Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of the coaching industry in India, sparked by a question about a tragic incident at a UPSC coaching center. He asserts that such issues should not be discussed only after a tragedy occurs, as they should have been addressed long ago. He paints a grim picture of coaching hubs, where lakhs of unemployed youth wander for years. He explains that this is a dangerous social disease rooted in the religion of the 'government job,' where the highest caste is the UPSC services like IAS and IPS. The core belief of this religion is that once you get a job, your life is set for comfort and ease. In this religion, the coaching masters are the priests, and the coaching institutes are the temples. The speaker argues that the coaching industry artificially inflates the number of applicants. For instance, where 1 lakh people might naturally apply for 100 seats, coaching advertisements entice 10 lakh people to apply. He states that in no other country is youth wasted in the pursuit of government jobs as it is in India. The money spent over 5-7 years on rent, food, and coaching fees could have been used to start a business. He points out that India has a vicious network of coaching industries, a fact that is largely ignored. This entire phenomenon, he claims, is a tremendous national loss. For every one person who succeeds, 99 are ruined, but their stories are hidden while the success of one is glorified. Acharya Prashant identifies this as a cultural problem. The goal of this 'religion' is not liberation but enjoyment (bhukti), a life of ease without work. This is why people are willing to spend a decade trying to secure a job. He contrasts this with the Gita's message of performing right action without attachment to the fruits. The craze for government jobs stems from a cultural belief that life is for comfort, not for striving. This is a result of a flawed education system. The school and college systems are inadequate, forcing students towards coaching. The coaching industry, in turn, weakens the formal education system by poaching good teachers, creating a vicious cycle. The speaker concludes that the problem is at the aggregate level, rooted in our culture, which does not value education for its own sake but as a means to a comfortable life.
