Surely thou wilt succour thy wife by the sight of thee, who now mourns widowed yet with her lord still alive,-like a swan separated from her mate or a female elephant deserted in the forest by her companion. I do not however approve that thou shouldst consider the king's grief as caused by me, when in the midst of his dream-like unions he is afflicted by thoughts of separations in the future. That the nature of the embryo in the womb is produced as composed of hands, feet, belly, back, and head, and that it is also united with the soul,the wise declare that all this comes of itself spontaneously. That which is the cause of the action of the world, is also determined as the cause of its ceasing to act. Some say that the coming into being and the destruction of being are alike caused by the soul, but they say that coming into being arises without effort, while the attainment of liberation is by effort.
Mankind are like the blind directed in the darkness by the blind.
Thus he proudly made his resolve, and rising up in accordance with it, full of disinterestedness, went his way. Then the minister and the Brahman, both full of tears, having heard his firm determination, and having followed him awhile with despondent looks, and overcome with sorrow, slowly returned of necessity to the city.