Acharya Prashant addresses a question about the absence of 'Tej' (splendor/radiance) in one's life, which is associated with the Goddess (Devi). He uses an analogy to explain this phenomenon. He compares a person lacking splendor to someone who never seems to have money, even though they earn a good amount every month. The reason for this is that the person is paying a large installment for something they have taken on loan. Similarly, a person who lacks splendor is not someone who inherently lacks it, but someone whose splendor is continuously being spent. This expenditure of splendor, or life energy, is directed towards maintaining the ego, which the speaker refers to as a "sand puppet" or a "palace on loan." A person who appears without splendor is, in fact, very egoistic. The splendor they receive from the Self is entirely consumed in paying the installments for this sand puppet. While the person themselves may appear destitute, their egoistic construct, the sand palace, is adorned with great splendor and chandeliers, the price of which is paid with their own lifeblood. The splendor that Duryodhana possessed was of this egoistic nature, invested in his ego's palace. Acharya Prashant then connects this to the description of the Goddess as having "compassion in the heart and ruthlessness in battle." He clarifies that these are not contradictory but are two sides of the same coin. The ruthlessness is a manifestation of compassion, necessary to stop those who act against Dharma (righteousness). To stop someone from going against Dharma is the greatest mercy one can show them. If one is not ruthless in battle, it implies an attachment to the one who is against Dharma, which means one would also become anti-Dharma. The purpose is not to harm or kill but to protect consciousness and surrender to Truth. Killing is the final resort, to be used only when all other options are exhausted and the person is irrevocably committed to not changing. The primary effort should always be to reform the person. One must be discerning and not let personal attachment cloud the judgment of when that point of no return has been reached.
