Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why choosing the right path, represented by Shri Krishna, is not mandatory for everyone. He begins by clarifying that those who do not choose Krishna do not live a satisfied life; their restlessness is not accepted. Instead, to get rid of this restlessness, they continuously try new methods and experiments. They do not accept their state of being restless as fine; rather, they spend their lives trying various remedies and gaining different experiences, a process that continues indefinitely. He explains that making the right choice cannot be mandatory because the option of choice is a fundamental, albeit fatal, aspect of human existence. From the moment of birth, we are given the right to choose. No one can make anything mandatory for another, as 'mandatory' implies a complete lack of alternatives. In this existence, nothing is truly mandatory, not even breathing. While every action has its consequence, the freedom to act always remains with the individual. This right to choose, he states, is both our greatest fortune and our greatest misfortune. Acharya Prashant elaborates that Vedanta empowers individuals and does not portray them as mere puppets of divine powers or fate. It refutes the fatalistic notion that a God controls all actions. According to Vedanta, there is only the individual and their will. This will can be oriented towards the truth or against it, and the choice is entirely one's own. Vedanta gives you great power by placing your destiny in your own hands. This is not a decree from above but a statement of fact about the nature of existence. The role of the sages, he concludes, is not to create mandatory rules, as the unruly ego would inevitably break them. Instead, they offer advice and reveal the truth. They explain that our inherent destiny is to move towards peace and truth, and they can advise us to make the right choice, but they cannot enforce it. The consequence of a wrong action is immediate: in choosing wrongly, one *becomes* wrong. The sages can point out what is poison, but the ultimate decision to consume it or not rests with the individual.
