Acharya Prashant clarifies the fundamental difference between cruelty and compassion, refuting the idea that they are two sides of the same coin. He explains that cruelty, care, and concern as commonly understood are all products of the mind and the egoistic center. These behaviors operate within the domain of duality, where a person may oscillate between hurting one individual and caring for another based on perceived self-interest. He uses the analogy of a pendulum to show that while the actions may look different, the center—the ego—remains the same. For instance, a butcher may act cruelly toward an animal to provide for his family, meaning both the violence and the care stem from the same self-serving root.
