Body attachment

A man is caught in a flood and is desperately reaching out for help. He notices a log of wood coming his way and holds on to it in an attempt to save himself. But what appeared as a log turned out to be a fiery crocodile which itself killed him. Similarly, if one strives to escape the clutches of ignorance and attain Jnana while still attached to the physical body, that attachment itself will destroy him like the crocodile.