prayā́ṇakālaḥ

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

This post is not for the praghaṭāvid (general reader) nor vibhīṣikā (frightened); it is for the one that ponders, has little aversion to death (abhiniveśa¹) and approaches ideas
with an open mind (udghāṭita-manaḥ).

This post will be on prayā́ṇakālaḥ - time of death & departure. This does not suggest the timing of death as offered in jyotish knowledge, but that extinguishing point
of the body where it no longer functions as a living/breathing entity.

I wrote in a past post¹

The body is always coming to its end as time (kālá) leans into it; due to this fact we know this body as a house (kāya – house) of death.
Because this house is dying with time it is called symbolically a cremation ground. From this point of view one then can say śiva roams from cremation
ground to cremation ground. That is, he resides there because this house or body has (or is) Being and energy. But one knows just because the body may fall ( pass on)
that does not suggest that Being, śiva is altered or destroyed. It is not destroyed because it was never born. The cause of death is birth and Being, essence, sattā
is nirantara = having no interval (in space or time) ,uninterrupted , perpetual , constant.

We as humans are grouped in ādhibhautika - belonging or relating to created beings ~ society~ and or the surroundings of beings. The body of ours, the ‘chariot’
is śārīrika = relating to the body; contained in the body, is perishable. As we know śárīra means ‘that which is easily destroyed’. It is kṣaraḥ - ‘melting away’, perishable;
This again is the material side of our being, that which comes and goes.

We have in general 3 stages : beginning , middle, and end. Some may get a bit more granular and call out 6 stages which is also acceptable. Yet for this post we’re focused on endings.
This then sets the stage for the conversation at hand … many know within the bhāgavad gītā kṛṣṇa-jī talks of what can occur at the end of one’s life and this is called out in the 7^th chapter (7.30) and 8^th chapter, which we will review.

Setting the stage
Within the 8^th chapter , śloka’s 1 and 2 , arjuna poses 8 questions ( some count 9) to kṛṣṇa-jī. This last question is: how, at the time of death, can You be known by the niyatātmabhiḥ ?
It is this point i.e. to be known, that I wish to visit in this post. Many who have read the bhāgavad gītā will think : this is done by remembering Him (māmeva smaran) at the time of death. Yet there is more to the story than meets the eye.

Who is this niyatātmabhiḥ ?
This is the self-disciplined; it is the yogin that perhaps is not fully baked ( as the wise say). It is he/she that , at the time of death, is doing abhyāsa yoga yuktena
(practicing the means of yoga). This would be the essence of the 8^th śloka found in chapter 8 of the bhāgavad gītā.

What is considered the time of death ?
This is interesting and worth splitting hairs over… one can be on their death bed, comfortable, but most likely uncomfortable and weak, but not at their moment of death.
Visits from family, friends and priests may occur and the person is still within his/her faculties i.e. they can converse, respond, make choices and the like.
The time of death is when the outside world ( the surroundings) is no longer available to this person. Others have no idea what the person is hearing, thinking, smelling, etc.
In fact it is said at this juncture the dying person’s senses are retreating, withdrawing; this death time as it occurs – the final retreat of all cognitive senses.

Another cycle of death
In the 4^th śloka, chapter 8, kṛṣṇa-jī says adhibhūtaṁ karaḥ bhāvaḥ or the nature (bhāvaḥ) of objects/the physical world is decay (karaḥ).
I mention ‘objects’ because they too ( such as automobiles, bikes, houses, etc.) are perishable (karaḥ) and decay.

We are born we have a beginning, then a middle then an end. We are in this decay cycle also ( just like our universe, a star, or an auto). One can think of it this way:
When we are born we grow to become a young child – the infant in us has passed, decayed, ‘died’ and was replaced by being a young child. We become a teen and the
young child decays ‘dies’ and is replaced by our new ‘teen’ status. This ‘teen’ status decays and is replaced by being an adult. We ( the body – śárīra) are in a continuous
stage of decay and dying all the time.
And what of during the day? Wake decays to dream then to deep sleep. All the senses withdraw. No one hears , sees or thinks in this deep-deep sleep. So , we're practicing
‘dying’ daily. Yet many get upset. I will be gone, I am finished! I want to live a thousand years. Yet the inevitable will occur one day… the decay of the physical system will no
longer support the life-function. And to this kṛṣṇa-jī says why worry over the inevitable ?

So this is the baseline of thinking… Now what needs to be discussed in the next post:

• what is to be remembered?
• are there alternatives ? that is, what if the person is not fit to remember?
• are there additional insights that are not easily visible ?

iti śivaṁ

words

• abhiniveśa is one of the 5 kleśa-s ( afflictions) that are destroyed by yoga. This is from patañjali’s yogadarśana ( yoga sūtra's).
  We look to chapter 2, the 3rd sūtra calls out 5 kleśa-s that are destroyed :
• avidyā - ignorance
• asmitā - egotism
• rāga - desire
• dveṣa - aversion
• abhiniveśa - this abhiniveśa is defined as adherence, as intentness , affection , devotion. Where do we see the indication of fear? What is implied here is the adherence to cling to life , this is the kleśa ( affliction). That strong desire due to ignorance that I wish not to perish, not to go away...I wish not to be extinct! Due to avidyā one thinks they perish forever and wish to cling to life...the fear born of ignorance ( the 1^st kleśa listed above).

• past post: post 6 and 7 found here: http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthr...ht=#post126711
• niyata = disciplined, steady + ātmabhiḥ = ātma = self