Acharya Prashant explains that cleverness and cunningness are superficial traits that prevent an individual from experiencing love, as love does not exist on the surface. He defines cleverness as manipulation, where the mind attempts to change external circumstances to keep the ego intact. This manipulation involves distorting facts and weaving stories to avoid self-correction and to sustain a personal version of oneself. Cleverness shoots outwards to defend the weak and fragile 'I-tendency' at the core, using the world as an instrument to prove oneself right even when one is fundamentally wrong.
