Acharya Prashant explains that Shri Ram became the heartbeat of this country because the pain of the common man is reflected in his emotions. There is no country or time when helping hands are not present. He gives an example: if you are very hungry and need bread, you could steal two rotis from a five-star hotel or from an ordinary person's house where you see only three or four rotis through the window. You would hesitate more while stealing from the poor person's house. This is because there is no person in the world who completely hates the truth. Everyone, to a greater or lesser extent, has an inclination towards the truth. He then discusses the Shanti Path from the Kathopanishad, noting that it is a beautiful rule of the Upanishads that the beginning is always with a peace invocation. The Guru and disciple pray together, saying, "May we both be protected together. May we both be nourished together. May we work together with great energy. May our study be brilliant and effective. May we not hate each other." The prayer begins with the word 'saha,' meaning 'together.' The Guru and disciple are praying for their mutual protection. This prayer is not addressed to any specific deity; it is simply a prayer. The highest and best thing about prayer is when it is objectless. Whenever a prayer has a subject, it will contain a desire. The inner desire becomes the outer subject of the prayer. Here, the prayer is about dissolution. Acharya Prashant further explains that the Guru must be, to a great extent, like the disciple to be useful. If the Guru is established in their highest state, they would be supreme but not useful. The Guru is useful for you only as long as they are, at least to some extent, like you. You are afraid, the Guru should also be afraid. You are fascinated by nature, the Guru should also experience that fascination. Only then can the Guru hold your hand and lift you up. When you know this, you feel grace for the Guru. This is why the Kathopanishad is so unique; it does not hide that the Guru is also imperfect. The Guru, despite being imperfect, tries to remove the disciple's imperfection. This should increase gratitude, knowing that he did so much for us despite being imperfect himself.
