, who are attached to worldly objects, without doubt, meet with
destruction. Worms and ants (like men) are engaged in the acquisition of
food and are seen to die in the search. They that are freed from
attachments are happy, while they that are attached to worldly objects
meet with destruction. If thou desirest to attain to Emancipation thou
shouldst never bestow thy thoughts on thy relatives, thinking,--How shall
these exist without me?--A living creature takes birth by himself, and
grows by himself, and obtains happiness and misery, and death by himself.
In this world people enjoy and obtain food and raiment and other
acquisitions earned by their parents or themselves. This is the result of
the acts of past lives, for nothing can be had in this life which is not
the result of the past. All creatures live on the Earth, protected by
their own acts, and obtaining their food as the result of what is
ordained by Him who assigns the fruits of acts. A man is but a lump of
clay, and is always himself completely dependent on other forces. One,
therefore, being oneself so infirm, what rational consideration can one
have for protecting and feeding one's relatives? When thy relatives are
carried away by Death in thy very sight and in spite of even thy utmost
efforts to save them, that circumstance alone should awaken thee. In the
very lifetime of thy relatives and before thy own duty is completed of
feeding and protecting them, thyself mayst meet with death and abandon
them. After thy relatives have been carried away from this world by
death, thou canst not know what becomes of them there,--that is, whether
they meet with happiness or misery. This circumstance ought to awaken
thee. When in consequence of the fruits of their own acts thy relatives
succeed in maintaining themselves in this world whether thou livest or
diest, reflecting on this thou shouldst do what is for thy own
good.[1484] When this is known to be the case, who in the world is to be
regarded as whose? Do thou, therefore, set thy heart on the attainment of
Emancipation. Listen now to what more I shall say unto thee. That man of
firm Soul is certainly emancipated who has conquered hunger and thirst
and such other states of the body, as also wrath and cupidity and error.
That man is always emancipated who does not forget himself, through
folly, by indulging in gambling and drinking and concubinage and the
chase. That man who is really touched by sorrow in consequence o