Acharya Prashant explains that the root cause of being seen merely as a body is body identification, which begins at birth and is driven by nature (Prakriti). This identification is further exacerbated by social conditioning. When an individual lacks a connection to something beyond the physical, the ego naturally identifies with the body to find an address and a name. This identification is the root cause of all worldly evils because it leads to a constant, insatiable hunger for satisfaction through material consumption, which ultimately destroys both the individual and the environment.