Acharya Prashant explains the deep meaning of the Durga Saptashati, starting with a story about a king and a merchant who, despite being betrayed by their loved ones, still feel sorrow for them. The king asks a sage what this illusion (Maya) is, and the sage replies that this is indeed Maya, the great illusion (Mahamaya). The speaker elaborates that Mahamaya is a force that makes one commit sins even with the knowledge of wrongdoing and makes one foolish even when aware of being fooled. This illusion resides so deeply in the body that even the body of God is not exempt from it. The speaker states that whatever is born from the body is called a demon (Asur); the filth of the body is called a demon. Therefore, one must be cautious of the body. He explains that the Durga Saptashati has the power to make even an animal conscious. He draws a parallel between the Bhagavad Gita and the Durga Saptashati, noting both have 700 verses. The Gita is about knowledge (Gyan), spoken from the perspective of Consciousness (Purush), and deals with the ultimate goal (Upasya, Sadhya), which is Brahman. In contrast, the Durga Saptashati is about Nature (Prakriti) and represents the means (Upay, Sadhan) to reach that goal. To reach the goal, one needs the means. The speaker explains that the Durga Saptashati is divided into three characters based on the three qualities (gunas) of nature. The first character is about Tamogun (inertia/darkness), represented by Mahakali and the slaying of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. The second character is about Rajogun (passion/activity), represented by Mahalakshmi (also known as Mahadurga) and the slaying of Mahishasur. The third character is about Sattvagun (purity/goodness), represented by Mahasaraswati and the slaying of Shumbha and Nishumbha. He delves into the symbolism, explaining that the story of the king and the merchant illustrates how, despite knowing the truth, they are still afflicted by sorrow and attachment because their wisdom is veiled by their animalistic nature. The entire discourse is for the embodied being (dehi), as Maya resides in the body. He points out that even God's body is not immune, citing the story of the demons Madhu and Kaitabha being born from the earwax of a sleeping Lord Vishnu. This signifies that the demons born from one's own body attack one's divinity (Brahma). The speaker quotes Kabir Saheb, "I tell you to stay awake, but you go to sleep. I tell you to be detached, but you are attached to me." The speaker concludes that praising the Mother (Prakriti) means not blaming nature or circumstances for one's suffering but taking responsibility and seeing one's own faults. Self-knowledge is the real worship during Navratri. The Mother is the giver of liberation, but one turns her into the giver of death through ignorance. The path to liberation is through understanding oneself, which is the true vision of the Mother.