Acharya Prashant explains that the relationship between consciousness (Chetna) and the individual soul (Jivatma) is the same as the relationship between the 'I' and the inner world of the 'I'. The 'I' creates a world for itself and cannot exist without it. 'Jivatma' is the 'I' of a living being (Jiva). Once the 'I' asserts its existence by saying "I am," a whole world of objects is created around it, which constitutes its consciousness. The Jivatma is at the center of this consciousness. He clarifies that Jivatma should not be equated with consciousness, but rather can be called the ego (Ahamkar). The ego is an impossible union of the living being and the Self (Atma), as the Atma is inherently unattached. Because this union is impossible, the ego is considered an illusion (bhram) or falsehood (mithya), and consequently, the world it projects is also false. Acharya Prashant defines rebirth (Punarjanam) as a continuous cycle of coming and going, where the thirst to return is never quenched. This tendency is fundamental to nature (Prakriti). He uses the analogy of a river: water constantly flows, yet the river remains. There is change on the surface, but the underlying core tendency remains unchanged. Similarly, people come and go, their names and forms change, but the category of 'people' persists. This eternal nature of Prakriti is the cause of human suffering. The cycle of birth and death occurs not only at the gross level of bodies but also at the subtle level within us. One hope dies, and another is born; one path for desire closes, and another opens. This constant coming and going is the cause of our suffering. The wise seek liberation (Mukti) not from any specific object, person, or suffering, but from the very tendency to 'be' or exist. The beginning of spirituality is realizing that the 'I' we identify with is the source of our suffering and must be renounced. This 'I' or ego is an imposter that repeatedly takes rebirth. To preserve its own existence, the ego dies and is reborn again and again.