Acharya Prashant explains that as long as the 'self' or the 'I' exists, life cannot and should not be purposeless. He compares the state of the ego to a person suffering from a high fever; just as a sick person must have the burning purpose of getting well, an individual must have the purpose of curing the fundamental disease of the 'I'. Claiming to be purposeless while still being identified with the ego is either self-deception or a form of self-torture. True purposelessness is only possible for one who has reached a state of total innocence and blemishlessness. If one attempts to be purposeless before reaching the peak of spiritual realization, they will simply remain stuck in a wrong state and lose the opportunity to progress. He emphasizes that having a purpose makes time valuable. Those who claim to have no purpose tend to waste time, whereas a seeker must be vigilant because the clock is ticking and the journey is long. As one progresses, purposes will naturally change and eventually dissolve, but one must not prematurely discard purpose while the ego remains. For those who are not yet innocent, the default purposes are supplied by the body and its biological instincts. The body and the mind constantly command the individual to act based on deep-seated tendencies and self-preservation. Acharya Prashant suggests that the immediate spiritual purpose should be to go against these default biological commands. Instead of blindly following every thought or physical urge, one should question them. He describes the mind as a 'Miyan' (a character) that wanders off into imagination, desire, and fantasy without permission. The goal is not to kill the body or mind but to interrogate them constantly. By asking, 'Where are you going and what are your intentions?', the seeker stops being a slave to instincts. Eventually, when the mind is questioned and understood, it ceases to be a master and becomes a servant, allowing the seeker to move toward true liberation.
