Spiritual seekers often begin with sincerity. They want truth. They want peace. They want liberation. They open scriptures, listen to discourses, study philosophy. But somewhere along the path, a subtle enemy appears—not outside, but within: The ego of knowledge. The ego says: • "I know more than others." • "I can quote scriptures." • "I understand Advaita." • "I have studied Sanskrit." • "I am a pandit." And slowly, spirituality becomes not a path of surrender… …but a stage for intellectual performance. This is one of the most dangerous traps because it looks like progress. A person may appear religious, scholarly, even saintly… Yet inwardly remain unchanged. Adi Shankaracharya opens Bhaja Govindam with a shocking critique of exactly this. Kabir, centuries later, burns the same illusion with ruthless simplicity. Together they deliver a timeless message: Scholarship is not liberation. Knowledge without transformation is bondage in disguise.