Nothing Accompanies You When You Leave the World
Wherever you look today, there are only desires, desires, and more desires. Put a ceiling on these desires! Only then will your mind become steady. You say, “I want this, I want that,” etc. Thus you develop many wants. They are like passing clouds. Why should you multiply your wants, these passing clouds? Ultimately, nothing accompanies you at the time of your leaving this mortal body.
Great kings and emperors ruled over this world. They conquered many countries and accumulated boundless wealth. Even Alexander the Great, who conquered several parts of the world, could not take with him even a miniscule part of the wealth he accumulated. He had to leave this world with empty hands.
To demonstrate this truth, he instructed his ministers to take his dead body in a procession through the streets of his capital, keeping both his hands in a raised position pointing towards the sky. The ministers were curious to know the reason for this strange request. He said, “I have conquered many countries and accumulated so much wealth. There is a vast army under my control. Yet none is accompanying me at the time of my leaving this body. I am going with empty hands. This has to be demonstrated to all people.”
Sri Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 41,
Chapter 19: Contemplate on God, the Real Hero, for Victory.