Acharya Prashant addresses the topic of reservation for women in institutions like IITs, describing such measures as ad-hoc. He states that the very concept of reservation, in any form, for anybody, militates against the dignity of the human being. Instead of reservation, he would rather empower the person. He explains that if you pick up a person who has been disempowered and disabled for various reasons and place them in an institution without challenging the fundamental reason that caused them to feel weak, then not much is being accomplished. He finds the idea that women or girls should have more reservation as not very dignified. What is truly needed, he says, is for girls and women to know who they are, so their energy and power can be unlocked. The goal should be to reach a point where there is no need for the concept of reservation, which he views as a temporary treatment, not a solution, that will not cure anything, though it may have some temporary utility. Acharya Prashant further elaborates that whether one is a man or a woman, one must stop energizing the victim within. He explains that people take great pleasure in feeling like victims because once you feel victimized, you feel authorized to claim compensation. He calls this a bad road to go down. He critiques the narrative of victimization, including some feminist narratives, stating that one cannot be ill-treated for centuries without one's passive consent. He asserts that one's real oppressor is not the other, but one's own inner fear, greed, insecurity, and ignorance. Instead of seeking compensation, one should rise and challenge the situation. He advises that if someone has wronged you, you should take it in your stride and let it awaken your spirit to become bigger and stronger. Regarding gender equality, Acharya Prashant calls it a very ordinary objective. He suggests that women should not aim to be equal to men, as men themselves are flawed. The goal should not be to become female copies of men, psychologically. Instead of seeking parity with men, women can learn from men's misdeeds and vow not to repeat them. The ultimate purpose of life, he explains, is liberation from one's gender and even sexual identity. He points out that our current education focuses almost entirely on the material dimension, but what is needed is an education that addresses the inner, real dimension of life, which is the essence of Vedanta. This, he believes, is the only way to eradicate crime, which he defines as any attempt to extend the material self at any cost, stemming from ignorance of one's true nature.
