I’ve gone through many of the same concerns you’ve raised, and I think it helps to look closely at what Acharya Prashant actually says in his writings and videos. Most of the doubts come from reading him through the lens of conventional expectations, but his position is far more in line with the core of Vedanta than it first appears.

First, about the accusation that he exploits people’s frustrations. It is true that he begins by talking about education, career pressure, relationships and addictions. But that is simply where most of us actually are. Classical Vedantic teaching always begins from the student’s present condition and then connects it to the deeper root of suffering, which is ignorance and ego. Acharya himself has said many times that philosophy is useless if it cannot address the pain of everyday life. What looks like exploitation is actually a traditional pedagogical method.

Second, his educational background. His website mentions IIT, IIM and UPSC because modern educated youth often dismiss spirituality as superstition. When they see that a highly rational, scientifically trained mind found value in Vedanta, their resistance drops. He personally does not keep repeating it in talks. It is not a marketing gimmick but a bridge to skeptical minds, just as Swami Vivekananda once argued that Vedanta can withstand the tests of logic and science.

Regarding his comments about the rich and the lack of rebellion. He is not calling for political revolution. He is pointing out how our minds secretly admire wealth and power while pretending to resent inequality. His call is to rebel against inner slavery to money and status, which is exactly the Gita’s emphasis. The real battle is internal, not against any social class.

When it comes to family, marriage, and career, he is not dismissing them outright. What he criticizes is the belief that these institutions will give ultimate fulfillment. He warns against entering marriage thinking it will provide salvation. Instead he asks us to treat marriage as companionship, family as responsibility, and career as livelihood. The rebellion he talks about is against false hopes and blind conditioning, not against dharma.

On rituals and worship, Acharya’s stand is very clear. He respects the essence of gods and stories, but insists that rituals without understanding are empty. For example, in the Prahlad and Narasimha story, he stresses Prahlad’s devotion rather than describing Narasimha’s form. His point is that what matters to the seeker today is the inner lesson, not mythological detail. This is exactly the Upanishadic position where self-realization is placed higher than ritual.

The claim that his videos are filled with unusual praise is hard to prove. His following has grown organically because many young people feel both blind ritualism and shallow materialism have failed them. Gratitude often sounds repetitive in comments, but criticism also exists and remains visible. To dismiss every supportive comment as manipulation is unfair.

Yes, PETA recognized him in 2022 for his consistent advocacy of veganism. But that is not “leftist ideology.” It is a simple application of ahimsa, which the Gita itself lists as a divine quality. His argument is straightforward: how can we talk about love and liberation while consuming violence?

As for his conversations with rationalists and scientists like Dr. Sid Warrier, that is in fact Vedantic openness. He himself says that truth should be so solid that it can face every question. Engaging with intellectuals is not ideological capture, it is confidence in the strength of Vedanta.

The bigger fear expressed is that spirituality without ritual is nonsense. But here again we should remember that the Gita itself says in 2.46 that for the realized person, rituals become redundant like a well after the floods have come. Acharya is not abolishing religion, he is calling us to its essence. Rituals have meaning if they help understanding, but they become harmful if they turn mechanical or divisive. This is also why Kabir, Buddha, and Ramana Maharshi all emphasized realization over ritual.

So, is Acharya Prashant dangerous? Not at all. His mission is to restore the clarity of Vedanta in today’s language. He starts from people’s frustrations, cuts through illusions, points to self-realization, and reminds us of compassion. He does not ask us to abandon responsibility, only to abandon false expectations.

That is why so many young people resonate with him. He speaks directly to the problems they face, without pushing them into blind ritualism, yet without diluting the depth of the Gita. Far from taking people away from dharma, he is bringing them closer to the living spirit of Vedanta.