There is a saying “as sure as death”. It’s one thing that no one can avoid—we will all die
at sometime or another. But is death something to fear? Depends how you look at it and
what you think is going to die. If you identify with this temporary body then you will live in
fear because everything temporary ends at death. But if you identify with the immortal
soul within the body, the source of life and consciousness, then death is like discarding
old and worn out clothes. No one laments much about that.
But is there is more to worry about? What happens to the soul after death? Where does it
go? Its a long story, but its basically something for you to decide. It’s your free will. Your
present life and how you live it will determine the future—that’s called karma. Its the subtle
form of Newton’s law of action and reaction, for every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction… an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
If you live according to God’s laws then you’ll get a good result, a better destination after
death. If you live according to your whims, ignoring nature’s laws, God’s laws, you will get
an unfavourable destination. You could be a dog, a tree, a bird… anything. And that is
something to fear.
There is only one thing that is certain in life and that is death. Yet we plan for so many
things in our life that aren’t guaranteed (who we will marry, careers, the house we’ll live in
etc). But the one thing that is guaranteed is the only thing we don’t plan for. The ancient
book of wisdom, the Bhagavad Gita, says that out of many lives, a human life is the rarest.
It comes with responsibility, knowledge & choices So live a life of purpose, a life less
ordinary.
Death of the body will naturally approach but whether you should fear it or not is up to
you. The choice is yours.
– HH Sivarama Swami
