Acharya Prashant explains Swami Vivekananda's teaching that an advanced mind experiences sorrow quickly after joy. He defines an advanced mind as one that is close to realization or truth. A conscious and truthful mind recognizes the inevitable presence of sorrow within the environment of joy, whereas an unconscious mind remains submerged in ignorance and fails to perceive sorrow for a long time. This delay is not a blessing but a sign of deep unconsciousness. Divine grace manifests as the quick realization of the falseness of worldly pleasure, allowing an individual to see that the reality of such pleasure is actually pain. As one progresses further toward truth, the interval between joy and sorrow decreases until they are experienced simultaneously. At this stage of establishment in truth, one becomes equanimous, realizing that joy and sorrow are one and the same, leading to a state of Samadhi. Acharya Prashant also addresses the concept of the 'self' being an illusion. He asserts that one never just 'is' but is always 'something'—a collection of identities and labels. To understand the illusory nature of the self, one must test these identities against the criteria of truth: that which is real must be eternal, unchanging, and beyond the influence of time or the world. Since human identities are fragmented, trembling, and temporary, they are revealed as illusions through courageous self-inquiry.
