Acharya Prashant begins by reciting a verse from the Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter 3, Part 15, Verse 1), which describes a chest, or 'kosh'. This chest has the sky for its circumference, the earth for its bottom, the quarters for its sides, and heaven as its lid. The verse states that this chest does not decay and is a container of treasures, for in it rests the whole universe. Acharya Prashant explains that this is a very poetic expression of the Truth. The sages are describing a vast, infinite chest that contains all treasures. To convey its infinitude, they use the most expansive material symbols known to man: the earth as the bottom, the sky as the circumference, and heaven as the lid. The speaker elaborates that this is the work of a poet trying to help the mind conceive of a particular vastness that contains the richness of everything. The sages use material symbols because all symbols must be material, but what they symbolize is beyond the material. The purpose of such a verse is to stun the mind, to present it with something it cannot comprehend or reconcile with its usual logic. The mind cannot coexist with this verse; it cannot come to terms with it. However, if one has faith (shraddha), one will not dismiss the verse. The mind cannot dismiss it either, so the only option left for the mind is to dismiss itself, which is the verse's true intent. Acharya Prashant advises that for the mind to dismiss itself continuously, the 'beyond' must remain continuously important. He describes a process of managing two things together: your day-to-day work in the foreground and your real work, the remembrance of Truth, in the background. If the real thing in the background is held as important, it will guide, nurture, and command the foreground. This requires developing a habit of right behavior towards the important thing. When you know something is important, you behave in a certain way towards it. Conversely, if you frequently forget, then you must keep behaving rightly, and the remembrance of importance will come from that right behavior. This is why rituals exist, to constantly remind you of the importance of the real. You must create an ecosystem that continuously reminds you of the Truth and be watchful of the risk of forgetfulness.
