In response to a questioner who wishes he had found him earlier, Acharya Prashant explains that he has been speaking for fifteen years, since 2006, the very year the questioner mentioned. He states that if there was no contact between them, it is not because he was not speaking. His words then were at least as beneficial as they are today. He then poses the question back, asking, "What happened? Why couldn't I reach you? Or why couldn't you reach me?" Acharya Prashant recounts that he began speaking in 2006, with his first session being on the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. However, for a long time, he did not engage in promotion. He did not start recording consistently until around 2010, and his YouTube channels were created in 2011 and 2014. For the first ten to twelve years, he was unaware of the peculiar ways of the world and did not feel the need for publicity. He believed that if the message was right, it would reach people on its own. His sessions were simple, often held outdoors, and he disliked having his picture taken. Recordings, if any, were done on basic equipment, and sometimes only audio was recorded due to low light. He contrasts this with the current situation, where he has been advised by well-wishers to adapt to modern methods to reach a wider audience. This includes using social media, creating a grand stage with proper lighting, and even paying attention to his appearance. He expresses his distaste for this, stating that it is a tragedy of our times that truth has to take the support of such foolishness. He mentions that he has been told that people are influenced by seeing others' emotional reactions in videos, by the speaker's attire, and by the overall presentation. He finds it disgusting that the right message needs to be promoted with money, but he has started doing so in the last couple of years for the sake of the mission. Acharya Prashant explains that the entire game is now about promotion and money. He was told that to increase reach on YouTube, one must spend a lot of money. He finds it absurd that to get subscribers, one has to pay, and that people are more impressed by superficialities like a large stage, fancy clothes, and emotional audience reactions than the message itself. He has reluctantly adapted to these methods, which is why people like the questioner are able to find him now. He acknowledges his own fault for not understanding the need for promotion for a decade, but also points to the audience's responsibility. He concludes that this is the unfortunate reality of the world, and he has had to compromise, even having his comfortable kurta replaced, to play this game.
