Acharya Prashant addresses the misconception that words or specific images can lead a person to silence or truth. He explains that while some images might appear better than others, the idea that words act as a bridge to silence is a childish conclusion. True understanding is beyond the mind and the senses; it is not something that can be explained through logic or stories. He emphasizes that those who try to find truth in the world or a guru in a physical person are mistaken. Real presence occurs when one sits without reason, logic, or the desire to name the process. If one relies on arguments or the feeling of peace as a justification for being present, they are simply experiencing another failure in perception. He further clarifies that silence is not of this world, whereas words are. Therefore, words cannot truly take one to silence. The listener perceives a connection between words and silence only because they are currently living in a mental state where they can only process gross information like speech. Acharya Prashant points out that joy and truth exist even when he is not speaking, but the listener lacks the 'receiver' to perceive them without verbal expression. As one progresses from the gross to the subtle, they begin to understand the guru's presence without the need for speech. Eventually, a state is reached where there is only silence, and the need for words, bodies, or external presence disappears entirely, leaving only the self and the truth.
