How to overcome the fear of death?
” वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम्।
ॐ क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर।। “ –YajurVeda 40.15
It means- oh man! This physical body keeps alive and moves due to the ‘Pran-Tatva‘ – pran-element and ‘AtmaTatva‘ – spirit element, residing into it. ‘AtmaTatva‘ or spirit is immortal, eternal and undestroyable. Physical body is ‘Bhasma-ant‘ means it will burnt into the form of ash/soil finally. Physical body is temporary, and destroyable whereas spirit is immortal element. ‘Kritam-smar‘ – Oh ‘Jeev‘ or living-being ! do remember your ‘Karma‘ duties, do remember your responsibilities, do effort, be the doer, recall your true potential and capabilities – what is your real potential and capacity? Whatever you have done, whatever activities had been done by you, what inspiration do your past gives to you, what were your mistakes, what was supposed to be done and what you did actually? Focus on it. Think and do analysis about all these questions. This is the message given in ‘Ishopnishad‘. There is wonderful mantras in ‘Ishopnishad‘. There are 250 types of ‘Upnishad‘ available today. The beginning, starting point of all these ‘Upnishads‘ is form ‘Ishawaakya Upnishad‘. ‘Ishawaakya Upnishad‘ is the starting node of this chain of ‘Upnishads‘.
The point we are discussing in above mantra, is a announcement in itself. God is speaking, saying that – Oh man, human! The life force energy within you that is immortal. That means you can not die, can not get destroyed. Lord Krishna also said like this in ‘Geeta‘ – नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः । न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥ It means- ‘spirit’ could not be cut down by any weapon, burnt by any fire, dried by any wind, wetted by any water. The one who can be cut, destroyed, died, get wetted, dried, that is your physical body. You was in existence in past, surviving today in the present, and will be in existence in future also. Do not worry about the one who is going to die and will not exist in future. That ever-existing and immortal element within you is soul. That is the life force energy which keeps your physical body alive.
There is a soul in your physical body then this soul is referred as ‘Indra‘ – the king. As long it resides into your physical body, your body glows. Your brightness and shining of your physical body gets increased. When this soul leaves your physical body then what condition happens to your physical body. You knows that dead physical body is horrifying in itself. People likes and enjoy the company of a living human being, but get nervous by sitting near by a dead body. Although, a dead body can not do any harm to anybody even though people gets nervous by sitting close to a dead body. A living man can do any harm to you but what harm can be caused by a dead person. Living human is dangerous. What is danger of dead human body? But, we fears from dead bodies because the beauty of human being was in soul only. Even, we washes our hands after touching any dead body. Because of the fact that – purity was there in soul only. Physical body is not pure.
There is a tradition in Indian culture – When someone takes departure from this world then a lamp is litted near, his/her dead body. It is a message that something that went away is the soul while the dead physical body is lying here. Litted lamp is a symbol of soul which has left this physical body, is still in existence. Do not understand that – that spirit has gone somewhere or dead. That soul is still there in your memories, in your houses and keeps shining in your mind also in future when you remind or remember that soul.
God is also giving the message to us that – Oh devotee! I also want to tell you that your physical body which is like a enlightening lamp. This lamp has love and devotion which helps in making connection to me. If both of those are not there in your mind then you can not come in contact with me and would not be able to get connected to me.
There is a mind in your physical body where soul resides. When a human goes into sleep then this soul gets disconnected from your mind, then at that time soul resides into the ‘Shushumna‘ nerve and when human being arises then, this soul leaves the ‘Shushumna‘ nerve and gets stay in our mind, from where it controls our whole physical body through our nervous system. In short, soul is the owner of this physical body. The eyes are likes as windows in our body, look and appearance get entrance through our eyes only, sound entered though ears, taste through tongue, smell through nose. Thus different different information we get through different different windows. But the element which receives all this information is our soul only. Soul takes another birth in new body. This is also true. So, death is not the end. But it is like a night long stay during a long journey on tour. The journey of soul keeps going continuously for ever.
