Acharya Prashant explains that the subject and goal of meditation for the great sages (Maharshis) and deities is Truth. They are not called Maharshis just for closing their eyes while thinking of worldly pleasures. A Maharshi is one whose ultimate goal is Truth, who does not want to live like a fool. This is their only demand. He likens the common human condition to that of Duryodhana, who was deceived by illusions, mistaking land for water and water for land. This was an opportunity for Duryodhana to become a Maharshi by realizing how the body, senses, and mind deceive him. He could have questioned if his entire life was a deception. Such a small opportunity is enough for a worthy seeker. This realization is an epiphany, a sudden awakening. It happens when one has the intention to awaken. With that intention, even a small jolt is enough, like an alarm clock for someone determined to wake up. If the intention is firm, the alarm barely needs to ring. The speaker states that a deity is one whose goal is liberation, whose goal is Truth. Conversely, one whose intention is to wallow in the mud of falsehood is a demon (Rakshas) or an Asura. The distinction is not about one's situation but one's intention. Someone in a high position looking down towards the mud is a demon, while someone in the mud looking up at the sky is a deity. It is about one's intention, what one wants. Acharya Prashant clarifies that by knowing the supreme God, a person cuts the noose of death. This life is the noose of death, a net in which we are trapped and flailing. To escape death, one must cut the net of life. Therefore, liberation from death is called 'Jivanmukti' (liberation while living). We are already living in death, and the fear is of a future death. He criticizes those who practice spirituality for a better afterlife, stating that spirituality is for the present moment because our current state is terrible. We are already dead, and liberation is needed from this current state of being. The practical definition of discernment (vivek) in the world is to differentiate between the more false and the less false, as absolute truth is not found in the world. The least false thing becomes the gateway to the absolute Truth.
