Prashant Tripathi, known as Acharya Prashant is an Indian spiritual leader, philosopher, author and poet.[2] He conducts live Gita sessions both offline and online, where he teaches seventeen forms of Gita and sixty forms of Upanishads with eastern and western philosophy and religion.[3][4] He is the founder of a non-profit organization named PrashantAdvait Foundation,[5] and is an Animal Rights Activist.[6]
Prashant, an ICSE board topper and NTSE scholar,[7] received his B.Tech from IIT Delhi and later did his Post Graduation in Management from IIM Ahmedabad in 2003.[8] He also cleared the Indian Civil Services examination but did not pursue it further and went on to become a Vedanta teacher and author.[9]
Awards and recognitions
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), in February 2023, honoured him as the "Most Influential Vegan" of 2022.[10][11] 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."[12][13]
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.[14]
On the World Environment Day, the Green Society of India honoured Acharya Prashant with the "Most Impactful Environmentalist" award.[15]
With over 56 million subscribers,[16] Acharya Prashant is the most followed spiritual teacher globally on YouTube.[17] He directs a Bhagavad Gita Teaching Program that includes over 50,000 participants and recently concluded the world's most extensive online Gita-based spiritual examination.[17]
Poetry
Acharya Prashant’s poetic work is expressed through his Bhagavad Gita course, where he shares simple poetic translations of each Gita verse.
He has also written poems on deep and sensitive aspects of life, compiled in a book called "Raat Aur Chaand" (Night and the Moon).[18]
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.[19]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."[20]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.[21] A "micro review" of Karma in The Times of India called it a book which helped the reader understand their Karma better.[22] In August 2021, the book topped the Nielsen Bookscan's bestseller list,[20] and in October 2021, secured eighth position in the bestseller list released by The Asian Age.[23]
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 pace with his [author's] thoughts and writings."[24]Punjab Kesari called Sambandh "a mirror to human relationships"; and highlighted the need for better structuring of the book.[25]
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-knowngurus and commentators whose interpretations are openly and strongly refuted by Acharya were fundamentally mistaken."[26]
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