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Acharya Acharya Prashant
आचार्य प्रशांत
Acharya Prashant, 2025
Born	Prashant Tripathi (1978-03-07) March 7, 1978 Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Citizenship	Indian
Alma mater	IIT Delhi; IIM Ahmedabad
Occupations	Philosopher author Advaita teacher Social activist
Years active	2006–present
Organization	PrashantAdvait Foundation
Known for	Contemporary interpretations of Advaita Vedanta
Notable work	Karma Ananda Maya
Parents	Awadhesh N. Tripathi (father) Sita Tripathi (mother)
Awards	Most Influential Vegan by PETA. Outstanding Contribution to National Development Award from IIT Delhi Alumni Association.
Honours	Received the record for 'Longest discourse hours on Vedanta by a spiritual organisation'. Received the record for 'Largest online examination on the Bhagavad Gita conducted by a spiritual organisation'.
YouTube information
Channel	आचार्य प्रशांत
Years active	2006–present
Genre	Advaita Vedanta
Subscribers	56 million
Views	4 billion
Last updated: March 2, 2025
Website	https://acharyaprashant.org/

Acharya Prashant

Acharya Prashant (born Prashant Tripathi; 7 March 1978) is an Indian spiritual teacher, author, and speaker associated with contemporary interpretations of Advaita Vedanta. He is the founder of the non-profit PrashantAdvait Foundation, through which he delivers teachings based on the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and other spiritual texts.

He studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad, and briefly joined the Indian Civil Services before shifting focus to spiritual and philosophical pursuits. His teachings incorporate Vedantic principles while engaging with modern issues such as environmental ethics, women's empowerment, animal welfare, science, and social reform.

Prashant has also been active in animal rights advocacy and in 2022, was named PETA India’s “Most Influential Vegan". He is noted for engaging with younger audiences through public talks and online platforms.

He has authored over 150 books, including titles such as ''Karma'', ''Ananda'', and ''Maya'', and maintains a large digital presence.

His YouTube channel, which features discourses on Vedanta and related subjects, has amassed a substantial following: according to media reports, including India.com and Entrepreneur India, he has been described as “the world’s most followed spiritual leader on YouTube”, with over 64 million subscribers and more than 4.2 billion video views as of 2025.

Early life and education

Prashant Tripathi was born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh in 1978 to a family with a bureaucrat father and homemaker motheracharyaprashant.org. He was reportedly a brilliant student who “topped his class” throughout schoolacharyaprashant.org

In 1999 he graduated with a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He then earned a postgraduate degree in management (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 2003indiatoday.in. In 2000 he passed the Civil Services examination (securing All India Rank 184) and began training for the Indian Administrative Service, but resigned during training to devote himself to spiritual educationen.wikipedia.orgindiatoday.in.

Prashant Tripathi received his B.Tech from IIT Delhi and later did Post Graduation in Management from IIM Ahmedabad in 2003. He got selected in the Indian Civil Services (All India Rank 184, UPSC CSE 2000) and resigned in the training period to be a Vedanta teacher and author.

Just after graduating from IIT Delhi in 1999, it is remarkable that he wrote both the UPSC CSE and CAT in the same year (2000), and cleared them both.

He was also a Theatre Actor in his college days.

Corporate and early career

After completing his studies, Prashant Tripathi spent a few years in corporate jobs to repay educational debts. He has said he worked for about three years, switching jobs across different industriesentrepreneur.com. During that time he began developing weekend courses blending leadership and wisdom literature, teaching at institutions like IIT Delhi, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and othersentrepreneur.com. However, he soon decided to leave the corporate world entirely to focus on his spiritual mission. By around 2008, at age 30, he had already tasted “success as an entrepreneur” and chose to repurpose his efforts into purely spiritual teachingentrepreneur.comdeccanchronicle.com.

Advait Life-Education and related organizations

Prashant Tripathi formally organized his work by founding Advait Life-Education (also called PrashantAdvait Foundation) and its educational programsentrepreneur.com. The foundation conducts “Holistic Individual Development” programs (initially called SDP and MDP) aimed at students and professionalsentrepreneur.com. These courses combine philosophical discussion (drawing on Upanishads, the Gita, and other wisdom texts) with practical exercises in awareness. Within a few years the organization grew to employ a large teaching team and claimed to reach tens of thousands of students across Indiaentrepreneur.com. Acharya Prashant has also led residential self-awareness retreats (often in the Himalayas) and global online teaching programs. His Advait programs emphasize two main approaches: comprehensive commentary on scriptures (multiple Upanishads and Gita lectures) and direct guidance on everyday life problems through Vedanta, a strategy he summarizes as “address[ing] the minds of men” to resolve social issues like conflict and discordedexlive.com. In 2025 the IIT Delhi Alumni Association honored him with its Outstanding Contribution to National Development Award (Spiritual and Social Leadership category)deccanchronicle.com, citing his “exceptional influence and impact” in empowering millions with spiritual teachingsdeccanchronicle.comdeccanchronicle.com.

Teachings and philosophy

Acharya Prashant’s core philosophy is rooted in Advaita Vedanta (non-dualistic Hindu philosophy) and emphasizes self-knowledge and inner clarity. He teaches that personal suffering arises not from external events but from the mind’s misidentification and resistance. For example, in a public talk he distinguished unavoidable physical pain from psychological suffering, which he described as a narrative created by the mind. He therefore urges students to confront their inner motivations and “know thyself” as the foundation of all true learningentrepreneur.com. His teachings draw widely on Indian scriptures and saints. He regularly offers commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and multiple Upanishads (often called the “17 forms of Gita” and “60 forms of Upanishad” in his literature)indiatoday.inacharyaprashant.org. He also incorporates poetic and devotional elements – for instance, using the songs of the poet-saint Kabir and verses of the Upanishads in his seminarsacharyaprashant.org. Acharya Prashant’s style is known to be frank and direct; he frequently challenges conventional spiritual clichés and emphasizes practical application of Vedanta to issues like relationships, leadership, and social changeedexlive.comentrepreneur.com. Critics note that some of his interpretations (e.g. of concepts like karma, moksha, or reincarnation) depart from traditional exegesis and spark debate about orthodoxy, but his followers value the clarity and universalism of his messageedexlive.comen.wikipedia.org.

Public outreach and media presence

Acharya Prashant maintains a very active public profile through books, video series, social media, and public appearances. His official channels reportedly have tens of millions of followers: for example, as of 2025 his YouTube channel had on the order of 60–65 million subscribersharpercollins.co.inpenguin.co.in, making it one of the largest for any spiritual teacher. (Penguin Random House notes he is “the world’s most followed spiritual leader on YouTube”penguin.co.in.) He also has millions of followers on Facebook, Instagram and other platformsacharyaprashant.orgharpercollins.co.in. His videos (lectures and Q&A sessions) have garnered over a billion viewspenguin.co.in. In the media, he is often interviewed or profiled by news outlets. He has been featured in India Today, The Times of India, Dainik Jagran, BusinessWorld-Education, NewsNation, and other publicationsindiatoday.inentrepreneur.com. He occasionally appears on television and radio, and his dialogues have been covered in press reports. Acharya Prashant is also a sought-after speaker at universities and conferences, having delivered talks at many educational institutions (including various IITs, IIMs and management institutes) and public events on topics of spirituality, leadership, and social issuesindiatoday.inentrepreneur.com. In recent years he has engaged in public debates, for example discussing religious practices and contemporary issues (such as animal sacrifice and women’s rights) in Indian media.

Awards and recognitions

In August 2022, Acharya Prashant was conferred the prestigious IIT Delhi Alumni Award by the IIT Delhi Alumni Association.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA], in February 2023, honoured him as the "Most Influential Vegan" of 2022. They wrote: "His [Acharya Prashant's] award from PETA India spotlights how he encourages everyone to live a conscious, nonviolent life and respect all sentient beings by going vegan."

In April 2025, Acharya Prashant was honoured with the 'Outstanding Contribution to National Development' Award by the IIT Delhi Alumni Association for his efforts in advancing spiritual wisdom and fostering national consciousness through his teachings, books, and large-scale initiatives.

As of 27th April, 2025, with over 56 million subscribers, Acharya Prashant is the most followed spiritual teacher globally on YouTube. He directs a Bhagavad Gita Teaching Program that includes over 30,000 participants and recently concluded the world's most extensive online Gita-based spiritual examination.

Poetry

Acharya Prashant’s poetic work is expressed through his Bhagavad Gita course, where he shares simple poetic translations of each Gita verse. These short, wisdom-filled poems are also easy to sing.

He has also written poems on deep and sensitive aspects of life, compiled in a book called "Raat Aur Chaand" (Night and the Moon).

A few poems from the book "Raat Aur Chaand":

• Sone Ka Haq
• Jab Geet Na Arpit Kar Pao

Reception

The Times of India, in their review of Acharya's Karma: Why Everything You Know About It Is Wrong, remarked that while the book "presents the cryptic teachings of the Upanishads in a contemporary and relatable manner", its usage of terms from Advaita Vedanta makes it a difficult read for a layman. The Financial Express wrote that the four sections of Karma mirror the four stages in the life of a seeker, and that the book "is not a classic case of prolific and bestselling authors in self-help segment repackaging and remarketing their existing body of work." Dainik Bhaskar observed that the author has quoted from the Vedas and spiritual texts like the Bhagavad Gita and Ramcharitmanas to substantiate his perspective on the concept of Karma. A "micro review" of Karma in The Times of India called it a book which helped the reader understand their Karma better. In August 2021, the book topped the Nielsen Bookscan's bestseller list, and in October 2021, secured eighth position in the bestseller list released by The Asian Age.

Dainik Jagran wrote about Acharya's Sambandh that "the best part about the book is that it has been written in the everyday spoken language and contains examples that are easy to understand. It is, however, difficult to keep the pace with his [author's] thoughts and writings." Punjab Kesari called Sambandh "a mirror to human relationships"; and highlighted the need for better structuring of the book.

In an article titled New Light on Ancient Texts: Illumination or Nebulation published in The North East Times, Acharya Prashant was criticized for his interpretation of some central Indic concepts like reincarnation (punarjanma), enlightenment (moksha), liberation (mukti) and action (karma). Some of his interpretations were reported to be strikingly at odds with the ones provided by some of the ancient and acclaimed commentators, forming the core of the common Indic identity. Shubham Ahuja concluded his article by the comment, "It is hard to believe that many of the well-known gurus and commentators whose interpretations are openly and strongly refuted by Acharya were fundamentally mistaken."

Bibliography

No.	Title	Publisher	Year	ISBN
1	Karma : Why Everything You Know About It Is Wrong	Penguin Random House	2021	9780143453314
2	Ananda : Happiness Without Reason	HarperCollins	2022	978-9356292192
3	Maya : I Bow to Thee, You Cannot be Overcome	Jaico	2022	978-9393559418
4	Mukti: Bandhan ko Bandhan to Jano	Prabhat Prakashan	2022	978-9355210616

Other works include titles on love and relationships (e.g. Sambandh), leadership and self-awareness, as well as books of poetry and children’s stories. Publishers note that Karma, Ananda and Maya form a highly acclaimed Vedanta “trilogy” that exemplifies his teachingsharpercollins.co.in. (A full bibliography is extensive; representative lists appear on publishing websites and his official site.)

Controversies and criticism

Although generally promoting non-violence and universalist teachings, Acharya Prashant’s outspoken style has occasionally drawn criticism. A journalist in The North East Times (a regional publication) critiqued his interpretations of concepts like reincarnation, moksha and karma, arguing they conflict with traditional commentariesen.wikipedia.org. Some university lectures (such as introducing spiritual themes in engineering campuses) reportedly met with unease from participants, as these ideas were unfamiliar in that contextentrepreneur.comentrepreneur.com. However, such incidents have not generated major public controversy beyond noting the resistance of some institutions to his unconventional curriculum. In general, press sources treat him as a scholar and reformer rather than a divisive figure, and no credible legal or political disputes involving him have been reported in reliable outlets.

See also

• Advaita Vedanta
• Upanishads
• Veganism
• Ashtavakra Gita
• Bhagavad Gita