3 Paths to Overcome the Fear of Death
Perspectives from Ancient Indian texts of Upanishad-s, Mahabharata, and Purana-s.
One of the biggest fears and fixations of humanity is Death. It is also one of the greatest enigmas of our existence. The uncertainty, anxiety, and mystery surrounding Death have led to the eternal desire to conquer Death.
Upanishads and several other ancient Indian texts have touched on this. They mention three paths to overcome the fear of Death -
- Jnana (knowledge),
- Priti (Love),
- Bhakti (devotion).
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The story of Yama-Nachiketa is mentioned in Katha Upanishad, an ancient Indian text composed in Sanskrit around the 5th century BCE. Upanishads are the last part of Vedic literature and are the origin of many ideas that can later be seen in Hindu or Buddhist philosophies.
Nachiketa is the son of a person called Vajshravā.
Vajshravā once arranged a sacrifice, where he offered himself as Dakshina. When one offers oneself entirely, his son, too, is included in that. Nachiketa was a kind and honest boy. He asked his father, as Nachiketas was also a part of him, to whom he would be presented.
When Nachiketa asked this for the first time, his father ignored him. But when Nachiketa asked this second or third time, his father irritatedly said:
“I am going to donate you to Death.”
The reaction was purely driven by anger. But when Nachiketa heard that his father had given him to Death and saw that Death hasn’t come to fetch him, he went to Death, to Yama (the Indian deity of Death) himself.
For three days, Nachiketa waited for Yama outside his house.
When Yama saw the boy, he was surprised. He apologized for making him wait. He said:
“it is a sin if a guest starves at your doorstep. As repentance, I grant you three boons.”
In the first boon, Nachiketa asks for his father’s anger to vanish, his heart to become happy, and him to welcome Nachiketa with love on his return. Secondly, he asks for complete knowledge of Agni. Yama agreed, saying:
“Agni is the backbone of the world and is mysterious.”
Finally, Nachiketā asked for the knowledge of Atman (self) as his third boon. He asked, “what happens when a person dies? People say that the Atman remains, but what does it mean?”
Yama was now in a fix. He was unsure how to give such a coveted and complex Atmajnana (realization of self) to a young boy like Nachiketa.
He told Nachiketa to instead ask for a life of a hundred years or progeny that would live for a hundred years or cattle, wealth, and a kingdom of the whole world.
However, Nachiketa was resolute. He understood the transient nature of wealth and power. He thus expressed that wealth or kingdom was useless to him.
Satisfied with his answer, Yama praised Nachiketa’s ability to understand the difference between “Shreyas” (beneficial) and “Preyas” (gratifying) and that Nachiketa chose “Shreyas” over “Preyas.”
Then Yama gave him that knowledge discussed in all the Upanishads, including the essence of everything, i.e., ॐ. ॐ is known as Aksharbrahma: a single letter that contains knowledge of the universe.
Knowledge of Aksharbrahma leads to the understanding of Atmajnana.
Yama elaborated upon “Atmasvaroopa” and the difference between Atman and the body.
Yama said Atman is understood by them, whose organs had satiated and whose grief had vanished.
When organs disappear in mind, mind in intellect, and intellect in Atman, everything merges in the Atmatattva, and ‘jiva’ and ‘brahman’ are in union. This is Atmajnana.
Only those who are “anandmaya”- full of happiness - can realize the Atman. Atman is not understood by just teaching or just by the intellect. It is understood only when the Atmatatva feels its knowledge should “happen” to a person.
Yama’s last advice is the famous quote, “uttishthata jagrata…” — Get up, wake up and go to a guru, acquire the Atmajnana.
This shows that Nachiketa won over Yama and, thereby, Death. He did so through the pursuit of knowledge. So, wisdom or knowledge can triumph over the fear of Death.
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The second story of Satywan-Savitri. This story occurs in the Aranyaka parvan of the Mahabharata. Mahabharata is the largest epic in the world and was composed around the 4th century BCE.
The story revolves around Savitri, her husband Satyawan, and his untimely Death.
When Yama took away Satyavan’s life, he freed the soul stuck in the bonds of the body. As a result, Satyvan’s body became lifeless.
Savitri stopped Yama. She insisted that she wished to accompany her husband wherever he went, including the afterlife.
She was astute and articulate. Yama gave in to her love and her intellectual argument. He was pleased with her talk and told her to ask for a boon.
Savitri asked for her father-in-law’s lost eye-sight and kingdom and Satyavan’s long life. Happy with her, Yama blessed her with all the boons, and Satyavan came back to life.
Here, Savitri won over Death with love.
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The third story is from Puranas, the story of Markandeya rishi. The Purana-s were composed in the first millennium CE.
A rishi named Murkandu did not have a child. He thus performed penance. Happy with his penance, Lord Shiva appeared and gave him two choices: he would either get a brilliant son who would only live for sixteen years or an ignorant one with a long life.
Knowing the importance of intellect, sage Murkandu asked for a son with a short life but a brilliant mind. That’s how Markandeya was born.
Markandeya went on to become a faithful devotee of lord Shiva and also developed into a wise soul. When the day of his Death arrived, he went to a Shiva temple and sat there quietly, embracing the Shiva linga. A beautiful relationship between God and devotees is seen in this story.
Yama arrived to take Markadeya away when 16 years were complete. He threw his trap over Markadeya, but since Markadeya was embracing the Shiva linga, the web covered the Shiva Linga too.
Due to the pull, the Shiva linga cracked, and Shiva appeared. Furious with Yama for snatching his devotee, the enraged Shiva killed Yama.
However, he had to bring Yama back to life again to maintain the balance of the worldly cycle of birth and Death, the process of growth and decay.
Markandeya rishi, thus, was saved.
Since they conquered Death, Markandeya and Shiva were both deemed Mrityunjaya. And Bhagwan Shiva is hence called Mrityunjayeshwara.
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These stories highlight the three paths that can overcome the fear of Death.
In the story of Yama-Nachiketa, Nachiketa wins over Death by the power of knowledge- Jnana.
Savitri wins over Death by the power of love- Priti.
Markandeya rishi has won over Death through the power of devotion, bhakti.
The discussion on the principle of Death is the common thread in all these three stories.
On a broader level, these stories also indicate some ways to deal with and overcome the debilitating feeling of fear.
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This article is based on a lecture by Dr. Gauri Moghe, and it is a part of an online course — Veda Vidya: Veda-s to Vedaangaa-s.
