Acharya Prashant explains the different levels of human existence and perception, categorizing them into the practical, the imaginary, and the ultimate. He describes the practical or empirical level as the world of facts where the ego resides in relation to the physical body and the external world. In this realm, a healthy relationship with facts is possible, and the resolution of suffering can begin through investigation. However, the ego often descends into an imaginary or illusionary level, which he characterizes as an unrestrained or intoxicated state of the ego. At this lower level, the ego ignores facts and creates fantasies of an individual soul that exists independently of the body, along with various other realms like heaven and hell. He critiques the common religious concept of the individual soul as a deceptive attempt by the ego to achieve immortality without undergoing its own dissolution. While the ultimate Self is truly immortal, the ego fears death and invents the individual soul as a way to persist after the body perishes. This confusion in popular religion has led to the degradation of the highest spiritual truth, effectively turning the concept of the Self into something akin to a ghost. He emphasizes that the ultimate truth cannot be reached through imagination or effort but reveals itself when one remains firmly grounded in facts and honest self-inquiry. The speaker highlights that animals are limited to the practical realm and lack the imagination to fall into illusionary beliefs. Humans, however, possess the power of choice and imagination, which they often misuse to prioritize fantasies over reality. He references the teachings of Kabir Saheb to explain that the only true realm is the City of Immortality, where the observer and the observed become one in non-duality. He concludes that one should focus on investigating facts—both the external world and the internal ego—as this is the only reliable path toward the ultimate truth.