Acharya Prashant addresses concerns regarding controversial verses in the Brihadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads, explaining that these are the oldest Upanishads and still carry heavy influences of Vedic ritualism, superstition, and social structures of their time. He clarifies that the core essence of the Upanishads is Brahma Vidya (the science of the Absolute), which is found in its purest form in shorter texts like the Mandukya or Isha Upanishad. He points out that the speaker's selective focus on a few verses regarding sexism or caste reflects a personal bias rather than the overall message of Vedanta, which fundamentally negates all distinctions of gender, caste, and creed by establishing the soul as the only reality. He invites the questioner to study texts like the Ashtavakra Gita or Ribhu Gita, which contain no such social distortions and represent pure Vedantic philosophy. Acharya Prashant further argues that human corruption, such as the caste system or exploitation, does not originate from scriptures but from innate animalistic tendencies and ignorance. He asserts that while scriptures can be misused to justify existing prejudices, the true purpose of Vedanta is to liberate the individual from these very tendencies. He highlights that many great scientists like Schrodinger and Oppenheimer drew inspiration from Vedanta, and it is a tragedy that Indians are being turned against their own heritage through political narratives. He emphasizes that Vedanta is the 'Supreme Court' of Indian philosophy; any text or tradition that contradicts its message of non-duality and liberation should be rejected. He concludes by stating that his work is to bring the liberating truth of Vedanta to everyone, despite facing opposition from various religious and political groups.
