Acharya Prashant explains that the concept of self-love is often misunderstood and can be seen as an oxymoron. He distinguishes between the small 'self'—the egoic identity based on thoughts, roles, and social labels—and the capital 'S' Self, which represents pure love and awareness. He argues that as long as one operates from the small self, love is impossible because this state is characterized by a sense of insufficiency, tension, and the constant need to attain more. A person who truly loves themselves is satisfied and does not feel the need to become someone else to feel complete.