In response to a question about why people are so attracted to passive income, Acharya Prashant explains that to understand the motive behind any desire, one must examine what they would do with the outcome. He asks what those who desire passive income would do if they started receiving it. The answer, he suggests, is that they would indulge in debauchery. This, he states, is the real reason everyone wants passive income: to indulge. The ideal of our age is indulgence. Acharya Prashant elaborates that everyone is being initiated into a particular philosophy, not through textbooks, but through the general environment, media, and social media. This philosophy teaches that the purpose of life is to have fun, and fun is achieved through consumption. The purpose of life is to have pleasure, and the means to that pleasure is consumption. This is the philosophy of the age. He contrasts this with the teachings of Shri Krishna, who spoke of Nishkam Karma (selfless action), which means to perform action without attachment to its fruits. The modern philosophy is the opposite: do nothing (passive income) and enjoy the fruits entirely. The speaker points out that this modern philosophy is a complete inversion of the Gita's teaching. He further explains that we are born into suffering. A newborn is a helpless creature, dependent physically and mentally, and in a state of misery. If we are born in suffering, the purpose of life should be freedom from that suffering. However, we misdiagnose our ailment. We believe our problem is the lack of pleasure, so we seek pleasure as the cure. This is a wrong diagnosis. The real problem is suffering and ignorance, and its cure is not pleasure but freedom from suffering. He cites the example of King Bhartrihari, who, despite indulging in extreme luxury, found no peace and eventually wrote the 'Vairagya Shatakam' (100 verses on dispassion). The speaker concludes that indulgence is not the solution; it does not alleviate suffering. The real solution is to understand the nature of suffering and seek freedom through right action and understanding, not through consumption.
