Life - in my perspective |Monica’s Archives

The deaths of actors Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor are shocking, but then death is the ultimate leveler. It is the thought of death and misery that has forced people to leave everything and begin the search for truth. All things have to reduce to dust.

Lord Krishna in The Bhagwad Geeta talks of the worldly nature of material things around us. Nothing is yours and when you leave the world it is the ‘Atma’, i.e., consciousness that stays.

I am reminded of these thoughts amid the coronavirus crisis that is taking its toll all over the world and the deaths of two fine actors in Indian cinema – Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor – from cancer of different kinds one after the other.

As a soul, in every life, we get new roles, relationships, material possessions, and success on the basis of what we have earned by the actions performed in our previous births. So every birth offers us an opportunity to do better actions and create more happiness for the self and others. It’s not possible to earn health, wealth, happiness, success, and fame without doing good deeds. But many of us forget this and are after the material things all our life. Along with this, we stay in our egos and are ready to do anything in our response to something done to us by someone and take it on our ego.

There is a difference between ego and self-respect. Self-respect implies mutual respect and equality, whereas Ego demands to please one’s own superiority feeling. Ego makes you look down on someone, while, self respect saves you from the impact or influence from being looked down upon, also making you treat others equally. In relationships, for example: “I will never call or go to talk to him/her. Why should I? I expect him/her call or come to me to talk.” This is Purely Ego.

Everyone is right and no one we can say is wrong in their actions. As our actions are the result of what we think is right. If we think negative things, then our actions will also be negative and if we think positively, we are bound to do positive actions. It is not possible to change someone until he/she is ready to change. We can change our actions and the way we take things. Whatever is happening is not in our hands, the only thing in our control is our response and actions. Our nature depends on our sanskaras (values), the environment around us and the way we are conditioned in our life.

For example, we call a family friend and do our best to entertain him/her. We make a number of dishes, clean and decorate our house to its best. We feel depressed - when expecting similar behavior in return when we visit that friend but are not treated that way. House is messy and nothing special. Soon we start comparing the two situations and feel unhappy. Now, here her sanskar is to do the bare minimum when someone comes (who so ever it may be), so she is not at all guilty.  We need to understand that what we did, it gave us happiness. We start comparing everyone. Next time when she comes, will you do as before or do as she had done. What are you? In this world of show-off and comparison, we lose ourselves. We need to think it over.

In today’s scenario, where daily we are hearing of so many deaths all over, I was forced to think, what we are here for, what we are doing. We do not know what is going to happen next moment. So, it is high time to improve our actions. Our body is mortal, but our souls are immortal. We are a source of peace, joy, and love. By sharing these pure qualities in every action, we create a destiny that brings us lasting happiness not only in the present but also in many future births, thereby liberating us from the fear of losing and the fear of death.

The only way anyone can hope to live after death is if he leaves something that future generations can remember him for.

                                                        Happy Living!