Text 14] Ideal Family Life 161
think of his wife’s body as nothing but a lump of matter that will
ultimately be transformed into small insects, stool or ashes. In different
societies there are different ways of dealing with the human body at the
time of the funeral ceremony. In some societies the body is given to the
vultures to be eaten, and therefore the body ultimately turns to vulture
stool. Sometimes the body is merely abandoned, and in that case the body
is consumed by small insects. In some societies the body is immediately
burned after death, and thus it becomes ashes. In any case, if one intelli-
gently considers the constitution of the body and the soul beyond it, what
is the value of the body? Antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah Saririnah:
the body may perish at any moment, but the soul is eternal. If one gives
up attachment for the body and increases his attachment for the spirit
soul, his life is successful. It is merely a matter of deliberation.
TEXT 14
fettanfeal: serie afr: |
Ul aed SMA: Teat AEMTATATT UE II
siddhair yajfdvasistarthaih
kalpayed vrttim dtmanah
Sese svatvam tyajan prajnah
padavirn mahatam iyat

siddhaih—things obtained by the grace of the Lord; yajrid-avasista-
arthaih—things obtained after a sacrifice is offered to the Lord or after
the recommended pafica-siind yajna is performed; kalpayet—one
should consider; vrttim—the means of livelihood; dtmanah—for the
self; Sese—at the end; svatvam—so-called proprietorship over one’s
wife, children, home, business and so on; tyajan—giving up; prajnah—
those who are wise; padavim—the position; mahataém—of the great per-
sonalities who are fully satisfied in spiritual consciousness; iyat—should
achieve.

TRANSLATION

An intelligent person should be satisfied with eating prasada

[food offered to the Lord] or with performing the five different
