Acharya Prashant explains that the core of human suffering is not the body itself, but the ego (Aham). The ego exists in a peculiar state, caught between the material world (the body) and the desire for ultimate peace or liberation. He uses the metaphor of a gas balloon tied to the ground: the balloon naturally wants to rise toward the sky (the subtle/spiritual), but it is anchored to the earth (the gross/material). This tension between its current bondage and its inherent nature is the source of constant restlessness. True happiness is not found by seeking more material comforts, which only tighten the bond to the earth, but by understanding and loosening the knots of this bondage.