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## The Evils of Attachment
**Yoga Shastra, Second Light, Verses 110-112, 166**
**Verse 110:**
The root of the world is the beginning of suffering (pain or death), and the root cause of these beginnings is attachment. Therefore, the ascetic or the lay follower should keep their possessions as minimal as possible. This means they should set a limit on their possessions and not exceed it.
**Verse 111:**
Those who are bound by attachment to gold, wealth, grain, etc., are robbed by thieves in the form of worldly desires; they are burned by the fire of lust; and they are trapped in the web of worldly illusion by the hunter in the form of women.
**Explanation:**
Just as thieves rob a person with wealth and gold in the forest, similarly, in the forest of the world, worldly desires in the form of thieves rob a person of their wealth of self-control, leaving them as beggars. In the same way, a person with excessive possessions cannot escape quickly when a fire breaks out, similarly, a person dwelling in the forest of the world is burning in the fire of lust, which manifests in ten forms. Alternatively, a person with excessive possessions is stopped by greedy robbers in the forest, preventing them from moving forward. Similarly, in the forest of existence, lustful women, greedy for wealth or bodily pleasures, stop a man attached to possessions from moving forward on the path of self-control. It is said that no matter how much one possesses, their desires are never fulfilled, but instead, dissatisfaction grows. The scriptures state that even if a greedy person were to possess countless mountains of gold and silver, the size of Mount Kailash and the Himalayas, they would still not be satisfied. This is because desires are infinite like the sky. (Utt. 9/48) The Agamas also state that even if someone were to possess the entire earth, filled with wealth, grain, gold, silver, and animals, it would still not be enough to satisfy their desires. Knowing this, one should strive for knowledge and austerity. Poets have also said that the pit of greed is so deep and boundless that no matter how much is poured into it, it will never be filled. The wonder is that even if large mountains are thrown into the pit of greed, it remains empty. Just as miners dig deeper and deeper into a mine, the pit grows larger. Similarly, the more a person strives for wealth, the deeper the pit of dissatisfaction becomes. Alternatively, someone who has climbed a great mountain desires to ascend to the sky. Can they ascend to the sky?
**Verse 112:**
Emperor Sagar was not satisfied even after having sixty thousand sons. Kuchikarna was not satisfied even after having many herds of cows. Tilakseth was not satisfied even after having many granaries full of grain. And King Nanda was not satisfied even after having mountains of gold. Therefore, attachment is the cause of dissatisfaction.
**Now we will narrate the story of Sagar, etc.**
**Sagar, the Emperor, Greedy for Sons:**
In those days, King Jitashatru ruled Ayodhya. His younger brother, Sumitra, was the crown prince. Both brothers ruled the earth. King Jitashatru had a son, Tirthankara Ajitnath, and Crown Prince Sumitra had a son, Sagar, the Emperor. After both Jitashatru and Sumitra took initiation, Ajitswami became the king, and Sagar became the crown prince. After some time, Ajitnath took initiation, and Sagar, like Bharat, became the Emperor.
**Rest in the Shade**