Oxford, June 10: In a remarkable event, the Isha Upanishad has returned to Oxford University, nearly 150 years after its first English translation by Professor Max Müller in 1879. This translation was part of the “Sacred Books of the East” series, which introduced this ancient text to the Western world. On June 8, Indian philosopher Acharya Prashant delivered an insightful philosophical session on the second verse of the Isha Upanishad at the lecture theater in the Manor Road Building of Oxford University.
Before the session, Oxford students guided Acharya Prashant on a tour of the campus, which included historic sites like New College and Somerville College. Speaking in front of the Oxford University Press building, he remarked, “Max Müller accomplished an extraordinary task by bringing this text to the West. However, words must be given life, and this moment is that life. Today, I aim to present the relevance of the Upanishad that the modern world desperately needs.”
The Manor Road Building, a center for the Economics Department at Oxford University, has hosted prestigious lectures, including those by Nobel laureates in economics, technology, artificial intelligence, and climate change. During his session, Acharya Prashant argued from a Vedantic perspective that economics, technology, or policy alone cannot resolve crises unless the consuming individual examines themselves.
In a conversation with the media, Acharya Prashant framed this message as a broader warning. He noted that while the West has achieved remarkable feats in exploring the universe, delving into atomic structures, and uncovering bodily mysteries, humanity is currently facing its sixth mass extinction, a crisis entirely of its own making. He stated that the very tools, technologies, and economic prosperity we take pride in are now serving destruction. He emphasized that without self-realization and profound inner education, the possibility of liberation remains slim, a notion that applies equally to environmental crises, communalism, international divisions, the threat of nuclear war, and the pandemic of mental health issues.
The session attracted a diverse audience, including students and research scholars from the UK, Europe, and America. The central question of the session was, “Who is the doer?” Acharya Prashant explained that the Upanishads are more interested in the doer behind each thought, action, and experience. He clarified the distinction between knowledge and ignorance, stating that while external, experiential knowledge is abundant and ever-increasing, the task of knowing the knower remains incomplete. He expressed, “The ego not only suffers but is suffering itself.” He argued that no action is inherently good or bad; it is the consciousness from which it arises that determines its binding or liberating nature.
He further stated that the fear of death is not truly a fear of the body but of the ego, which is afraid of its own extinction. He compared the ego to an investor who keeps the body alive not out of love but for selfish reasons. True freedom, he argued, lies not in giving the ego more choices but in liberating it from its constraints. He concluded, “The body is a fact; the ego is a delusion,” and added, “The best actions occur in the absence of the ego.”
Acharya Prashant described the teaching of Vedanta by an Indian in Oxford as a significant coincidence. He asserted that the knowledge of Vedanta has never been secret; anyone willing to learn can do so. The basis of eligibility is not birth, caste, or color but the qualities described in the fourfold means of knowledge, which are entirely merit-based. He noted that the Western tradition, which once viewed this knowledge as an external object of study, is now presenting it from within its living tradition. He emphasized that India has always shared its wisdom, and the West has also shared, as beyond all political and cultural boundaries, humanity is one species, and this unity is the foundation of all knowledge.
This Oxford session is part of Acharya Prashant’s UK tour, which has already included several notable stops. On May 30, he shared his philosophy at the Cambridge Union, under the Cambridge India Business Dialogue, chaired by Professor Jaydeep Prabhu from the Cambridge Judge Business School. On June 1, he participated in a dialogue session organized by NISAU UK, discussing the internal dimensions of climate and environmental crises with Lord Krish Raval, a member of the UK House of Lords.
Prior to this, on June 6 and 7, he participated in the fourth Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival, where he connected online with a senior editor from London. At this event, renowned author Dr. Pratibha Ray honored him by referring to him as “the son of India,” a title Acharya Prashant graciously accepted, acknowledging Dr. Ray’s generosity.
Throughout all these platforms, Acharya Prashant’s central argument has remained consistent: Western climate policies are proving inadequate because they leave the consuming ego unexamined. He stated, “Outwardly, we are more prosperous and powerful than any time in history. Inwardly, we are still primitive.” He believes that no summit, treaty, or improvement in efficiency can resolve this crisis, as none address the fundamental factor driving it.
In the coming weeks, Acharya Prashant will also hold sessions at the London School of Economics (LSE) and King’s College London.
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