Day: April 3, 2021

Swamiji says …

” There is no denying that ‘death’ – ‘mrityu’ is the ultimate truth of life. If there is anything constant about life ; about being alive – it is only that sooner or later ‘it’ will come to an end. And, that end is death; ‘mrityu’! ‘Har insaan ki ‘mrityu’ nishchit hai ! Yeh hona hi hai!’ “

” Yet, we live in an era where man is constantly seeking numerous fleeting pleasures of life ; and, is almost wilfully entangling himself in the ‘ ‘Mayajaal’ jo humara jeevan hai, aur iss sansaar ko, joh ki asal mein ek ‘mithya’ hai, issey ‘vaastavik satya’ samajhta hai, jiss mein woh sada jeeta hi rahega !’ Thus, the very thought that the life of comfort and luxuries that is being enjoyed by him today, no matter how meaningless or destructive it could be, will have to come to an end one day, brings dread, fear and trepidation in his heart. It should come as no surprise, then, that man associates death with darkness and grief; sorrow and pain; which is why any mention of death is shunned by most of us,and, we shy away from discussing it – be it at our dinner tables or in a larger narrative. Each one of us fervently nurses a silent, but, strong sense of false surety, that death can never ever touch us, and, we will continue to live for ever with those we love.”

” Why does man refuse to accept the inevitability of death ? Is man not trying to fool himself by staying distant from the idea of death; averting his eyes from the shadow of the finality of death that looms larger than life? He tries to outsmart death by setting one goal after another, planning and preparing for the future that he feels will never be cut short by death; certain that death could give him an extension by giving his unfinished goal due consideration!”

” Look at the farmer who toils in the fields.Doesn’t he also plan the sowing of seeds and watering of his crops according to the particular time period when he will reap his harvest ? Does he shed tears when he harvests his crops ? Is he filled with fear on the day he harvests his fields? No. In fact, the day of harvesting is a day of celebration for him. We do not find a farmer lamenting the ‘cutting’ of a crop that no longer stands tall in his field.Thus, like the farmer who acts in accordance with the lifecycle of his crops, we too, must live and act in accordance with the cycle of life and death.”

“We must thus, imbibe in our thoughts and actions, the eventuality of death. Because, when we do so, we will truly begin to appreciate all that really matters and pay attention to the outcome of our ‘actions’, our ‘karm’. Death highlights the transient nature of the world around us ; the positions that we hold in society and organizations; the relationships that we cherish ; even the goodwill of others – everything around us is temporary. ‘Jo kuch bhi hum dekhte hain, woh sab mithya hai !’ Acknowledging the reality of death early on in life, helps us in keeping a check on ourselves; to reflect when we overexert or spend ourselves on objectives that are not in line with our personal and spiritual development as only then do we realize that the short life that we have been blessed with has to worthy and meaningful.”

” Life appears to be a perennial source of treasures till the time we confront death.There are numerous examples of this. Men and women waste time chasing money when they already have enough,and, repent when impending death comes their way, for not having spent enough time with their family.
Then, there are those who spend so much time involved in family matters and relationships, that the chapter of their life closes, without them having achieved anything on any front – neither personal nor spiritual.”

” The most relevant teaching that the certainty of death teaches us is to value ‘time’ – and to appreciate every moment and opportunity that life presents us with during our journey from birth to death. It gives us the perspective that even though achievements, relationships and milestones are important, they will eventually fade away, but, what is of greater significance is ‘what’ we did with our lives; ‘how’ we lived our lives ? Death, too, should be filled with admiration on seeing us welcome it, well prepared to exit the world with grace and dignity, with His name on our lips, looking forward to merging with our Creator.”