Acharya Prashant explains that duty is an external imposition, whereas love and righteousness are internal and limitless. When one acts out of duty, the action is inherently limited and often calculated, leading to a life of mere compliance. For instance, caring for an ailing father out of duty is finite and transactional, but doing so out of love is boundless and does not involve counting one's efforts. Duty is prescribed for those who lack self-awareness and do not know how to live; it is a set of instructions given by others. In contrast, righteousness arises from inner realization and understanding, where one spontaneously knows the right course of action without needing external rules. He further clarifies that duty is often rooted in the ego and self-interest, which is why a world run solely on duty remains joyless and corrupt. A person who is unconscious or violent toward the world cannot truly love their own family, as all relationships stem from the same mind. To be a good father, son, or citizen, one must first focus on being a conscious and realized human being. If the rootтАФthe individual's inner stateтАФis healthy, all branches of their relationships will naturally flourish. Righteousness and love are inseparable and infinite, while duty is a small, external substitute for those who lack inner clarity.
