Acharya Prashant responds to a question about a verse from the Ashtavakra Gita, which states that duality is the root of sorrow and its only cure is the knowledge of non-duality. He begins by explaining that while duality has been defined in many ways, its most practical meaning is what it represents for the mind, as sorrow is an experience of the mind. For the mind, duality is the belief that "I exist, and there is a world outside of me." This belief leads to the notion that "I am incomplete," and that this external, scattered world can provide completeness. This fundamental belief system—that I exist, the world exists, and both are separate and real—is the essence of duality. The consequence of living in this duality is a life of constant seeking. The individual, feeling incomplete and unsatisfied, looks to the external world for fulfillment. This creates a relationship with the world based on fear and greed. The world becomes the object of desire, and one begins to worship it, or rather, images and objects within it, in the hope of attaining completeness. However, Acharya Prashant explains that this is a delusion. The world is merely a projection of the self, like a shadow or a reflection in a mirror. Just as a mirror cannot give you what you don't already possess, the world cannot provide the fulfillment you seek because it is not separate from you. The world you perceive is a function of your own mind and senses, which are limited to three dimensions of space and the dimension of time. Acharya Prashant further elaborates that both the individual and the world are composed of the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas). The ultimate human aspiration is to go beyond these Gunas, which is liberation (Mukti). Since the world is made of the same substance, it cannot offer this liberation. He uses the analogy of a crow that hatches a cuckoo's eggs, not knowing what is its own and what is foreign. Similarly, in ignorance, we spend our lives chasing things in the world that are not truly ours, getting nothing in return. We can neither catch the world (our shadow) nor escape it, which is why duality is the root of sorrow. The cure, as stated by Shri Ashtavakra, is Advaita (non-duality). Advaita is not a doctrine but a continuous, honest inquiry into the nature of the seer (the self). It is an inner alertness that questions the source of one's thoughts and reactions. This inquiry reveals that the seer and the seen are not two, which is the end of sorrow. It is about understanding that the world changes as your consciousness changes. Advaita is the realization that the world is your own reflection, and therefore, you cannot get anything from it that you do not already have.