smaro vāvākāśād bhūyaḥ tasmād yady api bahava āsīrann asmaranto naiva te kaṃcana śṛṇuyur na manvīran na vijānīran yadā vāva te smareyur atha śṛṇuyur atha manvīrann atha vijānīran smareṇa vai putrān vijānāti smareṇa paśūn smaram upāssveti
'Memory (smara) is better than ether. Therefore where many are assembled together, if they have no memory, they would hear no one, they would not perceive, they would not understand. Through memory we know our sons, through memory our cattle. Meditate on memory.