Sanjeev Kumar Sharma
Those who have done good works, gave donations, helped the poor, prayed God regularly, fed the hungry, cared for animals, remained peaceful and non-violent, cared for nature and avoided all the wrong deeds will get heaven where they will enjoy all type of comforts while those who remained violent, lied, remained dishonest, killed animals and humans, never prayed to God and did all the wrong deeds will get hell where they will be chopped, fried and will face all sorts of tortures.
These are the common beliefs prevailing in our society regarding what happens after the death.
To understand this system in depth, let’s begin with the beginning of life and then move ahead systematically.
As we all know, life of a human being on earth begins with the birth of a child in a family triggering celebrations and the journey proceeds as one grows to young age, old age and ends with the death triggering sorrows and gloom.
Death, the end of life, always remained a bitter but the ultimate truth of life and it is also the most fearful thing for most of us. Just note the behaviour of animals before they face the knife of a butcher and also note the reactions of a criminal when death sentence is announced to him. Such criminals often plead for mercy and use all their resources to get the death sentence reduced but the animal going to face the knife of a butcher is dependent solely on the mercy of a mercy-less human who is all prepared to slaughter him for no crime or fault. While last wish is asked from a criminal facing gallows, an innocent animal is even denied of such a provision and many times animals are slaughtered while they are hungry and thirsty.
Though most deaths are mourned but there are certain occasions when some deaths are celebrated like the death of some enemy or someone whose activities have threatened the life of others by ways of violence or other such acts. Anyhow, after every death, some legacy of the deceased is left behind and many times it is passed on to the next generations of the deceased.
Another bitter truth about the death is that after death a person loses all his worldly possessions including the very name by which he/she was identified in this world and the world now starts referring him/her as a body or dead body.
These days certain organs of a deceased person remain functional even after the death, if the same are donated properly as per the laid procedure and one’s eyes can even see the world after his/her death or one’s heart can even beat in someone else’s body.
There are exactly no accurate figures about the number of people died in this world so far but many Pundits of Hinduism possess big and fat hand written texts called ‘Vanshawalis’ containing names and other details of the people from Hindu community who have left this world. Sources of these data remain the relatives of such deceased persons who visit Haridwar or other places like Pehova near Kurukshetra to immerse the ashes and perform other rituals of their loved ones after they leave this world and such people visit the Pandas (religious persons) of their community for registering such data regarding the deceased person.
Now the question is that what the death is in reality? Is the death really something to fear about? Is there any way to win over the fear of death?
Here I feel important to quote a few popular verses by an Urdu poet regarding the subject:
“Is Zindgi K Hain Doo Jahan, Ek Yeh Jahan Ek Wo Jahan, In Do Jahan K Darmian, Ek Saans Ka Hai Fasla, Jo Chal Rahi To Yeh Jahan, Jo Ruk Gayi To Wo Jahan” (there are two worlds, one is our world in which we are living and the second one is another world where we move after death and there lies a distance of a single breath between these worlds. If breathing continues, then one is in this world and if the breathing stops then one has landed in another world).
As per certain faiths, on doom’s day all graves will be opened and the deceased persons would be made accountable of their deeds.
There is much more one can say or write about death as it is the ultimate truth which every living person has to face.
Even the tallest of the religious persons, saints, Godly figures, those who were known for performing miracles and those who were believed to be very close to God, have died.
While many philosophers maintain that one is dead if one loses morals, the medical sciences have their own procedure to declare a person dead.
As per Bhagwat Gita, human life starts from childhood, proceeds to youth age and then to old age and finally ends with the death after which the journey of the soul continues with some new physical body depending upon the deeds of the previous births.
Bhagwat Gita defines death as ‘Deh-ant’ (Deh-body, ant-end) which means end of the physical body and not of the soul which is immortal and continues its journey ahead even after the death.
After death, the physical body which is composed of five ingredients—earth, fire, water, air and the sky returns to these five things and the soul continues its travel in some other vehicle (body).
Nothing is lost after death and even certain conservation laws support this as such laws claim that things are transformed from one form to another but are not destroyed at all.
Such theories of science like the Law of Conservation of Energy, Law of Conservation of Mass, Law of Conservation of Matter etc claim that things like energy, mass or matter are neither created nor destroyed by any process but can be only transformed from one form to another.
Similarly, the soul cannot be created or destroyed but it gets some new body after the end (death) of the previous one.
Hindu and some other religions believe in rebirth and there are many religious books of Hindus to support this claim which comply with the conservation laws of the science.
Now the question is who are the people which have won over the fear of death and how can it be done?
Actually, fearing death is very common but defeating the fear of death is very easy. At this point one may object, how can that be so easy?
Yes, it is easy but only for those who under all the circumstances believe that the God/Eshwar, the Almighty is really more powerful than all the powers existing in this universe and the God/Eshwar is also omnipresent and exists everywhere, in all times and in all the worlds which are known or unknown to us. If the God/Eshwar, the Almighty has many a times saved us in this life from dreaded circumstances of this world, then He will also safeguard us from the troubles of other world too.
Here it is important to mention that belief in the God/Eshwar is only possible when one remains pious in thoughts, behaviour, thinking etc and such persons are really spiritual beings and their belief in spirituality empowers them to overcome the fear of death.
Mostly the killers of innocent people are believed to land in hell while heaven remains the destination for those who get martyred and lays down life while fighting for the motherland or while working for the good of humanity or nature or while doing other good deeds.
Anyway, while the death is a truth and will happen to all, we should pray to the Almighty God for a death of dignity, a farewell from this world which would leave all in tears. A death after which a physical body is finished but the high morals of the deceased personality becomes eternal for all to follow for a better and contented living.
Such a death though being an end of one’s life ushers the beginning of a new era of morality and goodness. In this way a person lives long even after death.
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