Acharya Prashant explains that the world gives great value to power and fame, but it does not know how to use them. The world uses these tools not to reach the destination, but to go further away from it. He states that while the world earns money, a spiritual seeker should also earn money, but the purpose and enterprise must be different. The world earns money to make its ego denser and to forge thicker, stronger chains for itself. In contrast, a spiritual person should earn money to create tools that can cut these chains. He emphasizes the difference between these two approaches: money is needed both to forge chains and to make a saw to cut them. The speaker clarifies that one should not say, "I am a spiritual person, what do I have to do with money?" He asserts that money is very important because, without it, one cannot acquire the saw to cut the chains. He acknowledges that not all chains are cut by a physical saw; some resources needed may be subtle and cannot be bought with money. In such cases, one should engage in subtle practices. However, he points out that most of the time, the chains are very gross, and a gross thing can only be cut by another gross thing. To cut the most unbreakable metal, one needs a diamond, which is expensive. If someone is bound by platinum chains, which are actually ornaments, one needs a diamond to cut them, and that requires money. This, he says, is the meaningful use of moneyтАФto buy the diamond that can cut another's chains. This same principle applies to fame and power. If the purpose of life is to do good for others, how can one do so if their voice does not reach them? Unlike 400 years ago when a fakir could sit under a tree and people would gather, today's world requires media to spread a message, and media costs money. Media companies are not spiritual; they are for-profit and will not promote a spiritual message for free. They will make a nonsensical picture go viral, while a profound message gets very few views. Therefore, to advance a spiritual message, one needs to spend money. The meaningful use of fame is when your name reaches someone, and along with it, the divine message reaches them, helping them attain liberation. He concludes that one should certainly acquire money, fame, and power, not for petty self-interest, but for the greater good (paramarth). It is not just the right but the duty of a right-minded person to become famous and powerful to serve their higher purpose.
