Acharya Prashant explains what stands between a person and what they truly want. He distinguishes between the Truth that one really wants and the glittering gold that draws the senses and the little apparatus of the mind. There is a difference between the one who is seeking and the means, agents, tools, and intermediaries through which one is seeking. You are seeking, but you are seeking through the mind complex and the sensory complex. Unfortunately, the mind complex and the sensory complex have aspirations and an agenda of their own. The speaker uses an analogy to illustrate this point. It's like a place owned by someone but run and managed by a group of others. For instance, if there is a palace, and the owner, who is seeking Truth, wants the palace to be run like a temple. However, the palace is huge and is run by managers, agents, and servants. It is through these people that the owner wants the palace to be turned into a temple. But unfortunately, these intermediaries have their own distinct and separate wishes. If the palace becomes a temple devoted only to God, the desires and comforts of the intermediaries are affected. So, the managers and servants take orders from the owner but deceitfully push their own agenda. This is what the human being is like. You are the owner, the 'I', and you want your life and body to be run like a temple devoted only to the Truth. This is what each person wants without exception. The ego has only one desire: to meet the Truth, to achieve sublimation. But the ego wants to reach its destination using the body and the mind, which are deceitful. The body and mind do not always cooperate or act as an ally. So, it's you versus you. Who will win, you or your body, decides your fate. The verse reveals this predicament and suggests a method: observation. If you know what is happening, you will be able to beat the happening. The verse is in the shape of a prayer because when the last step is to be taken, the mind will fall flat. Neither the body nor the mind, but prayer will help. The beauty you aspire for is your own inner beauty. When you reach the Truth, you will find it is inseparable from you, because only Truth can reach Truth.
