Hare Krsna,
My obeisances to all devotees, guru and gauranga.
Topic 7: CAN'T SET THINGS RIGHT? SEE THINGS RIGHT
Verse discussed: Bg 2.16
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
Translation:
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
CCD’s explanation:
Whenever things go wrong in life, we can generally do something to set them right. But when death strikes, there's nothing that we can do to set it right; the finality of death is unappealable. All that we try, cry, lie and die for is taken away from us in one merciless moment.
By taking away the option to set things right, death thrusts a blessing on us; it prods us to see things right. Gita wisdom enables us to complete the shift of vision that death forcefully prompts.
The BG indicates that our core identity has a sanctity that even death can't violate; we are souls who cant be destroyed even by the most fearsome weapons. We are destined for immortality by our intrinsic nature, but are sentenced to mortality by our inconsiderate choice. Our material bodies are unavoidably time-bound; when we choose to let our sense of self-identity be tied down to our bodies, we suffer the horror of death.
But all of use can, by practicing devotional service regularly, realize our true identity to be beyond our mortal body. Thereby we see death not as an unwelcome termination of our being, but as a welcome transition to a higher realm of being.
Thus, death is ultimately intended to compel us to reclaim our right to immortality, thereby offering us a blessing far greater than a prolonged and prosperous life. However, if we postpone accepting that blessing till death comes upon us, it may well be too late. Far better to accept that blessing nowby meditating on how death is taking its toll around us. The resulting gravity in our spiritual practices can help us not just at death, but also in life - by enabling us to relish spiritual happiness.
Chant and be happy.
Srila prabhupada ki jai..
Hare krsna
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