Garuda Purana

आत्मैव यदि नात्मानमहीतेभ्यो निवारयेत् । कोऽन्यो हितकरस्तस्मादात्मानं सुखयिष्यति ॥ २,४९.

If the self does not protect itself from harm, who else will bring happiness to oneself?

इहैव नरकव्याधेश्चिकित्सां न करोति यः । गत्वा निरौषधं देशं व्याधिम्थः किं करिष्यति ॥ २,४९.

He who does not seek treatment for the disease of hell here, what will he do when he reaches a place without medicine, afflicted by disease?

व्याघ्रीवास्ते जरा चायुर्याति भिन्नघटाम्बुवत् । निघ्नन्ति रिपुवद्रोगास्तस्माच्छ्रेयः समभ्यसेत ॥ २,४९.

Old age comes like a tiger, life departs like water from a broken pot, diseases destroy like enemies; therefore, one should practice what is good.

यावन्नाश्रयते दुः खं यावन्नायान्ति चापदः । यावन्नेन्द्रियवैकल्यं तावच्छ्रेयः समभ्यसेत् ॥ २,४९.

As long as suffering has not arisen, as long as misfortune has not come, as long as the senses have not become impaired, one should strive for what is truly beneficial.

यावत्तिष्ठति देहोऽयं तावत्तत्त्वं समभ्यसेत् । सन्दीप्तकोशभवने कूपं खनति दुर्मतिः ॥ २,४९.

As long as this body endures, one should pursue the truth; the fool digs a well in his house only when the storehouse is already ablaze.

कालो न ज्ञायते नानाकार्यैः संसारसम्भवैः । सुखं दुःखं जनो हन्त न वेत्ति हितमात्मनः ॥ २,४९.

Time cannot be known, filled as it is with countless worldly affairs; people, alas, do not discern what is truly good for themselves, whether in happiness or in sorrow.

जातानार्तान्मृतानापद्भष्टान्दृष्ट्वा च दुः खितान् । लोको मोहसुरां पीत्वा न बिभेति कदाचन ॥ २,४९.

Even seeing those born into suffering, those dead, those fallen into calamity, and those afflicted with pain, people, intoxicated by the wine of delusion, never feel fear.

सम्पदः स्वप्नसंकाशा यौवनं कुसुमोपमम् । तडिच्चपलमायुष्यं कस्य स्याज्जानतो धृतिः ॥ २,४९.

Wealth is like a dream, youth is as fleeting as a flower, and life is as unstable as a flash of lightning—who, knowing this, could remain steadfast?

शतं जीवितमत्यल्पं निद्रालस्यैस्तदर्धकम् । बाल्यरोगजरादुः खैरल्पं तदपि निष्फलम् ॥ २,४९.

A hundred years of life is very little; for the lazy and those given to sleep, it is half that; and what remains is consumed by childhood, disease, and old age, so that even that small portion is fruitless.

प्रारब्धव्ये निरुद्योगी जागर्तव्ये प्रसुप्तकः । विश्वस्तश्च भयस्थाने हा नरः को न हन्यते ॥ २,४९.

He is inactive when work is to be begun, he sleeps when he should be awake, and he is trusting in the midst of danger—alas, what man would not be destroyed?

तोयफेनसमे देहे जीवेनाक्रम्य संस्थिते । अनित्याप्रयसवासे कथ तिष्ठति निर्भयः ॥ २,४९.

When life abides in a body as insubstantial as a bubble of water, and in a dwelling so impermanent, how can anyone remain without fear?

अहिते हितसंज्ञः स्यादध्रुवे ध्रुवसंज्ञकः । अनर्थे चार्थविज्ञानः स्वमर्थं यो न वेत्ति सः ॥ २,४९.

He who regards what is harmful as beneficial, what is unstable as stable, and sees value in what is worthless, does not understand his own true good.

पश्यन्नपि प्रस्खलति शृण्वन्नपि न बुध्यति । पठन्नपि न जानाति देवमायाविमोहितः ॥ २,४९.

Though seeing, he stumbles; though hearing, he does not understand; though reading, he does not know—deluded by the divine illusion.

तन्निमज्जज्जगदिदं गम्भीरे कालसागरे । मृत्युरोगजराग्राहैर्न कश्चिदपि बुध्यते ॥ २,४९.

Thus this whole world sinks into the deep ocean of time; seized by the crocodiles of death, disease, and old age, no one becomes aware.

प्रतिक्षणभयं कालः क्षीयमाणो न लक्ष्यते । आमकुंभ इवांभः स्थो विशीर्णो न विभाव्यते ॥ २,४९.

Time, ever diminishing, brings fear at every moment, yet it is not perceived—just as water in a leaking jar is not noticed as it disappears.

युज्यते वेष्टनं वायोराकाशस्य च खण्डनम् । ग्रथनञ्च तरङ्गाणामास्था नायुषि युज्यते ॥ २,४९.

One might bind the wind or shatter space, or string together the waves, but to place trust in the duration of life is not fitting.

पृथिवी दह्यते येन मेरुश्चापि विशीर्यते । शुष्यते सागरजलं शरीरस्य च का कथा ॥ २,४९.

That which burns the earth, shatters even Mount Meru, dries up the waters of the ocean—what need is there to speak of the body?

अपत्यं मे कलत्रं मे धनं मे बान्धवाश्च मे । जल्पन्तमिति मर्त्याजं हन्ति कालवृको बलात् ॥ २,४९.

"My child, my wife, my wealth, my relatives"—while a mortal utters such words, the wolf of time seizes him by force.

इदं कृतमिदं कार्यमिदमन्यत्कृताकृतम् । एवमीहासमायुक्तं कृतान्तः कुरुते वशम् ॥ २,४९.

"This is done, this is to be done, this is another thing, done or not done"—while one is thus engaged in such pursuits, death brings him under its control.

श्वः कार्यमद्य कुर्वीत पूर्वाह्ने चापराह्निकम् । न हि मृत्युः प्रतीक्षेत कृतं वाप्यथ वाकृतम् ॥ २,४९.

Let one do today what is to be done tomorrow, and in the morning what is meant for the afternoon; for death does not wait, whether a task is done or not.

जरादर्शितपन्थानं प्रचण्डव्याधिसैनिकम् । अधिष्ठितो मृत्युशत्रुं त्रातारं किं न पश्यति ॥ २,४९.

Why does one not see the savior from death, who stands before him as an enemy, accompanied by the army of fierce diseases, and showing the path of old age?

तृष्णासूचीविनिर्भिन्नं सिक्तं विषयसर्पिषा । रागद्वेषानले पक्वं मृत्युरश्राति मानवम् ॥ २,४९.

Death devours the human being, pierced by the needle of craving, soaked with the ghee of sense-objects, and cooked in the fire of passion and hatred.

बालांश्च यौवनस्थांश्च वृद्धान गर्भगतानपि । सर्वानाविशते मृत्युरेवम्भूमिदं जगत् ॥ २,४९.

Death enters all—children, those in youth, the aged, and even those in the womb; thus is this world constituted.

स्वदेहमपि जीवोऽयं मुक्त्वा याति यमालयम् । स्त्रीमातृपितृपुत्त्रादिसम्बन्धः केन हेतुना ॥ २,४९.

This living being, abandoning even his own body, goes to the abode of Yama; what then is the cause of attachment to wife, mother, father, son, and others?

दुः खमूलं हि संसारः स यस्यास्ति स दुः खितः । तस्य त्यागः कृतो येन स सुखी नापरः क्वचित् ॥ २,४९.

For whom there is saṃsāra, the root of suffering, he is afflicted; but whoever has renounced it is happy—no one else, ever.

प्रभवं सर्वदुः खानामालयं सकलापदाम् । आश्रयं सर्वपापानां संसारं वर्जयेत्क्षणात् ॥ २,४९.

One should instantly abandon saṃsāra, the source of all suffering, the abode of every calamity, the refuge of all sins.

लोहदारुमयैः पाशैः पुमान्बद्धो विमुच्यते । पुत्त्रदारमयैः पाशैर्मुच्यते न कदाचन ॥ २,४९.

A man bound with chains of iron or wood is freed, but never is he released from the bonds made of son and wife.

यावतः कुरुते जन्तुः सम्बन्धान्मनसः प्रियान् । तावन्तोऽस्य निखन्यन्ते हृदये शोकशङ्कवः ॥ २,४९.

As many dear relationships as a creature forms in his mind, so many arrows of sorrow are driven into his heart.

वञ्चिताशेषवित्तैस्तैर्नित्यं लोको विनाशितः । हा हन्त विषयाहारैर्देहस्थोन्द्रियतस्करैः ॥ २,४९.

The world is ever ruined by those who, having deceived all with their wealth, consume sense-objects—alas!—with the thieves that are the senses dwelling in the body.