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## The Sixty-First Chapter
**373**
**28.** It is seen that even a wealthy and valiant man, surrounded by his family and embraced by his father, succumbs to death. No other man is capable of protecting him.
**29.** Whether there is war or not, a man is protected by the well-cultivated gifts, vows, and conduct, along with right faith.
**30.** The desire for a long life is utterly futile for one who has not earned merit through compassion, generosity, and other virtues in past lives.
**31.** Knowing that the karmas of people do not perish without austerity, wise men should practice forgiveness even towards their enemies.
**32.** This virtuous man benefits me, and this extremely wicked man harms me. It is not wise for people to think this way, because the cause lies in their own accumulated karmas.
**33.** Having understood this, wise men should not be attached to the causes of pleasure and pain, which are external and secondary. They should abandon all wicked actions and not be tainted by intense attachment or aversion.
**34.** When a path obscured by dense darkness is illuminated by the sun, a sighted person does not fall into pits, stumble upon stones, or encounter snakes.
**59.** Thus ends the sixty-first chapter of the Padma Purana, known as the Arsha, narrated by the sage Ravi, and describing the previous lives of Hast-Prahast and Nal-Neel.
**27.** Where there is stability, austerity and generosity alone provide protection. In truth, neither gods nor relatives offer protection.