The
word 'death' creates a fear psychosis, in the mind of
human beings. You tell a person that such and such
person has died, it will produce a wave of shock, in the
mind of the listener. When death occurs in the family,
it is announced in the papers 'SAD DEMISE'. According to
Author's own understanding, he explains death as follows
:
Death is
re-union with God.
Death is
like changing clothes and wearing new clothes.
Death is
getting merged in God.
Death is to
achieve Eternity.
Death is a
realisation, that one is not the body, but the Atma (soul).
Death is
attaining a Blissful state (Sat-Chit-Ananda).
Death is to
break all the ties that bind, and be permanently released.
Death is the
only certainty.
Death is
understanding and experiencing the difference between the
transient and the permanent.
Anybody and
everybody, who is born in this world, in any form, has to meet
with death sooner or later. Hence, death should be accepted as
boldly and cheerfully as we accept life. That will help us in
eliminating the fear of death, which has held most of us so
tightly in its grip, that we can hardly breathe. In fact, any
human being who has taken a birth in this world may not be re-born
again, if he attains Moksha (Liberation) in this present life. But
on the other hand, each and every human being, who is born in this
world, is bound to die. So death is the only certainty.
Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba, has taken this human form, to explain to the
people and make them understand the secret of life and death, by
proclaiming that each and every human being, irrespective of any
caste, creed or colour, is the Atma (the Eternal soul) and not the
body, He further explains that the Atma does not die. It is the
body which decays, and is declared dead, when the Atma leaves it.
The Atma is neither born, nor does it die, it ever remains. On the
other hand, the body which is changeable, perishes and dies.
Anything which is changeable, is not real. Anything which is
permanent, is the truth. The Atma is permanent and Eternal.
Baba further
explains the reason, why a person is reborn and the Atma in his
present body takes a new body. He says that Karma and desire are
the cause of the rebirth of man. The Atma takes a new body for the
sake of unfulfilled desires and in order to sort out the balance
of one's Karmic effects or the deeds done in many previous lives.
Until and unless man has sorted out all his Karmic effects, he
cannot be liberated and be free from the cycle of birth and death.
Baba says, "Man - Desire = God". Baba teaches us in many ways, how
to control our desires and be desireless. He says, "The only
desire one should have, is the desire to know himself - that is
who am I? Where have I come from? Where have I to go? This will
give one the self-realisation".
Baba says that
mind is the cause of all the desires, and the cause of the
downfall of man. If one can learn the art of controlling the mind
properly, rather than taming the mind, one has won half the
battle. Unfulfilled desires give rise to anger, and anger boosts
the ego in man, and then man loses himself. Many times, Baba calls
the mind as 'monkey-mind'. Baba says, "If you can make your mind a
die-mind, you can also shine like a diamond. He even gives a
therapy, how to make your mind a die-mind. He says, "If a person
is really dead, does it bother him, if he is being garlanded, or
is being beaten by chappals (Foot wear). He is not affected either
way. Similarly, while you are alive, let your mind not get
agitated or disturbed under any circumstances. Be calm and serene.
Act like a 'sooka Patta' (a dried leaf), which is being pushed
this way or that way with every movement of the wind. This will
enable you to be the master of your mind and the mind will stop
dictating to you, instead it will start obeying you". Baba says,
"Man's ego, desires, attachments and sense perception to the
worldly objects, are the cause of man's bondage to the cycle of
birth and death".
A scientist
created a scientific luxurious cage, with all the modern
amenities, and put a number of mice, male and female inside the
cage, but deliberately kept the door of the cage open. He also
installed, two electrical gadgets, one of red colour and the other
of green. The mice while playing, if they touched the green colour
gadget, they got a piece of cheese, and if they touched the red
gadget, they got a shock. The mice were very happy in the cage,
dancing and playing and making merry, sometimes getting the cheese
and other times getting the shock. Surprisingly in spite the door
of the cage being open, none of the mice would attempt to get out
of the cage, to freedom!
The same is the
fate of we human beings. We are so engrossed in our day-to-day
routine involvements, that we accept both happiness and misery,
but would not like to get out of this body prison to free
ourselves in spite of the fact that Baba is here and He has kept
the door open for us, to be liberated, yet we are clinging to our
bodies, love life immensely and are afraid of death. How foolish
of us!
Baba has given
us two simple methods of getting Moksha (Liberation) in this age
of Kaliyuga. He says that Nama Smaran (reciting the name of the
Lord) and doing Seva (service) to the fellow beings (Manava Seva
is Madhava Seva) will get us the required liberation, in this
present life itself. Let us take advantage of Swami's assurance,
and act as per His Will and Commandments and earn His Grace, to
win our coveted goal, Moksha (Liberation) which is our sole
purpose of being born as human beings.