ekaḥ prasūyate jantur
eka eva pralīyate
eko 'nubhuá¹…kte suká¹›tam
eka eva ca duá¹£ká¹›tam

 ekaḥ - alone; prasÅ«yate - is born; jantuḥ - a living creature; ekaḥ - alone; eva - also; pralÄ«yate - meets his demise; ekaḥ - alone; anubhuá¹…kte - enjoys as is due him; suká¹›tam - his good reactions; ekaḥ - alone; eva ca - and surely; duá¹£ká¹›tam - bad reactions.


Text

Every creature is born alone and dies alone, and alone one experiences the just rewards of his good and evil deeds.

Purport

The term anubhuá¹…kte is significant here. Bhuá¹…kte means “(the living being) experiences,†and anu means “following,†or “in sequence.†In other words, we experience happiness and distress according to the moral and spiritual quality of our activities. We are responsible for what we do. Dhá¹›tarÄṣṭra was falsely and obsessively attached to his evil-minded sons, forgetting that he alone would have to suffer for his imprudent behavior.