Acharya Prashant addresses the question of reconciling worldly duties with spiritual teachings by first correcting the framework of the question. He explains that it is not as if the body, this birth, the mind, or the intellect do not matter. The real question is, to whom do they matter and to what end? The body, sharpness of mind, and resources are indeed important, but their importance is directed towards the fulfillment and liberation of the one who is entangled, puzzled, and unfulfilled—the ego. These are all available resources that are to be used, and if they are used rightly, they are very important. The speaker clarifies that when it is said these things are not important, it means they do not hold any importance as an end in themselves. If the body is not being used for the purpose of the ego's liberation, then all the time and resources spent on it are a wastage. The central problem is the human condition, which stems from a realization of sorrow. Therefore, whatever is not directed towards addressing that sorrow is a wastage. For instance, if one is feeling unwell within and chooses to watch a football match or gossip, that is a wastage because it brings no real good. The need for this 'good' is not a moral imperative but a practical requirement arising from one's own self-experienced condition of unease. Acharya Prashant states that the rightness or wrongness of an action is not decided by precedents, social acceptability, or even scriptural acceptability. It is decided by a single factor: whether it brings fulfillment and liberation to you. If it does, it is great and right. If it does not, it is worthless, no matter how decorated it is with gold and jewels. He quotes the Buddha, who said, "The truth is that which is useful." There are no absolute do's and don'ts, and no examples or directives hold unconditional importance, as every person is a unique piece of chemistry. If something genuinely fulfills you, Vedanta attests to it. This approach, he cautions, requires deep self-observation and honesty. Vedanta is complete freedom, and choice is central. One is free to do whatever it takes to be liberated, and that is one's sole responsibility towards oneself and the universe. However, the major risk in this path is dishonesty, as one can be tempted by convenience or pleasure and then falsely declare that it brings fulfillment. Since you are your own judge, the odds are that you will be biased. Therefore, this path demands either strict inner honesty or a very trenchant disillusionment and a bitter sense of rebellion against one's own condition, such that one cannot afford to be dishonest.
