Mrutyu is the end or the decimation and Jayam is victory. Life is a cycle. Shri Adishankaracharya said “punarapi jananam punarapi maranam”, again and again the birth and death cycle continues. In our Mahabharata during the Yaksha Prashna episode, Yudhistira was quizzed by Dharma devata on what is the most surprising thing in the world. Yudhistira answered by saying that people assume themselves to stay permanent inspite of seeing many deaths around.
Mrutyu is often seen as departing or moving on. The body stays intact but something goes amiss and hence it is said that death has happened. That something is the soul or the spirit or the atma, the anchoring force. Multifarious activities happening through hundreds of organs of our body are coordinated by THAT.
Mrutyu is seen with fear and coldness. The reason being, it is seen as the end. The fact is, one after the other phases of our own life are getting “dead”. In fact, every kshana or moment, hundreds and thousands of our own body cells are dying and newer ones are taking birth. In this sense, every moment we are dying and getting born, both simultaneously.
In our lives it sometimes happens that we come in close touch with death. Some do die in their dreams, and some experience near death experiences. Sometimes we come in close touch with death, a fraction of a second might have saved the situation, else it would have been the last day of our life. When we reflect on these, the virtual experiences may be sublimation. Physical escapes are arranged by the divine, and we clearly see the “Hand of GOD” in such. Larger purpose exists.
In our tradition, Mrukanda Maharshi was blessed with a gifted son who had a short life span. The child called Markandeya prays to Shiva who rescues him by interfering with Mrityu. Hence, Shiva is called Mrutyunjaya and saved Markandeya, rishi became immortal. The fierce Mrityunjaya assumes later the pleasant and blessing form of Amrita-Ghateshwara, the Eshwara who shall pour Amrita into our lives. Then our life turns into Abhi+Rami, always attractive in every respect. We stay protected and blessed.
(Dr. S. Ainavolu is a Mumbai-based teacher of Management and Tradition.)
