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Sāra, A-sara, Sam-sāra
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virtue, that it can be given away by him who aims at the welfare of the creature; for if given away, it becomes a treasure, otherwise its ultimate object is only death."
(Speijer)
(2-2-2) The human world (mānusya) is styled as essenceless (nihsāra). A man, who seeks after the essence there, is deluded:
Mānusye kadalī-stambha-nihsāre sara-mārganam yah karoti sa sammudho jala-budbuda-samnibhe ||
(YS. 3. 8=IS. 4823) "He, who seeks after the essence in the essenceless world of human beings, comparable to the stem of the Kadali tree and to foam in water, is a fool." (3) Sāra and saṁsāra
(3-1) In the Kuttanīmata, the courtesan Mālatī is called saṁsāra-sāra, the essence of the world of transmigration :
Sithilayatu kusama-cāpam ksipatu śarān vānadhau manojanmā samsārasāra-bhūtā vicarati bhuvi mālatīyāvat ||
(Kuttanimata 121)
"Let the god of love unstring his flower-bow and place his arrows in his quiver, as long as Mālatī, the essence of the world of transmigration, roams over the earth."
IV
(4) asāre saṁsāre sāra
Despite its essencelessness, there exists something essential, what is indicated here by the word "essence" (sāra) is nothing but the most valuable object in human life. Below, we shall investigate this.
(4-1-1) The first sounds economico-practical :
Asāre khalu samsāre sāram svaśura-mandiram | Haro Himālaye sete Visnuh sete mahodadhau ||
(IS. 776=MSS. 3739-40)
