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70 / MANAV DHARMA body, it is marching ahead towards death, or its strength and power is decreasing day by day even after providing it with all nourishing diet, or it is facing the worst of destruction inspite of all efforts. Looking to such condition of the body, it is not the duty of wise people to become perturbed and disturb the mental peace. It should be born in mind that he, who wants life, can not remain alive for indefinite period; he is bound to pass through the cycle of birthdeath/rebirth but the learned man, who knows how to die a peaceful noble death, can make his life immortal. To fear death is not the duty of a learned man because the death is inevitatle and it is a nature of the born man. The word Mortal denotes death-an unavoidable happening - Hence the first important duty, and the wisdom, and the austerity of a man is that he should never fear death. This has been explained well in the verse below :
अन्तक्रियाधिकरणम तप:फलं सकल दर्शितः स्तुवते ।
तस्माद्यावद्विभवं समाधिमरणे प्रयतितव्यम् ॥१२३।। Explanation :
To be able to control one's conduct at the moment of death is the fruit (culmination of asceticism; all systems are at one as to this; therefore, one should apply oneself to attain Sallekhana death to the extent of one's power.
As the mental attitude prevailing at the last moment of life considerably affects the future destiny of the soul, there can be no doubt that those who give up the ghost (body) according to the method of Sallekhana attain to the very best conditions of life in the hereafter.
Description :
An omniscient, with an Absolute pure and perfect knowledge, has taught the absence of attachment and the other passions is noninjury. The result of austerity is nothing but to maintain the speech mind and body in internal and external austerities and when he is on the verge of death, his spiritual feelings must not be perverted. One should continue the practice of fasting vrata, (Anshanvrata) and reducing or limiting his own passions and desires thus subsiding the mental behaviour. by putting a firm control over it. Then only such man will not be perturbed with the calamities, distresses and physical diseases and will continue to tolerate them peacefully till the ending period of his life and one thing more, he should be sure and confident in observing these with pleasure.
