42 THE SCIENCE OF SELF-REALIZATION
Thus the very beginning of the Veddnta-stitra advises that because we
have this valuable form of human life, it is our duty—now—to inquire,
What is Brahman, the Absolute Truth?

A man who is not intelligent enough does not inquire about this tran-
scendental life; instead, he inquires about many irrelevant matters which
do not concern his eternal existence. From the very beginning of his life,
he inquires from his mother, father, teachers, professors, books, and so
many other sources, but he does not have the right type of information
about his real life.

As mentioned before, Pariksit Maharaja was given a warning notice
that he would meet death within seven days, and he at once left his palace
to prepare himself for the next stage. The king had at least seven days at
his disposal in which to prepare for death, but as far as we are concerned,
although at least we know that our death is sure, we have no information
of the date fixed for the occurrence. I do not know whether I am going to

"meet death at the next moment. Even such a great man as Mahatma
Gandhi could not calculate that he was going to meet with death in the
next five minutes, nor could his great associates guess his impending
death. Nonetheless, all such gentlemen present themselves as great
leaders of the people.

It is ignorance of death and life that distinguishes an animal from a
man. A man, in the real sense of the term, inquires about himself and
what he is. Wherefrom has he come into this life, and where is he going
after death? Why is he put under the troubles of threefold miseries
although he does not want them? Beginning from one’s childhood, one
goes on inquiring about so many things in his life, but he never inquires
about the real essence of life. This is animalism. There is no difference
between a man and an animal as far as the four principles of animal life
are concerned, for every living being exists by eating, sleeping, fearing,
and mating. But only the human life is meant for relevant inquiries into
the facts about eternal life and the Transcendence. Human life is
therefore meant for research into eternal life, and the Vedanta-siitra ad-
vises one to conduct this research now or never. If one fails to inquire
now into these relevant matters about life, one is sure to go back again to
the animal kingdom by the laws of nature. Therefore, even if a foolish
man appears advanced in material science—that is, in eating, sleeping,
fearing, mating, and so on—he cannot get free from the cruel hands of
death by the law of nature. The law of nature works under three modes—
goodness, passion, and ignorance. Those who live under conditions of
goodness are promoted to the higher, spiritual status of life, and those
