 1900, and on 9 June 1900 he died in Ranchi jail. But the story did not end there. 📜 Ulgulan and the earlier tribal resistances forced the colonial government to take the land question in Chotanagpur seriously. In the years that followed came the Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act, 1908, which placed several important restrictions on the transfer of Adivasi land into non-Adivasi hands. In other words… Birsa was no more, and Ulgulan, in its immediate form, had also come to an end. But its impact continued. 🪞 This is where a question arises. If there is an external system that does not even allow you to take free decisions about your own life, then outer freedom is needed, so that a person can decide for herself and choose her own direction. Struggle is necessary for needed changes in laws, institutions, and social structures. One has to challenge injustice outside, and also look within at the tendency that gives birth to injustice. Outer freedom gives you the space to make free decisions. But who will use that freedom, with what intention, and in which direction, that depends on inner freedom. So rebellion is necessary, but rebellion alone is not complete transformation. A wider transformation will come when both the outer system and the human being who runs it, change. The question is also this: ❓ “In the system I want to change, do the tendencies at its core exist, at least in part, within me as well?” Source: https://cmsadmin.amritmahotsav.nic.in/event-detail.htm?161977= https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/statistics/AnnualReport/AREnglish2122.pdf

✍🏻 Post 6 | 27 September '26 💭 Topic — Geography ────────── 🌍 The ground beneath your feet is constantly moving! Just look at what’s under your feet. Soil, roads, buildings, mountains... Everything feels so still, doesn’t it? But the very Earth we walk on assuming it’s completely still, its continents are constantly drifting. 🌏 🧩 How come? Earth’s outer solid layer is broken into many large tectonic plates. Because of processes happening inside the Earth, these plates keep moving continuously, at a very slow speed. Typically, they move a few centimeters a year. About as fast as your fingernails grow. You don’t feel anything because the motion is extremely slow. But over millions and billions of years, this tiny motion can shift the positions of continents, open up oceans, and contribute to the formation of mountain ranges. 🤔 So what we took to be completely motionless was not really still at all. And perhaps this very fact gives us a chance to see something about ourselves too. Almost all of us want proof of one thing or another. But we place complete trust in the ground beneath us. Why? Because since childhood we’ve seen it as solid. We walk on it. We build houses on it. When we fall on it, we get hurt. So the ego says: "Something this solid must surely be real and stable." But geography shows us that appearing solid and being stable are not the same thing. 🌱 Now look at this within yourself. It’s quite similar with the ego. We feel: "I exist. This is just how I am. I have an identity. I have a nature. I have a story." This “I” too feels so familiar and continuously present that we start taking it to be some solid entity. But the ego is not some independent, solid substance. It is the belief “I am X”, in which we tie ourselves to some object, quality, identity, or idea. Just as the Earth appears still but is constantly in motion, in the same way, we must also examine this solid “I” we are sitting with inside ourselves. ❓ Have I ever honestly looked at what feels most certain and solid to me, or have I simply become accustomed to it? Source: 🔗 https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/interior 🔗 https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-fast-do-tectonic-plates-move

💫🔥An ID card and my transformed identity🔥💫 Sometimes when I look at my old photo, I feel, yes, that is me and yet, I just can’t connect that girl to the Shilpi I am today. In the first picture there is makeup and grooming, nice clothes, even a smile on the face. From the outside, everything probably looks fine. But when I look at that photo today, I see more than just the face; I see the life behind it. I see fear. I see inhibition. I see a girl who knew very little about herself. The decoration was there, but that glow was missing, the glow that slowly appears on the face when you start walking in the right direction. And then there is the second picture. There is a small ID card hanging around my neck. For the world, it was probably just an ID card. For me, that day, it was nothing less than a medal. I still remember when that card went around my neck for the first time. I kept looking at it again and again. My name was on it, Shilpi Mehta. PAF. For the first time I felt that my identity was not limited to being someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, or to some role defined by society. I, too, could have an identity of my own. And that identity didn’t have to come from appearance; it could come from meaningful work. That day, what I saw around my neck was not a card—it was my changing identity. --- The place I come from has many fixed notions about how a girl’s life should be. What she should do, how much she should do, where she should go, how she should live—a lot of it is already decided in advance. And many times, the girl herself accepts that boundary as her own limit. I too used to feel that maybe this is all there is to life. But after connecting with Acharya Ji’s teachings, for the first time I began to see that bondage is not always outside. Many of the chains are sitting within us. And if you gather the courage to look within, then slowly you begin to see how many areas of your life you are living without understanding. For me, education stopped being just about knowing a few things. Education gave me a way to look at myself. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? From which fear am I doing it? From the fear of “What will people say?” Or because it is actually the right thing to do? These questions have shaken a lot inside me. And perhaps that is the biggest change. --- What does a girl really need? Only good clothes? A good job? Money? Respect? Or someone who tells her, “You can do this”? Maybe she needs all of that. But in my experience, a girl needs something even more. She needs her life to matter to her. She needs to be able to understand her own decisions. She needs to understand the difference between fear and a right decision. She needs not to live merely to fulfill other people’s expectations. She needs enough discernment to not accept the wrong as right just because everyone is calling it right. And most importantly She must learn to take her own life seriously. I feel the greatest thing I’ve received from Acharya Ji’s teachings is this, an eye to look at my life. He did not hand me a ready-made life. He gave me a mirror to look at my own life. And what that mirror shows is not always beautiful. Many times I see my shortcomings. Many times my cowardice. Many times my ego. Many times my small, petty desires. Many times I see that what I was calling love was perhaps just fear. But at least now I am able to see them. And once something is seen, the work of repair can begin. --- Working at PAF has not been just a job for me. It is like standing face-to-face with myself every single day. Every day some challenge or the other comes up. Sometimes in the work, sometimes inside me. Sometimes I feel I have come very far, and sometimes I suddenly see myself slipping back into old patterns. But now the difference is, I pause when I see it. I ask myself Why this again? Why am I doing this? Do I really want to change? And then I return to the work. So I won’t say that my life has become completely right now. No. There is still a lot of work left. I am still a student. Still learning. Many things still hold me back. Sometimes old habits, sometimes fear, sometimes laziness, sometimes my own weaknesses. But earlier there was only darkness, and I used to think that the darkness itself was my world. Now even if the darkness comes, I know there is a path somewhere. And perhaps that is the most important thing. --- After joining the Foundation, it’s not just my work that changed. My way of sleeping changed. The way I look at what I eat and drink changed. My way of walking and speaking changed. The way I look at people changed. And most of all, the way I look at myself changed. Earlier, I used to decide a lot about myself based on how others saw me. Now I at least try to see what I myself am doing and why I am doing it. And this is where the impact of company becomes clear. We may say as much as we like that we are not influenced by anyone, but the environment we live in, the kind of things we hear daily, the people we spend our time with, they do leave an impact. So if your company is such that it makes you a little more aware every day, shows you your shortcomings, pushes you from within to do better work, then that company in itself is something very big. For me, the Foundation and the people here often become that very push. --- And when I come back to that ID card… Even today, seeing that picture makes me happy. Because it is not just a girl holding a card. I see in it the moment when, for the first time, a girl felt proud of her transformed identity. That identity was not something she had been given. That identity was being built. And perhaps it is still being built today. That is why I don’t say that after connecting with Acharya Ji’s teachings, some magic happened in my life. In fact, the opposite has happened. Life has become more visible than before. My mistakes too. My responsibilities too. My weaknesses too. My possibilities too. And when life begins to be seen, the possibility of making it better also arises. For me, this is the meaning of Acharya Ji’s teaching Not to run away from your life, but to look at it. To look within before blaming others. And to honestly repair whatever appears wrong. I have not yet reached where I want to reach. But now I know which way I have to go. And for me, that itself is perhaps the biggest blessing. The Shilpi in the first picture did not know where she had to go. The Shilpi in the second picture doesn’t know all the answers, but she has started to see the direction. And as she walks in that direction, a little more light is growing every day. Perhaps that is my biggest achievement. And perhaps that is the real value of that small ID card for me.

From 2025 till today… these pictures don’t just show the change in my body, they also bear witness to the transformation in my thinking and my life. Earlier I wanted change to come from the outside, but Acharya Prashant Ji’s Gita helped me understand that real change begins within. His words inspired me to look at myself, understand my habits, and work on myself. A small visible result of that inner change can be seen in these photos today—the waist is leaner than before, the body stronger, the shoulders and arms more defined, and above all, a deeper awareness of myself. The body was built in the gym, but the direction behind building it changed on the inside. The journey isn’t over yet… I am still learning, still understanding myself, and every day I’m trying to become a little better. 🙏 Grateful for Acharya Prashant Ji’s Gita. “Outer change is visible; real change happens within.” ❤️‍🔥

The journey from kitchen chores to working at the Foundation ✨ I still remember that day when I was standing in my kitchen cooking. My son was standing right next to me, pulling at my clothes, crying and insisting that I play with him. He was just three years old. But I simply didn’t have the strength to play with him after all the housework and exhaustion, especially because I was pregnant again at that time. Because it had been hammered into my head that you must have at least two children, even if your own life turns into hell because of it. I kept thinking, "Is this it? Is this what my life is going to be? Do I have to live like this?" I was under a lot of stress, my health was bad, and many times I felt like dying—but I never did anything because of my son. I would keep thinking that earlier I had been given so many assurances: that I would be taken care of, that I would never lack anything. And now I was bearing everything alone. For every little thing, every bit of happiness, I was dependent on others. I had left no stone unturned in making myself helpless and pitiable. I couldn’t see any way out. My husband would come home from the office and say, "There was a meeting today, I got an increment, I got a promotion." I would have to put on a fake smile, because I wasn’t happy. Every promotion of his only highlighted my own failure in my eyes, because I had left my Central School job to have children—and that job is not easy to get. All I could see was darkness. I wanted to run away from there, but where to? Since childhood, my parents had told me, "This is not your real home," so all that was left for me was to cry, regret, and curse my fate. Then one day I came across a reel of Acharya Ji. It felt like for the first time in my life, someone was speaking directly for me. Then one video, then another… I started watching every day. After finishing my work, I would quickly open YouTube and listen to Acharya Ji’s videos. That became my routine. And I slowly began to understand: where exactly had I gotten myself stuck? I began to see that no one else was responsible for the condition I was in. I myself was responsible. Along with this understanding, a new courage also started growing in me. Acharya Ji kept explaining, and I kept understanding. When my daughter was six months old, I started working from home for a company. Then I joined the Gita sessions. After that, it was as if I had grown new wings. I learned to ride a scooter, I learned to drive a car, and from there till today, this entire journey has been about learning—correcting my mistakes and never looking back again. After that I changed one or two more jobs, but I no longer wanted to work just to earn money. I wanted to give direction to my life. I wanted meaningful work where I could invest my time in something truly right. And now it’s been more than three months since I started working at the Foundation. I can say with full confidence that yes, there is such a place to work where you learn every single day, where you become better every single day. हंसा पाये मान सरोवर, ताल तलैयों मै क्यों डोले 🙏🙏 And along with my work, I am now able to take proper care of my children’s upbringing as well. Because if I had never listened to Acharya Ji, I would have ended up teaching my children the very same things that were taught to me. But Acharya Ji has saved not only me, but my children as well. 🙏 Acharya Ji taught me that this life is ours, and the full responsibility for it is also ours. We can make it whatever we want. Now I can see how many unnecessary chains I had put on myself for no reason at all. And yes, now the thought of dying doesn’t even come close to my mind. In the new life that Acharya Ji has given me, such thoughts just don’t exist. Now it is only about moving ahead myself and helping others move ahead too. Thank you, Acharya Ji. 🙏

✍🏻 Post 1 | 27 September '26 💭 Topic — Global Current Affairs ────────── 🛢️ From ships to the sea: the growing web of oil pollution 🛰️ On 25 September 2026, a new global map revealed where exactly oil slicks are accumulating across the world’s oceans. The seas around Europe emerged as a major hotspot. 🌍 But the problem is far from limited to Europe. A study based on data from 2014–2019 found that oil slicks were present on 80% of the global ocean surface. Altogether, they covered an area more than twice the size of France. ⚓ Around 94% of this oil does not come from natural seepage, but from human activity—primarily routine discharges from ships and runoff coming from land. Researchers identified 21 belts that align with the world’s busiest shipping routes. 🛢️ An example of this was seen in August 2026 near Oman. A sanctioned tanker, Caroline Bezengi, carrying about 1 million barrels of Russian crude oil, ran aground near Hallaniyat Island. In just a few weeks, the oil slick expanded from 390 to more than 2,000 square kilometres, right in an area that is home to whales, dolphins, turtles, and coral reefs. 👁️ These oil slicks don’t get easily noticed by the naked eye. They can be so thin that they don’t visibly change the colour of the water; instead, they make the surface look even smoother and calmer. To detect them, scientists had to rely on satellite radar. 🌫️ There is also a direct impact on the climate. Tiny plants on the ocean surface called phytoplankton produce about half of the Earth’s oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, transporting it into the deep ocean—this process is called the "biological carbon pump". Studies show that oil, along with the chemicals used to disperse it, together reduce these plants’ ability to photosynthesize, weakening the entire system. The question here is: why has the demand for so much oil arisen in the first place? Ships are part of a vast consumption-driven system in which energy, transport, production, and economic growth are all continuously dependent on ever-increasing consumption. When progress itself is defined as more consumption, that same progress can turn into the destruction of nature. Driven by a sense of inner incompleteness, human beings want more and more goods, comforts, and resources. To satisfy this growing demand, more and more is taken from nature, and the result shows up as pollution and devastation. So the fundamental question is: why do we need such high levels of consumption? We must clearly see how our own demands, desires, and intentions are participating in this exploitation of nature. Merely trying to stop external pollution is not enough if the inner demand for consumption remains unchanged. ❓ Ask yourself: is the destruction of nature a result of our genuine needs—or of our escalating desires? 📌 Sources: Euronews https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/25/new-map-shows-how-oil-slicks-are-smothering-our-oceans-with-one-hotspot-in-europe Scientific American (global mapping study) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-oil-slick-map-reveals-enough-greasy-patches-to-cover-france-mdash-twice/ Dialogue Earth (94% human-source figure) https://dialogue.earth/en/ocean/oil-slicks-cover-ocean-area-twice-size-turkey-map/

✍🏻 Post 11 | 27 September '26 💭 Topic — Economics / Business ──────────── When a fake option ends up influencing your choice.🍿 🎬 Suppose a cinema hall offers two popcorn options. A small popcorn for ₹100 and a large one for ₹200. Now a third option is introduced between them: it’s slightly smaller, but priced at ₹180. Suddenly the ₹200 large popcorn starts to look like a much better deal. 🧠 This is called the Decoy Effect. In this, the third option is not itself the most attractive one. Rather, it creates a comparison among the options such that one of them starts to appear more attractive than the rest. 🔍 Research has found that by adding a clearly inferior third option, you can increase people’s preference for the option that outperforms it. 🍿 What’s worth noticing is that the ₹180 popcorn may not have been placed there so that people actually buy it. Its mere presence makes the ₹200 popcorn look like the better option. Now it feels “smarter” to pay a little extra and get the large popcorn. 🪞 We often look at our choices and say, “I chose this because it seemed better to me.” But the Decoy Effect reveals something uncomfortable: the very comparison through which we decide what is “better” can itself shift our preference. Which means that what we consider our independent choice can in fact be heavily influenced by the surrounding options. 🔍 So next time when some option suddenly looks very attractive, don’t only ask, “Why do I like this?” Also ask, “If the other options in front of me were different, would I still like this one just as much?” ❓If my preference can change the moment the circumstances change, then how much of what I call “mine” in this preference is really mine? 📚 Sources: The Effects of Decoy Gambles on Individual Choice https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/experimental-economics/article/effects-of-decoy-gambles-on-individual-choice/62D1C7F38D2441D55A70ED0B086496AC A Registered Report on Presentation Factors That Influence the Attraction Effect https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/judgment-and-decision-making/article/registered-report-on-presentation-factors-that-influence-the-attraction-effect/020CD617E5D20D6D323B57C290404EA6

✍🏻 Post 18 | 26 September '26 💭 Topic — Human Excellence ───────────── 🌊 Rachel Carson: When a scientist revealed the environmental crisis hidden behind the glitter of development 🔬 At a time when human beings were expanding their control over nature with the help of science, a scientist raised a question hidden behind that very achievement: The very thing that seems to be solving our problems, who is paying its price? 🌱 Born on 27 May 1907 in America, Rachel Carson studied biology and went on to become a marine biologist. Because of financial difficulties she could not complete her doctorate, yet she worked in the US government as a scientist and became a writer who brought science to ordinary people. 🌊 Her books on the sea brought scientific knowledge to general readers. After the success of The Sea Around Us, she left her government job in 1952 and devoted herself fully to writing. ⚠️ But her biggest battle was not with the sea; it was with the human belief that nature can be made to run according to our needs. After the Second World War, the use of chemical pesticides like DDT grew rapidly. Carson studied scientific research and government documents and found that their impact was not limited to insects; wildlife and entire ecosystems could also be affected. 📝 Her early attempts to write on this met with obstacles, but she did not stop. After gathering evidence for years, her book Silent Spring was published in 1962. 📖 This book showed that nature does not work in separate compartments arranged for our convenience. A chemical sprayed on fields can reach the soil, water, birds, animals, and the entire food chain. After this she faced fierce opposition from the chemical industry. Yet instead of engaging in personal clashes, she presented her case on the basis of scientific evidence. In 1963 she testified before the US Congress. 🏛️ The public debate sparked by her work influenced America’s environmental policies. In 1972 the US Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT in agriculture. 🪞 The very limitation of vision that Carson challenged is visible in our own lives as well. When we benefit from something, we tend to look only at its usefulness, not at its full consequences. Convenience stays in front; the cost gets pushed into the background. The ego takes its own limited view to be the whole picture. 🌿 Carson expanded precisely this narrow vision. She saw that the story does not end once we have gained control over insects; beyond that lie the soil, the water, the birds, other creatures, and the entire ecosystem. 🌱 Her excellence lay not only in knowing what a chemical can do, but in seeing what human-created power is doing beyond its intended sphere. 💬 In our own lives, where does treating our convenience as the whole truth keep us away from those consequences which it would be uncomfortable for us to face? 🔗 Sources: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rachel-Carson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/rachel-carson

For many days I had been wanting to attend the sessions happening in Goa. I’d been talking in my unit about getting leave for quite some time, but it just wasn’t getting approved. Finally, I somehow managed to get my leave sanctioned by citing urgent work, and travelled from Jammu to Delhi. From there, I headed straight to Goa. On the morning of the 26th, around eight-thirty, I reached Madgaon station. The moment I stepped out of the station, my mind was in a rush to get to the session. In that same hurry and inner turbulence, I ended up forgetting some of my belongings on the train. I ran back, picked up my things, and came out of the station again. All through that time, I was also watching my own mind, how it was jumping from one thought to another. The body was in one place, but the mind was constantly trying to run ahead. At first I thought the place where the session was happening would be only a short distance from the station. But then I came to know that I still had about 35–36 kilometers to go, roughly an hour’s journey. So I thought, fine, let’s just see what unfolds on the way. I took a taxi and set off. And from here, the journey began to reveal itself in a completely different way. It was my first time seeing Goa. Along the way there was greenery, water, mangroves, and so many different expressions of nature that for a while, even my rush to reach the session dropped into the background. The very road I was so restless to finish, stopped me and almost compelled me to look at nature. Inside, a different kind of joy was arising. It felt as if nature is not just something to be looked at outside; it can also inspire a person to look within. At that very moment, Kabir Sahab’s lines came to mind “कबीर बादल प्रेम का, हम परि बरष्या आइ। अंतरि भीगी आत्माँ, हरी भई बनराइ॥” #HIDP #APlive

💪“Recognize your weakness, don’t run away from it—go beyond it.” “Life is a struggle; so let both your body and mind be prepared.”💪 =================================== Many, many thanks to Acharya Ji, Because of your teachings, today I took part in a small competition. I was very scared, but I thought, “No problem, let’s go, even with fear, it’s fine,” just as Acharya Ji says. And I went, and I completed all my sets properly. I had no idea whether I would win or lose, but I knew this much: in every set, however many reps there were, I had to do all of them properly. And I had practiced for barely 3 days. Because before this, for 10 days, I wasn’t able to go to the gym, due to ill health. So when I found out about the competition, I first thought, “Let it be, I’ll skip it.” But then I thought, “No, I must do it. Even if it’s with less weight, I will participate.” Many, many thanks Acharya Ji. There were many topics in my life that were just useless distractions; today all those useless topics have fallen away, and one right work and one right thing has entered my life. 🙏Thank you, Acharya Ji 🙏

🙂‍↕️Such an experience is found only in the right company, and there’s no company more precious than that at the book stall. 🪔Want to write a new story? 🤔Then come, and don’t overthink. What you’ve already understood, don’t let it go to waste. You have to carry it to others as well, 🌿Because, as Dhoomil ji says: You are not alone, There are millions Standing, waiting for you....... ✨Let’s not allow their hopes to be broken. Whatever you have received from Acharya Ji, share it with others too. 🤫This is not the time to sit quietly. 🪔Fulfil your duty....... 🏵️Receive and sing........ ⏳Before the opportunity slips away........

✍🏻 Post 10 | 26 September '26 💭 Topic — Psychology ──────────── 🧠 Understand cognitive dissonance through Duryodhana from the Mahabharata In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana was not just a prince. He was the claimant to the throne of Hastinapur. He too had received the same royal education, training in warfare, and lessons in statecraft that are expected of a prince. But his problem was not that he knew nothing. 👑 In front of him, the kingdom, power, conflict with the Pandavas, and his sense of entitlement kept clashing. What he knew to be right often stood in direct contradiction to many of the decisions he actually took. 🧠 What is Cognitive Dissonance? In 1957, American psychologist Leon Festinger proposed the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. Simply put, when there is inconsistency between our beliefs, values, and behavior, a kind of mental tension arises in the mind. Suppose you consider yourself an honest person, but in some situation you end up lying. Now two statements are in conflict: “I am honest.” and “I lied.” ⚡ To reduce this tension, a person may change their behavior, change their belief, or find some justification to prove their behavior right. This is where Duryodhana’s example becomes important. He had knowledge of ethics and dharma, but his ego, sense of entitlement, and identity tied to power kept colliding with that knowledge. 🪞 Now hold this up as a mirror to yourself. You know a certain habit is harming you, yet you keep repeating it. You know you were wrong, yet you still search for arguments to defend yourself. You know a decision taken in anger was wrong, yet you pin the blame on the situation or on someone else. This is where ignorance shows up. Ignorance is not just about not knowing the truth. Most of the time, even with the truth right in front of us, we avoid it to protect our ego. When you look at Duryodhana, don’t just say, “He was egoistic.” 🔍 Look and see, which Duryodhana inside you is busy protecting its own image with arguments. And true learning begins right here: When instead of defending our personal story, we honestly look at the contradictions within us. Source: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-dissonance/amp

Participating in the 21 km marathon of Wildlife Week—the 1st Chandaka Green Marathon—was a very good experience. Why am I saying it was a good experience? Because, early in the morning, I spent time with nature. For the first time, I truly felt the birds singing and the trees talking to each other. I felt no separation from Prakriti. The organisers arranged food and water, and even the plates and glasses were environmental friendly. The medal was also . It was a beautiful experience of celebrating an event while caring for nature. Another important experience was during the last 6 km. I faced severe leg pain because of inadequate practice and very little sleep—I had slept for only two hours the previous night. When the ego was trying to protect the body, one thought came from within: “You have to keep running until your leg gets injured.” This made me observe how strongly the ego tries to protect itself. I could face and observe this thought because I am a student of Acharya Ji. Koti koti namaha 🙏🙏🙏🙏 My son, who is going to turn 5 in October 29th also completed 7 km of the marathon. This is also a very proud moment for me. I am currently at a garage to get my vehicle repaired, as it stopped functioning early this morning. I felt sleepy during this vacant time, but instead of wasting it, I decided to use it properly by writing this reflection. Thank you Acharya ji for holding my hands 🙏🙏🙏

A whole month spent only in sessions, beaches, book stalls, HIDP, bhajans, and unending learning. This month in Goa, the sessions have slowly brought many things closer to my heart. I met many new people here and found them to be good friends and, more than that, family. They understood me, helped me, and gave me good company. We went to many places here: Netravali Forest, a beautiful beach, a beautiful waterfall, Mangeshi Temple, and another temple. It was a really good experience. We sang bhajans at the beach, at the book stall, and even on the roads. We gave exams at the beaches. We went to the beaches and stayed there late into the night, and also went there to run early in the morning. We saw the ocean late at night as well as early in the morning. I was with people from every age group, and it was really good to be with them. It feels like family. I am very, very happy to be here. These are such beautiful memories, but still incomplete… We set up a book stall at the beach and tried to make people aware of Acharya Ji and his books. Many bought books, many listened, and many did not, but we tried. We also had fun, even with grumpy and uncooperative people. It was truly a great experience. I also learned a lot through HIDP. I am thankful and grateful to Acharya Ji, and thankful to everyone in the community. 🙏

Today I was playing the role of a son named Rahul. I’m a mother, but in this activity I myself played the part of a son. It was a very different and unique experience for me. It made me realize how, in different situations, we can live out our personality and roles in so many ways. I really enjoyed doing today’s HIDP activity. I got the chance to meet many people there and talk to them. By talking to them, I came to know and understand many new things. I also got to know what is going on in the world and how different people see and understand things. I learned a lot from this activity, and my way of thinking has also changed a little.