Srinatha Raghavan posted the following enlightening conversation on Fb some time back,
In Banares, I happened to meet a young Aghori or a Tantrik, on the ghats of Manikarnika. As I was just staring into the pyre of death, He came and sat beside me and struck a seamless conversation.
He: Death is as temporary as Life?Me: Yes.He: Do you know why Death (Yama) & Time (Kala) are so feared?Me: No.He: Because they are least understood?Me: True.Me: How to understand Death?
He: By experiencing it, even when alive.Me: And how do we do that?
He: Under the guidance of a Guru, you can experience Death.Me: What is Death?
He: There is nothing called as Death?Me: What?
He: Death as we know it, is just physical cessation of the Body and it's functions.
Me: Yes.He: But what made the Body once tick, the spark of life, lives on and just like a drop of Water that has turned into Vapour, it goes back to become one with the whole.Me: Interesting.He: What is more interesting is what happens after that?Me: What would that be?He: It's the way the whole game once again, when the droplet separates itself from the whole to become an individual again.Me: That's true.He: Thus the play of life and death continues, till the drop has finally lived it's share of desires to assume a form and lives happily as a part of the formless whole.Then giving me some Bhasma and a Rudraksha, as a parting gift, He said, "May this Bhasma ever remind you of the impermanence of life and death and the Rudraksha of the latent Divinity that lay hidden within you, which is nothing less than Shivahood?"Om Namah Shivaya!Om I acknowledge the Shiva in my Self!~ Memoirs of a lost Spiritual Traveller."Thus the play of life and death continues, till the drop has finally lived it's share of desires to assume a form and lives happily as a part of the formless whole."
Our life is just a chapter from a novel. There was a chapter before and another waiting to unfold. Existence itself is a compilation of past stories and future sequels. I have a story. You have a story each day. Each man has a story to tell. We exchange our stories. The world is a fairy tale. What was a fairy tale slowly becomes bitter-sweet and finally bitter for many. But for some, the entry of others brightens their lives. These souls brush their aura onto us. The children sure do that. Life is a cheer with children around. Then life becomes a responsibility as they grow up. Life throws a new meaning with the coming of the guru. Henceforth our lives are written in gold by the guru. He sets our priorities right. He removes the fear. As we learn from the above conversation "To understand death is by experiencing it, even when alive", the guru is said to teach us to experience it.
When a sudden sneeze that came on as I was crossing the street one day in 2016, brought back the pain I suffered in 2011 and 2012 in the lower back and my legs, Lord Muruga reminded me through a Nadi reading for a friend, "Do not invite Death!" Although his words were harsh I knew he meant well and out of concern for me. He told me not to invite Yama, the Lord of Death, willingly. I took it as a reminder to care for the body well and to live life to the fullest. The Siddhas have given us all the means and mechanisms to live longer and keep Yama at bay. Their priority was to upkeep, maintain and sustain the body, in the peak of health; to ensure only enriching experiences were recorded onto the soul; eventually, merge the spirit within with the source or as the young Aghori or a Tantrik says "the drop lives happily as a part of the formless whole."
In these trying times of the pandemic hovering over us, my wife told me "Let us live life one day at a time. Let us live moment to moment." Those who have been spared and come out alive after a tragedy, mishap, illness, etc should look back at their lives and look for a new purpose hereafter as many did. Like many who saw a wider spiritual connection upon emerging from the onslaught, Sr. Barbara Stanbridge who previously had a near-death experience before coronavirus, in talking to the "National Catholic Reporter" says about her experience, "I guess there is something left for me to do."
David Goh who was injured in a bomb blast during one of his mission works in Myanmar wrote in his book "Divine Blast" that God can turn our tragedy into triumph if we let him in a crisis.
Betty J Eadie who came back from a near-death experience reveals the secrets of heaven in her book "The Awakening Heart - My Continuing Journey to Love", a Pocket Star Book, 1996. She says just as we have choices here, we are also given choices in our father's abode. While some souls respond to God's call, volunteering and choose to listen and accept his will before coming to earth, others receive a calling after they arrive, when their hearts open to God, through intense sufferings or through miracles, and eventually, they become vessels of God themselves.
Thus with our health regained we should work towards the course of bringing happiness and joy to others' lives if we have yet to. For others, there might be a need to carry out a specific mission be it for the spiritual advancement or the good of humanity that they are now reminded of. For yet others who have not awakened to their purpose, or have yet to take up the call, a tragedy, mishap, illness, etc might just do that.
In these trying times, we looked up to the scientist and medical profession for a cure, a vaccine, and a solution. It has come. We thank them. Not even the religious heads come to mind then. We rushed to the hospitals. A mere thank you would not suffice. We need to appreciate their sacrifice for humanity. We can choose to stay home and be safe; schools can close; businesses have an option to stay open or close; government departments can close down partially; but not hospitals and the healthcare system. While I have the luxury to keep myself safe at home within the four walls, the medical team does not have that luxury. They cannot stay at home for they are needed. I see them next to God in these times of crisis. Their role has gone beyond the corridors of the hospitals to the burial grounds now where they deliver the dead bodies back to dust. Yes, indeed it is true that God comes in many forms.