The Frail Human

There is a story about Yudhishthira, of Mahabharata fame. When asked what is the most beautiful thing on this planet, he says it is “Maya”, which is the magic that keeps the world running. Everyone knows that death is inevitable, yet the will and desperation to live is so intense that each person thinks that s/he is invincible. That bad things can happen only to other people and not to them and their near and dear ones. And then one fine day, the bubble bursts…

The frail nature of the human flesh was revealed to me just yesterday, in quite a grotesque way. On the way to my office, I came across a traffic jam. Initially the source of traffic jam was not apparent. However, as the vehicles on the road inched forward, the reason became evident. There were police men visible, not traffic police, but regular police. And they were directing the traffic. That can only mean one thing: an accident further up the road.

An accident it was and it was not a sight for the squeamish. The body of the deceased was covered with a white cloth. However, the reason for the death was evident from the mess that lay around the body. Suffice to say, that the person driving a motorcycle (for the last time) was not wearing a helmet. My estimate is that the bike slipped and …

This incident lead me to think about the frailty of the human body. A severe blow to certain sections of the head, or a pin-prick, strategically executed. And life is converted to after-life. In the everlasting battle of life and death, eventually death does triumph. Every day, life does its best to come out tops. Life gives small victories which lead the living to believe in invincibility. And yet, therein lies life’s biggest paradox: the longer you live, the greater your probability of dying with every passing day.

I am sure the person who never made it to office/home yesterday did not know that it was not meant to be for him to reach his destination. I am sure he never thought about it. Neither does anyone of us when we are performing everyday activities, such as crossing the road, boarding a train, switching on an electric appliance. All these activities have the potential to be life threatening. Yet the living remain oblivious of them.

And that is exactly what Maya is: the living wish to live indefinitely, though death is the constant force surrounding them.

/Radgovin