Best refuge

How happy will a tired swimmer feel when he finds an island after swimming long through the sea? Religion is also like an island for the person swimming in the worldly sea.

Defame or insult gives mental pain to the people and fame gives pleasure. Irreligious man is avoided; religious man commands respect. Hence, religion also being a tool of respect is respectable as such.

What pleasures do the prisoners, sick men lying on the bed since months, derive? Pleasure is not in being static but in moving about. Religion inspires man to do his duty; hence, it is a pleasure in itself like mobility.

Adoption of spiritual path makes all evil thoughts vanish. Afflicted man feels peaceful in the refuge of a brave man. Religion also is best refuge since it removes worries.

- Uttaradhyayana Sutra 23/68