Acharya Prashant responds to a question about why marriage and career are considered the two most life-defining decisions. He explains that the answer to any life-related question comes from the individual being (the 'Jeev') itself. The 'Jeev' is a unit within nature ('Prakriti') whose fundamental drive is to survive, to be immortal, and to feel complete. However, the 'Jeev' finds itself in a precarious and uncertain state, dependent on a world that does not conform to its wishes. This dependency creates a pathetic situation for the 'Jeev', which needs both physical sustenance (air, water, food) and mental sustenance (companionship, prestige, pleasure) from the world, over which it has no real control. To cope with this fundamental insecurity and fear of annihilation, the 'Jeev' seeks makeshift solutions. The pursuit of a job is essentially a pursuit of money and prestige, which provides a false sense of security and control over the world. Similarly, the desire for marriage and procreation stems from a deep-seated fear of death; the 'Jeev' seeks to continue its existence through its offspring and find a sense of completeness in a partner. These pursuits are driven by a flawed understanding of life, rooted in the primary superstition of identifying oneself with the mortal body. This false identification creates a fear that manifests as a frantic chase for security through wealth and relationships. The speaker emphasizes that because these choices are made from a place of fear and ignorance, they often lead to ruin. People choose partners based on superficial qualities like looks and age, and jobs based on salary, rather than considering whether these choices will lead to inner purification and growth. He uses the analogy of a person running from an imaginary ghost; the fear is real, but its source is a delusion. A worldly successful person is one who finds a worldly shelter (a good job, a family) while still running from this imaginary ghost, but they remain as foolish as the one who fails, because the fundamental problem of self-ignorance is not addressed. The most important decisions of life, like choosing a partner or a career, are made from the lowest levels of consciousness, driven by lust, greed, and fear, while trivial matters are given more thought. The spiritual path, in contrast, involves questioning the very premise of this fear by investigating one's true nature. The two pillars of a worldly person's life are wealth ('Kanchan') and sensual pleasure ('Kaamini'), both of which are sought to counter the fear that arises from not knowing the Self.