No Need To Grieve

Steve Jobs once said, “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet, death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.” Death, indeed, is one of the worst fears we harbour either consciously or subconsciously, despite knowing that once we are born, death is certain. Birth and death are two sides of the same coin. The Bhagwad Gita emphasises this aspect when it talks about Sankhya Yoga. If we dive deep into this aspect, we would realise that we are not afraid of death per se, but concerned about the element of uncertainty surrounding it. It is the unexpectedness coupled with suddenness that leaves us shattered, and more so if we are emotionally attached to the person. If death is expected for known reasons like old age, a terminal illness or some such reason, then we are mentally prepared and to that extent there is lesser element of surprise. Krishna, therefore, advises Arjuna that the “wise grieve neither for the dead nor the living”, because the “spirit never dies and hence rebirth is certain for the dead”. The type of rebirth, however, depends on our karmic account, which, in turn, depends on the quality of karmas, or actions, performed by us during the course of our lives. That’s how “some people die while they live, whereas others live even after they are dead”. Says the Dalai Lama, if we wish to die well, we must learn how to live well. Hoping for a peaceful death, we must cultivate peace in our mind and the way of our life.

Source: Economic Times, 4/03/2020