A questioner asks Acharya Prashant about the meaning behind the 13-day mourning rituals and the Garuda Purana, which she finds illogical and disturbing. She mentions that when she questions these practices, she is told that the soul (atma) remains attached and takes 13 days to depart, or that these are matters of a different dimension that she cannot understand. Acharya Prashant responds by stating that the fundamental truth is one, not two. The core of the Vedic religion is Vedanta, as found in the Upanishads. The Vedas themselves declare Vedanta as their pinnacle. Therefore, any religious statement or ritual that contradicts the Upanishads must be considered untrue. He asserts that the misuse of the word 'Atma' is the primary cause of India's spiritual decline. 'Atma' is not a 'soul' that transmigrates; it is the ultimate, infinite, and unchangeable reality. The stories about the soul wandering are misleading and have been used to exploit people's fears. He explains that if we were an awakened society, there would be a penalty for misusing the word 'Atma'. He clarifies that the Puranas, while containing some wisdom, also have much that is meaningless. Vedanta is the key to interpreting them correctly, and anything in the Puranas that goes against Vedanta should be rejected. The religion is Vedic, not Puranic. He explains that the body itself is a form of consciousness. Life and death are merely different states of the body and consciousness; nothing external enters or leaves. The body is Prakriti (nature), and consciousness is its child. The ultimate aim of consciousness is to become infinite, which is called 'Atma'. Acharya Prashant explains that the concept of '84 lakh yonis' (8.4 million species) is a metaphor for the mind's infinite states and tendencies, not literal rebirths into different animals. For instance, when you are fearful, you are in the rabbit 'yoni'; when you are cunning, you are in the jackal 'yoni'. This change of 'yoni' happens every moment. Regarding the teaching to remember Krishna at the time of death, he explains that the mind's 'death' is its attachment to the perishable, which occurs constantly. Remembering Krishna, who represents the eternal and unchangeable Brahman, saves one from this continuous 'death' by preventing attachment to the transient world.