Gita 02.27 – See death not as a future event, but as an ongoing process

Pavita 2.27 Krishna is continuing his series of instructions to help Arjuna become free from grief and that intention is seen from again the repetition so 2.25 had 2.26 had now this has the point is it does not befit you to lament now what is Krishna saying in the verse 2.26 for one who is born 2.26 death is certain 2.26 and for one who is dead birth is certain 2.26 therefore in the unavoidable discharge of duty do not lament so now the first fact is understood by all of us jat sahi through om kyuri and everyone who is born has to die now why this is so is an unsolved philosophical mystery now why does death exist at all why are all of us born with a sentence of death on our head now of course we don't like the sentence of death and that's why we try to deny it we try to hide it and we try to act as if we are never going to die but no matter how we act still death is inevitable and often the tendency is to think of death as a remote distant event and all the more so event that happens to others but the fact is that death is going to happen to all of us when we talk about that we talk about in a hollow abstract sense but that sense that sense which gives us a sense of complacency that sense of remoteness to death that is jolted when someone in our vicinity in our acquaintance or among our loved ones dies and dies unexpectedly suddenly so but still again the covers of illusion come up and again we forget the inevitable death sentence upon our heads and we continue seeking to bury ourselves in trivial pleasures and pursuits now death in order to for us to get some sense of the immediacy of death of the inevitability of death we can try to get a sense of the immediacy of death immediacy doesn't mean that death is going to happen immediately but it may or may not happen we may die in the next moment or we may live for several decades but the point is death is a not just a distant event it is a evolving process every moment that our heart is beating we are moving closer to death every breath that we take in and take out our quota of breaths in this body is coming closer to the end and we are all actually thus on the path to death so even biologically now medical science claims that death is rather than event it's a process a process of gradual shutdown of the bodily functions now of course death is also an event in the sense that at one particular moment the soul leaves the body and that is the moment of death but along with it being an event it's also a process you know those who are in hospice care they know how the last moments are preceded by certain symptoms symptoms that can indicate to people who is how far the patient is from death and they can accordingly make preparations to help the dying person have a peaceful dignified departure so medical science recognizes that death is a process and in the process we come and we are those who are dying those who are terminally sick they are inching closer and closer inexorably towards the event that we call death but that inexorable process is happening at every moment now not only is our moment settled but the end is also invisible so we don't realize as we pass through the days and weeks and even hours and minutes that we don't realize that we are moving closer and closer to death instead we think that we are actually going in a cycle and we think that we have a long time to go but remembering that death is a fact of life that can bring a deep level of sobriety and gravity and clarity in our priorities many times lifestyle management gurus ask people to do a thought exercise where if they are just on the verge of death with just a few months remaining what would be the things that they would do those are the things that are the most important to them and then they ask that live with that in mind that's actually not a new or modern or a western principle it's actually a traditional spiritual teaching that begin with the end in the mind remember that death is the end and we want to do most important things before we meet our death so it brings as I said sobriety, gravity and clarity meditation on death not just that it is a remote event that may happen to us but it is a ongoing relentless process that is already happening to us and by understanding this we can prepare ourselves we can cut down on trivial and unnecessary things and focus on the vital and substantial values and purposes of our life so in the context of Arjuna this verse implies that Arjuna you know that death is inevitable that you cannot protect your loved ones by avoiding to fight because they are going to die and therefore do not become sentimental do not lament for that which is unavoidable you will you will not be able to save them from death by avoiding fighting death is swooping down on them and on you and everyone and it will keep swooping down no matter what you do so the important thing is what are we to do when we understand that death is swooping down on us it is not that we live lives that are paranoid but rather that we live lives that are purposeful with the purpose that we raise our consciousness to the spiritual level by which we will be able to transcend the miseries of death and we will more importantly be able to get out of the cycle of birth and death so that is the purpose of contemplation on death and now for Arjuna to follow the process for transcending death, for raising one's consciousness above the mortal material level the process is doing his dharma Akshatriya is fighting so Arjuna you will not be able to avoid the inevitable death but by trying to by giving up your fighting all that you will get is you will perpetuate your stay in the cycle of birth and death you will increase your entanglement with death but by doing your duty you will be preparing to raise your consciousness above death and therefore do your duty and do not let lamentation distract you from your duty of fighting so now one more point that is mentioned in this verse is dhruvam janmam rtas chacham that for those who die they are also going to take birth again the soul is never destroyed the soul as long as the material world has to have some material body and a soul will get some other body so do not think that your loved ones will be permanently bereaved they will get some other body that's a fact of life and actually because they are old now by freeing them from this body you will be accelerating the process by which they will get a next body, a better body a fresh young body so that change of that departure from this body and acquisition of new body is inevitable for them aparihariyarthi that is inevitable so you will not be able to stop it so why stop your duty in trying to stop that which is unstoppable rather do your duty so that you can raise your consciousness above the unstoppable charge of death thank you.