Acharya Prashant explains that one's deepest identity is safe, secure, and inviolable, yet individuals possess the unfortunate power to choose something other than their real identity. This choice to not take refuge in the real self is the source of shame and suffering. He emphasizes that any concept or belief one holds takes them away from what they truly are. Using the analogy of a leaf and its roots, he suggests that the life juice flowing within is the proof of the source, and applying intellect or memory to create a model of the roots only burdens the individual. He asserts that a silent mind is the final proof of divinity and the Atman itself. The mind's tendency to wander, explore, and search for divinity actually leads it away from the truth. He warns that the more concepts one has about holiness, the more they will be starved of it. He illustrates this with a story about a man who ignores his beloved's calls while keeping her photo as a screensaver, likening this to how people carry images and concepts of God instead of being present to the actual call of the divine. He concludes by advising to drop all images and paradigms to avoid losing out on the ultimate reality.
