Acharya Prashant addresses the students' complaints about their lives being like a boat tossed by waves. He tells them that if they are sleeping, they should not complain that their boat is constantly buffeted by waves. He explains that it is the nature of the waves to do so. However, if they were awake, they would be the captain of their ship. The same waves, the same teachers, and the same parents could become a help. The problem does not lie with society, teachers, or parents; it lies with the individual who is asleep. He urges the students to find out what is keeping them intoxicated and asleep. He identifies this as all the garbage they carry in their minds, such as their identities, friends, social media, and the marks they have obtained. He advises them to get rid of this garbage, and then they will be the captain of their ship. He encourages them to promote everything in their life that keeps them attentive and to get rid of forces that pull them into darkness, even if those forces carry fancy name tags of attachments or relationships. To illustrate his point, he uses the example of Karna and Arjuna from the Mahabharata. Both were great archers, but the essential difference was their charioteer. Arjuna's charioteer was Shri Krishna, who was ready with the Gita when Arjuna had moments of doubt. In contrast, Karna's charioteer was Shalya, who was a bad influence and kept implanting doubts in Karna's mind. He advises the students to choose their friends wisely, like Arjuna chose Shri Krishna. He asks them to see what their friends push them towards, whether it is towards awareness or something else. He also brings up the example of Bhagat Singh, who, at a very young age, had a profound philosophical understanding and a love for freedom. His fight was not just for a piece of land but for freedom in general. His patriotism was not tied to real estate. Acharya Prashant points out that freedom or slavery is in the mind and must be tackled at that level. He concludes by saying that freedom is not merely about changing the flag; as long as we are what we are, we cannot be free.
