Acharya Prashant responds to a question about the problem with consensual prostitution by clarifying that his objection is not on moral or social grounds, but on a spiritual one. He states that the problem lies with the person engaging in the act, as they are living in suffering, and he feels sympathy and compassion for them. He asserts that while it may seem like a personal choice, he cannot be stopped from having sympathy for their condition. He explains that humans are uniquely "working animals," the only species that performs 'Karma' (conscious action), which defines their life. In contrast, animals perform 'Akarma' (non-action), which is driven by instinct and physical conditioning, like a cow grazing. Man is the only being whose consciousness is restless and who seeks liberation from pain and bondage. Therefore, the purpose of human 'Karma' should be to attain freedom from these bondages, the foremost of which is the bondage of the body. Any work that deepens this bondage to the body is spiritually wrong because it leads to more suffering. Prostitution is a profession where one sells the body to sustain the body, thus getting more entangled in a vicious cycle without any higher purpose. This deepens the bondage to the body instead of liberating from it. Acharya Prashant expands this definition to include any profession where one sells their resources, such as intellect, merely for bodily sustenance or pleasure. He equates a high-earning IT professional who sells his intellect for a large salary to enjoy bodily pleasures with a prostitute, as both are essentially selling a part of themselves to serve the body. He concludes that any life lived solely for the body, without the aim of liberation, is a life of suffering.
