Long ago, there was a person who had three friends. Quite by accident, he was charged for some crime and a warrant was issued against him by the court. He approached one friend and asked him to bear witness to his innocence. He said, "I will not move out of this house; I can help you only from within this." The second friend said, "I can come only upto the porch of the court. I will not enter the witness box." The third friend said, "Come, I shall speak for you wherever you want me to." The first friend is the 'property and possessions' which can bear witness only from within the house. The second is 'the kinsmen and the members of the family’, who come as far as the cemetery but would not accompany the person to the seat of judgement. The third friend is the fair name earned by one's virtues and service. These persist even after death and burial; they stand witness for ages, and announce the innocence and greatness of the individual. They decide the nature of the next birth too.

- Divine Discourse, May 24, 1973.