It Is Just a Matter Of Time
Death is synonymous with life, and when life reaches its pinnacle, the two ends come together.
I'm not sure if I can consider myself fortunate for having never attended a cremation ceremony before. Thank God for not putting me in a spot to encounter the most significant fear, "DEATH," until a couple of days ago.
It was time to cross it off my list of fears, finally.
Shocked wasn’t exactly the feeling when the news broke in; instead, I was very nervous and scared to witness what would happen next.
It’s totally different when you hear about someone in your not-so-close circle passing away; however, the news hits you differently when it's about someone you just met a few days ago.
Most Hindu homes have a few crucial rituals that are performed immediately after a death occurs:
- Identifying the very first place of Mukti (when the soul leaves the body) and transporting the body to its house.
- Thereafter, the body is placed in the north-south direction and a bunch of basil leaves is placed in both the nostrils and ears to prevent putrefying gasses released by the bead body from spreading into the environment.
- The deceased is then bathed with water and dressed in new clothes, reflecting on the last act of purification externally and internally.
- The first funeral happens in the home when the near and dears arrive to pay one last respect to the deceased. The best-smiling picture of that person gets framed on a large canvas to reflect the sudden transition and lifelong remembrance.
- While prayers and hymns are chanted around the body, a puja is performed by the eldest son of the family or any male member.
- A final obeisance is paid to the deceased before the body is cremated.
One moment of joy, the other of deep sorrow. This is how I’d like to define LIFE hereafter.
I saw the body entering the electric furnace at the crematorium; people were standing around completely helpless, in tears, and with folded hands, praying for the deceased. Wrapped in a white cloth, the body was all set to get burned into ashes.
It was just a matter of time.
As I reflected upon my thoughts, realized my reality, and became conscious of my present moment, I believed I had reached my zenith. And at that moment, I felt so little and meaningless that I could barely make sense of it, asking questions like:
- Is this going to happen to me as well?
- Why do we hold so many grudges when life is so short?
- What's the purpose of our lives?
- Is being alive a myth?
Osho, in one of his speeches addressing ‘Death vs Life’ once made a point by saying, “A cremation ground should be at the center of every city beacuse it reflects the reality of life.”, “Next time whenever, do visit a crematorium to understand the true meaning of life ”.
We must strive to be alive beyond living. Being alive at the moment, sensitive to the relationships we carry, forgetful of the bad deeds, and most importantly, focusing on becoming a healthier and better version of yourself every day.
While we all walked out of the electric room (where the body was getting burned). Just a wall apart, we formed a big circle, holding matchsticks in our hands.
Life was happening at that moment. In a blink of an eye, everything was put on fast-track mode thereafter. Just a moment ago, we were all bidding the deceased goodbye with teary eyes, and a moment later, we left the body all alone to get burned.
What should we call this? Humanity's hypocrisy or helplessness?
People know you by your name, identify you by your personality, and love you for your habits; however, the moment the soul exists outside the body, people start to address the person as a body or the deceased.
It is just a matter of time.
While everyone was sobbing with heavy hearts, I saw an employee woman at the counter table licking ice cream. Her body language conveyed so much that day that perhaps not many would have even contemplated it in the right way.
“Your pain is only yours,” I realized that day. Even if we have family and friends to support, cheer us up, and help us during our darkest nights and suffering, the journey is ultimately yours after a certain point.
Just like that, the dead body was left in the furnace for the fire to do its work all alone, behind a wall, buried in the darkness, in a very lonely, dark, and scary space. It was clear that no one, not even the closest family members or friends, stood there in the dying moments or shared the death’s pain with the deceased.
It is only when we truly understand what being alive is that we will be able to cope with the discontinuity, loneliness, and despair that will arise during the course of our existence.
The fact that we are alive and healthy is a great blessing in our lives! We all want to live a meaningful life, but how can we make it so, and what value can a mind that believes in staying grounded and humble be to us?
These are the only thoughts that should matter. Isn’t it?
