Acharya Prashant clarifies that Vedanta, which includes the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, does not aim to teach tradition, culture, or values. He explains that culture is a product of the human mind and is subject to constant change over time, whereas Vedanta directs one toward the unchangeable and timeless truth. He argues that basing one's life on something as whimsical and shifting as culture is unreliable, as true peace and inner assurance can only come from that which is not man-made, influenced, or conditioned. He notes that many things currently identified as tradition would have seemed foreign or non-existent in the past, illustrating that culture is merely what people happen to practice at a given time. He points out that many elements considered part of Indian culture, such as specific clothing or dietary habits like eating potatoes and tomatoes, are actually relatively recent adoptions or external influences. He emphasizes that Shri Krishna’s message in the Bhagavad Gita is to abandon all socially constructed duties and mental conditionings to seek refuge in the absolute truth alone. According to him, the value of any occasion, person, or custom should be measured solely by its ability to lead an individual toward the sublime truth. He asserts that blindly following customs without understanding is meaningless and that wisdom requires the use of discretion to distinguish between what is life-giving and what is merely a relic of the past. Acharya Prashant highlights that great Indian social reformers were committed to the truth rather than mere tradition. He asserts that spirituality, or self-knowledge, is about understanding the limitations of the mind and time, which are the roots of sorrow. By knowing these limitations, one can transcend them to find lasting peace. He critiques the superficial interpretation of spirituality that focuses on rituals or clever wordplay, stating that true wisdom lies in transcending the time-bound mind to reach the timeless. He concludes that while one can be proud of the great philosophers and scientists of the past, one must not value the 'rubbish' of tradition over the essential truth.