Acharya Prashant explains the first of the Shiva Sutras, 'Chaitanyam Atman', which translates to 'Consciousness is the self'. He emphasizes that the words of a sage like Vasugupta must be understood in a transcendental sense rather than through their dictionary meanings. He argues that what we typically call consciousness is actually an ego-centered, mechanical state filled with thoughts, fears, and attachments, which acts as a blockage to true knowing. True consciousness, or awareness, is the absence of this interference and the ability to live purely in the facts of existence without projection or imagination. Acharya Prashant posits that there are only two levels of mind: the first is the level of ego-centered imagination, and the second is the level of impersonal facts. He asserts that the second level is identical to the third level, which is the Atman or truth. Therefore, living in facts is the direct path to self-inquiry and truth. He clarifies that being present is not about the ego's effort to be there, but rather about the absence of the ego, allowing understanding to happen naturally. He describes the state of a saint as one who does not attribute personal meaning or future projections to events, simply acknowledging facts as they are. Ultimately, he suggests that self-inquiry begins with recognizing inner restlessness and suffering, and that the way out is not through methods or progress, but through the total surrender of the ego and the cessation of its constant need to do, conclude, or solve.