From the earliest days of childhood, it is through the cultivation of virtues—such as the study of sacred scriptures and the company of the wise—that a person steadily advances toward their own highest goal. This attainment is not a matter of chance, but the fruit of sincere human effort. All that we see, experience, hear, and do in our lives confirms this truth: it is our own actions, not mere fate, that shape our destiny. Those who believe that everything arises solely from fate are lost in confusion and lack discernment. If laziness did not exist, what misfortune could remain in the world? Who would not be wealthy or learned? It is because of laziness that this earth, surrounded by oceans, is filled with those who live like animals and the destitute. When childhood has passed and the mind is no longer absorbed in endless play, as youth begins, one should, through personal effort and the company of noble people, cultivate discernment about the true nature of things, and reflect upon one’s own virtues and faults. After these teachings were spoken by the sage, the day drew to its close. The sun set, and the assembly, offering their salutations, departed to bathe as dusk fell and the sun’s rays faded. Thus, it is clear that only human effort stands before destiny. All else should be cast far away. Guided by the power of good company and the truth of scripture, one should uplift their life. The greater the effort, the swifter the result; therefore, let destiny be just a name, and rely on your own exertion. When suffering befalls us, we cry out, “Alas, how painful!” In the same way, the word “destiny” is but another cry of lament. In truth, apart from the results of one’s own past actions, there is no separate thing called destiny; like a child before a strong man, it can be overcome here and now. Just as yesterday’s wrongs are quickly transformed by today’s virtuous behavior, so too are past misdeeds changed. Those who strive for victory but are attached to no gain are deluded and pitiable, clinging to fate. Yet, if an action performed by effort is destroyed by fate, then it is the effort of the destroyer that is more powerful. Even among two fruits on a single stalk, if one is hollow, it is due to a difference in effort and awareness. When perfected things in the world come to destruction, recognize the great power of the effort that brings about that end. If a beggar is raised to kingship by auspicious means, it is due to the combined effort of ministers, elephants, and citizens. Just as food is seized and crushed by teeth through effort, so too is a little effort overcome and subdued by a hero. The great, diligent in their endeavors, act with such ease that they employ actions as they wish, as if handling mere clods of earth. Whatever effort is made by the capable—whether seen or unseen—is called “fate” by those incapable, who lack discernment within themselves. The powerful effort of beings is what is regarded as fate; this is evident even among rulers. The discernment of ministers, elephants, and citizens—beyond doubt—upholds and governs the state of a kingdom, even if its people were once beggars. The present destroys the past, and the past can overcome the present, but always, the effort of one who remains undisturbed is victorious. Of the two, the present is stronger than what is merely visible; thus, with effort, fate can be overcome, just as a child is subdued by a youth. If a year’s harvest, gained through effort, is carried off by a cloud, then greater exertion to influence the cloud prevails. When wealth, slowly acquired, is lost, one should not grieve; where one’s strength is powerless, lamentation serves no purpose. To mourn what cannot be changed is to live in forgetfulness of death. All conditions in the world arise according to place, time, action, and material, but one who exerts greater effort prevails over them all. Therefore, relying on your own effort, and with true scriptures and the company of the good, purify your understanding and cross the ocean of worldly existence. Both past and present pursuits of human aims are like trees bearing fruit, but the present pursuit surpasses and prevails over the past. He who does not dispel the insignificance of past actions by good deeds is ignorant and powerless over his own happiness and sorrow. But one who possesses noble wonder and lives in good conduct departs from worldly delusion, like a lion leaving its cage. The belief that “someone else impels me to act thus” is a harmful delusion; whoever holds to this view, abandoning what is evident, should be shunned as base. Among all the countless actions that come and go, one should act according to the scriptures, having let go of pleasure and pain. For one who does not abandon the unbroken boundary of scriptural conduct, all treasures arise, as if from the ocean’s depths. The wise have described single-minded effort toward one’s own purpose as “human effort”; it succeeds when guided by scripture. When action is vibrant and dynamic, it naturally fulfills its purpose, sharpened by intellect through the company of the virtuous and the study of true scriptures. The wise know the supreme reality as endless, equal bliss; those who fully attain it are the true teachers and scriptures to be revered. If previous effort is called “destiny,” then so be it; in this sense, the term is not rejected. But the destiny imagined by the foolish as something else has led them to ruin—always, only one’s own effort brings benefit in this world and the next. Just as yesterday’s wrong actions are replaced by today’s good deeds, so too, previous actions are overcome. Therefore, strive to be a doer of noble acts. The fruit of effort is as clearly seen as an amla fruit resting in one’s palm; yet the foolish, ignoring what is obvious, sink into the delusion of destiny.