Acharya Prashant addresses a question about claims made in a book regarding the afterlife, such as the soul leaving the body slowly and the existence of special techniques developed by Rishis to extract the life force. He begins by stating that this is not the business of Rishis. The work of a Rishi is not to develop techniques for pulling the life force out of a dead body, like pulling a dead man's legs to make him die more. This is not the work of a Rishi; a Rishi is concerned with liberating the ego from its bondage during life, not liberating the life force from the body after death. The ego is in bondage while alive, not after it dies. Acharya Prashant distinguishes between a 'Rishi' and a 'Baba' (a charlatan). He explains that a Rishi is a scientist of the inner world whose purpose is to free you from fear. A Baba, on the other hand, is a proponent of superstition who aims to instill more fear in you. They do this by making claims that cannot be verified, such as seeing the souls of ancestors. Since these claims cannot be proven or disproven, they create doubt and fear, which is the essence of superstition. The speaker explains that the business of such Babas thrives on making unverifiable claims. He uses the example of claiming to see the souls of ancestors on a pen, which is an experience exclusive to him and cannot be verified by others, thus making them feel like sinners if they can't see it. This is the method of a Baba, not a Rishi. He then scientifically debunks the specific claims. The body is matter (anna), and all its energy comes from material sources like food, breath, and water. The energy in the body is a chemical phenomenon, not mystical. When the body is cremated, this energy is released as heat and light, and the rest turns into other chemicals like ash. The idea that this energy becomes a ghost is illogical; if a ghost is made of the body's energy which comes from food, then the ghost must also get hungry. Regarding the post-mortem growth of hair and nails, he clarifies that this is a known scientific phenomenon caused by the dehydration and retraction of the skin, which makes them appear longer. Addressing why even intellectuals and scientists fall for such superstitions, Acharya Prashant explains that the fundamental superstition is the ego itself—the belief that 'I am the body'. A person who does not know their own ego is fundamentally superstitious, regardless of their external knowledge. A scientist may know about the external world, but if they lack self-knowledge, their ego will decide how to use that knowledge, whether for good or for destruction. The primary superstition is the ego, and if that is in place, other superstitions will follow. He concludes by stating that true spirituality is not about discussing abstract concepts like liberation or God, but about the practical and actionable work of seeing and understanding one's own bondages here and now. Talking about liberation is often just an escape from this essential work.