harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

“It’s not the body that people love, but the soul. The body is a temporary vehicle. Without the soul, the body is like a car without a driver. I see through my eyes, smell through my nose, taste through my tongue, hear through my ears, feel through my skin, think through my brain, and love through my heart. But who am I? Who is the witness, enjoyer and sufferer that activates my body?”

~His Holiness Radhanath Swami in The Journey Home book~

Cool quote isn't it? I believe this quote strongly suggests the presence of soul in one's body, and the significance of it.


When I was at campus, I could hardly go to any family gatherings. There's always something during these gatherings. I've missed quite a few important ones. I thought the one month semester break given was good enough to attend to any of my family gatherings. Unfortunately, during this break, I had to attend to a funeral and other prayers of the like. Well, it is family gathering nevertheless, but not at all like how I was anticipating.


You see, the death of this relative of mine was very unexpected (she had a stroke). We met her two weeks before, and she was speaking like any other normal person. The news came as a shock to us all. The same thing happened when we heard the news of Uttama prabhu passing away.

Attending the funeral of this relative of mine reminded me of the famous quote "You're not this body, you're the soul.". Yes indeed! Many people out there know this fact, but don't behave like they do (this includes me... well, to  certain extent :-P). There's a story from the Pandavas I wanna relate here. When Yaksha asked Yudhistira about the most wonderful thing, Maharaj Yudhistira replied that, "Eventhough everyday one sees living entities dying, he still acts as if he will live forever.". I couldn't agree more.


This paragraph took me a while to type. I keep typing examples, and at a certain point, it looked like I was going off topic already. I was relating body conscious activities like grooming for a long time, making money as the center of the universe and some other similar ones. I think I'll just skip the examples. You get what i mean right?


People are doing so much, just to maintain their stay on Earth. This includes physical working, mental and emotional drama. All for what? When asked about the purpose of their life, the answer would be simple; "I dunno, make money, and enjoy? And then when die means die lar". What most people don't realise is what happens right before, during and after death; how the soul passes on; and what happens to you after that. People who do, would start fearing death. The case is not the same for most of the devotees that I know. Well, that's because they're crystal clear of their goal of life, and the process of achieving it.


So guys, to sum it up, for those of you who are trying your best to ignore the call for some boundary and rules in your life, I would like to say that its time to stop being a coward by ignoring and running away from the inevitable.