Acharya Prashant explains that immersion in the Source is the way to know the Source. The reduction of the distance between oneself and the Source is a decision that one has to make. The Source is always asking you to reduce this difference, but it is you who are adamant about not doing so. This is a call that you have to take, which can be described as responding to love. You have to decide that you want to respond. However, the speaker agrees that the decision to respond is also ultimately decided by the Source. He illustrates this with the story of Moses, who asked God where to find Him. God replied, "If I had not already met you, how would you have the desire to find me? I have already met you; it is because of my being that you desire to find me." This leads to the question of why everyone doesn't desire the Source if it has met everyone. The speaker explains this paradox as Maya (illusion). He is calling everyone, but only a few want to go. This is why Advaita (non-duality) is also called Mayavada (the doctrine of illusion). Everything is fine, yet nothing is fine. He is calling, there are no obstacles, but still, there are problems. Everything is simple, but there are many difficulties. The path to the beloved is simple, but your way of walking is crooked. This is Maya. Ultimate freedom is not in your hands as long as you believe it is in your hands, meaning as long as you have hands (rely on self-effort or 'purusharth'). You attain freedom on the day you renounce 'purusharth'. Acharya Prashant tells a story of two disciples to explain the value of self-effort. A Guru asked a disciple to read one chapter, but the disciple, in his eagerness, read five. The Guru sent him away, saying he was too capable and should learn on his own. This disciple went on to read thousands of books and returned after many years. The Guru then asked another, newer disciple what he knew. The disciple simply wrote 'Alif' (the letter 'A'), admitting he was illiterate otherwise. The Guru declared that this disciple's 'A' was more valuable than all the first disciple's knowledge, as his years of effort were insignificant in comparison. The lesson is that doing more than what the Guru prescribes is as problematic as doing less, as it shows a reliance on one's own ego. Untimely knowledge can cause great harm, just like taking more medicine than prescribed. Realization is not a process of acquiring knowledge.
