Acharya Prashant explains that the law of karma does not apply to animals because they lack the capacity for choice. Animals are entirely dictated by their biological conditioning and physical nature, meaning they cannot act out of compassion or seek liberation. Consequently, they are neither rewarded nor punished for their actions, as their internal state remains fixed within their species' nature. In contrast, human beings are defined by their ability to make choices and can vary greatly in their internal states, ranging from compassion to viciousness. Because humans have the freedom to choose between their animalistic conditioning and higher values like joy and liberation, they bear responsibility for their actions. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that humans cannot justify their behavior by imitating animals, such as using a lion's predatory nature to justify eating meat, because humans have the option to choose otherwise. Ultimately, a human being is a decision-maker whose life is determined by how they exercise their choices, and they are punished or rewarded by the consequences of those choices.