The phenomena of death comes across as the biggest fear in the human life. This fear exists primarily due to the unawareness and lack of realization of this Truth. The followers of Truth (His devotees or Saints) win over this fear through self-realization. The soul residing in the body itself is Truth as it is the separated part of the Lord (Truth). The physical body we call ours itself is the illusion (untruth), and as such vanishes away. Truth never dies. The soul simply changes the physical form it resides in.
The human body (blessed with awareness) is simply a tool for us to unite with the Almighty. It is meant to steer the separated soul towards the destination through the awareness gained from various senses. The man got deeply attached to the materials in feeding various desires. This illusion has pushed the blessed mortal away from the source, and as such man has lost the track of Total Truth. He is trapped so much in fulfilling the self-assumed truth (illusion) that remembering the Lord (if at all) has become more like a ritual, rather than an inner truthful desire.
The material desires lead to the vices such as – Ego, Lust, Greed, Attachment, Anger, Slandering, Whispering, Jealousy, Hypocrisy, and so on. The worst of all is the Ego. It is impossible to get out of the vicious circle of maya and the vices without His blessings. He blesses the rare ones Himself because of their divine worship (from past lives). This is how it happened for Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Bhagat Rama Nand Ji, and few other Prophets and Saints. He sends these saints to get salvation to others. This is how Bhai Lehna, other Gurus, Bhagat Kabeer, Bhagat Sadna, Bhagat Tarlochan, and many others got blessed. The enlightened souls helped these latter saints by planting the spark of Truth (Divine Jyote) in them.
One has to virtually die (or surrender) by gaining utmost humility, and be reborn without any self-identity to gain the salvation. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) Ji points out a great question, and then guides us with the simplistic answer –
How can I cross over the world-ocean?
SGGS 877
The Truthful answer is on the next line–
While I am living, I cannot be dead. ||1||
SGGS 877
The first Guru communicated this message of Truth to the Sidhs and Yogis who were trapped in the supernatural powers (Ridhis-Sidhis) with their utmost ego.
O Nanak, remain dead while yet alive – practice such a Yoga.
SGGS 730
Everyone is blessed with certain quota of breaths as issued by the Lord. It is more in some cases, and less in others, and is all good. In the duration of these breaths, a human pays for the past dues, and sets up the account for future births. Whatever one comes across in a birth form – pain or pleasure is all due to the past actions. If we have done good to others in the past lives, it is going to come back to us through good deeds from others towards us. The same is true if we have created pain for others, it is going to reflect back on us.
As you plant, so shall you harvest,
according to what you planted in the past.
SGGS 309
As we notice commonly, there are people who live in constant suffering, and eventually die in terrible pain. They are basically inheriting fruits from the seeds planted in the past life (lives). This is true for everybody with no discrimination whatsoever. Dhan Dhan Bhagat Sadna Ji was a butcher by profession, and the Almighty turned around his life-style by showing him the Truth through a goat that he (Bhagat Sadna) was going to butcher. The Lord communicated the message through the goat – “Hey Sadna, you and I (goat) have been taking turns on each for over many lives. You kill me (goat) in one life, and then I become the butcher and kill you (goat) in the next life.” The cycle goes on and is this going to ever end? Perhaps not, unless we change the course of action. The Lord showered His blessings and the Bhagat Sadna Ji realized the message from the God. We all are living under His will, and carrying the actions to settle the balance from the past. The blessed ones are those whom the Lord shows the light in the surroundings of total darkness, and saves them out of the cycle of death and birth by showing them the path to His Kingdom.
One whose destiny is so pre-ordained,
obtains the Lord of the Universe as his Companion.
SGGS 47
It is good to realize the pain and suffering within self and around. This itself is a great lesson to us all to save ourselves by utilizing the golden opportunity of human birth. It is even great to sympathize with those in pain, and be able to help. It is good to contribute and help share the pain. Talking to someone in pain, and give comfort is a great thinking in action. In Islam, people are encouraged to go to the Cemeteries at least once a week to make them appreciate the fear of death. As humans we tend to remember Him anytime we are helpless. This is a blessing itself. The pain becomes a pleasure as it leads us to the path of Truth.
Suffering is the medicine, and pleasure the disease,
because where there is pleasure, there is no desire for God.
SGGS 468
One should never complain about any pain or suffering that he is seeing in self, relations, and around him. Everything moves under His Will, and each action signifies a lesson for us. We should appreciate the Lord for showing us all these secretes of Truth (Hukam), and beg for granting us the ability to comply with His Will. We gain closeness to Him as we appreciate His Will. This teaches us how to live with no desires, and as such take each and every happening as it comes with a smiling face.
A great Bhagat Bhai Bhikhari Ji started preparing coffin for his son as he was going to marry. The people and relatives around him had no clue about the absolute Truth about to come. Bhagat ji was enlightened, and could foresee His Will. The Bhagat Ji’s son gets married, and on his way back to home gets bit by a snake and dies. The bride was meant to go through only few hours of company of her bridegroom. Such was there short-lived ‘suhag’. Bhagat ji was in total bliss under His Will, and most of the family and relatives were in shock. Dhan Dhan
Baba Nand Singh ji Kaleran Vale was amongst the company of many of devotees, and he noticed a snake coming towards him. Baba Ji cautioned everyone not to disturb or hurt the snake. Baba Ji explained: this snake is meant to bite him, and this is how his time on the earth is supposed to end. The snake came nearby, and Baba ji moved his foot towards the snake. The snake bit Baba Ji and left. This is how it was destined under his total Will.
The greatest help we can provide to others is to share the divine knowledge of Truth, and show this divine path to others. As we follow the Truth ourselves, and be committed to it at any price, the Lord pulls us out of the suffering of death and birth. The blessed ones or brahmgyanis with their total commitment to the Lord can change the destiny of others in pain (under His Will). It is Him in the holy doing it. We often come across people who get us peace with their company. These people are closer to the Almighty, and with their presence create peace around them. They are analogous to magnets with certain magnetic field around them. It is the Lord (Jagat-Jyote) in the brahmgyanis that helps the sufferers around them. Bhagat Janak Ji (Raja Janak) saved several millions of sufferers (with his few minutes of Bhagti quota) from the hell as he could not see the suffering and pain they were going through (in hell). The point is we can help others if we have self-realized ourselves.
If we go back, and look into the history of Gurus and Bhagats, we find out that they saved many in suffering with His blessings. When Bhai Mati Daas was going through splitting his body in half with a running saw, it was the Guru taking away his pain, as Bhai Mati Daas was in total bliss. The Tenth Guru turned around the burning brick-baking furnace to a normal temperature, as he was blessing the cat with her little kittens with more breaths. Where was the heat of red hot chamber going to? It was Guru taking the pain with the Lord’s unlimited blessings and powers at his disposal. In other words, it was the Lord in Him again.
The God-conscious being is the Perfect Supreme Being, who orchestrates all.
SGGS 273
Daas remembers hearing about a Gurmukh Pyara Ji (a doctor by profession) from 70-80 years back. This blessed soul had new-borns with limited number of breaths (for only 4-6 weeks) for many years. He would start preparing the ‘coffin’ few days in advance as he knew that the soul had only a limited account to settle in short life time. His friends and relatives had seen this truth several times for several years. This enlightened soul would have no grief, and would accept the Will of the Lord with total harmony. A time came when he had another new born, His Will prevailed, and the little soul fled away in a few weeks. This Gurmukh soul knew all this and this time he put a bill of certain nominal currency on the dead body before cremation. Upon asking he explained that the short lived soul had a balance of account left with him, and for this he would have to come back and be reborn. He helped this soul to settle accounts in complete. The next year came, and this Gurmukh veer had a baby boy, and he was meant to live for longer life. This son of the blessed soul was also a blessed one, and he lived throughout in total humility.
A brahmgyani wins over the fear of death, and takes every moment the way it is granted without any resistance. A Buddhist saint once sacrificed himself to save the hungry cubs of a lioness. He noticed the lioness was dying of hunger, and so were her relatively young aged cubs. He surrendered to the lioness, so that she could satisfy her hunger, and then feed her milk to the cubs. The saints recognize His will, and are determined with total conviction to follow it with no delays.
Whatever pleases Him, O Nanak-that Command is acceptable. ||4||31||
SGGS 25
So, the lifetime we are blessed with, and all the actions that happen are pre-destined to go along with the past deeds we have committed to. The opportunity is there for us to save the future, by prevailing in the present under his total Will without any kind of duality.
Those who take pleasure in God’s Will
remove doubt from within.
O Nanak, know Him as the True Guru, who unites all with the Lord. ||10||
SGGS 71
He Himself is liberated, and He liberates the universe.
SGGS 295
One is really blessed if he happens to come to the company of such a saint or a puran brahmgyani. The SGGS Ji quotes –
I am unworthy; no one gives me sanctuary.
But in the Society of the Saints, I merge in God. ||7||
SGGS 1018
Prays Nanak, I seek the Sanctuary of the Saints;
please, reveal to me the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. ||3||
SGGS 543
The greatest thing one can do here is to surrender completely to the feet of the holy, and give up the total self-will. The inferior self-will brings only the duality or illusions. The company of the saints grants total bliss.
By the Grace of the Saints, Nanak has met the Lord;
his mind and body are soothed and satisfied. ||4||14||135||
SGGS 209
The saints help eliminate the duality or effects of materials, and instill the precious jewel of ‘Naam’ in the devotee.
When the Holy Saint placed His Hand upon my forehead, then I was liberated. ||2||
SGGS 214
A puran brahmgyani is totally absorbed in the Lord all the time, and as such represents the Almighty in a physical form (sargun-saroop).
The Divine Guru is the Image of peace, truth and wisdom.
The Divine Guru is the Philosopher’s Stone – touching it, one is transformed.
SGGS 250
The fear of death goes away in the company of the holy, and the life changes its meaning forever. The devotee is blessed with the salvation, and gets out of the terrible cycle of death and birth. He is in total happiness forever.
He is at peace in this world, and happy in the next.
SGGS 292
This write-up is made possible by the blessings of the Lord, and Puran Sant Satguru Baba Ji.
A Humble Servant.