Raghavendran.

One would have thought that having seen death close , first hand nearly 3 years earlier I would be inured to the news of another passing away.

There is a plenty of truth in Yudhishtra's reply to a yaksha 's interrogation,"That the greatest mystery of life is that man thinks he is immortal .He sees people dying around him ,yet he thinks he will live forever!"

Yesterday I received the news that a young lad , on a team outing died when the van he was travelling along with his numerous colleagues collided with another vehicle ,rolled over.Of the 20 or so co travellers he and another were the only causalities .

The picture of this lad , a little wisp of a person ringing my flat bell , greeting me in his high pitched screeching voice ,with a cricket bat slung across his shoulders , enroute to playing cricket in the Marina beach with his college buddies during semester holidays, flooded my mind and the dark clouds of sorrow descended on my brow.

He was unique not only in manner and demeanour but also that he was the only child of his parents , who had pinned all their hopes and dreams on him , having lost a son earlier.

I came to know that he never went on any tours ,that college students tend to go on and off and went only.. with his parents.In all probability he undertook this unfortunate trip because he was to tie the knot in few months from now.He had fallen prey to the feeling of being trapped that seems to grip men on the eve of their marriage, that makes them want to take wings and soar high before they are clipped.

He had so far never indulged in outings with his friends since he didn't have the heart to leave his parents alone.

Roads are mine fields waiting for accidents to happen in every corner.Yet oh yet, why was this wisp of a lad who is yet to taste life and the sole reason of his parents existence be the one to attract Yama's noose? Whilst 20 or so of his colleagues escaped , he couldn't.

When men and women in their twilight years ,having tasted life to the brim are still doddering around why should this young man, be selectively denied of his due? .What is the purpose behind adding some more misery to an already miserable couple?Was this lad's time over ?His mission complete?

The anger that arose within me at the injustice of the creator died away at the sheer helplessness of it all.His ways are inscrutable and the following lines from the Mahabharata comes to my mind.

This day itself do that is good. Let not any delay steal over you. While your plans are in the making , the pull of death is felt. Nobody knows to whom`today will be the time for death . From youth itself , therefore acquire the habit of righteousness. Life is ,indeed evanescent .

This has been accomplished ; this must be done ; this another one is about to be completed --- while indulging in such comfortable reveries , all on a sudden ,one is captured by death.

Death snatches away all -- helpless and powerful, brave and timorous, stupid and wise--even a man who has not been able to accomplish anything desired by him .

The body being closely wedded to death and senility, disease and misery , manifoldly caused, why are you standing still and unconcerned? None could ever oppose the invading hordes of death except Truth.

What is false must be cast out . On truth depends immortality. Through truthfulness one reaches the deathlessness.

He, whose speech and thought are keen and perfectly controlled and who is endued with spiritual energy , renunciation and truthfulness ---he will certainly get every thing!