Acharya Prashant responds to a question about the existence of black magic and dark powers by asserting that the laws of nature (Prakriti) are inviolable. He uses several analogies to illustrate that even the most superstitious people rely on scientific principles in their daily lives. For instance, to go to the second floor in an elevator, one must press the button for '2', not '-2'. Similarly, one would not board a plane flown by a priest chanting mantras instead of a trained pilot. He points out the absurdity of dialing the police emergency number to order food and then claiming that the delivery person will still arrive. These examples highlight that people instinctively follow the laws of cause and effect in practical matters. The speaker extends this logic to the human body, explaining that it is a physical entity governed by the laws of nature, specifically chemistry and biology. He breaks down the body's composition into its basic elements like water, carbon, and nitrogen, emphasizing its material nature. He argues that just as one cannot charge a phone with the power of their gaze, one cannot influence the physical body through supernatural means. He dismisses the idea of turning a living person into a corpse or vice versa through magic, stating that such things are impossible as they violate the fixed laws of nature. Addressing the point that even people with a scientific temperament sometimes believe in such things, Acharya Prashant calls this a "partial scientific temperament" born out of compulsion. He explains that people are forced to accept science in areas where its results are undeniable, like technology, but they abandon it in personal and emotional matters where they can afford to be foolish without immediate, tangible consequences. He mentions that even Isaac Newton was deeply involved in alchemy, the attempt to turn base metals into gold, which was a widely held belief until science proved it impossible. This shows that even great minds can hold unscientific beliefs, but these beliefs are eventually dispelled by scientific proof. Finally, Acharya Prashant defines true spirituality as the combination of Vidya (self-knowledge) and Avidya (science, or the knowledge of the external world). He states that the investigation of the seen (the world) is science, and the investigation of both the seer and the seen is spirituality. Therefore, any spiritual leader or text that disrespects or dismisses science is fake and should be rejected. He concludes that the material world operates on material laws, not mystical incantations.
