Acharya Prashant explains that religion was originally intended to uplift individuals, but it has increasingly become a tool for those who refuse to improve themselves. He observes that many people who lack worth or recognition in society adopt a religious identity to gain unearned power and respect. This trend is dangerous because it fills the religious sphere with individuals who seek status without undergoing any inner transformation. He emphasizes that the sole purpose of pure religion and spirituality is the purification of the mind and liberation from suffering. Therefore, any religious act should be evaluated based on whether it cleanses the mind; if it does not, it should be abandoned immediately. He further clarifies the profound distinction between 'Shankar' and 'Shiva'. While Shankar is a character with a family and stories found in the Puranas, representing the highest peak of human imagination and thought, Shiva is the ultimate truth, the formless soul, and the infinite light. Shiva is not a person or a physical being residing on a mountain; rather, Shiva is the state of thoughtlessness and the open sky where the mind dissolves. Acharya Prashant critiques the trivialization of Shiva through romanticized imagery and the association of divinity with intoxication and rowdy behavior. He asserts that true devotion requires living in 'Shivattva' (the essence of Shiva) and warns that humanity's survival depends on pure religiosity, rather than the distorted versions currently seen in society.