He who is overly attached to his family members experiences fear and sorrow, for the root of all grief is attachment. Thus one should discard attachment to be happy.

The saying frames suffering as a psychological consequence of clinging: when one’s sense of security depends on loved ones remaining unchanged and present, anxiety (fear of loss) and grief (pain of loss) become inevitable. It does not necessarily deny affection or familial duty; rather, it warns against possessiveness and dependency that turn relationships into sources of torment. The proposed remedy—“discard attachment”—points toward cultivating inner steadiness and non-attachment: caring for family while accepting impermanence and limits of control. In this way, “happiness” is presented as a state grounded in self-mastery rather than in external circumstances.