Acharya Prashant clarifies that the civil service he was allotted was not the IAS. He explains that his decision regarding the service was not primarily driven by financial considerations. Instead, he was more concerned with the nature of the work over a 40-year career, the environment, and the work's overall importance from a macro perspective. These were the factors that guided his choice about a career in the bureaucracy. Responding to the idea that honest bureaucrats can change the country, Acharya Prashant dismisses it as an "imaginary talk." He states that bureaucrats emerge from society, and their character reflects that of the society. Therefore, a bureaucrat cannot change society; society must change first. Only when society improves will the bureaucracy and its political leaders become better, as both are products of the same social fabric. If society itself is unconscious, its leaders and administrators cannot be expected to be any different. He explains that a social movement is what is truly needed, and it is to undertake this very work that he left the bureaucracy. He believes the work he is currently engaged in is far more significant. If this work of raising consciousness succeeds, it will naturally lead to better bureaucrats and leaders. He describes his current work as handling the "business of all of humanity," which he considers a much bigger and higher calling than being a corporate executive or a government officer. He asserts that it is every person's duty to choose the highest and biggest work they are capable of in life. When asked if a mortal can realize the state of "Shivoham" (I am Shiva) as described in Adi Shankaracharya's Nirvana Shatkam, Acharya Prashant affirms that it is possible. However, he issues a strong caution against claiming this realization prematurely. He warns against the ego's temptation to identify with the Self (Atma) while remaining the ego. One should not claim to be the truth while still being a lie. He advises that one should look at this ultimate state as a distant, aspirational goal, like a star, and say "If only..." rather than claiming to have already reached it.