Verse (Roman transliteration)
Vayasi Gate Kah Kaamavikaarah,
Shushke Neere Kah Kaasaarah
Kshiine Vitte Kah Parivaarah,
Jnaate Tattve Kah Samsaarah
Translation
When youth has passed, where is lust? When the lake has dried, where is it? When wealth is gone, where are the relatives? When truth is known, where is the world of illusion?
The teaching
Four rhetorical questions that reveal the conditional nature of all worldly experience. Desire depends on youth; beauty depends on water; loyalty depends on wealth; the illusion of the world depends on ignorance. Remove the condition, and the experience vanishes. The only thing that does not depend on conditions is the truth itself.
Living this today
Illustrative example: Imagine a project being cancelled. You cannot preserve every outcome, but you can still be honest about the work and considerate toward the team. Name a value that can guide the next step.