: TRAIN YOURSELF TO HANDLE TRAGEDIES

I just read a story of a serial killer who was sentenced to be dismembered into pieces in front of the family members of the 100 boys who he had murdered in a similar manner.  Many people who shared this story on Facebook seemed to agree as well as shaken up with the nature of judgment against this criminal.  What makes the material body so precious?

Many people who watch such gruesome stories or even hear about it, end up needing counseling  because of the trauma that they seem to undergo watching or hearing about the gory details.  This seemed to touch a sensitive nerve in many people – what to speak of devotees.  A devotee is para dukha dukhi – feels pained seeing others in pain.  We get so bombarded with such stories of misery from all over the world these days, that it makes us either apathetic on one extreme, or makes us rush off in some moment of fervor to physically or monetarily help such victims – in a philanthropic effort.  While the latter is a noble thought indeed, it is like treating the symptom than the root-cause of a disease. 

But if we can take a moment off to try and understand the root cause of suffering, our attitudes, and the real, permanent remedy for these rivers of sorrows around us, we will be able to effectively and sincerely apply that knowledge embedded deep within our spirits already.  The first lesson Srila Prabhupada taught is “I am not this body…I am a spirit soul”.  This knowledge is essential but more important is to apply this knowledge in helping ourselves and others.  This application is incomplete without the Vaishnava compassion.  Here are a few pointers on how to help ourselves and whoever we meet, who is going through the pains of death.

As we may have read many times, the soul is eternal and knows no death.  To help understand the difference between the spiritual soul and the material body, we can refer to Bhagavad-gītā (2.20):

na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”

•  Most people have fear of death especially because they know not the purpose of life and live away in vain.  This self-inflicted vagueness about life’s goal creates unnecessary angst and pain.   For one who knows the purpose of life, ‘Param padam’, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” (Bhagavad Gita As it Is, 2.51 Purport)

• Most people who take pride in having lived exemplary and successful material lives, know the least about death and are invariably and utterly unprepared for the precise strike of Time.  This is a general disease in our society which manifests itself as illusory rituals like display of dead body, taking it on a procession and making it appear beautiful with all decorations as if it were still alive and enjoying all that attention.  At this time people around seem highly interested in philosophy and like Srila Prabhupada says “When a relative dies one certainly becomes very much interested in philosophy, but when the funeral ceremony is over one again becomes attentive to materialism. Even Daityas, who are materialistic persons, sometimes think of philosophy when some relative meets death. The technical term for this attitude of the materialistic person is śmaśāna-vairāgya, or detachment in a cemetery or place of cremation”  (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.2.61 Purport)

• Due to our illusion and lack of knowledge of the nature of soul, we think gross body to be our real identity and want it to look good even when it’s dead matter.  The result of this is all the expensive funeral arrangements and rituals which are designed to artificially cover up the meaning of death.  As confirmed by scriptures, the true miseries of life are the painful processes of birth, death, old age and disease.  No process in this world, no advancement of science can remedy these.  This is the inherent entropy factor of this material creation.  Even if we have such ceremonies, the objective of such arrangements should be to develop detachment for our temporary bodies and inquire about the permanent spirit soul and our goal in this material world. ” Out of so many human beings who are suffering, there are a few who are actually inquiring about their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn’t want suffering but rather wants to make a solution to all sufferings, then one is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is awakened in one’s mind.”  (Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Introduction by Srila Prabhupada)

• These funeral ceremonies and the rituals are also, in some cases, to benefit the so called dead people.  Many souls have lot of material attachments when they leave the body and such souls do not transmigrate to another body but remain within subtle material bodies – as ghosts.“After giving up the body, one is transferred to another body, but sometimes, if one is too sinful, he is checked from transmigrating to another body, and thus he becomes a ghost. To save a diseased person from ghostly life, the funeral ceremony, or śrāddha ceremony, as prescribed in authorized śāstra, must be performed”  (Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.29 Purport)

When we come across anyone who is dealing with such pain, we must sympathize with them and allow them to express their grief and emotions.  The, gradually, based on our closeness to that person, we can share the truths of this material creation.  This is a good time to allow them to inquire about these points and connect them to the principles of Krishna consciousness as given by Srila Prabhupada.

To learn and understand these inevitable truths about life and death, we must approach an enlightened and authorized personality who is an expert in the science of the spirit soul.  Srila Prabhupada had mentioned in many of his books that we should not forget the inevitability of physical death.  We don’t need to begin obsessively thinking about this but it is a gentle reminder that we should train ourselves to seek shelter of The Permanent – the Supreme Lord, Krishna.  Death is just like a door to another room and we all have the responsibility to teach ourselves and our dependents about this truth.  If we are spiritually trained by the grace of a bona fide spiritual master, we can arrange our life and activities in such a way as to make continuous progress towards eternal life and happiness and not be absorbed in the morbid illusions of this temporary life.  We should make best use of our human life to spiritualize our consciousness.  Because what we think at the time of death determines our next journey and we should train up ourselves to think of nothing but Krishna, His activities, His form, His pastimes and His glories.  Only this kind of trained consciousness can guarantee us entry into spiritual realms.

To understand and practice this truth ourselves, and then help others raise to this platform is the ultimate service to humanity.

By Divya Rupa Devi Dasi