God is the only Truth

As soon as her body was lifted to take it to the cremation ground, people around started chanting “Ram Naam Satya Hai! Ram Naam Satya Hai!”. There was nothing unusual about the sight, this is the most common way in how “Hindu” families carry the bodies of those departed to the crematorium.
 “Ram Naam Satya Hai! Ram Naam Satya Hai!” People kept on reciting the mantra but my thoughts went back to the context in which Upashak ji had once shared the meaning of this mantra. He explained that the mantra carries the message that ‘God is only Truth’, and this we also can study from searching on Google. However only on bit pondering we realize that this call has no use to the departed, rather this is the “gist” being shared with those alive (i.e. those in the body). One who has left this body has anyways now come face to face with the fact that body and material world is temporal, but people who are alive will continue to consider this material world as the Truth. So the purpose of chanting “Ram Naam Satya Hai” is to remind people who are walking, sitting, standing, eating, drinking, working, slumbering etc that you still have the body, there is still time left so arise and fulfill purpose of your existence.
 “Bhai Prapat Manukh Dehuria, Gobind Milan Ki Eh Teri Baria !!”
 The Holy scriptures provide guidance to man that this human form that you have received is a means to reach God and if this opportunity is lost, then nothing else will matter. So be wise, do not waste life in acts that are temporal rather value what is to be valued.
 And if you make use of this opportunity and realize ‘Truth’ in its essence then you will be free, you will be ‘Mukt’, you will be redeemed as is promised in commandment below
 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”.
 The message “Ram Naam Satya Hai” is so profound and important that this is to be remembered every moment, in every situation, be it someone’s death or someone’s birthday, be it good day or be it not so good day. This is how we can make our living meaningful and death beautiful.

(July 2015)

For the living ones

(Jan 2014)

We all had gathered to pay our tributes to the departed soul in form of a congregation. There were few speakers who talked about the life of the departed and inspired those present there to a virtuous living. Near the end of ceremony, there was a concluding discourse given by one saint. Among other things that he shared, he brought our attention to the fact that none of the speakers before him had prayed that the departed rests in peace. All speakers had talked about departed’s life, virtues and heavenly abode but not one had mentioned about departed’s resting in peace.

The saint explained further in his discourse that the reason why no one prayed for resting in peace today after the death is because the departed was already resting in peace while he was in the body. No one doubted that departed needed any prayers to come to rest. Often we hear this prayer for the deceased - ‘May his soul rest in peace’ – although there is nothing bad in praying this way but the messages given by saints and sages are to inspire us to ensure this “resting” state while we are in body.

As soon as I heard these words, I started to reflect on the life of the departed and found it so true that each interaction I have had or heard from others for him – all signalled that he was already established in peace. It is true that I didn’t have a worldly visibility of what happened to him after he left the body but chances of him continuing to rest in peace were far more than his state being changed all of a sudden. The reverse also has to be true (although there could be exceptions); if I haven’t lived in peace it would be a real high expectation to assume that I would rest in peace after death.

In that light of understanding, I have now started to relate this statement ‘Rest in peace’ more for the living ones than the departed ones. More like the message, ‘Raam naam satya hai’, i.e. God is the only Truth. This message heard on funerals is a reminder for the living ones; ones who still have time, the opportunity to alter their lifestyles to live in the awareness that God is the eternal Truth. The one departed has already come face to face with the eternal Truth, therefore requires no further reminders.

Day to day, we meet so many people, from so many different faith groups, so many different ideologies and at times we have different opinions over the same statement but the real experience of peace cannot be different to any of us. We may have different colours of utensils, different languages to speak, different foods to fill our stomach but what it is to be on “filled” stomach - our experience cannot be different. It is this ‘same’ state of peace that we need to strive for. And one who is there – is already resting in peace!