Acharya Prashant addresses the question of what happiness is by first explaining that the questioner is the ego-self, which lives in its own small, dualistic world. In this world, the ego experiences happiness and sorrow, or pleasure and pain. The ego knows nothing beyond this duality. Therefore, when the questioner asks about happiness, they are asking about the highest state of experience they can conceive, which they call 'sukh' or happiness. The speaker notes that the questioner has disclosed that they consider happiness to be the most important, special, and coveted state possible. Acharya Prashant explains the approach of the rishi or teacher in response to such a question. Instead of dismissing the questioner's limited understanding, the rishi elevates the very meaning of the word 'happiness'. The rishi states that the joy that dawns upon you when you realize that which is normally hidden from you is called happiness. This is the joy experienced at the heights of consciousness. The speaker then introduces the concept of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). He explains that the rishi takes the student from the concept of 'sukh' (happiness) to 'Ananda' (bliss). Real happiness is when your consciousness experiences something beyond its normal world. To illustrate this, the speaker uses an analogy of a child whose highest known point is the terrace of their house. When this child desires the absolute height, they can only ask for the terrace, as that is the limit of their experience. A wise teacher understands the child's latent desire for the sky and uses the language of the terrace to point towards it. Similarly, the rishi uses the common word 'happiness' to elevate the seeker's understanding towards a sacred meaning. The speaker also references the Upanishads, which state that mortals cannot become happy through wealth because they are mortal and constantly passing away. The real problem is not the lack of wealth but mortality itself. True happiness is freedom from the clutches of the unreal (asat). To achieve this, one must first understand what is unreal and why one clings to it. Joy is described as happiness without an object, a state free from the obligation to be happy.