Acharya Prashant addresses the question of how to find the strength to live amidst the pain of losing loved ones and the feeling of injustice, questioning, "What was our fault?" He explains that these two issues—the pain and the question of fault—are deeply interconnected. The more we feel that what happened was our fault, the more our inner pain increases. He clarifies that there is the pain of the illness, the pain of the loss, and the pain of losing loved ones, but a very significant part of the pain comes from the feeling that what happened was wrong and unjust. He explains that birth, lifespan, death, disease, man, woman, animals, birds, bacteria, and viruses all fall within the domain of Prakriti (Nature). Prakriti operates like a cycle or a system, much like a machine. It is not concerned with individuals but with species and the collective. Prakriti does not consider how different individuals are in terms of their consciousness or goodness. For example, a lion will prey on any human, regardless of their character. Similarly, a virus will infect a Buddha and a fool equally. Prakriti does not give any special importance to a particular individual. From Nature's perspective, whether it's a Buddha or a fool, both are nearly the same; it will give both two eyes. A virus will make both equally sick. Both will be born through the same process and will attain physical death through the same process. Nature makes no distinction. Acharya Prashant states that the core of Indian philosophy is to understand the distinction between Prakriti (Nature) and Purusha (Consciousness). We are not just the body; we are consciousness. The body belongs to Prakriti, also called Maya, and she will take it back without our permission, just as she gave it. He further explains the concept of collective karma, stating that we suffer not only for our individual actions but also for the collective actions of the entire human race. Prakriti does not see individuals; it sees the group, the species. Therefore, you will not only bear the consequences of your actions as an individual but also everything that the entire human race has done. This is why the wise have a responsibility to teach the ignorant and stop them from doing wrong, because the consequences of their actions will be borne by the wise as well. The current pandemic is a result of humanity's collective actions and our destructive way of life. The solution is to live in consciousness, not just in the body-consciousness, and to understand that life is more than just physical demands.
