Mountaineer Kuntal Joisher recounts his journey of becoming the first Indian to summit Mount Everest on a vegan diet. He shares that when he announced his dream in 2010, he faced immediate pushback from the mountaineering community, who claimed that meat and dairy were essential for the stamina required. Despite this, he successfully climbed Everest twice, from both the Nepalese and Chinese sides, and notes that veganism was never a challenge for him. However, he is often surprised that people perceive his achievement as something done 'despite' being vegan, viewing it as a handicap. Acharya Prashant addresses this perception by asserting that being vegan is actually an asset, not a handicap, for physically demanding activities. He explains that a vegan diet aids in faster recovery and provides a mental edge stemming from a clear conscience, knowing that one is not harming any being for personal gain. He argues that the debate is not about whether veganism is a handicap but whether it is an advantage. He further states that if one is truly spiritual, veganism is an organic and natural outcome of an awakened consciousness. Acharya Prashant deconstructs the common arguments against veganism, particularly those rooted in culture and religion. He refutes the idea of following figures like Shri Krishna's milk-drinking habits by pointing out that people selectively follow convenient aspects of scriptures while ignoring the core, timeless message, such as that of the Bhagavad Gita. He emphasizes that the context of ancient times, with a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, is vastly different from today's cruel, industrial dairy system. He explains that the stories about Shri Krishna are from a much later period than the Gita and should not be used to justify current practices. He clarifies the direct and brutal link between the dairy and meat industries. For a cow to produce milk, it must be artificially inseminated. The resulting male calves are useless to the dairy farmer and are slaughtered. Similarly, once a cow stops yielding milk, it is also sent to the slaughterhouse. Therefore, milk is an unavoidable precursor to meat, and consuming dairy directly supports this cruelty. He concludes that for a truly compassionate and spiritual person, having blood on their plate, even if it's white like milk, is impossible. Veganism, he states, is the contemporary name for compassion (Karuna).
