Acharya Prashant explains the concept of the four forms of 'Ram' as described by Kabir Saheb, correlating them with the Vedantic understanding of the three bodies and the Soul. The first Ram represents the physical body (Sthula Sharira), which is visible and mortal. The second Ram resides within every being as the subtle body (Sukshma Sharira), representing consciousness, thoughts, and desires. The third Ram is the causal body (Karana Sharira), the root ego or 'Aham-vritti' that expands into the entire universe. The fourth Ram is the Soul (Atma), which is distinct, transcendental, and the ultimate truth. He clarifies that while Shri Krishna speaks of Prakriti, the individual soul (Jivatma), and the Supreme Soul (Purushottama), these are essentially the same layers of existence described by Kabir Saheb. Life is described as a journey from the grossest form of existence to the ultimate truth. Acharya Prashant notes that humans are born in a state of maximum distance from the truth, identified primarily with the physical body, much like animals. The journey involves progressing from physical identification to becoming a thinker (intellectual stage), then a seeker (Sadhak) who investigates the source of thoughts, and finally reaching the fourth stage through grace. He emphasizes that the fourth stage cannot be 'attained' by the ego because the ego must dissolve for the truth to be realized. This dissolution is not a conventional union or 'Yoga' where two entities merge, but rather the disappearance of the false (ego) in the presence of the true (Soul). Addressing the nature of the 'Jivatma', Acharya Prashant asserts that it is not a separate eternal entity but rather the ego's own misconception of itself as the Soul. The ego, being a part of Prakriti, remains bound by time and seeks fulfillment through the consumption of the material world. He explains that the sense of incompleteness and the constant urge to acquire or experience is the hallmark of the ego. The ultimate purpose of human life is to recognize and systematically discard these falsehoods to uncover the door to the Truth. He concludes that this process is not merely philosophical but the only practical and authentic way to live, as everyone is born into the 'palace of lies' and must find the exit.
