The greatest service we can render to the dying man is ……

 

Death is a vicious circle—the dying, the dead as well as the bereaved all stand in great need of moral support and spiritual succour when the inevitable happens.

The dying man, especially if he is bed-ridden, experiences horrible fears of the throes of death and the tortures of hell that may follow, and worst of all, the anguishing thought that he will have to necessarily leave this world, parting from all his loved ones and precious possessions and go away all alone. Family members, friends and well-wishers can alleviate all these sufferings considerably by trying to direct the dying man’s mind towards God, and trying to repose faith in him that the Lord never abandons His devotees. Chanting the Mahā Mrtyunjaya Mantra महामृत्युंजय मन्त्र  can sometimes help the sick person to recover.

What is needed is absolute faith in the potency of the Divine name.

Chanting Vişņu Sahasranāma विष्णु सहस्रनाम , the Bhagavadgitā भगवत गीता  and similar Hari Stutis हरि स्तुती are very beneficial for a dying man. Yama, the lord of death himself reiterates in Srīmad Bhāgavata, श्रीमद् भागवत , विष्णुपुराण  Vişnupurāna etc., that he has no sway over a devotee whose tongue utters the name of Hari हरि , whose hands and feet bow to Sri Hari श्रीहरि , or whose heart is full of the remembrance of Hari हरि. Even if the dying man is in a state of coma, his inner ear will be registering the soothing sounds, thereby helping him to remember the Lord when he casts his mortal coil behind. Such a person reaches the Lord’s lotus feet without having to enter hell. Thus creating an atmosphere of love, concern, reassurance and spiritual support is the greatest service we can render to the dying man.

When a man dies only his body perishes, but his subtle body or mind (Linga Sarīra),which is a reservoir of all his desires, Vāsanās, Karmas etc., is still active, thereby waiting to take on another physical body to work out as much of this stock as possible in its next birth. The survivors should never forget this fact.

~ Extract from the Magazine : Kalyan Kalpataru, October 2010, Volume 56 – No. 1, Dr. Uma Sangameswaram’s article ” To Serve with Love: The Dying, the Dead and the Bereaved.”

Many Thanks to Kalyan Kalaptaru , Gita Press , Gorakhpur and  the author of the said article Dr. Dr. Uma Sangameswaram

GOD BLESS US ALL.