Acharya Prashant explains that Vedanta is not a philosophy in the Western sense but a fundamental inquiry into one's own nature and the nature of the mind. This inquiry arises from a sense of discontentment and the realization that something is amiss in one's life. He describes the 'I' or the ego as a fluctuating entity influenced by various situations and identities. Because every individual's current location and situation are unique, sages and teachers throughout history have presented Vedantic truths in different ways to address the specific needs of their time and to checkmate the ego's tendency to co-opt and distort spiritual teachings for its own reinforcement.