Miscellaneous - Religion   

Evanescence of life

CHENNAI: : Scriptures reiterate that among the innumerable living beings only man can pursue and realise the objective of liberation. While the other beings can only work out the Karma, which has brought about their births, human beings can lead a life wedded to the principles of Dharma, which is the basis for spiritual progress. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita says that man should eschew sensory gratification that is not sanctioned by Dharma. Adi Sankara in his hymn, the Bhaja Govindam, outlines with candour all that an individual should refrain from to emphasise that the spiritual path is not a bed of roses. The seeker has to strive for the goal with great determination against all odds of worldly life.

A verse of this hymn highlighted the uncertainty of human life by comparing it to a drop of water on a lotus leaf, said Swami Omkarananda in his discourse. No one can say with certainty how long a drop of water will remain on a lotus leaf because even the slightest breeze can snuff out its existence. Just as the drop of water on a lotus leaf, man also leads a precarious existence and due to ego (the feeling of I) becomes attached to his body and his possessions. Like a chick deserting the shell after coming out of the egg, the soul will also leave the body the moment the Karma that brought about this birth gets exhausted. Even when this fact is obvious no one likes to face this reality.

This is highlighted in the Mahabharata also in the interlude on Dharma, the Yakshaprasna, which is in the form of a dialogue between Dharmaraja, who appeared in the form of a Yaksha, and Yudishthira. To the question, "What is the greatest wonder in the world?" the Pandava elder replied that even though a person saw people dying everyday he went about his life as though he was immortal. Sankara says that one should caution the mind not to engage too much with the world and constantly remind it that the body is akin to a boat to cross the ocean of transmigration. So before it wastes away one should use it for the purpose for which God has given it to him. Moreover, the human body is an instrument for the performance of Dharma and hence if it is not used properly it would amount to wasting a wonderful opportunity, as there is no guarantee that one would be reborn as a human being.

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