Acharya Prashant explains that true religion is fundamentally about inquiry and knowing rather than blind belief. He argues that belief is an evolutionary trait that served practical survival purposes for early humans because it was energy efficient and required no intellectual effort. However, he asserts that this reliance on belief is a primary source of human suffering. True wisdom, as found in Vedanta and the Upanishads, involves a stubborn refusal to accept anything without scrutiny, a process known as negation or neti neti. He emphasizes that a teacher's role is not to provide beliefs but to help the seeker question them. He clarifies the concept of astikta, stating it is not about believing in God but about realizing that truth exists beyond one's personal experience and ego. He criticizes modern religion for often becoming a form of mass hysteria or sycophancy where people use rituals and imaginary deities to escape personal responsibility. According to him, a lack of love for the living truth results in the creation of distant, imaginary gods. True devotion or Bhakti is surrendering only to the absolute truth, which requires a rebellion against all false concepts and second-hand knowledge. Addressing the role of scriptures, Acharya Prashant emphasizes that works like the Bhagavad Gita are philosophical treatises meant for liberation, not mere stories or history. He argues that for knowledge to be authentic, it must be verifiable and falsifiable. He dismisses the importance of historicity in religious figures like Shri Krishna or Shri Ram, suggesting that the wisdom contained in the message is what truly matters. He concludes that religion must be a tool for the upliftment of life in the present moment, and that the struggle for truth is far superior to the happiness derived from irresponsible belief.
