Acharya Prashant explains that ideals provided by society are often nothing more than reflections of one's own desires. Society creates these ideals to replace the pursuit of truth with desire-driven role models, such as celebrities or wealthy figures. This is a mechanism to keep individuals from seeking the ultimate truth, or 'Shreyas', by keeping them occupied with 'Preyas'тАФthat which is pleasant or desired. He emphasizes that all desires originate from the body and the ego's sense of incompleteness and insecurity. While some desires are suppressed and lead to hypocrisy, others are socially sanctioned and manifest as ambition or high ideals. These ideals are dangerous because they masquerade as the highest goal, preventing a person from moving toward genuine spiritual liberation. Acharya Prashant asserts that a spiritual person must maintain a healthy contempt for the role models imposed by society. He argues that true spirituality involves investigating the internal 'thief'тАФthe egoтАФthat hides behind various masks and ideals. He warns that even religious figures like Shri Krishna are often replaced by socially acceptable, fake versions created by the ego to avoid facing the radical truth of the actual Shri Krishna. To truly understand the Bhagavad Gita or any spiritual teaching, one must be willing to deconstruct these social hierarchies and internal adulations. He concludes that while science and social achievements have their place, they cannot be equated with the absolute state of self-realization, and clinging to social principles often leads to fanaticism rather than truth.
