Acharya Prashant explains the famous quote by the European philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains," by contrasting the perspectives of India and the West. He states that the perspectives of India and the West have been different. The West has looked outward, making great discoveries and progress in the external world. According to the Western view, both darkness and knowledge, as well as bondage and liberation, are external. The West has not shown much interest in knowing what is inside. Rousseau's statement must be understood from this perspective. He sees that the main cause of man's bondage is society. A newborn child is free, but as he grows, he becomes entangled in the chains of society's customs, systems, traditions, education, and values. In contrast, India has not seen it this way. India considers social conventions and traditions a secondary problem. The primary problem is man himself; the biggest enemy is within. From the Indian perspective, particularly Vedanta, a newborn is not free. Rousseau says, "Man is born free," but Indian philosophy does not agree. The newborn is born with the entire ego-tendency (aham-vritti) in seed form, which is the root cause of slavery, bondage, and all suffering. When the ego-tendency is present from birth, one cannot say that man is born free. In fact, it is bondage itself that is born. The very notion that "I am born" is the fundamental bondage. This difference in perspective leads to a difference in the way of life. The East knows that while all problems and enemies appear to be external, the biggest enemy is actually within, so the battle must be fought internally. The West, not understanding that the root of the problem is the ego-tendency, has fought all its battles externally through revolutions and changing systems. The speaker critiques the Western view, questioning how an empty vessel (man) can be enslaved by other empty vessels (society). If man were merely an empty vessel without original consciousness, he could not even experience sorrow. However, the path of the East also has a danger: since the journey is internal, there are no objective facts to verify claims, which can lead to dishonesty and hypocrisy. Ultimately, the speaker emphasizes that the primary cause of bondage is within oneself. If you find yourself in chains, you must understand that you are the primary cause of your bondage. While external situations can be unfavorable, you have more control over your inner state. It is a matter of great responsibility to acknowledge that your well-being and your misery both stem from you. Therefore, instead of just complaining, one must take meaningful action, starting with oneself.