Acharya Prashant explains that the individual soul (Jivatma) becomes associated with certain things and takes on their form accordingly. He clarifies that only the soul (Atma) is internal, while all qualities (gunas) exist in nature (Prakriti), which is external. The Jivatma takes its form according to the qualities it has chosen. These qualities are not received by chance; they are selected through one's actions (karma). This is why it is said that if you do a certain thing, you will become that thing in the next life. For example, if you eat a lot of sugar, you will become an ant. While you will not literally become an ant, the statement has substance. Your current situation is a result of your own actions and choices. This statement, while placing the blame on you, also gives you immense power. The more it is proven that your choice was bringing you down, the more it is also proven that your choice can lift you up. You do not need to depend on anyone else, neither on coincidence, nor on fate, nor on any other external circumstance. If your own choice brought you down, you can also rise up through your own actions. Therefore, action (karma) is very important, and behind the action is your resolve (sankalp). Whatever you are getting is from your own karma. The rishis are repeatedly explaining this. Some people say that religion and fatalism go hand in hand, and in the name of religion, they ask about their fate from astrologers. Here, it is being clearly stated that whatever is happening is your own resolve and choice. You have complete freedom to do whatever you want, even foolishness. You are free to choose bondage. We are so foolish that when we get the freedom to choose, we choose a jail. But since the jail was chosen in freedom, the freedom to get out of it also exists, even from within the jail. The ego moves in two ways: subtle (thought) and gross (action). Thinking is subtle action, and action is gross thought. They are on the same plane, differing only in visibility and magnitude. Everyone who takes a body does so as a punishment, because they have to pay for their actions. The rishis say it is possible for someone to be in jail because the jail can only be broken from within. It is not that people are inside the jail; the reality is that the jail is inside people. First, the jail comes within us, then the jail becomes visible outside. It is an internal matter. There are two ways to live in this prison: one is to be intoxicated and unconscious, engaging in foolishness, and the other is to slowly move towards the door. You have to decide how you want to live.