Acharya Prashant explains that the power mentioned in the scriptures refers to human free will, choice, and doership. He asserts that man is a creature of choice who constantly exercises his freedom to decide and pick. This capacity to choose is the nature of the ego, which cannot exist without making choices. The speaker emphasizes that the power to choose the truth or God lies entirely with the individual. One's free will can serve as a savior or a bane, depending on whether it is applied rightly toward the truth or invested in darkness. He argues that even the existence of the absolute or the possibility of liberation depends on the individual's choice, as there is no absolute frame of reference outside of our own perception. Life is described as the sum total of one's choices, and daily experiences are direct manifestations of who a person is rather than a pre-scripted destiny. Acharya Prashant clarifies that if one suffers or is deluded, it is because they have chosen that state. He uses the analogy of a person throwing themselves in front of a train to illustrate that we often blame external circumstances for consequences we have invited through our own decisions. He challenges the notion that 'man proposes and God disposes,' suggesting instead that God is a perpetual lover in waiting who proposes, while man is the one who disposes or dismisses. The teacher acts only as a petitioner, while the individual remains the judge who decides whether to understand or remain in ignorance. Addressing the issue of being triggered by anger or hatred, Acharya Prashant explains that these reactions are not mere happenings but sovereign decisions of the subject. He notes that people often describe their reactions to events rather than the events themselves because the experiencer decides the experience. Even if choices are made unconsciously, such as during 'sleepwalking' or in dreams, the responsibility remains with the individual because they are the ones who suffer the consequences. He concludes that since the pain and the life belong to the individual, the responsibility to inquire into one's being and avoid hurt is entirely theirs.
