Acharya Prashant distinguishes between Brahman and Ishvara, explaining that Brahman is the absolute truth, attribute-less, and a non-doer, relevant only to those who perceive the world as an illusion. In contrast, Ishvara is the principle that creates and governs the world for those who consider the world real. Pure non-duality implies that Brahman alone exists, making worship impossible since worship requires a duality between the seeker and the sought. He explains the roles of the Trinity: Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the sustainer, and Shiva as the destroyer. Shiva holds a unique position because dissolution leads back to Brahman. Avatars like Shri Krishna and Shri Rama are seen as manifestations of Vishnu's sustaining power, embodying virtues like compassion and justice to help humanity. Deities and idols serve as symbols for various natural and psychological forces, designed for those who cannot yet grasp the formless. Regarding Puranic stories, Acharya Prashant categorizes them into those with deep symbolic meaning and those that are mere imagination. For instance, the story of Shri Krishna showing the universe in his mouth symbolizes how every individual ego creates its own subjective world. He emphasizes that true spiritual practice requires the dissolution of these individual worlds to achieve unity. He concludes that while rituals and stories are tools to elevate consciousness, they must be grounded in the core philosophy of Vedanta to avoid becoming mere superstition.
