Acharya Prashant explains the rightful place and function of self-knowledge in the mind, specifically referencing the Ashtavakra Gita. He clarifies that while technical knowledge of the world is necessary for daily functioning, self-knowledge serves a different purpose: it should act as a fire that burns away previously accumulated knowledge and identities. The only valid use of spiritual knowledge or a guru's teachings is to liberate the individual from old beliefs without substituting them with new ones. He emphasizes that if a book or a teacher merely adds more information or cements a particular identity, it becomes a liability and a burden. True knowledge is unique because it makes old knowledge disappear and then disappears itself, leaving behind a vast emptiness and silence. Acharya Prashant advises that the mark of a worthy teaching is that it makes the seeker feel lighter and relieved of burdens, rather than adding more to an already burdened mind. Ultimately, even the notion that 'nothing is' must be cleared away, as it too is a form of accumulated knowledge.
