It is said that the greatest spirit of
renunciation, detachment and futility of our life is felt by persons at two
places.They are called, Prasuthi Vairagya and Smashana Vairagya.Prasuti vairagya is felt by a mother, when she is giving birth to a
baby. She is in so much pain that she thinks and says to herself that she will
never go through this in this Life time. Similarly, when one is in a smashana -
Cremation or burial ground, people are so much grief stricken and reach a state
of neutrality of being a observer and lot of self-introspection, that they
think things like, why all this trouble, struggle. Someday, everyone has to die
so, why not lead a sober or humble life. It is said that in both instances, as
soon as the scene changes i,e the time passes within hours or days, people get
back to their normal routine and totally forget what they thought about.
Similarly we see in Mahabharata - Questions by
Yaksha"And what is the greatest wonder? “The answer given was "Each
day death strikes, and we live as though we were immortal. This is the greatest
wonder."
Also, there is a noteworthy Quote from Dalai Lama
“Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he
sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to
recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does
not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or
the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never
really lived.”
Here is the Amazing verse from
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 2.29 (Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupad)
āścarya-vat paśyati kaścid enam
āścarya-vad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ
āścarya-vac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti
śrutvāpy enaṁ veda na caiva kaścit
TRANSLATION
Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him
as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing
about him, cannot understand him at all.
PURPORT
Since Gitopanisadis largely
based on the principles of the Upanisads, it is not surprising to also find
this passage in the Katha
Upanishad (1.2.7):
śravanayāpi
bahubhir yo na labhyah
śrnvanto ’pi bahavo yam na vidyuh
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo ’sya labdhā
āścaryo ’sya jñātā kuśalānuśistah
śrnvanto ’pi bahavo yam na vidyuh
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo ’sya labdhā
āścaryo ’sya jñātā kuśalānuśistah
The fact that the atomic soul is within the body of
a gigantic animal, in the body of a gigantic banyan tree, and also in the
microbic germs, millions and billions of which occupy only an inch of space, is
certainly very amazing. Men with a poor fund of knowledge and men who are not
austere cannot understand the wonders of the individual atomic spark of spirit,
even though it is explained by the greatest authority of knowledge, who
imparted lessons even to Brahmā, the first living being in the universe. Owing
to a gross material conception of things, most men in this age cannot imagine
how such a small particle can become both so great and so small. So men look at
the soul proper as wonderful either by constitution or by description. Illusioned
by the material energy, people are so engrossed in subject matters for sense
gratification that they have very little time to understand the question of
self-understanding, even though it is a fact that without this
self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for
existence. Perhaps they have no idea that one must think of the soul, and thus
make a solution to the material miseries.
Some people who are inclined to hear about the soul
may be attending lectures, in good association, but sometimes, owing to
ignorance, they are misguided by acceptance of the Supersoul and the atomic
soul as one without distinction of magnitude. It is very difficult to find a
man who perfectly understands the position of the Supersoul, the atomic soul,
their respective functions and relationships and all other major and minor
details. And it is still more difficult to find a man who has actually derived
full benefit from knowledge of the soul, and who is able to describe the
position of the soul in different aspects. But if, somehow or other, one is
able to understand the subject matter of the soul, and then one’s life is
successful.
The
easiest process for understanding the subject matter of self, however, is to
accept the statements of the Bhagavad-gītā spoken by the greatest authority,
Lord Krsna, without being deviated by other theories. But it also requires a
great deal of penance and sacrifice, either in this life or in the previous
ones, before one is able to accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Krsna can, however, be known as such by the causeless mercy of the pure devotee
and by no other way.
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