Acharya Prashant explains that in the great universities of ancient India, such as Takshila and Nalanda, where religion was taught, subjects like logic, philosophy, and mathematics were taught first. He posits that if you do not know logic, you cannot understand scriptures like the Ashtavakra Gita or concepts like Sankhya Yoga; you will fail. Without a foundation in logic and science, religion would mean just superstition to you. Therefore, he emphasizes observing yourself and the world. The speaker asserts that to know that which is beyond the world, you must first fully know the world. This involves knowing the ways, movements, and tricks of the world, as well as the tricks of your own mind. He states, "The only way to know God is to know the world. There is no other option available to you." If you do not understand this world, you will never know God. You must know what life is, observe the stars and the trees, and understand the whole game of life, including anger, sadness, despair, and hope. To be truly spiritual, one must understand what it means to be a man or a woman, to be in a society, and to know about great inventions. This requires having as much exposure and experience as possible by traveling, meeting different kinds of people, reading greatly, listening to stories, and getting a good education in a field that calls to you. One must know life in all its colors, understand technology, relationships, attraction, love, betrayal, and detachment. After passing through all of this, you will know what God is. While acknowledging that there have been exceptions where grace has descended on those who were not educated or well-traveled, he clarifies that they were great exceptions.
