When we think of the word 'death' we are immediately overtaken by a swarm of morose emotions - shadows of pain, torrents of tears and disconsolate grief. The darkness of fear grips us and we shudder at the slightest dint of this inexorable phenomenon.
However, being mortal conditioned souls, we need to accept the inevitability of death, comprehend the unalterable temporality of our bodies, and most important, about the eternal nature of the soul.
According to the knowledge of transmigration of the soul, as given by enlightened sages in bonafide Vedic scriptures, we can understand that the real self, the real person, is different from the perishable body. The body dies, but the soul goes on to take another body according to its deeds or karma in this life. Because the soul is eternal, we should not overly lament the death of our friends, relatives, or thoughts of our own death.
A wise man never laments at death, rather utilizes his present condition in preparing for this unforseen fact of life. The best way to prepare for this ineludible occurrence is by being in association of self-realized souls. Devotional association is very different from friendship on the material platform.
The analogy of airplane pilots explains this. On the ground before take-off, a squadron of pilots may sit closely together for training and briefing sessions. But in the air, each pilot is on his own. Similarly, at the time of death, when we finally lose control of this body, we are externally all alone. But because spiritual relationships are beyond the body, the devotee still has spiritual association. At the time of death, he tries to remember his eternal friend Lord Krishna and chants His holy name. Lord Krishna states in Bhagavad Gita that "...whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt."
Therefore we must constantly seek spiritual alliance as they are the anchors who navigate our life and ensure we lead our lives in an exemplary manner. They ascertain that our energies are dovetailed towards satisfaction of the Divine, ultimately leading us to our final destination, assisting us in our endeavour to meet a glorious death as we would at once be transported to the Lord's magnificient Supreme abode.
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