Acharya Prashant explains that the mind is all and everything. The purpose of prayer is to nourish the right and auspicious parts of the mind. The mind is both the highest and the lowest; it can take itself higher and higher, or lower and lower. In this context, "gods" refer to the forces inside the mind itself that offer it ascension and an upward propulsion. Conversely, "demons" (Danavs) refer to the forces within the mind that cause it to sink into all kinds of depravities and perversions. Both these forces, the gods and the demons, reside entirely within the mind. He references a famous verse from the Amritabindu Upanishad which states that the mind is its own best friend and its own worst enemy. This implies that one's best friend and worst enemy are not outside but within oneself. The reason gods and demons have diverse names is that there are various kinds of forces within that can either help or drown a person. There is no god existing somewhere outside; prayer is essentially a reminder to oneself, an encouragement, a monologue, or a pep talk. For instance, the prayer, "O Gods, may we hear what is auspicious," should be understood as, "May I hear what is auspicious," because the gods are not external entities. It is a reminder to oneself to be careful and listen only to what is auspicious. This understanding places responsibility at the center of genuine spirituality. You are responsible for what you have become and what you will become. The speaker criticizes the popular version of religion that fosters a sense of helplessness, which is an attempt to evade responsibility. While one's power over the external world is limited, one has infinite power over their inner world. The one you love must be worthy of worship, and the one you worship, you must be in love with. If you are in love with the sky (the highest), you will rise in love, not fall in love. Love, in most cases, is not an enabler but a disabling influence because people are indiscriminate in their loving.
