By Brajanatha Dasa
In this world, anything with a beginning will eventually end. So is our life on earth. The journey of life begins at birth and ends at death. There is no escape. Death stalks us from the moment we take birth. Life is the journey of the soul through the material body that continues until the end of life. Thus, the material body (sthula-sarira) composed of the elements earth, water, fire, air, and ether will inevitably end. The subtle body (sukshma sarira), made up of mind (mana) intelligence (buddhi) and false ego (ahankara), is responsible for carrying the soul, which is beginningless and will continue to exist in the next life for as long as it exists in the present.
Everyone achieves another body at death according to one’s consciousness at the time of leaving the body. Lord Krsna says in Gita 8.6 that “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail.” Because of its bondage in material existence, the soul is continually transported to another body by the subtle laws of nature that work under Krsna’s supervision. If one attains Krsna Consciousness, one can overcome this cycle of repeated birth and death and attain an eternal spiritual body. Only at liberation is the subtle body finally cast off. It diffuses back into the cosmic elements and the soul returns to its eternal abode.
Throughout our lives, we make numerous choices that either elevate or degrade us. Only a few people learn how to make wise decisions about their relationships, careers, physical health, finances, and spiritual/emotional wellbeing. As we strive for a better future in this life, we should also strive for a better life in the next. It is a great mystery, but our sense of living on in tandem with the immortal nature of the soul creates a complacency in death preparation.
In this world of death, death and prevention of death are ongoing features of life. The Vedic approach to dealing with death is to prepare for it. This does not mean that everyone must live in continual fear of death mode. Instead, we strive to be internally conscious of Krsna, and live life to the fullest.
Therefore, if we see life as an opportunity to develop a loving relationship with Krsna – like a courtship – death represents the opportunity to return home to the Lord. Lord Krsna assures in Gita 8.5 that those who remember Him at death will enter His eternal abode.
Hence, it is important to consistently remember Krsna even while struggling for existence, or else one will not remember Him at the time of death. It is described in the sastras that death is painful. A living entity experiences psychological and subtle dynamics at that moment: pain that affects the body and regrets over mistakes and unfulfilled desires affect mind. The intensity of bodily pain one experiences during the dying process is equivalent to more than forty thousand scorpion bites. As a result, it was almost impossible to remember the Lord in those circumstances.
Yet, when we come to know ourselves as souls that are a part of Krsna and love Him, accepting that He is our only shelter, we comprehend that His abode is our eternal home. With this concept of home, we no longer view death as a conclusion but rather as a transition—a journey that can lead us back to our eternal home. As a result, the Gita 8.7 exhorts us to engage in bhakti-yoga to cultivate Krsna’s remembrance throughout our lives. Death will return us to our homes, not take us away.
Though both devotees and non-devotees face death, for the self-realized devotee the situation is completely different because he realizes he is not the body. The difference is like the difference between a cat carrying kittens in its mouth and carrying a rat in its mouth. In the mouth of the cat, the rat feels its death, whereas the kittens in the mouth of the cat feel motherly affection. So, a devotee smiles at death but death smiles at a non-devotee. And because devotee’s consciousness is always fixed on the Lord, his destination is complete freedom from the cycle of birth and death (Gita 8:15): “After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.”
The Lord uses the importance of consciousness at death to emphasize the importance of Krsna consciousness throughout our lives. If we always remember Krsna, we will be conscious of Him all the time and at the time of leaving the body.
Remembering of the Lord comes when we do Sravanam (listening) and Kirtanam (glorifying). Prabhupada once commented that “In order to remember, you must hear and chant. Your remembering will become less effective to the degree that you hear less and chant less.” So those three things–hearing, chanting, and remembering-are three parts of the nine processes of bhakti.
It is not possible to remember Lord Krsna without kirtanam. Lord Krsna says the in the Gita 9.14: “Satatam kirtayanto mam… constantly chant my glories.” The Sankirtana Yagna was begun by Lord Chaitanya, the incarnation of Krsna for the current Kali Age, who taught, “kirtaniyah sada harih: Always chant the holy name of Hari (Krsna).” (Adilila: 17.31 in Chaitanya Charitamruta). There is no distinction between the two instructions. Lord Krsna’s command in the Bhagavad-gita is fulfilled by chanting the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra. It is the most effective and simple method of remembering Krsna.
Lord Krsna advocates chanting of the holy names in the Bhagavad-gita (10.25): “yajnanam japa-yajno’smi: Of sacrifices, I am the chanting of the holy names [japa].” Chanting His holy names, the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra, is the most effective way to remember the Lord. He wants us to focus on the sound vibration of the Hare Krsna mantra.
Simad Bhagavatam concludes by saying that one should remember the Lord always. This was Krishna’s message to Arjuna in Gita 18.65, and it is His message to each and every one of us. “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus, you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.”
This is the goal of life – to move from death to immortality. Achieving immortality is not about the body, since the body is not alive at any given time, but an understanding of the soul’s eternal, blissful nature, and its relationship with Krsna.
Death is not something to be feared, but something we must conquer. Excessive attachment to material things puts us into a fearful condition of existence. Srimad Bhagavatm 11.2.37 says “Fear arises when a living entity misidentifies himself as the material body because of absorption in the external, illusory energy of the Lord. When the living entity thus turns away from the Supreme Lord, he also forgets his own constitutional position as a servant of the Lord. This bewildering, fearful condition is effected by the potency for illusion, called māyā. Therefore, an intelligent person should engage unflinchingly in the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord, under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, whom he should accept as his worshipable deity and as his very life and soul.”
Because we are attached to the material body, due to ignorance of our spiritual self, we fear death. By cultivating transcendental knowledge of the self, and by advancing spiritually through sadhana, we can separate our attachment to the body. We can become fearless as a result. This is like a dried coconut pulp being separated from its shell.
In the case where a devotee of the Lord does not remember Him at death, He either makes the devotee remember Him via His devotees or He provides the intelligence to do so. The remembrance of Him at death is not dependent on us but on His mercy also. In Varaha Purana, the Lord says “Yadi vatadi doshena mad bhakto mam … If My devotee is unable to remember Me at the time of death because of disturbances felt within the body at that time, then I shall remember My devotee and take him back to My supreme abode.” The Lord promises in Gita 9:31 to us is “O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” So, a devotee need not worry.
Performing Bhakti-yoga is a natural preparation for a glorious death and one can be happy in life before that happens. But without smaranam all processes in bhakti become mechanical!
Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.6 says “The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by the practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.”
If one is very fortunate to come into contact with Krsna consciousness, he can easily overcome the cycle of birth and death, disease, and old age, and reclaim his original spiritual body by doing devotional service to Krsna. In other words, by basing our plans on the solid foundation of Krsna consciousness in this lifetime, we can be certain that our future existence will be a resounding success. This could be accomplished through devotional service to Krsna. As a result of building a loving relationship with Krsna, we will always have the opportunity to remember Him.
We are reminded of the ephemeral nature of this material world by death. One must focus on one’s goal, which is to develop their love for the Supreme Lord and remember Him all the time. The idea of remembering Him is always important because you never know when the time will come for you to leave this world. That is how one achieves the highest perfection of human life.