Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why there is a growing neglect and even hatred towards spiritual and religious texts in the present time. He explains that the reason is clear: the way we are living our lives is incompatible with the teachings of scriptures like the Upanishads or the Gita. We cannot continue our current animalistic, materialistic existence if we engage with these texts. There is a hypocrisy at play where people want to live a life of indulgence but lack the courage to admit it. Simultaneously, they want to maintain an image of being spiritual, creating a conflict between their lifestyle and their desired self-image. This conflict has given rise to a new kind of spirituality, which the speaker calls a 'thief religion' (chor dharma). This new religion borrows the external symbols, imagery, and language of traditional religions like Sanatana Dharma but discards its soul, which is contained within the scriptures. The neglect of scriptures is a deliberate conspiracy because reading them would destroy the current way of life, which is centered on pleasure and indulgence. The speaker refutes the common excuse that one can gain knowledge from personal experience alone, comparing it to trying to discover the laws of physics without studying Newton. He also dismisses the argument that saints like Kabir Saheb were unlettered, pointing out that those who use this excuse do not live a life comparable to Kabir's. Acharya Prashant clarifies that the true meaning of 'Adhyatma' (spirituality) is to rise above the selfтАФto move from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light, and from bondage to liberation. The books that guide this journey are the true spiritual texts. He warns that the real threat to Sanatana Dharma comes not from other religions but from these internal saboteurs and false gurus who preach against the scriptures. He asserts that to save the world from its various crises, it is essential to revive the religion and bring the scriptures back into the lives of ordinary people, as they are the only things that can save both individuals and the Sanatana Dharma itself.
