Text 21
ekaḥ prasūyate jantur
eka eva pralīyate
eko ’nubhuṅkte sukṛtam
eka eva ca duṣkṛtam
ekaḥ — alone; prasūyate — is born; jantuḥ — a living creature; ekaḥ — alone; eva — also; pralīyate — meets his demise; ekaḥ — alone; anubhuṅkte — enjoys as is due him; sukṛtam — his good reactions; ekaḥ — alone; eva ca — and surely; duṣkṛtam — bad reactions.
Every creature is born alone and dies alone, and alone one experiences the just rewards of his good and evil deeds.
The term anubhuṅkte is significant here. Bhuṅkte 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. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was falsely and obsessively attached to his evil-minded sons, forgetting that he alone would have to suffer for his imprudent behavior.