You came into this world alone,
with no companion, isn't it?
During the years of life,
you collected all this kith and kin;
you gathered wife and children,
friends and acquaintances,
who attached themselves to you.
When you return to the realm
from which you came, you enter the portals alone,
with no one to keep you company.
You leave no address behind,
no indication of the place where you might be.
Carry on your legitimate duties.
Discharge your obligations,
live up to your rights; but,
do not allow attachments to grow.
Be like a trustee so far as family,
riches, reputation, knowledge and skills are concerned.
Leave them gladly aside,
when the call of death comes.
Mohammed of Ghazni,
who amassed vast heaps of treasure
by his campaigns against India,
died of fever.
He directed his vazir to carry
his corpse to the burial ground with
both his palms uplifted for all to see
that the emperor who had accumulated
fabulous wealth was going to the other world
with empty hands.
"Let every one know how transient is the
splendor derived from worldly possessions, "
divinely sent
he said during his last moments.
