#AcharyaPrashant #आचार्यप्रशांत #Philosophy #BhagavadGita #vedanta #population #climatecrisis #environment
Video Information: 25.01.23, IIT-Ropar, Greater Noida
Description:
In this thought-provoking session, Acharya Prashant responds to a pressing question about India’s rapidly growing population, especially in light of recent estimates that place the country ahead of China in sheer numbers. As the conversation unfolds, it shifts beyond mere statistics and policy debates—towards the deeper spiritual, cultural, and psychological foundations of the population crisis.
Acharya ji questions long-held beliefs and societal narratives that have normalized overpopulation, presenting it not just as a challenge, but as a symptom of a deeper inner disorder. Reflecting on themes like fear, ignorance, misplaced ideals, and the environmental strain caused by unchecked human expansion, this video becomes a compelling call to examine how we define growth, progress, and responsibility.
🎧 Listen to Acharya Prashant on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2QmVEAA
Music Credits: Milind Date
Video Information: 25.01.23, IIT-Ropar, Greater Noida
Description:
In this thought-provoking session, Acharya Prashant responds to a pressing question about India’s rapidly growing population, especially in light of recent estimates that place the country ahead of China in sheer numbers. As the conversation unfolds, it shifts beyond mere statistics and policy debates—towards the deeper spiritual, cultural, and psychological foundations of the population crisis.
Acharya ji questions long-held beliefs and societal narratives that have normalized overpopulation, presenting it not just as a challenge, but as a symptom of a deeper inner disorder. Reflecting on themes like fear, ignorance, misplaced ideals, and the environmental strain caused by unchecked human expansion, this video becomes a compelling call to examine how we define growth, progress, and responsibility.
🎧 Listen to Acharya Prashant on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2QmVEAA
Music Credits: Milind Date
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00good evening sir so my question is on population we were just talking about it and then a couple
00:12of your uh answers previously you've mentioned uh about the population and you also touched
00:19upon that point that we have recently surpassed china according to the most recent estimates
00:26at the beginning of this very year and currently india's population stands at around 1.4 142
00:34billion people so by this estimate we are the most populous country in the world and we are going to
00:42add the maximum number of people from now onwards to the very good amount of time and the population
00:50projection says that by 2050 2060 we will keep growing um so in many of your many many of your
00:58videos many of your talks you have always mentioned that you know how population is at the very root
01:03of so many uh societal problems so many environmental problems so many problems related to the planets
01:10um and we see this figure and that too for a country like india which is very unprepared
01:17in terms of many things so what is the way forward what should we do is there any important role of
01:25policymakers and if we are at this level of population is there is it is it can it ever be
01:33an advantage in this bleak atmosphere so that's the question advantage to whom
01:40advantage to whom you'll you'll have a larger number of people proceeding to occupy territory from a
01:56neighboring country how can overpopulation be an advantage advantage to whom why in what sense
02:07so that's not that's not even imaginable to think of overpopulation as as an advantage
02:21overpopulation is not merely a problem it's a crime it's the most dastardly crime today
02:33how to control there have to be both positive and negative measures
02:43we very well know that when populations
02:51get more educated the fertility rates drop we also know that when there are better
03:02medical services and education is guaranteed and there is social security
03:12and greater participation of women in the workforce
03:17again the fertility rates drop and all these are great things to have
03:25irrespective of their effect on the fertility rates
03:29right we want people to be educated even if that does not decrease the fertility rate
03:35we want women to be empowered and to be financially independent
03:41even if that does not decrease the fertility rate
03:44so all these are virtuous goals that come with the added benefit that they have a sobering effect on the fertility rate
03:56so these are the positive measures we must take on the negative side
04:04on the disincentivizing side
04:09you must not be subsidizing people who choose to have more than two kids
04:15the government must say on one hand i am ensuring that the two kids that you have
04:22will have great health and great education
04:27and i stand as the underwriter
04:30we will provide schools and we will provide hospitals
04:34so once we have done that we do not want you to have a third kid
04:41and if you have a third kid then we stop all the subsidies
04:45or at least reduce the subsidies
04:50and there are so many benefits that citizens draw from the government
05:03and if you come from a disadvantaged or impoverished section
05:10then there are additional benefits you get from the government
05:13so the government does have a significant handle on individual decision making
05:23by using the financial relationships that the government has with the individual
05:36the government can very strongly disincentivize the individual
05:43from having kids
05:46more kids than two let's say
05:50equally if you decide to have no kids or just one kid
05:58there should be material benefits
06:02there should be immaterial benefits as well
06:06you should be encouraged incentivized in a financial way also in a social way
06:17why should you not be presented with an award
06:21why not why not
06:25you are setting an example
06:26so we confer this award on you
06:30Desh Mitra or Samaj Bandhu
06:34some kind of an award
06:35and that couple then deserves to be highlighted in media
06:42and the government controls a lot of media
06:45don't we know that
06:45once a couple decides we are not going to have kids
06:50let the couple be presented as a role model
06:53so there is a lot that can be done
07:01and you do not need to take draconian measures
07:06like at the time of emergency
07:08you do not need to forcefully sterilize people
07:14that's not even needed
07:15there are so many other ways
07:19you can both incentivize and de-incentivize people
07:23but
07:26for this to happen
07:30you need a government
07:32that can make this happen
07:34and for that to happen
07:37you need a people that can vote
07:40that kind of government to power
07:42and for that to happen
07:45you need to have an agency
07:47that can first of all
07:49educate people
07:51towards the peril
07:54of overpopulation
07:56that agency
08:00should be able to challenge
08:02the long-standing cultural notions
08:07if a woman does not procreate
08:13her life is wasted
08:15the purpose of life
08:19is to have a full nest
08:20and a full nest
08:23is defined by
08:24the abundance of kids in it
08:34you are a great person
08:35if you are a great mother
08:36if you have been a great mother
08:41you are a veritable
08:45goddess
08:47you can be worshipped
08:48so the population will
08:54first of all
08:55have to be educated
08:56in a spiritual way
08:58so that we realize
08:59that procreation
09:01is not the purpose of life
09:03especially not the woman's life
09:07and that time
09:10golden time
09:13peak time
09:14precious time
09:15spent taking
09:18care of the babies
09:19is not
09:21particularly
09:21great investment
09:23come on
09:25let's be bold
09:26and honest enough
09:27to say that up front
09:28there is no great virtue
09:32or value
09:33in changing
09:37diapers
09:38and washing diapers
09:39and
09:40catering to all kinds of
09:43animalistic needs
09:44of an infant
09:46there is nothing great about that
09:47it does not even require
09:50a person of
09:53high consciousness
09:54to do all that
09:55even animals
09:56do all that
09:57so let the woman
10:01know very clearly
10:02that
10:03if she is wasting
10:04years and years
10:05behind a baby
10:06she is actually
10:07wasting her life
10:10and
10:18she has been conditioned
10:20to very coolly
10:21say you know
10:22now
10:22there is the baby
10:24so how can I continue
10:25working
10:25six or seven months
10:30before childbirth
10:31some of them
10:32take leaves
10:34and then they don't
10:37return to the
10:38workplace
10:38for the next
10:40four five years
10:42sometimes even ten years
10:44sometimes they never
10:45return at all
10:46they need
10:50to be
10:50very clearly
10:53told
10:53without
10:54mincing words
10:55even if it hurts
10:57and offends
10:57that they are
11:00wasting their life
11:01the
11:05patriarchal
11:07society
11:07has placed
11:08such a
11:09great value
11:11on motherhood
11:12that women
11:15do not
11:15feel
11:16bothered
11:19at all
11:20harmed
11:23at all
11:24or ashamed
11:27at all
11:28just wasting
11:31all their life
11:32running behind
11:33kids
11:33they feel
11:38they are doing
11:40something very
11:41honorable
11:41very respectable
11:42very valuable
11:43I am not saying
11:46you should just
11:46pick the newborn
11:49and drop it
11:50somewhere
11:51and get rid of it
11:52no
11:52but you should
11:55know very well
11:56that time spent
11:59on the newborn
12:00time spent
12:02on child
12:04raising
12:04is not a
12:05particularly
12:06great investment
12:07and you have
12:08limited time
12:09as a human
12:09being
12:09so even if
12:15your biology
12:16and your
12:17physical tendencies
12:18demand that you
12:20must have a kid
12:21please keep the
12:22number of kids
12:23to a minimum
12:23so that the
12:24wastage is
12:25minimized
12:25the time
12:31spent on
12:32one kid
12:32is enough
12:35investment
12:35do not spend
12:37more time
12:38on more kids
12:39what are you
12:43doing all the
12:43time
12:44I mean
12:46think of the
12:46life
12:47of a new
12:49mother
12:49think of her
12:55life
12:55how is her
12:59life
12:59different
13:01from the
13:04life
13:05of any
13:07other
13:08female
13:13mammal
13:13that is
13:19newly
13:19given birth
13:19think of
13:22a buffalo
13:23or a goat
13:24all the
13:30time
13:30they have
13:30to just
13:31look after
13:31the kid
13:31and they
13:32cannot read
13:33they cannot
13:33take care of
13:35themselves
13:35if you are a
13:37sports person
13:38your sports
13:39are gone
13:40if you are a
13:42traveler
13:43you cannot
13:43travel anymore
13:44you cannot
13:46even visit
13:46the cinema
13:47halls
13:47you cannot
13:52go shopping
13:53you cannot
13:54even sleep
13:55with abandon
13:56all the
14:03time you
14:03have to be
14:03tuned in
14:05can you
14:14go and
14:14sit in a
14:15library
14:15and spend
14:17dedicated
14:19eight hours
14:19there
14:20you can't
14:21do that
14:21not for two
14:22months
14:22not for four
14:23months
14:23you cannot
14:23do that
14:24for next
14:24many years
14:25what about
14:32your
14:32dance
14:34classes
14:35what
14:38happened to
14:39your swimming
14:39schedule
14:39you
14:40were a
14:41champion
14:41swimmer
14:42what
14:47happened to
14:47your
14:50tennis
14:50matches
14:51you are so
14:51fond of
14:52challenging
14:52everybody
14:53around
14:53and you
14:59had a
14:59great
14:59volley
15:00and a
15:02great
15:02backhand
15:02what
15:03happened
15:03to all
15:03that
15:03and you
15:10used to
15:10sit
15:11and
15:12continuously
15:13think
15:13and meditate
15:14on the
15:15great
15:16questions
15:16of life
15:17you were
15:20thinking
15:21who am
15:21I
15:22why do
15:22I exist
15:23what is
15:23meant by
15:24nations
15:25why is
15:26society
15:26organized
15:27the way
15:27it is
15:28those
15:31movements
15:32used to
15:33be your
15:33internal
15:34bread and
15:34butter
15:35now can
15:36you spend
15:37those
15:37peaceful
15:38moments
15:39in quietness
15:40and solitude
15:41can you do
15:41that
15:41then why
15:43are you
15:43so eager
15:45to pop
15:46a baby
15:47the baby
15:48the baby
16:00is the
16:00master
16:00the mother
16:01is the
16:01servant
16:01that's
16:02obvious
16:03for many
16:04long years
16:05and that's a
16:08biological
16:08connection
16:08and the same
16:10biological
16:10connection
16:10will mean
16:11that once
16:11the baby
16:12grows up
16:12he'll have
16:13his own
16:13life
16:13first three
16:17years of
16:17his or her
16:18life
16:18when the
16:19mother
16:19invests
16:20practically
16:21everything
16:21she has
16:22into the
16:23baby
16:23the baby
16:24doesn't
16:24have any
16:25memory
16:25nobody
16:27remembers
16:27the first
16:28three years
16:29of his
16:29life
16:29and that's
16:30when your
16:31mother has
16:31been doing
16:32the most
16:33for you
16:33and you
16:34don't remember
16:34that
16:35you cannot
16:35remember
16:35that
16:36the baby
16:42is now
16:42eight or
16:43ten and
16:43he is
16:44already
16:44building
16:46a separate
16:47universe of
16:48his own
16:48does it
16:48not happen
16:49he is
16:50already
16:50hiding
16:51things from
16:51the mother
16:52and the
16:53mother
16:54sacrificed
16:54herself
16:55totally
16:55for the
16:56baby
16:56why is
16:57the mother
16:57so stupid
16:58the mother
17:00is a human
17:00being first
17:01of all
17:01right
17:01the gender
17:02comes later
17:03first of all
17:03you are a
17:04human
17:04consciousness
17:04you are not
17:06born to
17:06raise kids
17:07you are
17:08born to
17:08get liberated
17:09I look at
17:23women
17:23on one
17:25hand
17:25I feel
17:28bad
17:29I feel
17:29empathetic
17:31on the
17:32other hand
17:33I feel
17:33furiously
17:34angry
17:35you are
17:38responsible
17:39for your
17:39own
17:40wretched
17:41state
17:41don't you
17:43know what
17:43you are
17:44doing
17:44you are
17:45hurting
17:45yourself
17:45all the
17:46time
17:46you are
17:47allowing
17:48yourself
17:48to get
17:49exploited
17:49why you
17:50do this
17:50to yourself
17:51the
18:03scholarly
18:03student
18:04becomes a
18:05wet
18:05nurse
18:05and the
18:13baby is
18:14shitting all
18:14the time
18:15urinating all
18:17the time
18:17was that
18:20supposed to
18:20be your
18:21destiny
18:21urine and
18:25stools
18:25and breast
18:34feeding
18:34that's what
18:37you are born
18:37for
18:37women's
18:45emancipation
18:46has to
18:47be
18:48the thing
18:50that drives
18:51population
18:52control
18:52if the
18:54woman is
18:54liberated
18:55the population
18:58cannot explode
18:59if population
19:01explodes
19:02that's a
19:02clear indication
19:03of women's
19:05misery
19:06the more
19:09miserable
19:10ignorant
19:11and enslaved
19:13women are
19:14the more
19:15you will find
19:16populations
19:17exploding
19:17see
19:23practically
19:24man has
19:26zero role
19:27in the
19:27process
19:27let's face
19:28it
19:28he impregnates
19:32and gets
19:37away
19:38paying a
19:41very small
19:41price
19:42in fact
19:45in some
19:47sense
19:47his own
19:48beastly
19:48tendencies
19:49get satiated
19:50now the
19:51woman is
19:52confined to
19:52the house
19:53so
19:56she has
19:58been
19:58now
19:58domesticated
20:03like a
20:09pet mammal
20:09now she
20:12becomes even
20:12more easier
20:13to control
20:13and the
20:19man puffs
20:19up
20:20now I am
20:20the provider
20:20the sole
20:21provider
20:21you stay
20:22at home
20:22I am
20:22providing
20:23you see
20:23you leave
20:24your job
20:24now you
20:24are pregnant
20:25so I am
20:28the sole
20:28provider
20:28and if
20:29you are
20:29the sole
20:29provider
20:29then you
20:30become the
20:30master
20:30obviously
20:31by impregnating
20:34the woman
20:34the man
20:35becomes
20:36her master
20:36and the
20:37woman does
20:38not see
20:38that
20:39just
20:43emotion
20:44emotion
20:44emotional
20:49foolishness
20:49and the
21:02man goes
21:03out to
21:03work
21:03and he
21:04visits
21:05places
21:05and
21:06broadens
21:07his
21:07experience
21:08and
21:08learns of
21:09things
21:09and grows
21:10as an
21:10individual
21:10and what
21:11is the
21:11woman
21:12doing
21:12cleaning
21:13shit
21:13and
21:15breastfeeding
21:15and
21:18preparing
21:19bottles
21:19and rushing
21:25to doctors
21:25and the
21:34man is
21:34growing
21:34in terms
21:36of knowledge
21:37in terms
21:38of money
21:39in terms
21:41of power
21:41and the
21:43woman is
21:44rotting
21:44at home
21:44that's
21:47population
21:47for you
21:48and on
21:53top of
21:53that the
21:54man will
21:54say
21:54you see
21:55look at
21:58how
21:58magnanimous
21:59I am
21:59I am
22:02the sole
22:02breadwinner
22:03you two
22:04sit at
22:05home
22:05you and
22:06the baby
22:06and I
22:07provide for
22:08both of
22:09you idlers
22:09what good
22:12are the
22:13two of
22:14you
22:14doing at
22:15home
22:15just sitting
22:16comfortably
22:16and I
22:17am the
22:17one who
22:17is going
22:18out there
22:19working
22:19and providing
22:20for you
22:21two
22:21slothful
22:23people
22:23doing
22:24nothing
22:24good for
22:25nothing
22:25but she
22:43has her
22:43moments of
22:44bliss
22:44she looks
22:45at the
22:45baby
22:45and forgets
22:49her trauma
22:49she says
22:50see
22:50can there
22:52be
22:52a higher
22:54bliss
22:54than the
22:56smiling
22:56face
22:57of my
22:58little
22:58one
22:58yes
23:00ma'am
23:01knowledge
23:07and
23:10consciousness
23:11and
23:13realization
23:14and power
23:16these are
23:22much
23:22much
23:23higher
23:23joys
23:24than the
23:26smiling face
23:26of your
23:27baby
23:27and
23:34and
23:35yeah
23:36and
23:37yeah
23:37and
23:38I
23:39know
23:40I
23:42I
23:43I
23:46don't
23:47I
23:48I
23:48know
23:49I
23:50know
23:50On the contrary, we have girls who break up because the man says, I do not want babies.
24:13I want you to lead a full and free life directed towards knowledge and liberation.
24:20I do not want you to be saddled with babies.
24:24And the girl breaks up.
24:26She says, what kind of man, probably important.
24:39Six weeks into the relationship and she starts clamoring for marriage.
24:45Six weeks into the marriage, she starts clamoring for cultural conditioning.
24:56The ideal Desi girl.
25:05And there would be so many who would actually be celebrating that we are ahead of China now.
25:18So, let's take a look.
25:37Yes, literacy is contraceptive, but wisdom is the best contraceptive.
26:07Sir, this is exactly what I wanted to point out, what you just said, because I was looking
26:16at some of the numbers and this is very true that as the literacy is going up, the TFR
26:22is falling and the fertility rate will continue to fall for India also, but still we will keep
26:27growing because of the sheer momentum, which has already been built.
26:30But what's interesting is, so I was just reading that in the UK, in 22, just post pandemic,
26:38the lockdown era, the fertility rate has gone up after a decade.
26:43It was 2012 or something.
26:46It was kept on falling slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly.
26:49It was some 1.4 something and it has become 1.51 something in 22.
26:53And there's nothing to say about the literacy rate of a developed nation like Britain.
26:59So point is that, as you just very well mentioned, that education itself is not enough.
27:05Given the time, freedom and the thought to wander, people did enter into this sort of a thing
27:15in which they thought that they are free enough to have more children.
27:18And they utilize this time to do exactly.
27:21And this figure is also true for many other countries.
27:24Maybe they didn't reverse the fertility.
27:26Also, one more thing.
27:27It's not just that the COVID period gave them a lot of free time, leisure time,
27:34and hence the fertility rates went up.
27:37It's not just the time factor.
27:40Something additional as well.
27:44Fear factor.
27:45The more afraid you are, the more you are likely to reproduce.
27:53The more insecure you feel, the more desperately you want to have kids.
28:00And wisdom, yes, and wisdom, spirituality alone can drive away your core fear.
28:06So in spite of being educated, if you are somebody terrified, you will still procreate more.
28:16I could speak endlessly for hours.
28:30You know, we have yet not talked of the impact of population, human population,
28:37the population of this one species on the populations of the millions of other species,
28:44billions of other species.
28:45We have not talked of what it means to have one additional homo sapiens on this planet.
28:53What that means to the other species.
28:56What that means to the planet itself and its entire ecosystem.
29:01We just talked, keeping human beings at the center, especially the female human being at the center.
29:12But if we could widen the perspective, you will find human population is the biggest curse on this planet.
29:21The day a human baby is born, the entire existence weeps and mourns.
29:29The day a human kid is born, rest assured, entire existence is weeping and goes into mourning.
29:40That's the impact of one human birth.
29:47And still, I don't know, it's all very appalling.
29:54So, I will stop here.
29:59Thank you very much.