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MANAV DHARMA / 71
Now here is an important question. What is the use of observing various austerities throughout the life, when at the time of death, the man is perverted in his belief and deeply perturbed both mentally and physically ? It can be compared with a man, who started on the right path to reach his goal to his own village : but after reaching very near to his own village path he misleads the path and proceeds on a different path leading him far away from the right path for his own village, thus wasting his labour completely. Hence a wise and leamed man is advised to maintain such efforts and feelings till this present cycle of incarnation comes to an end at the time of death. This is all beneficial to him and hence the need is to observe all the vratas without bringing any chance of transgression till the life ends. He should try hard for passionless end with pure thought activity. whenever the chance of death arises:
स्नेहं वैरं सङ्गं परिग्रहं चापहाय शुद्धमनाः ।
स्वजनं परिजनमपि च क्षान्त्वा क्षमयेत्प्रियैर्वचनैः ॥१२४॥ Explanation :
Giving up love, hatred, attachment and possessions with a pure mind, one should obtain, with sweet speech of forgiveness from one's Kinsmen and attendants, and should also forgive them one self.
Description :
While leading a householder's life, a man is bound to have the feelings of attachment with the friends; feeling of affection and love for sons and other family-members and feelings of aversion or hatred for the opponents but it is advised to him that just before the death-time, he should vanish all such feelings from his mind, and also breaking relations with all worldly objects and possessions, he, with his pure mind should beg pardon from all the nearest and dearest relatives, from all the kinsmen, from all the big or small and even from the man of lowest standard, like the peon or attendant and should also forgive all of them with pure state of mind, speech and body - forgetting all the worldly love, affection and hatredness.
आलोच्य सर्वमेनः कृतकारित मनुमतं च निर्व्याजम् ।
आरोपयेन्महावत-मामरण-स्थायि निश्शेषम् ॥१२५॥ Explanation and Description :
Renouncing duplicity and reflecting on the sins, committed in any of the three ways “Krita, Karita and Anumodana", or through mind, speech and body, one should take all the great vows
