Acharya Prashant begins by stating that people have made various things their duty which are, in fact, meaningless. He gives examples such as lamenting, "I couldn't be a good father," "I couldn't be a good daughter," or "I couldn't be a good mother." He compares this to a naughty child running on a moving train, thinking that his running is what is taking him to the destination. The child believes, "It is because I am running that I am reaching the destination." We are like that child, running on a moving train. The speaker emphasizes the difficulty of being silent, not just with the lips but also with the mind. To quiet the mind becomes almost impossible. He quotes a line, "Speak a little softly, someone might be listening to the heartbeats," to illustrate the need for gentleness and not forcing things in life. This means no jostling with life, no forced entry into anyone's life, and not allowing anyone to force their way into your own life. One should come as if they never came and leave as if they were never there. The relationship should be simple, like that of the sea and the shore. Acharya Prashant then explains the concept of 'Akarta' or the non-doer, stating that for an action to happen, a doer is not needed. However, our common belief is, "If I don't do it, how will it happen?" or "If I don't control it, things will become chaotic." We place a great value on our 'doing' and use everyday experiences, like driving a car, as proof. This very assumption is the starting point of the problem and where the story of self-knowledge begins. The story starts with the notion, "It is my desire, so it is my duty to fulfill it." The speaker challenges this by asking if fulfilling desires truly brings peace. The fundamental desire is for peace, and we mistakenly believe that fulfilling desires is the path to it. The relationship between desire fulfillment and personal fulfillment is weak and often counterproductive. He points out that the story of a worldly person starts with desire, but the story of a wise person starts by looking behind the desire, at the desire for peace itself. This desire for peace comes from the restless ego. The ego is like a painful scream, while the wise person is either silent or a gentle hum. The greatest contribution one can make to the world is to be absent, to let go of the doer-ego. He concludes by quoting the Heart Sutra, "Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha," explaining it as a lesson for the ego to go, go, go so far away that even its memory is turned to ashes.
