PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

My mother expired on 30th May at the age of 94 at Bangalore. Irrespective of the age, a mother is always a mother. No one can replace a mother in showering love. She was ailing for few weeks. When she was ailing, my heart was praying for her early recovery. My intellect was praying for her peaceful departure. 

I was engaged in performing her last rites for the last 15 days. The system in Hindu religion is so tedious to follow for a 74 year old man like me. Taking head bath twice daily and to travel 150 Kms twice to immerse the ashes etc in the river were difficult. I had to take medicines daily to avoid getting cold. Following the mantras with hearing difficulty was another issue.

In normal practice, the funeral pyre is lit by placing the fire on the heart of the body. Then the funeral yard workers close the body with green coconut leaves and wet clay. They make holes for ventilation. The pyre burns overnight  and the ashes are collected on the next day. Whereas, in the electric crematorium, it is heart breaking to see our beloved going into flames before our naked eyes.

Every one has to leave this world one day. One must be fortunate to leave peacefully without much suffering. Everyday, before I go to sleep, I pray to the Lord that I should not wake up on the next day. I wish for a peaceful death. The Lord should have mercy on me and bless me.

I think death is performance appraisal. One takes another birth according to his performance. He goes on taking birth after birth until all his desires are fulfilled and he becomes desire less and pure to merge with the Lord. Let our thoughts and deeds be pure. Let us reach the abode of God instead of just hanging within four frames on the wall.