By Maharishi Das
Two days ago I had another wonderful experience while visiting the hospital that I thought I would share. I thought I was going for another routine lung function check up (which I do not like so much but tolerate). To my surprise I was told after the Lung function I could also have a fitness to fly test as I did mention that I would wish to travel abroad in the near future. The doctor insisted that, with my condition, I should have a fitness test first. I was connected to the respiration machine and told to place the mouth piece in my mouth and that the test would take 20 minutes. The clinician mentioned that the test could be uncomfortable but I didn’t pay much attention, thinking I had been on the serious ecmo machine two years ago nothing can be that bad. The ‘hypoxic challenge test’, also known as a ‘fit to fly test’, recreates the oxygen levels on an aeroplane and measures how your body responds. The test involves breathing in air containing less oxygen than normal and seeing how it affects you in a controlled environment.
I have always enjoyed flying over the years and for me the flight is as enjoyable as the vacation itself, as I was bought up around aviation. However, what I was to go through was a reminder of how what we may think as enjoyment could quickly turn into suffering. The experience was truly uncomfortable; I was in so much discomfort, gasping for air as I could feel my oxygen levels drop to seriously low levels. I started foaming at the mouth it was really horrible and what I once took for granted became a very miserable experience. I wanted so much to take the mouth piece out of my mouth, but was told if I did I would have to start again. I did not know which way to turn it was truly that uncomfortable, I called out for Krishna and started chanting the Maha mantra in my mind. All of a sudden this pain and suffering subsided, I truly felt the presence of the Lord.
It was quite amazing I was thinking about all the amazing devotees I have been with for many many years, and all the sacrifices many have made and how they have embraced the pain to serve the Lord Tribhuvanatha Prabhu is a prime example. No matter what we have to go through, we have to just carry on and have nothing to fear. The Lord is with us at every moment, I felt his gentle sweet presence as I called for him just as when I was In hospital in a Coma two years back it felt so special the pain meant nothing showing me while I may feel I am alone I most certainly am not. I remember the clinician asking me If I am ok I replied it was truly aweful but at the ame time wonderful if we just have faith in the lord. Srila Prabhupada clearly describes to us that we have nothing to fear at the time of death and how we can prepare ourself so nicely. I thank Krishna for constantly reminding me in this way that we truly are not the body and we have to take the process extremely seriously. Devotional service to Krsna is eternal and cannot die. So the devotees pray, “Whether I attain to Vaikuntha, the spiritual sky, or whether You wish to send me to hell, whatever You desire is all right.
Although I felt that I going to leave my body, but when I felt the saliva dripping at the side of my mouth not able to wipe it off and being helpless once again I could truly feel the Lord taking care of me. I felt like a baby protected by his parents. I am now waiting for my results but It was wonderful to feel the love of the lord and how pain can actually be joyful if Krishna is in our heart. I am truly grateful for each and every realization and for whatever situation may come next.
All it takes is Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
“If you prepare yourself… Just like in childhood, boyhood, if you prepare yourself, nicely educated, then you get nice job, nice situation; you will be happy. Preparation for the next life. Similarly, if you prepare yourself in this life for going back to home, back to Godhead, then where is perplexity? There is no perplexity. ‘I am going to Kṛṣṇa. I am going back to home, back to Godhead. Now I will have not to change material body. I will have my spiritual body. I shall now play with Kṛṣṇa, dance with Kṛṣṇa, eat with Kṛṣṇa.’ This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Prepare yourself for the next life. The man, dying man, cries because maybe he is dreaming next life horrible life. Because according to karma… Those who are very, very sinful, they cry, because they see horrible scenes at the time of death, and he is going to accept some type of body… But those who are pious, those who are devotees, they are dying without any anxiety. They are dying… The death may take place… The example is given that… Foolish people may say that ‘You devotees, you are dying, and the sinful men, or nondevotees, they are also dying. So where is the difference?’ No, there is difference. There is difference. This has been described by the example: just like a cat catches its cub and catches the mouse. So formerly we see that the cat has caught the mouse in the mouth and the cub also in the mouth, but there are difference of catching. The cub is feeling pleasure: ‘My mother is carrying me.’ And the mouse is feeling death knell: ‘Oh, now I am going to die.’ This is the difference. So although a devotee is dying and nondevotee is dying, there is difference of feeling at the time of death, like the mouse and the cub. Don’t consider that both of them are dying in the same process. The process may be same, but the situation is different.”
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, London, August 19, 1973)