Prafulla Kumar Mohanty
Anything that begins must end:
This truth reassures man's story of life. The motivation to live intensely comes only because there is the certainty of
death. No death means no life. Plants animals and all mammals pass through the
process of birth-copulation and death. If this process is altered life is
unthinkable. The seasons change . Spring dies into summer and summer into rains.
Vegetation dries up and dies in winter. The trees look bald, the hills and
mountains get shrouded in snow. The sun- moon- stars and all that the eye sees
lose lustre, the earth shivers and shrinks. But spring blows his mighty clarion
and nature awakens into a maiden look. Flowers, greenery and life activities
resume like the beaming tabla player changing into Drut. Nature is renewed into a new lease of youth. The humans,
however, have no renewal. Once born, man grows, stabilizes in a full form like
the Saal tree: Then follows the sear and yellow leaf, the sword falls off the nerveless hands, the parched lips fail to
kiss, the riotous nights of sexual fantasy recede from memory, the proud golden
conches droop in defeat, the luxuriant hair falls off for the plait makers
make- belief industry, the knees buckle, the breath gets puffy, the eyes see
illusions, the romantic savour leaves from flutes to bleatings, pills, tonics fail
to revive and one day at dawn or midnight he dies, that is he gives up
everything he prized and sleeps never to
rise again. He is buried or burnt lest the festering body stink the living to
vomit hate. The story ends . But another begins in the labour room. And the
world moves in its diurnal rounds.
Imagine there is no death, only
life, youth, energy endless! Well Utopia
wouldn't have come to the human mind. No poetry, arts or science, no politics,
history or philosophy- nothing. Men and women would have rolled on mountain
grass or leaning against craggy places looking at the blinding sun to
disappear. If there is no death there is
nothing to celebrate life. Nothing to dream , nothing to plan for the morrow :
For there is no tomorrow. Life is an eternal today. No starry nights, no waxing waning moon; the
sea would be still, wave less, the shores would be empty of men, no boats would
venture into the sea to catch fish or to conquer distant shores, no
dolphin depths of love, no desire, no
hunger - hence no life. Man would be without feeling, sensation, just a flesh
bone form, a moving statue incapable of
love. No quest for anything. The wind's whisper, roar, soft winnowing caress
will die on the insensitive body.
The mind- if any - will not think
,will not invent ways and means of escaping from anything for there wouldn't be
anything to escape from or to. Time would be still . No past or future, no
experience , no memory. Life would be an eternal present sans everything.
Death shapes our dreams to weave
designs of pleasure and happiness. Death warrants human creativity. Man in
order to satisfy his desires, cravings, wishes and hopes creates opportunities
for himself. If he fails he goes mad and writes of his agony in woeful
measures. He loves, writes poetry, paints, sculpts and invents. Man tries every
moment to meet the challenge of death. This death consciousness makes a
man/woman to love for love conquers death. The story of man is a constant
struggle to conquer death. He creates new avenues of life. He also kills,
hates, protests, fights to survive all hostilities which negate life. The
Vedas, epics and philosophical treatises are all attempts of man to know his
reality, to understand the human condition. He records his achievements which posterity
often devalues. But record he must. This inner urge to express and record made
him invent language and script. He wanted to unravel the mystery of creation,
wanted to reach and walk on the moon and mars. He now proposes to reach the sun
and other solar, lunar or unknown systems. All sciences, arts and life -
prolonging exercises, medicines, surgery and all that man has achieved today
have been possible because death stalks life and finally conquers. Life's
journey and progress has been possible only because of death. Easeful death has
been the prayer of all living beings. He seeks the balm of life and tries to
overcome death. But the day death is conquered life will cease to be on earth.
Today modern medical science has
reduced human suffering. Human longevity has increased. The Vedic mantra of
Saradam Shatam - hundred Autumn- is now
almost real, attainable. But man tries to go beyond a century to double century. Google
scientists are researching for that. Once the double is achieved man will think
of a millennium. But death will come and should. If no death life will be a loveless automaton lingering fruitlessly
without purpose. Death gives meaning and purpose to life. Man should accept
this truth. He may consider death as his Krishna - Marana he tu hi mama Shyam
saman (Tagore)or his Nemesis. But death gives excitement to life. Man lives
better, struggles for achievements, for glory in creativity simply because one
day life will end. Death is not a conqueror of life; death is the chief
inspiration, the real life breath which ultimately ceases. Victory be to
death.
