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Why Few Are Interested In The Art of Dying

There are hundreds of popular institutions that teach us how to

make our lives better. To make them more healthy, moreorganised, more productive, more stress-free and, hopefully,

more happy. Interestingly, though death is such an important

happening in our lives, we do not pay much attention to it and

there is no institution that really teaches about death, what it

means and how it affects us. There seems to be no takers for a

course in the Art of Dying!

All of us fear death because death brings to an end our life on

earth and also because we are apprehensive of what will happento us after we die. To not get intimidated by fear of death we

must know the art of dying.

What is death? Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that He is

death (kala) in the form of Time (also kala). Time consumes

everything, from the tiniest atom to all those mighty universes in

the material world. The Vedic concept of death is that it is an

integral part and a recurrent happening in the continuous life of

every living entity on earth. Krishna tells Arjuna in chapter two

that there is no death for the jiva or soul, "Never was there atime when I did not exist, nor you, nor these rulers of men.

Nor shall all of us cease to be hereafter". Death pertains only to

the physical body and "...the soul merely changes bodies just as

the body changes clothes".

The Katha Upanishad explains the Vedic concept of death and

Garuda Purana deals comprehen-sively with rituals pertaining

to death, graphically describing the souls journey after death toits next birth.

Most believe death is the ultimate happening in ones life. But

there is more, depending on your karma. Each new birth affords

us an opportunity to better our circumstances through

performing good karma, which means following the injunctions

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laid down in the shastras.

We, however, choose to fritter away our lives in mundane

activities mainly to satisfy our sensual cravings.

Adi Shankaracharya says that one is very fortunate to have got

human birth for it is the only vehicle by which one can attain the

ultimate goal of life, moksha or liberation, and hence it must not

be wasted in living a frivolous life. More fortunate is he who has

a burning desire for liberation. And still more fortunate is the

one to get a bona fide spiritual master to take him to this goal.

Krishna says: "What-ever object a person thinks of at the time

of death, he attains to that object alone... Whoever thinks of only

Me even at the time of death, attains to My state on abandoninghis body. There is no doubt about this".

He once again reinforces: "He who, at the time of his death, engages himself in

remembering the Supreme Lord with full devotion, will certainly attain to Him".

This is possible only if one has Him constantly in ones thoughts for which oneneeds to do spiritual practice or sadhana.

Some even crave a painful death so that they are forced to cry out to God,thereby remembering Him during the last moments. However, if your desire to

be with Him is consistent and strong, it will manifest at the final hour so that

you are united with Him.