[Points: What the saying means—good deeds—a duty of man—when is life a blessing—examples of immortal men who died young—good deeds involve risks—conclusion.]
The proverb means that the value of a life depends, not on the number of years one may live, but on the number of good deeds one may perform.
This duty of good deeds is laid on man by the very fact of his being the best creation of God. Indeed, he has been endowed with the choicest blessings of his Creator. Every favour carries with it some responsibility and duty. The favour bestowed on man implies that God desires him to make the best possible use of it, that is, use it for the good of the world. In that way alone can man be true to his Creator and to himself too. He may die young; but if he has done something noble, his death will be deeply mourned by all and he will be remembered by the world for long years to come. Jesus Christ, Keats, Shelly, Vivekananda, Sankaracharya have become immortal though they all died very young. If, on the other hand, a man uses his gifts for self-interest only, there would be no difference between him and a beast. His life will be quite in vain, however long it may be, and he will die unwept, unhonoured and unsung.
Good deeds may sometimes involve risks, even of life. But a brave man is not afraid of this. He knows that death is the inevitable lot of all, and this death comes only once in life. So he considers it better to die in honour for a noble cause than to live ignobly like a coward. Gora of Chitore and Kshudiram of Bengal have become immortal by courting death, when still in their teens, in India's struggle for freedom.
So the main object of every life should be not merely to live in years, but to fill it, however short, with good and noble deeds to the best of one's power and ability.
