Acharya Prashant clarifies the concept of Shabda Yoga, explaining that it is not a traditional method to achieve union, as true union or 'Yoga' is our inherent state and cannot be attained through external means. He describes Shabda Yoga as the process of using the very mediums through which bondage enters—words and sensory perceptions—to recognize the nature of that bondage. It is not about gaining something new but about seeing what is already happening with such clarity that the illusions of incompleteness and fragmentation are dissolved. He emphasizes that the sense of being broken or separated from the Truth is merely a delusion, and Shabda Yoga serves to expose the futility of the words and influences that create this false sense of 'A-yoga' or disunity. He further explains that no word can provide liberation or represent the absolute Truth, as words are inherently limited and external. However, a word can be used to negate the false claims of other words, acting as a tool to reveal that what we consider 'Truth' in the material world is actually false. Acharya Prashant suggests that Shabda Yoga should be understood in a broader sense as 'Jeevan Yoga' or the Yoga of Life. This involves observing life's events and influences so keenly that their lack of substance becomes apparent. He asserts that Truth is not something to be found elsewhere; rather, it is the light by which we recognize the false as false. By seeing life as it is, without the filters of past conditioning or the desire to reach a destination, one realizes that the liberation they seek is already present within them.
