c




   
As long as a man is in the full vigor of life, he forgets the naked truth of
death, which he has to meet. Thus a foolish man makes no relevant
inquiry about the real problems of life. Everyone thinks that he will never
die, although he sees evidence of death before his eyes at every second.
Here is the distinction between animalism and humanity. An animal like a
goat has no sense of its impending death. Although its brother goat is
being slaughtered, the goat, being allured by the green grass offered to
it, will stand peacefully waiting to be slaughtered next. On the other
hand, if a human being sees his fellow man being killed by an enemy, he
either fights to save his brother or leaves, if possible, to save his own
life. That is the difference between a man and a goat.

An intelligent man knows that death is born along with his own birth. He
knows that he is dying at every second and that the final touch will be
given as soon as his term of life is finished. He therefore prepares himself
for the next life or for liberation from the disease of repeated birth and
death.

A foolish man, however, does not know that this human form of life is
obtained after a series of births and deaths imposed in the past by the
laws of nature. He does not know that a living entity is an eternal being,
who has no birth and death. Birth, death, old age, and disease are
external impositions on a living entity and are due to his contact with
material nature and to his forgetfulness of his eternal, godly nature and
qualitative oneness with the Absolute Whole.

Human life provides the opportunity to know this eternal fact, or truth.
Thus the very beginning of the Vedanta-sutra advises that because we
have this valuable form of human life, it is our duty-now-to inquire, What
is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?