Acharya Prashant explains that the definition of cheating depends on the plane on which a relationship exists. He broadly categorizes these planes into three: spiritual, mental, and physical. Cheating is possible on all three planes and is essentially a violation of the contract that forms the basis of the relationship. In a relationship on the physical plane, the contract is for mutual physical pleasure. The commitment means being physically available for the partner. Therefore, cheating on this level is when one is not physically present when needed or is with someone else. This violation is deeply offensive because the entire relationship is centered on the body. If a physical transgression causes the relationship to collapse, it indicates that the relationship was only physical to begin with. The speaker notes that most human relationships are fundamentally animalistic and sexual, but we use fancy names to cover this up. In a mental or emotional relationship, there is an exchange of emotions and a romantic agreement to please each other's ego. Cheating in this context is offending the partner, such as by not saying nice things or by being physically with someone else, which is also offensive to the ego. In a spiritual relationship, however, the dynamic is different. Two people are together not for each other's sake, but for a shared higher goal, like Truth or liberation. Their primary commitment is to that goal. In this context, cheating is being disloyal to that higher purpose. Paradoxically, becoming attached to the partner would be a form of cheating, as it distracts from the shared spiritual aim. The speaker concludes that the definition of cheating is inverted on the spiritual plane compared to the physical and emotional planes.
