Acharya Prashant explains that humans often admire the dead or distant because they are primarily engaged in body worship, which is essentially material worship. He asserts that deep down, everyone knows the truth of the body, and this realization creates an internal conflict that prevents genuine respect or love for a living person seen only as a physical form. It is easier to love the dead because they have transitioned from a physical body into a thought or an idea, which fits into human conditioning that places thought above the body. He emphasizes that as long as one perceives another only as a body, true love is impossible; there may be attraction, but not love. Using the examples of Shri Krishna, Radha, and Mira, Acharya Prashant clarifies that those who truly understood Shri Krishna did not see him merely as a body. He argues that people who lack understanding cannot stay near someone like Shri Krishna. He further critiques the superficial worship of scriptures, noting that people often treat holy books like the Gita as mere physical objects—worshipping the paper and cover without understanding the essence of the words. This, he claims, is another form of body worship where the physical object is prioritized over the actual message. Finally, Acharya Prashant discusses the necessity of a living teacher. He explains that people prefer dead scriptures or historical figures because they can be customized to suit one's convenience and do not demand the ego's surrender. A living teacher, however, is 'dangerous' to the ego because they are real and demand transformation. He concludes that while a book is a slave to the reader, a living master requires surrender, which is why the ego avoids the living and clings to the dead or the material.
