Acharya Prashant begins by explaining the underlying principle of the verses from the second chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. He states that neither Prakriti (Nature) nor Atma (the Self) is in need of any advice, teaching, or preaching. The Atma is pure, non-dual consciousness, free from arrival and departure, and therefore free from all sorrow. As such, the pure Self needs no healing. Similarly, Prakriti is a self-sufficient system with no experiencer, so there is nobody within it to experience sorrow. Prakriti also does not need any teacher, healing, or guru. The speaker identifies the entity that needs to be addressed and healed as the "fantastic entity called the ego." The ego thinks of itself as something real, calling itself the Truth or the Self, and proclaiming, "I am real." However, the ego is only real unto itself. It is the ego that experiences all sorrow because its self-proclaimed reality is contingent on the vicissitudes of Prakriti. The ego does not associate with Prakriti as a whole, but with small, perceived fragments of it. Since everything in Prakriti is in a continuous state of changing form, when the ego becomes attached to a specific form, any change in that form is perceived as death. This attachment and the subsequent fear of loss is the source of suffering. Acharya Prashant contrasts the nature of Atma and the ego. Atma is real in a non-dual way, complete within itself, and does not need any predicates from Prakriti. On the other hand, the completeness of the ego is always dependent on objects from Prakriti. He explains the human condition as a one-sided, dependent relationship with the world, which is the source of indignity and suffering. Vedanta, he explains, is a rebellion to reclaim this dignity. The purpose of Vedanta is the amelioration of suffering, which is achieved through Self-knowledge (Atma-jnana). The definition of 'real' in Vedanta is that which is free and not dependent on anything else. Since the unliberated self is dependent, it is not truly real and does not truly exist until it is liberated. Connecting this to the Gita, the speaker explains that Shri Krishna's instruction to Arjun—that the Atma can neither be slain nor does it slay—is meant to take the seriousness out of Arjun's fear. Arjun is trembling because he considers the worldly drama, including the war and his relationships, to be absolutely real and significant. Shri Krishna is reminding him that the true reality, the Atma, is distinct from this drama. The killings that will happen in the war have no bearing on the absolute Truth. Therefore, the purpose of life is to help oneself and others see that the worldly drama is not the absolute reality. This understanding removes the basis for greed, lust, and temptation, as these arise from considering the unreal as real.