Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why humans are in the universe by challenging the assumption that the universe exists as an objective reality independent of the observer. He explains that what we perceive as the universe is a result of sensory data processed by the brain. Since the brain itself is a product of the universe and evolution, the relationship between the brain and the universe is a closed loop. The universe is essentially a projection of the brain; if the brain's configuration changes, the perceived universe changes accordingly. Therefore, the universe has no independent reality outside of the brain's interpretation. He further explains that the observer and the observed, or the brain and the universe, are like two sides of the same coin. They appear separate but are always together in a subject-object duality. Acharya Prashant suggests that the true self is neither the brain nor the projected universe, but the intelligence that can observe both. Rather than being a small entity within a vast universe, it is more accurate to say that the universe exists within the observer. He encourages the listener to realize their position as the intelligence that witnesses both the mind and the external world.
