The Strangest Thing

My cousin, who was very close to me as a youngster and lived in the same region as me as an adult, left this mortal plane last month. What shocked my extended family was that he was in good health. After a while of what felt like stomach heaviness, he lost his life in a matter of minutes.

I write this post for two reasons:

The first is a tribute to this beautiful soul who kindled my spiritual life by gifting me a pocketbook of Swami Vivekananda.
The second is to speak out about my thoughts that rambled during those emotionally draining days.

The Tribute

I am not just saying this to pay homage, but this cousin was indeed one of the most beautiful people I have known. The care he took not to hurt anyone with his speech or actions was sometimes beyond comprehension for many. Perhaps this is why his last word was his wife’s name, which happens to be the name of surrender to Divine Mother.

Only blessed souls can utter the Divine Mother’s name before departing this planet. Knowing how beautiful this person was, it came as no surprise to me. Calling out the name of the divine right before death leads to liberation, so I’m sure Divine Mother inspired him to say that name at that precise moment.

My heartfelt obeisance to this divine soul, who touched many lives with his kindness. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Divine’s name has taken him to Her feet.

Strangest Thing

In the Mahabharata, King Yudhisthira answered many questions as asked by the Yaksha. Those questions and answers are such eye-openers that we must all contemplate them at some point. One of those queries was about death.

“What is the strangest thing in this world,” the Yaksha questioned Yudhisthira.

Yudhisthira’s epic answer was (paraphrased), “Each day, many people die. Still, we all live like this world is eternal. That’s the strangest thing in this world.”

Isn’t his answer spot on? We all know that death is the only certainty of this life. Our expiry date is stamped on us from the moment we are born. Yet, when death visits our home, we invariably ask: Why did this happen to me?

Peace in Maya

Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going at death? What Karma did we do for this negative to happen to me?

Neither science nor religion has a concrete answer to those queries. We live on this planet but barely know anything about this life.

All we know is that we came from a Source (Divine or Nature) and are returning to the Source. That’s the veil of Maya, the illusion that covers this universe. For good or bad, the only thing that can bring peace to this mysterious life is acceptance.

With Nature

We are at Nature’s mercy, and Nature has made death the truth of life. We may scream at the Divine or get tempered, but that will not affect Nature. While Nature is compassionate, it also works in a very non-attached state. Hence, our cries are only going to affect us.

Besides, we are dust in front of Nature. So, the only thing we can do is keep moving forward in the direction Nature takes us. The more we become harmonious with Nature and accept the reality of death, the easier it becomes to live on this planet.