Acharya Prashant explains that the issue is not about killing in itself, but about the identity of the killer. He distinguishes between a lion killing and a man killing, stating that while the former is one thing, the latter is a totally different matter. The central question, therefore, relates to the killer, not the act of killing per se. When a lion kills a deer, it has no other option; it is programmed to do so and lacks a higher consciousness that could be attained by refraining from the act. The lion is not supposed to practice compassion and is almost like a machine operating in pre-scripted ways. Compared to man, both the lion and the deer are creatures of lower consciousness. In contrast, man possesses consciousness and the ability to make decisions. If a man compares himself to a lion or a wolf, he is debasing himself. As a creature of high consciousness, man should not follow the dietary patterns of beings with lower consciousness. Because man has a choice, he must practice compassion for his own sake. He must ask himself if killing is the only way to feed his stomach and if he must kill consciousness to sustain his own consciousness. Acharya Prashant presents a hierarchy of consciousness where man is at the top, followed by animals, and then plants. All are conscious, but at different levels. Man's consciousness is the highest and has the potential to rise even further. Since life must consume life to survive, a man, having the choice, should opt to kill the life form with the lowest consciousness, which means choosing plants over animals. The principle is to keep the killing to a minimum, to a level that is unavoidable for survival. Killing an animal is avoidable. He acknowledges that even the purest vegetarian or vegan is involved in some level of killing, as even breathing kills microbes. However, one can be exonerated if the violence is kept to an absolute minimum. The speaker connects this to veganism, suggesting that a veganism movement requires a spiritual movement to be successful. He argues that true spirituality naturally gives rise to compassion, making a vegan lifestyle a smooth and natural choice. Without a spiritual foundation, it is difficult to remain a vegan for long.