Acharya Prashant addresses a seeker who experiences a trance-like state, physical sensations, and a sense of intoxication while listening to spiritual music or discourses. The seeker expresses concern that this state reduces his alertness during daily tasks and admits to using alcohol to prolong this feeling. Acharya Prashant clarifies that what the seeker experiences is not intoxication in the worldly sense but a state of super-consciousness. He distinguishes between being unconscious, which occurs through substances like alcohol, and being super-conscious, which happens in the company of scriptures or a Guru. While both states differ from ordinary consciousness, the former is a descent into darkness, while the latter is an ascent toward truth. Acharya Prashant explains that ordinary human consciousness is itself a form of intoxication or delusion because it accepts the material world and the body as the ultimate reality. People often turn to alcohol to escape the suffering caused by this worldly delusion, but this only leads to further unconsciousness. Spirituality, on the other hand, is the path to complete awakening and alertness. He warns the seeker that these spiritual experiences are invitations from the truth to move toward a deeper realization. Such invitations are not permanent; if one repeatedly ignores or disrespects the call of the truth, the ability to hear it eventually fades away. He urges the seeker to accept this invitation and move toward total awareness rather than seeking refuge in worldly intoxicants.
