Acharya Prashant explains that birth and death are concepts that exist only for the ego. While nature is in a constant state of flux, changing forms through the movement of matter, it does not truly experience birth or death. These terms arise when a subject, the ego, identifies with a particular form in nature. When the ego attaches itself to an object, the appearance of that object is labeled as birth, and its disappearance or transformation is labeled as death. Without the ego, there is only the continuous movement and transformation of nature, similar to the rising and falling of waves in the ocean. Regarding self-knowledge, Acharya Prashant clarifies that it is not something achieved after the ego is destroyed. Rather, self-knowledge is the process of the ego observing and understanding itself. It is the application of the ego's intelligence and capacity to know toward its own nature. He describes self-knowledge as a profound realization where the ego's claims of being a conscious, independent entity are scrutinized. When the ego truly sees its own mechanics, it realizes it has no independent existence, leading to a state of liberation from the cycle of suffering. He further distinguishes between different types of actions: inaction, desire-driven action, and desireless action. Inaction is the state of inert objects that have no ego and thus no claim over their movements. Desire-driven action involves the ego making claims of doership and seeking satisfaction from the world, which inevitably leads to suffering. Desireless action is not something one plans or performs; it is the natural outcome of the ego reaching a purified state. A person in this state does not consciously try to be desireless; their actions simply become free from personal craving and the burden of doership.
