Coping with dying

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

I am very uncomfortable about questions on pain but I would like to narrate an

incident out here.

 

I was once travelling by train. In my compartment there were a group of pilgrims

who were singing bhajans. After some time a gentleman appeared and requested the

pilgrims to stop their bhajans as there was a terminally ill patient on board

and he would be disturbed. The bhajans were immediately stopped. In the

meanwhile the ill patient wanted to know why the bhajans were stopped. He was

informed that it was for his own rest and benefit. The patient requested the

pilgrims to continue singing the bhajans and said he would be very glad to pass

away with the bhajans being sung.

 

Terminal illness is indeed very difficult to bear both for the patient as well

as the family members. The patient perhaps suffers more from the consternation

he is causing than from his own pain. So the family should try and be cheerful

in front of the patient. The ambience should be a normal one instead of a gloomy

atmosphere. Friends of the patient should be requested to visit him/her and chat

with him/her.

 

Death is a journey. The mind goes to sleep and then wakes up in a different

body. But the pain of leaving the body and near and dear ones causes the

suffering besides the physical pain. Relevant slokas from the Gita enunciating

the indestructible soul could be read out to the patient to ease his mental

torture. A spiritually inclined person takes death calmly as he is convinced

that he is goiung to meet his ishta devata very soon.

 

It is not good to mourn after a person has passed away. After death the ethereal

body hovers around for quite some time. It sees his own relatives mourning his

death and tries to convince them that it is still there and not really dead. The

inability to communicate and the sad atmosphere causes it a lot of pain. The

best thing would be to remain peaceful (I know it is hard) and restrained so

that the ethereal body does not suffer. The Buddhists conduct a meditation

session after death where everybody thinks peaceful and encouraging thoughts

about the dead person so that the ethereal body can find solace in that

atmosphere.

 

It is said in our scriptures that a conscious death is a very great experience

for the next life as vairagya then comes naturally to the person in the coming

life. It also gives an oppurtunity to the person to reflect on his own life.

 

Medically I know that there are many drugs in homoeopathy that ease terminal

pain and makes death bearable. Are there any good homoeopaths around where you

live Prema?

 

I know whatever I say will seem hollow but I just tried.

 

Regards,

Jagannath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Mr. Jagannath,

 

Thank you for your uplifting and insightful letter. It has made

me realize that death need not always be a terrifying experience both for

that individual and the loved ones. All this while i've always asked

God...... " why my mother and not me " ? I would have gladly taken on the

disease and suffered in her place; instead of watching helplessly. I know

now i've a long way to go ...........that blaming God wasnt the answer and

that i was achieving nothing by being frustrated and angry at the situation.

God has proven that faith creates miracles.........in my mother's case her

intense faith in Him has recenly shown some improvement in her health. I

hope through all this I'll come out with greater inner strength and peace,

as well as greater faith in His ways.

 

 

Prema

 

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