As a man enters youth, his mind becomes entangled in the endless pursuit of wealth—striving to earn it, anxiously guarding what he has gained, and fearing its inevitable loss or expenditure. Deluded by the powerful grip of illusion, his heart is corrupted by desire and anger. Envy consumes him, and he becomes intent on seizing the possessions and even the wives of others. His days are spent preoccupied with providing for his sons, friends, and wife, all the while tainted by the vanity of pride. When his children or loved ones fall ill, he is quick to abandon everything, overwhelmed by inner suffering. In such distress, he draws near to death, approaching the funeral pyre as will be described. His mind is restless with questions: “How will my prosperous family be maintained? Where has the horse run off to? Why have the cows not returned to me?” Lacking discernment, he laments the loss of his crops, and his sons are always weeping. Livelihood seems impossible to secure, and the oppression from the ruler becomes unbearable. He despairs at his own incapacity for enterprise, frustrated by the laziness and unreliability of his companions. Constant anxiety overwhelms him, and unable to dispel his own suffering, he reproaches fate: “Fie upon destiny! Why did fate create me, so devoid of fortune?” As his body trembles, afflicted by breathlessness and cough, his eyes become restless and clouded, his throat choked with phlegm. Scolded by his sons, wife, and others, he is filled with anxious thoughts: “When will death come to me? After I die, how will my sons and others protect the house, fields, and property I acquired? To whom will they belong?” He worries, “When my wealth is taken by others, how will my sons and the rest survive?” Overcome by the pain of attachment, he sighs deeply, his mind caught in a cycle of remembering and forgetting the deeds of his life, as death draws ever closer. Afflicted by disease and burning within, he shifts restlessly from bed to cot, tormented by hunger and thirst. In utter misery, he begs for even a little water, but when told by those suffering from fever that water is not beneficial, he feels great resentment and his mind becomes dull. At last, unable to move his hands and feet, surrounded by weeping relatives and friends, he cannot speak. His thoughts are consumed by worries over who will possess his hard-earned wealth and property. Tears fill his eyes, his throat rattles, and as his life departs from his body, he is seized by the messengers of Yama. Bound in fetters, he experiences hell and other realms as before. In this way, all living beings, until their karma is exhausted, undergo intense suffering. Therefore, one should strive for supreme knowledge, for it is through knowledge that liberation is attained. To be freed from the cycle of worldly existence, one must diligently cultivate this highest wisdom. Who could be more insensible than one who does not serve Hari? Those attached to worldly desires, neglecting Viṣṇu, indeed go to suffering. Even while alive, those devoid of knowledge are tormented as if in hell. The ignorant, enveloped in great delusion, mistakenly believe the world to be eternal. He who does not worship Viṣṇu, the destroyer of worldly bondage, is truly a great sinner. Yet even a caṇḍāla devoted to meditation on Hari attains great happiness, O brāhmaṇa. Is it any wonder, then, that sinful, foolish men, full of anxiety, go to ruin? Having obtained this rare human birth, the wise should strive for the good of the next world. They reach the supreme state, from which there is no return. He in whom dissolution occurs is the liberator from worldly existence. By worshipping that Lord of gods, one is freed from the cycle of birth and death. Truly, for those bound by the fetters of worldly existence, many sufferings abound. “By what means, O sage, can liberation be attained?” asks the earnest seeker. “How can these sufferings be destroyed?” The sage replies: “Overcome by desire, a man becomes greedy; from greed, he falls into anger. When his intellect is lost, he again commits sin. Liberation is attained after leaving the body—let me speak of that.” “Because you seek a means of liberation from worldly suffering, know this: Hari is the protector, Rudra is the destroyer; he is indeed the giver of liberation. Recognize that Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, free from affliction, is the source of liberation. By meditating on that mighty, ageless God, one is freed from suffering. Knowledge, ever-blissful in form, is declared the means to liberation. Those who worship Hari, the giver of the eternal abode, are truly wise. Those who see the true One in their heart know him as the bringer of happiness. The One who is full, abiding in the midst of space, is the giver of liberation to men. He is incomparable, the support of all; one should take refuge in that God.