In recent months, we have witnessed several heartbreaking tragedies. Many dreams have been snuffed out in seconds. Reminding us how transient life is. While the ones who are grieving come to terms with reality, it allows us to reflect on larger premise of life and death.
In the Mahabharat, the Yaksh asked Yudhishthir what is the most wondrous thing in the world. Yudhishthir replied, "We see countless dying, but it does not occur to us that we will also die one day." We don't realise that death is also stalking us like a shadow. The love and clinging to the beautiful world leave us no scope to reflect on how transitory life is.
Swami Vivekananda says, "The great dream is love; we are all going to love and be loved, we are all going to be happy and never meet with misery, but the more we go towards happiness, the more it goes away from us." We are so enamoured by the good life, fulfilling our aspirations, that the higher thinking eludes us.
Adi Shankaracharya, in Bhaja Govindam, says, "Day and night, dusk and dawn, winter and spring come and go again." Each day, our lifespan reduces, yet the gust of desire and hope never leaves the human heart. We need to develop a spiritual vision. We must use the body to evolve spiritually and prepare ourselves for the next journey, ultimately realising the Divine within. The truth is, we are not the body.
Krishn tells Arjun, in verse 2.13 of the Bhagwad Gita, "Just as the embodied soul continuously passes from childhood to youth to old age, similarly, at the time of death, the soul passes into another body. The wise are not deluded by this." It is estimated that within seven years, all cells of the body change, yet we perceive that we are the same. That is because we are not the material body, but the spiritual soul seated within. Through a spiritual purpose, our thoughts, motivations, words, and actions change.
Until the clinging reduces, we experience fear of facing death. At the moment of final exit, most will encounter a severe jolt. Swami Vivekananda's description of this moment is poignant. He says, "The world vanishes in a moment and is gone. Standing on the brink of a precipice beyond which is the infinite yawning chasm, every mind, however hardened, is bound to recoil and ask, 'Is this real?' The hopes of a lifetime, built up little by little with all energies of a great mind, vanish in a second. Are they real?"
We must accept death. Let us love our family and friends as a trustee of the Lord. Let us fulfil our aspirations, break boundaries, and expand our lives. Let us work for others and contribute to society with time and money. Fear of death will slowly vanish. Humanistic impulses will flourish. Let us remember Tulsidas' famous couplet, "When we come into the world, we cry and the world laughs. Our time and actions in the world should be such that when we leave, the world cries and we laugh."
Authored by: Arijit Ray
