Dining Table Talk-COVID Stories
On Death
It was yet
another day of break-fast time at our home. Today’s topic was COVID-19 and
Death.
COVID-19 has come as a blessing in disguise for most of
us to be imaginative and creative. Every
day brings out new humour, jokes, advices, suggestions, recommendation, orders,
directives etc., etc. last decade saw the wave of interest and awareness IPL created among the young and the old about
cricket, players both Indian and Foreign. Now COVID-19 has surpassed the number
of people aware of this Virus game being played out by Nature where 130 crore
in India alone. Thus IPL became a dwarf in front of the mosquito size Giant
Killer COVID-19.
During the
break-fast time, lunch time and dinner time, this is the only topic being
discussed ad-nauseum in every home and media. Our home is no exception to this.
From
December 2019, when it was initially reported to have started from one province
called Wuhan in China, the spread of the Virus COVID-19 and the news on COVID-19 has galloped exponentially.
Without
exception, every other Leader/ Head of State/ King of all the countries in the
world has been issuing directives, advices, sermons and loosening the government purses for meeting
the needs of the starving poor, taking preventive measures to bottle down the
Virus COVID-19.
Pope, the
Head of Christian Community has shut the Vatican and prohibited anyone from
touching him. Mecca and Medina, the holy shrines of Prophet Mohamed are closed
for public. Similarly, the places of worship of the Hindus across the country
such as the Kasi Viswanath, Puri Jagannath, Tirumala Venkateshwara and
thousands of temples are shut. No religion is excluded in following the
Protocol of the respective governments in containing COVID-19. Lock-down,
Social-distancing, Hand washing for 20 Seconds before entering one’s home
(whether or not you can afford another meal), Masks for covering the mouth and
the nose, etc., etc., have become new terms and easily memorised by even those
deprived of formal education.
Why do we
fear death? In the core of every religion, the impermanence of any life has
been amply explained and the people are advised to see within and look for the
day of merging with the God, the
Almighty, the Lord, the Prophet and so on. To quote a few live examples, Jesus
Christ was crucified and he did not feel any pain and welcomed Death with open
hands. St Luke says the Bible, ‘The Kingdom of God is within man.’ The Prophet
sacrificed (Qurbani) his own son. Jain Monks have lived and practised fast unto
death. Hindu Saints like Acharyas (Shankaracharya) all preached inward looking
for God and pray for reaching him with all reverence. In the Shiva Aparaadha
Kshamaapana Strotram of Adi Sankara, he describes in 14 Slokas, the life of a human being from the time of becoming
a seed in the womb of a mother till his death and praying for forgiveness of the
Lord Shiva and accept him in his abode. Shiradi
Sai Baba lived a simple life and extolled the virtue of the Almighty and
advised his followers to lead a simple life and leave the body to serve the
God. Ramana Maharishi and Rama Krishna
Paramahamsa, despite fighting cancer,
were eagerly waiting for the day of merging with the Almighty.
Thus, if
every religion is advocating impermanence of human lives, why are we craving to
live and beat the COVID and love to live longer. Can we not take it as though
it is the only way to live and not craving for a day more than what is destined
for us? Most of us live without any purpose. Some are growing just like a
thorny bush without any purpose; some others sick and fighting to recover and
live longer causing inconvenience to others. There are some of those
unfortunate both mentally and physically incapacitated are in the Old-Age
Homes, without any hope of returning to their kids. The list of those desirous of living without
purpose is endless. Is it the fear of death that grips the fellow human beings
to act like this, to follow the ‘Social distancing, Lock-down and whatever is attributed to the
COVID-19’ with a greedy hope of living longer. Take a pause and ask yourself as to why should we live longer
if no purpose is served to the humanity.
Listen to the Video of Carl
Sagan, US Astronomer on the topic. It will make you think we are a small dot in
the whole eyes of the Universe.
I look around
and at the long list of leaders- political, corporate, yogis, preachers, common
citizens, patients in ICU, CCU and suffering from various ailments…No….No…No.
None want to die.
Then who
will be prepared to die.
I just share
with you a poem scripted by me soon after 9-11 Twin Tower Attack that rattled
the USA and the World. Just 12 days before the incident I was in the USA and
visited that great financial hub of the world before boarding my flight back
home. Here it goes,
"Eleventh September
2001, born from the deathbed of a thousand lives
Memories haunting of the
darkness spread with sun still rising
America, a heaven on earth,
raised its heat towards the East in search of dark evil hidden there
World curious and wounded
watched with awe!
Oh! God! Why did you do that to a peace loving nation?
Was the question in the lips of millions.
Offering my life if He
returned one youth alive, was always my prayer.
Strangely God responded to my clarion call.
Happy felt I that a plant will
be redeemed at the altar
God asked, "My Son, if I take your life, I may lose one good
creation either"
"Shall I take the life of Osama, instead? He countered.
"Son, no life can replace another as no life is superior",
continued He.
Evil done is the Foundation for
a stronger tomorrow, ignorant don’t understand.
Your courage and your prayer
honored
I bless America with stronger shoulders to carry greater
responsibilities-
As America has always been
God is great, I found once
again".
I shared this piece with my Son-in-law who was also having his
break-fast with me.
He said with a smile, ‘Appa, Nice’ and continued.
“I find one
set of people would be willing to give up their lives, no matter whether they
are surrounded by the COVID-19 or Ebola
or Tsunami. That is our ‘Soldier in Uniform’ – no matter which territory he is
defending, he is always prepared to sacrifice
his life for the large good of all.”
How True it
is!
Let us
Salute the brave Soldier and give back something to the Nation before we die
and not become greedy and take all the available resources with a mistaken
sense of carrying the bounty to the board of hell or heaven where we may end
up.
