Acharya Prashant explains that you are not a subject of the mind, as no subject within the mind is eternal. Even the most cherished thoughts or people are not constantly present in the mind. The mind is the very place where things come and go, which is the cycle of birth and death. The true Self, which he addresses as "Rudra Dev," is free from this cycle of birth and death. It neither rises nor sets, neither comes nor goes, because it is not a subject of the mind. The reason sages warn against the subjects of the mind is that they have endured its severe blows. While this suffering affects everyone, only a sensitive person experiences its full impact. Most people, to avoid this pain, become numb and insensitive. There is a vast difference between something happening to you and you truly experiencing it. The sage is one who is fearless enough to experience the mind's blows fully, without seeking escape. This experience is what the ego fears, as it threatens to break the ego. The ego's defense is to become unconscious of painful experiences. When the mind, in its limited state, prays, it is essentially the coward seeking refuge. It addresses its own highest possibility (the Self) out of fear of loss and death. The mind asks for protection *for* its current, suffering state. However, true protection is not preserving the illness but being protected *from* the illness. The speaker uses an analogy: a person with wet clothes in the cold might ask for a jacket over them for temporary relief. This is the ego's prayer. But true help would be to remove the wet clothes, the source of the problem. The speaker distinguishes between two kinds of suffering: the suffering of bondage, which is often hidden and unconscious, and the suffering on the path to liberation, which is consciously chosen. The suffering of bondage is endless, while the suffering on the path to freedom diminishes over time. Therefore, one must consciously choose the suffering that leads to liberation. A true prayer is not a desire for comfort or material gain; it is a plea to be cut down, to be freed from the self that suffers. It is a request for the courage to let go of oneself.