Excerpts from the lecture by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj:
Once a Yaksh asked Yudhishthir some questions. The most important question was किमाश्चर्यम् the Yaksh asked, “What is the most astonishing phenomenon in the world? Yudhishthir replied:
अहन्यहनि भूतानि गच्छन्तीह यमालय ।
शेषाः स्थिरत्वमिच्छन्ति किमाश्चर्यमतः परम् ॥ (Mahabharat)
“Every day we see living beings departing from the world. Some die the moment they are born, some in their youth, and some in their old age. But the ones, who remain, consider themselves to be here permanently.”
Everyone is afraid of dying. “What if I die?” “But you will die one day. Don’t you know it?” “I know it, but I do not wish to die.” “Do you possess such exceptional power that you plan to break the law of God?” “No, no, I have no such intentions, nor am I capable of it.”
When great Sages and ascetics, and even the celestial gods cannot break God’s law, then how can we dare to even think of it? We hear that the residents of heaven possess amrit, the elixir that cures all bodily ailments. Then why is their lifespan still limited?
The celestial gods have the Kalpavriksha, or wish-fulfilling tree. Then why can they not ask it to grant them the boon of immortality? Even Indra, the king of heaven, is not immortal. He lives for a hundred celestial years. When his time is over, he is forced to vacate his seat and return to earth. He may even descend into lower species of life, and become a cat or a dog. Even Brahma, the creator of the universe, has a limited lifespan. No one is exempt.
In English language there is an expression “dead sure,” meaning “as certain as death.” So if death is certain, why do we worry about it? It is definite that night will follow day, so do we worry about it? Do we say, “O God? It is late evening. Darkness is descending. What if night falls?” Do we get upset in this manner? No. It happens every single day, so it is not something to be upset about. It is a daily routine. Then why are we so disturbed by the thought that I may die?
The fear of death haunts us constantly. “Oh…he has a revolver in his hand.” “My God! That’s a snake…” “So what! What will it do that terrifies you so much?” “It will bite me.” “What then!” “I will die.” “But you are the soul and you cannot die.” “That’s true, yet I don’t know why I fear death.”
“Have you ever seen a physical body that does not perish? We read about great Sages and ascetics in history. They all had to leave the world one day, did they not? Then what is so special about your body that you will never die? Death will come one day, so why be afraid?” “Yes, that is true, but I am still frightened.”
The fear of death does not exist just in young people. Even old people riddled with disease, who has been forsaken by their family, and who cannot even get out of bed, are fearful of death. Although death can bring release from their present sufferings, yet they object to it.
Put your hands around a very old man’s neck, in a mock gesture of strangling him. He will protest immediately. “What are you doing? How dare you do this to me?” “I am only helping you leave this body, so that you may not suffer any longer.”
The old man will complain, “But I do not wish to go yet. I have so much to do. I have to see my grandson getting married.” “You saw your own wedding; that did not satisfy you. You saw your son’s wedding; even that did not satisfy you. You attended thousands of other weddings; they did not satisfy you. Now you want to see your grandson’s wedding. Will that help you attain Vaikunth?”
I was once flying from Delhi to Nagpur. One of the engines of the plane failed, and we were forced to return to Delhi. When the announcement was made, the expression on everyone’s face was worth watching.
“Now, we will surely die.” “So what if you die! There will be no loss. You will leave the body. This is all that will happen. You got this body in your mother’s womb, and after you leave it, you will get another one.” “But I may not get a human body.” “Well, you should have thought of that earlier, and done the things that would guarantee you a human form again.”
You gave birth to a daughter, and for eighteen years, you did not think of putting anything aside for her marriage. Now people approach you, persuading you to get her married, and you do not have any money. “But did you not earn any money all your life?”
“Yes, I earned a few million rupees.” “Then you could have easily saved a hundred thousand.” “Yes, I know I should have, but…” “Well, you will have to suffer the consequences now.”
This suffering exists in everyone’s life, and it exists because we consider ourselves to be the body. So, sorrow is caused by holding onto something that we should be detached from, i.e. the material body. We wish to hold on to our body, though we see death snatching away others’ bodies all around us.
If we think of ourselves as the immortal soul, this fear can no longer remain. For the soul, death is merely a change of bodies, so why be upset? Yet, people do get upset. What should be more astonishing phenomenon than this !
