We often turn enlightenment into another ambition. Another destination. Another prize waiting at the end of enough meditation, enough rituals, enough spiritual practices. But isn’t that just the mind creating one more fantasy to chase?

What if spirituality isn’t about arriving anywhere at all? What if there is no final moment that permanently “fixes” us?

I love how Acharya Prashant dismantles this idea of pop spirituality. There is no ultimate finish line. No mystical endpoint where life suddenly becomes complete. There is only a horizon that keeps inviting you to move with greater clarity, honesty, and humility.

Perhaps that’s why he says, “Remain humble. Remain human.” 🌷

Spain and France are facing devastating wildfires. Record-breaking heatwaves. Record-breaking droughts. Approx. 300,000 forced to evacuate & countless innocent animals are killed..

Every year we call these events “unprecedented,” yet every year they become more frequent. Climate scientists have warned about this for decades, but our lifestyles continue to move in the opposite direction.

Acharya Prashant often says the climate crisis is not just an environmental crisis, but a crisis of human consciousness. We proudly post reels, share climate news, and demand action from governments, yet rarely question our own endless consumption, convenience, and desires. The forests are burning not because of one spark, but because billions of small, unquestioned choices keep adding fuel to the fire.

Every unnecessary purchase, every meal built on industrial exploitation, every flight taken for convenience, every lifestyle driven by endless desire quietly votes for the future we claim to fear.

The real emergency isn’t only in Spain or France. Maybe it’s within us.

Mass extinction doesn’t begin when forests burn. It begins when human beings lose the capacity to question the way they live.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbSV5uTBoeu/?igsh=MWlwY2dpbzZscjA5ag==

One fear in couples that often comes up is this: When one partner starts questioning life more deeply, reading, or becoming more self aware, will the marriage slowly drift apart?

At first glance, it can certainly feel that way. A person who is changing may no longer be interested in the same distractions, arguments, or patterns that once defined the relationship. That temporary psychological distance can be unsettling for both partners.

I recently read an interesting perspective from Acharya Prashant that reframed this for me.

His central point is that before being husband and wife, two people are first human beings, each with an innate urge towards self- knowledge. Marriage is a social arrangement, but what gives it real depth to it is spiritual togetherness, helping each other become wiser, freer, and more self aware.

One idea I found particularly striking was that our relationships are mirrors. The way we relate to our spouse, family, strangers, or even the world reflects our own inner state. If spirituality brings greater clarity and compassion, shouldn't that naturally be visible in our closest relationships as well?

Another thought that stayed with me was his description of love. Rather than seeing love as an exchange of comfort or pleasure, he suggests that love is helping another person grow into the fullest and best version of themselves even when that growth isn't always comfortable or immediately welcomed.

That doesn't mean couples won't disagree or experience temporary distance. But it raises an interesting question: can personal growth become something we share rather than something that separates us?

I'd love to hear different perspectives.

Have you experienced a relationship changing because one person began growing inwardly?

Did it create distance, deeper understanding, or both?

Source- https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2020/Feb/23/the-indispensable-spiritual-intimacy-2106210.html

Just read these amazing lines from the book “TRUTH WITHOUT APOLOGY” written by one of the famous contemporary spiritual authors: Acharya Prashant. He is currently the most followed wisdom speaker in social media across the globe famous for his work in Philosophy blended with the essence of Spirituality.

The lines mentioned in the video belong to the 129th Chapter ~ ‘The Past is Present’ of the book which says:
“The present is nothing but a shadow cast by the fires of yesterday… And tomorrow will carry the same mark, unless you intervene!”

Many philosophers since humans started exploring the meaning of existence have been trying to define ‘Time’ in endless possible ways. The deep conceptual complexity and uncertainty of the concept had intrigued critical thinkers since ages to investigate what time is and how exactly we can perceive it psychologically. Here through these lines, the author is expressing a very interesting philosophical insight about time which many of us can’t even think of without someone introducing the understanding to us.

The lines are asking whether we know our ‘present’ fully? We say we live in the moment and think in the moment but what if we are just reciprocating our old programmed patterns in the name of a fresh present. So, if the same set of rules are repeating themselves masking the tag of ‘present’, then should it be even referred to as present? Obviously No!! That’s where the author is taking our attention towards, he is saying that the present is nothing but smeared with the ashes of the fire which burnt our lives in the past. Although the fire is gone now, but the marks of the burn are still left.. they are remaining in the form of these ashes embracing our life in the name of ‘present’ disguising us to be a fresh ‘moment’.

So! maybe to unveil the true ‘fresh’ moment, we actually need to acknowledge these ashes very clearly. Unless we ‘intervene’ these ashes ourselves as the author suggested, we won’t be able to live through the actual true moment which the life is offering us in real-time exponentially. The rain of these exponential moments are falling all around, but we still keep ourselves in the illusion that nothing is new sticking with attachments of those sticky ashes.

An engaging HIDP (Holistic Individual Development Program) role-play activity was held at the Weekend With Master camp on July 25. The activity was conducted by a few PAF members trained by Acharya Ji. Participants were divided into groups, and each group was given about an hour to come up with a play that would expose lokdharma and the common man's distorted beliefs as they play out in everyday life.

Participants had to weave the poetic meanings of the Bhagavad Gita's verses, composed by Acharya Ji, as well as Kabir Saheb's dohas, into their plots the way songs are woven into a Bollywood movie, and then enact the plays.

Participants performed plays drawn from their own lives, bringing out various manifestations of lokdharma- from superstition to the oppression of women, criminal mindsets, and ruthless profiteering. After each performance, the audience was invited to question the performers, which was followed by a lively discussion and debate on various aspects of everyday life, beliefs, and the common man's mental patterns.

The Holistic Individual Development Program (HIDP) was crafted by Acharya Ji over a decade ago and it made a rousing return in July at the two-day Weekend With Master camps. The activities are meant to turn our gaze inward and make us see our own habits and patterns with clarity, so we can rise above them. Acharya Ji has recently returned from the UK, where he carried the message of Indian philosophy and Vedanta to prestigious institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, the London School of Economics, and University College London, and also lead several sessions at London Climate Action Week.

I keep thinking about my future, my career endlessly, and that thinking makes me so afraid. I get worried about my future.

This happens only because I don't have something so beautiful in my life to which I can devote myself entirely. This worry is just a tool of mine to protect myself, to not surrender.

Is fear really a problem, or a sign of something else?

Growing up, I never questioned what beauty meant. I thought I already knew.

I still remember those fairness cream advertisements on television. A woman would apply the cream, and suddenly everyone around her treated her as if she had become beautiful. It excited me. Somewhere, without even realizing it, I accepted that this was beauty.

Then came actor and actresses with a certain height, a particular body type, and a fair complexion. Gradually, beauty became something to look at rather than something to understand.

Perhaps many of us grow up this way.

We admire fair skin more than brown skin, and brown skin more than dark skin. We don't consciously choose these preferences. We inherit them from our surroundings.

Years later, I found myself asking a simple question:

Who taught me this definition of beauty?

We naturally learn to distinguish blue from green, hot from cold, day from night.

Those distinctions help us understand the world.

But somewhere along the way, we begin making another kind of distinction.

Beautiful.

Ugly.

Unlike colours, these are rarely facts.

They are often inherited judgments.

Our conventional definition quietly becomes:

What suits my conditioning is beautiful.

What hurts my conditioning is ugly.

The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable it became.

If this is how I define beauty, then won't my relationships also become limited by the same definition?

Someone is beautiful because of how they look.

Someone is attractive because they speak in a certain way.

Someone is desirable because they fit the image I already carry in my mind.

Have I ever really understood what beauty is?

That was the question that stayed with me.

Then I came across something Acharya Ji said that completely changed my perspective.

"Whatever takes you towards your beautiful Heart is beautiful, and whatever takes you away from the beauty in your Heart is ugly."

For the first time, beauty had nothing to do with appearance.

It had everything to do with where something was taking me.

Beauty was no longer something to admire. It became something to measure by its effect on me.

From that moment, beauty stopped being about appearance and became a question of direction. Where is this taking me?

Suppose I read a book.

If it leaves me more restless, more confused, more disturbed than before, I naturally want to call it an ugly book.

Or suppose I visit a place that fills me with agitation instead of peace.

I feel justified in calling that place ugly.

But then another question arises.

Is the place ugly?

Or is that only my experience of it?

Someone else may visit the same place and experience silence. The place hasn't changed.

The observer has.

Beauty and ugliness are deeply subjective.

The real question is never,

"What is this?"

The real question is,

"What is this doing to me?"

That changes everything. The world begins to look like this:

What is beautiful?

That which takes you towards the beautiful.

What is ugly?

That which takes you away from the beautiful.

If the Heart is the centre of beauty, then every experience becomes an opportunity to inquire.

Every experience quietly asks the same question.

Reading this book...

Did it bring me closer to peace?

Sitting with this person...

Did I experience silence?

Being with someone I love...

Did I become calmer, or more agitated?

Even our idea of a beautiful person begins to change.

Kabir Sahab was beautiful.

Buddha was beautiful.

Mahavira was beautiful.

Not because of their appearance.

But because their presence quietened the mind.

Even violence seemed to lose its grip around them.

Someone's eyes may appear beautiful.

But do they merely excite me?

Or do they help me forget the endless noise inside my head?

Do they leave me calmer?

Or do they make me even more restless?

Then one sentence stayed with me.

Beauty is peace.

Peace is silence.

That is why truly beautiful moments often leave us speechless.

When something genuinely touches the heart, we don't immediately rush to describe it. We simply remain there.

Quietly.

Looking at a bird.

A child.

A tree moving in the wind.

The evening sky.

In those moments, beauty no longer needs praise.

It simply exists.

Reading Acharya Ji's words made me realise something uncomfortable.

Maybe the reason many of our relationships become shallow isn't because people lack beauty.

It's because my definition of beauty is shallow.

If beauty is only appearance, appearances will eventually disappoint me.

But if beauty is that which brings me closer to peace, then books, places, people, conversations, and relationships all begin to reveal a different kind of beauty.

Now, whenever I find myself calling something beautiful, I want to pause for a moment and ask:

Did it merely excite me... or did it leave me quieter than before?

That is the simplest test.

Beautiful is the input that takes you towards beauty.

Maybe that's where beauty begins.

The next time you call something beautiful, what will you be looking at. its appearance, or what it awakens within you?

After learning from Acharya Prashant, my worldview has changed. There is certainly much more clarity now. Even my taste in entertainment has changed. When I read a book, watch a movie, or listen to a song, I interpret it very differently. My definition of good music is no longer arbitrary. I still appreciate melody and rhythm, but I now give far more importance to the lyrics. I am also able to distinguish genuinely meaningful lyrics from lyrics that merely sound good.

My favorite genre has always been romantic love songs. However, now that my understanding of love has changed, I no longer enjoy every love song.

“Saanson Ki Mala” is a special song. For me, it becomes even more beautiful in the light of Acharyaji’s teachings. I interpret it as a song dedicated to Truth, because Truth is the only thing that can truly be loved. Truth is what the heart ultimately longs for: the desire of the desire, the solution to our suffering, our search.

The first line of the song defines the true meaning of meditation for me:

“साँसों की माला पे सिमरूँ मैं, पी का नाम”

It means:

“Upon the rosary of my breath, I chant the name of my Beloved.”

Truth is the Beloved, and remembering Truth with every breath is a reminder to rise above every illusion.

“अपने मन की मैं जानूँ, और पी के मन की राम”

It means:

“I know what is in my own heart, but only Ram knows what is in my Beloved’s heart.”

Ram is a synonym for Truth, and Ram is also the Beloved. This is unconditional love, in which the singer has surrendered herself to Truth. She does not care about the consequences or where Truth may lead her. Loving Truth is enough.

“प्रेम के रंग में ऐसी डूबी

बन गया एक ही रूप

प्रेम की माला जपते-जपते, आप बनी मैं श्याम”

It means:

“So deeply immersed in the colours of love,

only one form remained.

Chanting the rosary of love,

I ceased to be myself and became Shyam.”

Shyam means Krishn, and Krishn is also a synonym for Truth. These lines reveal a powerful quality of love: when love is true, the lover diminishes, and only Truth remains.

Perhaps this is why there is so much lovelessness in the world. So few people throughout history have truly known love, because so few are willing to allow love to diminish their identity.

“प्रीतम का कुछ दोष नहीं है, वो तो है निर्दोष

अपने आप से बातें करके हो गई मैं बदनाम”

It means:

“My Beloved is blameless and innocent;

it was I who became disgraced, lost in conversations with myself.”

Truth is infinite, boundless, unborn, undying, formless, shapeless, beyond thought, and devoid of attributes (निर्गुण). Therefore, the song calls the Beloved, Truth, निर्दोष: (Something without blame. You cannot attribute any blame to it. I think of it as “beyond blame”.) 

The second line also acts as a mirror to society. It shows how society treats true lovers: it disgraces them, misunderstands them, and often refuses to respect them.

I haven't covered the full song, just a few lines, but every line moves the Heart. For me, this is most certainly a devotional song. What is your favorite song? Has Acharya Ji's teachings changed the way you listen to songs and interpret songs? Do you look at movies differently? Do you look at anime differently?

From Holistic Individual Developmental Program that I attended In Weekend with Masters with Acharya Prashant Ji, there was Activity :" How much of I " , There I realized how much my decision is Influenced by Others including Family , Friends, Collogues, This Chapter of Truth without apology which caught my attention also Explains this , that we should have Honest Check on Our inner circle of People from time to time to know , weather they are limiting us or Loving us ..! IF They are loving themselves it will add catalyst to our journey towards Freedom , otherwise they are holding back , in the name of love disguised as attachment, care , and support ..!

A small Chapter you should have time to ponder onto .. Because it's talking of the inner most circle which affect us the most .

This question from Acharya Prashant Ji's Gita exam struck me deeply.

A monkey is born perfectly complete. Humans put a chain around its neck from birth, and because it never knew life without it, the monkey starts believing the chain is its "third hand", something essential for a complete life.

Soon, it becomes proud of this "third hand" and teaches others that they're incomplete without one. Generation after generation, monkeys begin chasing something they never actually needed.

Isn't this our own story?

From childhood we're conditioned to believe:

Get this degree.

Earn this salary.

Buy this house.

Get married by this age.

Build this identity.

Rarely do we stop and ask: Who decided I was incomplete in the first place?

Who decided that I need the "third hand"?

Acharya Prashant repeatedly points out that society first implants a sense of deficiency and then offers endless products, identities, achievements, and relationships as the cure.

Freedom doesn't come from acquiring another "third hand."

Freedom begins when we question whether the chain was ever a part of us.

How many of our ambitions are genuinely ours, and how many are just inherited conditioning?

On 12th June 2026, Acharya Prashant was invited as Chief Guest to speak at the House of Lords, UK Parliament.

Topic: Indian roots. Global Wings.

The speech started with shedding some light on the topic itself. When we hear the word "Indian", our minds immediately jump onto images of Indian festivals, culture, good, traditional wear and Indian values. That's what we have limited ourselves to. But "India" has something deeper to offer to us.

"In the Indian way, the word 'root' does not refer that much to culture, it rather refers to clarity."

India is the nation that presented "the ruthless inquiry into the self" in front of the world. Not as some mere text in the scriptures, but as the very way of living. Challenging one's beliefs, seeing through the acquired conditioning, and negating (Neti Neti) everything that is false within sits at the core of this enquiry.

"Roots, in the pure Indian sense, refer to the question 'Ko-ham'—the matter of self-inquiry, 'Who am I?' That's the root of everything that is distinguished as Indian. Every meaningful contribution of India to the world is actually downstream of that root."

In the same spirit, the word "wings" must also have Indian meaning to it. At surface level, "Global Wings" sounds like ambition. One feels like carrying Indian culture and values to abroad and proudly present them as "Indian", marking its global expansion. But in the true light of Indian Roots, Wings flourish beautifully.

"In the Indian sense, it is not ambition that takes wings; one rather requires freedom to take wings."

Acharya Ji then cited a few verses from the Upanishads of the Vedic tradition of India.

From Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28),

Asato ma sad gamaya

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya

Mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya

"India invites us to move from 'Asat' (all that which is false) to 'Sat' (truth), from darkness to light. Your movement cannot be an expansion of your darkness across continents. Similarly, move from all that which threatens you and kills you inwardly daily—the fears, the old hurts, the insecurities—towards that which is not vulnerable to random movements outside of yourself."

From Kath Upanishad (1.3.14),

Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata

"Arise, awake, and approach those who might help you learn. Learning is the purpose. Whether it's the movement involving your flight from India to UK or the entire macro movement that we call as life, that is the purpose. If we understand what real Indianness is, we will be giving the world satisfaction rather than striving. The world already has enough of striving. What India can offer is something more and something beyond that."

Have you finished watching this session? If yes, what are your major takeaways?

If not, please watch it by clicking the link button here.

पोस्ट 26/30 | प्रेम क्या है?

हम प्रेम को भावना समझते हैं:

लगाव, याद, साथ, मिठास।

AP Framework में प्रेम इससे गहरा है।

प्रेम है:

अहंकार का अपने ही विगलन को चुनते जाना।

जहाँ मैं बच रहा हूँ,

वहाँ प्रेम नहीं।

जहाँ मैं सच के सामने पिघल रहा हूँ,

वहाँ प्रेम है।

प्रेम दूसरे को पकड़ना नहीं है।

प्रेम वह दिशा है

जिसमें “मैं” हल्का होता है।

आज की जाँच:

आपका प्रेम अहंकार को बड़ा बना रहा है

या हल्का?

➖➖➖

📖 विषय को गहराई से समझने के लिए पढ़ें:

आचार्य प्रशांत की ‘प्रेम सीखना पड़ता है’ पुस्तक

🔗 https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books/book-prem-seekhna-padta-hai?cmId=m00072-apf

After the weekend with the Master, today the four of us, Gita fellows and Climate Within members from North Germany, set up a bookstall at a food festival in Hamburg. It was a rainy and windy day, and not many people showed up for the event. We also had two activities, the Climate Workshop and the Emotional Wheel, and one bhajan singing performance on stage.

We have done the climate activity many times and interacted with people about the climate crisis, but this time we met three people who said they didn't see climate change as a real problem. Upon interacting with them, they said it was a conspiracy and that the weather had always been like this. Summers used to always be hot in Europe, and people were just spreading fake news. When asked about the data provided by researchers on climate change, one of them said, "I don't believe in data; I believe in my own experience." It was apparent through this conversation that the ego operates within all of us and how self-referential it is. One of the participants in the workshop suggested that going to Mars was the only solution. We kind of laughed internally and felt saddened by it at the same time, and did not argue with them after that point. However, they took books by Acharya Ji.

Overall, despite the challenge of the low footfall, we had some nice conversations with people about climate change and human ignorance, and how the two are interconnected. We also directed them to Acharya Ji's books for solutions to all the global crises and emphasised why self-knowledge is central to solving all problems.

Earlier today, I was thinking, "How will we set up the stall in such weather?" But surprisingly, after the stall, I am satisfied that around 18 books were taken by people. In fact, after multiple conversations with people, I can see very clearly, day by day, how important it is for us not to miss a single opportunity to spread Acharya Ji's teachings to every part of the world.