Most surprising thing on earth

One of the popular stories in the epic Mahabharatha is the part of Yaksha prashna. When all Pandavas except the elder one don’t heed to the Yaksha’s warning they are put to death. Yudhishtira, the eldest Pandava is known for his righteousness. The yaksha asks him a series of questions and the answers that Yudhishtira provides are really thought provoking.

One of the questions posed to the exponent of dharma (Yudhishtira was also known as Dharma raja in some contexts) goes as “What do you find as the most surprising on earth?” to which Yudhishtira replied –

Numerous people are encountering death daily. Even though people are aware that they will have to die one day, they crave for worldly desires as if they are permanent on earth. There is nothing more surprising than this fact.

We are so engrossed in the material world that we do not acknowledge that our presence on this planet is uncertain. One might be hale and hearty, muscular and strong and likely to live for many more years but when death strikes, the once radiating figure just bites the dust. 

The person doesn’t exist anymore. But the person had accumulated so much wealth, possessed tons of gold, and owned many buildings. Will the person be able to carry all these along in the subsequent journey?

Everyone knows that the answer is “NO”. But the maya that surrounds us is so much powerful that we fail to notice the reality. We struggle endlessly to gain more and more material stuff without caring if they are actually required. 

A deceptive thinking creeps into our minds that whatever happens we will be here permanently enjoying the luxuries of life that we have grabbed for ourselves.

We have to agree with Yudhishtira that it is surprising indeed. But after acknowledging this, the next obvious question would arise – is there a way to get out of this trap?  

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