How do you want to die?

I don't know why I am writing about this, but it is important, so the why is irrelevant I guess.

Are you ready for death? I guess, a good thumb rule would be to check the answer to the question - "Are you ready to go now? - Right now?" If the answer is no, there is much work to be done!

Truth is, we don't get to see much people in that state. Enlightened humans aside, I was thinking of people who faced death with acceptance - not necessarily joy, but with "I am ready. Go on!". It could be peace, bravery or defiance. I want to illustrate four contrasting instances below. Unfortunately, most of them have a violent context to it, but the way it happened has a beauty to it because of the way the person undergoes it. They are in no particular order.

1) Vishnudasan, from the movie Dasavatharam. Though it is a movie, it has a historical truth to it. He refuses to obey the kings command to sing Panchaksharam and sings the Ashtakshram. Just watching it on the movie was so empowering! If you haven't, see this piece alone - where he literally stares death on its face when he starts reciting the verse. The tune also had a lot of strength with it.

2) The priest from the Nazi concentration camp: No names. The story goes that when the camps became full, the soldiers read numbers in random and shot off the people with those numbers, and buried/burned them enmasse. It happened that one mans number was called, but he was too terrified to die. Seeing his state, a priest took his number and got shot. The man incidentally was freed after that and never lived this incident down. Think about that priest. Without a second thought, he took that number and went in his place. How must he have lived his life to do that at that instant without any second thought?

3) Bharathi (yes, the fire-poet!): I am inferring this from the movie. Just before dying he says, "Oh Yama, I treat you like little grass. Come near my feet, I will trample you so slightly!". I don't have to testify for Bharathi - the way he lived would do that!

Incidentally, I would like to narrate another incident where a social-activist in Chennai was violently attacked because he was going against some vested interest (politician presumably!). Violent meaning, it was an attempted murder -he was hacked with knives. In the hospital, bandaged up - Vikatan went to interview him. Among many other questions, they asked him - "Aren't you afraid now after whatever happened?". He replied "How can I be? With Bharathi sitting inside me and singing 'அச்சமில்லை அச்சமில்லை' (no fear, no fear)". To this day, I am not able to get over this incident. I unfortunately don't remember his name! 

4) My darling Damscene! He was Immaculee Illibigiza's brother. He died the most brutal of deaths. I cannot explain how here -it is too gory to describe. Worse, it was his friend who was among those who hacked him to death that way! But before dying, the killers ask him "Where is Immaculee?"

He says "I do not know. Even if I did, I would not tell you. You will never find her. She is much smarter than all of you put together." (I think they even offer to let him go if he gave away Immaculee's whereabouts. They wouldn't have - that is another matter! But just think about some one responding to a group of killers with machetes in that fashion.)

And then he goes on to say that he would pray for the forgiveness of the killers-to-be. It was such a shame to kill someone like that. Betrayed by a friend, killed by another friend, yet upheld his dignity and his love for his sister until the last moment and faced the most brutal of deaths with courage. People like him don't come everyday! I am so sorry Damscene!

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Sadhguru said "Very few die peacefully. A fewer die happily. Even fewer die joyfully. A rare few die blissfully!"

In that context, I would like to quote Paramahansa Yoganandas portrayal of how his Guru, Sri Yukteswar left his body. [Autobiography of a Yogi. The entire book is available online here:]

"I entered the ashram room where Master's body, unimaginably lifelike, was sitting in the lotus posture - a picture of health and loveliness. A short time before his passing, my guru had been slightly ill with fever, but before the day of his ascension into the Infinite, his body had become completely well. No matter how often I looked at his dear form I could not realize that its life had departed. His skin was smooth and soft; in his face was a beatific expression of tranquillity. He had consciously relinquished his body at the hour of mystic summoning."

 I think that is the ultimate way to go! But then, we need to work on ourselves when we live! Life passes by so fast in a daze. We need to knock on ourselves every moment before death does!