Death, a Critical Time of Life
The following excerpt from Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s book, “A Second Chance - the Story of a Near Death Experience” clearly explains the necessity of preparing for death even while living in this world day to day. If we think that we can engage in all kinds of frivolous activities during our lifetime, putting off the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, and that somehow when we are on our deathbeds we will suddenly become God conscious, then we should think again after reading this enlightening commentary by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami. We must always engage our senses in working to please our spiritual master and Krishna, using whatever time we have left in this world to become spiritually enlightened so our deaths will be peaceful and effortless.
Death, a Critical Time of Life
As mentioned above, one’s mentality at the time of death is all-important. But if we become complacent and think, “Oh, death takes place – what of it?” then we cannot advance on the spiritual path. Just as the air carries fragrances, so a person’s mentality at the time of death will carry him to his next life. If he has cultivated the mentality of a Vaiṣṇava, a pure devotee of Krishna, then he will immediately be transferred to Vaikuṇṭha. But if he has cultivated the mentality of an ordinary karmī, a fruitive worker, then he will have to stay in this material world to suffer the consequences of the kind of mentality he has thus created.
Suppose I am a businessman. If I simply do business up till the point of death, naturally my mentality will be business. One Calcutta businessman at the time of death asked about the management of his mill. He might have taken his next birth as a rat in his mill. This is possible. At the time of death, whatever you are thinking will carry you to your next body. Krishna is very kind, and whatever mentality one is absorbed in at the time of death, Krishna will provide an appropriate body: “All right, you are thinking like a rat? Become a rat.” “You are thinking like a tiger? Become a tiger.” “You are thinking like My devotee? Come to Me.”
By chanting Hare Krishna, we can mold our thoughts so that we are always thinking of Krishna. As Krishnarecommends in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.47), yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā: “The first-class yogi is he who always thinks of Me within his heart.” The Krishna consciousness movement is especially meant for helping the members of human society come to this state of full Krishna consciousness. Then at the end of life one will simply remember Krishna. Whatever you practice throughout your life will determine your consciousness at death. That is natural.
One who properly prepares for the time of death is really intelligent, while one who thinks he can remain at home forever and enjoy the association of his wife and children is a fool. In illusion a man thinks, “My bank balance, my nice house, and my family will protect me.” But these cannot protect anyone. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.1.4) declares,
dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv
ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api
teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ
paśyann api na paśyati
“One who is mad thinks, ‘My strong body, my grown-up children, my good wife, and my bank balance will save me.’ ” We are simply struggling in this material world like soldiers fighting on a battlefield. Our soldiers are our children, our wife, our bank balance, our countrymen, etc. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam warns us not to take shelter of such fallible soldiers. Even though a man has seen that his father and grandfather, who were once living, are existing no more, he does not see that likewise everyone, including himself, will be destroyed. How can he protect his son? How can his son protect him? These questions do not arise for the materialist who is simply engrossed in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, defending, and mating.