Acharya Prashant explains a verse from the Avadhuta Gita, which describes the state of a person who has transcended the intellect of merit and demerit. Such a person, like a child, is free from prohibited actions, but this freedom does not stem from an intellect of demerit. Similarly, they perform prescribed actions, but not out of an intellect of merit. The speaker clarifies that for such an individual, no action is truly prohibited, as the restrictions that bind ordinary people no longer apply to them, much like a child who is not judged for their actions. This state is achieved by going beyond the dualistic thinking of both merit (guna) and demerit (dosha). The speaker further elaborates that the 'intellect of merit' refers to the mind conditioned by nature, which includes the ego, attachment-aversion, and considerations of profit and loss. A liberated person performs many actions, but they are not driven by these egoistic motives. Their actions are not a result of pressure, fear, or a sense of duty, but are spontaneous. The speaker addresses two common misconceptions about a liberated person. The first is that they are always virtuous; instead, they are beyond both virtue and vice, possessing a 'liberated conduct' (mukta-achar). The second is that they do nothing in the world; the verse itself refutes this by stating they perform actions. Acharya Prashant points out that the problem for most people is not the inability to be thoughtless, but the inability to think correctly. Most people's thinking is dull and relies on beliefs and established patterns rather than fresh, new thought. He advises giving wings to one's thoughts and observing them. The sign of a correct thought is that it is alive and, therefore, has the right to die after its purpose is served. In contrast, a wrong or dead thought can linger for centuries because it was never truly alive. A correct thought will ultimately lead to a state beyond thought. The goal is not to stop thinking, but to think so well and correctly that thought itself dissolves.
