Acharya Prashant responds to a question about why the 'game' of Maya (illusion) and human nature exists. He corrects the question, stating that one should not ask 'why' the game is happening, but 'for whom' it is happening. The game, he explains, is ongoing for those who are interested in it, who see meaning in it, and who are attached to it. For a person who is sorted out, there is no game. If you ask such a person, they will respond, 'What game?' The belief that the game is happening for everyone is an egoistic projection, a thought that 'if it is happening for me, it must be happening for everyone.' He illustrates this with an analogy: if a person with broken glasses sees a gourd as a banana, their question, 'Why are there bananas here?' reveals their ego. A more humble question would be, 'Is this really a banana, or is it just for me?' Then, others could clarify that it is a gourd. Similarly, one should first ask, 'Is this game even real?' The answer is that there is no game. It is a creation of your own making. The idea that someone 'up there' has created it is false; there is no one up there. It is all your own doing. The game is happening because of your interest in it. You have created the game, and then you ask why it is happening. It is happening because you created it. If you had not created it, it would not be happening. Addressing a follow-up question about dealing with seemingly unsolvable problems due to personal limitations, Acharya Prashant clarifies that situations are just situations. They become 'problems' only in relation to you, when you are at odds with them. A situation becomes an undesirable and adverse one when it does not serve your self-interests; otherwise, it is just a situation, not a problem. Therefore, you must examine your relationship with the situation. It may be necessary to work hard to change the situation, or you might realize that getting entangled with it only protects your ego. In that case, you should stop considering it a problem. The final decision should be based on what is conducive to your liberation (mukti). Liberation can lie in either fighting the situation or ignoring it and focusing on your inner state. The ultimate decision must be based on what is right for you, what leads to your liberation. He uses a cricket analogy to explain the folly of giving up, such as through suicide. It is like getting 'hit-wicket' intentionally. You were going to get out eventually, but by getting out early, you lose the opportunity to even try. The one who doesn't give up retains the possibility of winning and gets the satisfaction of having tried. He concludes by reiterating that we are as we are, and the only thing in our hands is to strive to become better. The struggle against the mind and body is constant, and one must keep working on oneself.
