Continued From:
The basic question asked
by an individual whether I will go to Hell or Heaven. There is an effort to
justify that no wrong has been done and heaven is surely deserved. Well, all
living beings are fallible and every moment sin is committed by every individual.
We are unaware since we don’t want to accept any moment. That’s why perhaps ‘The
One’ has created ‘Death’. The acceptance comes when
there is fear. ‘The One’ cannot be comprehended just like that but ‘Death’
by all. Hence, mortals fear ‘Death’ more than ‘The
One’. That is 'irony' associated with ‘Living Beings’ and that is their plight.
The
purpose of ‘Death’ is neither to end the life nor inculcate fear in minds
of living beings. But it is meant to let mortals know their actions cannot go
rewarded or punished. Realized souls say, the verdict of an individual’s life
long actions is delivered near his ‘End’. He does not want to die, maybe
to rectify his actions or maybe he does not want to bear the pains of his
actions, but no one can change the law of nature. Unfortunately, the individual
does not have enough time to amend his actions; he cannot change the course of
events and cannot go back in time to alter his actions to revert back the
outcomes. For such people the ‘Messengers of Death’ seem merciless,
with only purpose of decimating living existence. This has been resulted in
depiction of death as most cruel happening in life. This opens up the following
questions so far:
·
Can ‘Death’ be avoided?
·
Who all are under its grip?
·
Why cannot mortals escape it?
·
What exactly its nature?
·
Why it scares mortals?
We
will pursue these questions one by one in light of Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Dhan
Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji says following:
अफरिउ कालु कूड़ु सिरि मारै ॥५॥
(Death is
inevitable; it strikes the heads of the false.)
Guruji
has made it clear, ‘Death’ is inevitable. So no matter what an individual does he
cannot escpace death or avoids it. Guruji gives clear cut message in following
words:
जे जरवाणा परहरै जरु वेस करेदी आईऐ ॥
(Even
if you remove the signs of old age, old age shall still come in the guise of death.)
रूपु न जाणै सोहणीऐ हुकमि बधी सिरि कारो ॥
(No
one cares for your beauty, O beautiful bride; the Messenger of Death is
bound only by the Lord Commander's Command.)
An
individual can hide his old age from the world but he cannot escape from ‘Death’.
He cannot fool ‘Death’; he cannot cheat ‘Death’. Even young people cannot
escape it. The example of bride in above words by Guruji signifies youth and
beauty. Guruji also hints that ‘Death’ is only bounded by ‘The Command of the One- The Lord’.
So does it mean, no matter what is the social status of an indiviaul, he will
fall prey to ‘Death’? This question is result of the words uttered by Guruji
and every one does understand somewhere that ‘no human is above will of HIS and
no human can overwrite HIS command’. This question is answered by Kabeer
ji in following words:
राजा परजा सम करि मारै ऐसो कालु बडानी रे ॥२॥
(The
king and his subjects are equally killed; such is the power of Death.)
Kings rules the masses, coin their will
on them. But even they cannot escape death. Kabeer Ji further says:
तंत मंत्र सभ अउखध जानहि अंति तऊ मरना ॥२॥
(Those
who know Tantras and mantras and all medicines - even they shall die in
the end.)
Even if an individual become master of tantra
and mantra or medicines still they cannot escape death. Kabeer Ji continues with
volleys of ‘hard hitting words’, with purpose of awakening the
consciousness before it is too late, on ‘Death’. He says:
पान कपूर सुबासक चंदन अंति तऊ मरना ॥३॥
(Betel
nuts, camphor and fragrant sandalwood oil - in the end, they too shall die.)
All the actions to keep
human body smell good cannot save any individual from ‘Death’. Dhan
Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji says even Gods, Angels and Demons cannot escape ‘Death’
in following words:
सिव बिरंचि असुर सुर जेते काल अगनि महि जरते ॥
(Shiva,
Brahma, angels and demons, all burn in the fire of death.)
Well, this all gives glimpse of ‘Power
of Death’. Who so ever is breathing, will cease to breath one day and that
is ‘The
End – The Death’. That’s exactly what Dhan Shri Guru Raam Das Ji
and Kabeer
Ji have to say in following words:
ਨਿਤ ਜੋਬਨੁ
ਜਾਵੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਜਮੁ ਸਾਸ ਹਿਰੇ ॥[8]
नित जोबनु जावै मेरे पिआरे जमु सास हिरे ॥
(Youth
is passing away, O my dear beloved, and Death is stealing
away the breath of life.)
जीवनै की आस करहि जमु निहारै सासा ॥
(You
hope for long life, while Death counts your breaths.)
‘Death’ is keeping an eye
on ‘breaths’ of living being. As soon as they are completed, as pre-ordained,
it pounces on living being. We have looked into questions, can it be avoided? The
answer is ‘No’. Who all are under its grip? The answer is ‘All
Living Beings’. So next we will try to understand why mortals cannot
escape it and what its nature is in the light of Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
TO BE CONTINUED!
[1]
Gauree Mehla 1 – Ang 227 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[2]
Pauree – Ang 465 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Mehla 1)
[3]
Vadhans Mehla 1 Dakhni – Ang 580 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[4]
Bilaval Baani Bhagtaan Ki – Kabir Jee Ki – Ang 855 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib
Ji
[5]
Aasaa – Ang 477 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Kabir Ji)
[6]
Aasaa – Ang 477 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (Kabir Ji)
[7]
Malaar Mehla 5 – Ang 1267 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[8]
Aasaa Mehla 4 Chant Ghar 5 – Ang 451 Dhan Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
[9]
Aasaa Shree Kabeer Ji Ke Tipade 8 Dotuke 7 Iktuka 1 – Ang 481 Dhan Shri Guru
Granth Sahib Ji
