Acharya Prashant explains a verse from the Uttar Gita, which states that the actions a person performs to increase their lifespan and fame become the cause of their rebirth. When these actions bear their fruit and diminish, the person's lifespan also decreases. In this state, they start performing contrary actions, and as the time of destruction approaches, their intellect becomes perverted. Acharya Prashant begins by asking, "What is the body?" and "What is the relationship of the ego-tendency with the body?" He explains that the body is born in nature, just like all animals, trees, and fruits. All these beings have a lifespan, after which they depart, leaving behind similar beings. For instance, a fruit leaves behind other trees. Man is slightly different in nature because the element of ego is predominantly found in him. It is as if nature itself is seeking liberation through human consciousness. Birth is not just of the body; with birth, the ego-tendency becomes attached to the body. Bodies come and go, but the ego-tendency remains. This is why, in the same chapter, the 'Jiva' (individual soul) is called eternal. In nature, beings come and go, but nature itself is eternal. The ego-tendency is connected to all beings, continuously and sequentially. Beings come and go, but the ego-tendency remains. He points out that the commonality among all people is that everyone says "I." What comes after "I" might differ (e.g., I am a man, I am a woman), but the "I" is constant. Whatever is said after "I" is related to the body and will die, but the "I" remains. This "I" is not the Atman (Self); it is the Jiva, the ego-tendency. He equates "I," the fundamental egoism, and the Jivatma (individual soul), stating that none of these are the Truth or the Atman. They are related to nature, Maya, and ignorance. Just as Maya and nature are beginningless, so is the ego-tendency eternal. The ego-tendency is as if the Atman has playfully forgotten itself. It is the Atman but considers itself something else. Because it has forgotten the Atman, it is restless, like someone who has left home and forgotten the way back, seeking refuge everywhere. The two places it seeks refuge, as mentioned in the verse, are lifespan and fame. The restless ego thinks its unease will be removed by a long life and high fame. To get a long life, one must hold on to a body; to get fame, one must hold on to society. This is why the Jiva is bound to the body and society, engaging in actions to increase lifespan and fame. Acharya Prashant explains that the way to determine right and wrong actions is to see what is truly necessary for you. The action that leads you towards peace is the right action, while the one that deepens your restlessness is the wrong action. He describes the concept of "inverted intellect" (viparit buddhi) as the intellect that blames others for its own suffering but takes responsibility for its own pleasure. This is the common, worldly, destructive intellect. A spiritual person, on the other hand, knows they are responsible for their own sorrows. Their duty is to stop creating more sorrow and not to nurture old ones. However, the responsibility for attaining bliss is not theirs. Bliss is a great thing that cannot be achieved by one's own doing. When one is ready and gives up the insistence on holding onto sorrow, bliss reveals itself. The duty or dharma is to eliminate falsehood, not to attain Truth. The ego created the falsehood, and it can only cut away that falsehood. Truth was not created by the ego, so the ego cannot attain it.