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Re: Living 100 years - Digest Number 652

From the Bhakti List Archives

Visu9 • July 10, 2002 


Sri rAmAnujasya caraNau SaraNam prapdyE|

/namastE Shri Sudarsana Parthasarathy.

Yes, we should all pray and ask for a life of 100/120 years. Sri rAmAnujA lived 120 years and did marvllous things for the suffering humanity. MahatmA Gandhi used to boast that he would live 125 years! And he did wonderful things. 

There are two reasons for wanting to live a full 100 years in my humble opinion.

God created us; he Blessed us with our unique package: manO, vAk, kAya. The package must be used to serve the purpose it was intended for. That purpose is to sing His Glory and carry out the tasks He has ordained for us. 

Secondly, plainly, it will not speak highly of the Creator if He created us, but did not make us function well for the intended purpose. So one ought to accept that He intended us to live well here on Earth, live long and set examples for others in our small environment to emulate. That is, our life should reflect that we are God's servants /dAsan in a small way, perhaps, but affirmatively. 

Also we should have /nidhanA: Peaceful death. That is, we should accept death cheerfully when it comes. When we say cheerful acceptance, it also includes acceptance by those whom we love and those who love us. A cruel death is not cheerful. Death at age 40 is not encouraging. If somebody is 90 and dies, we do not regret the death, if the person reached the Lotus Feet of the Lord without suffering. We are in fact proud of the manner of death. We say he or she lived a full life and had a peaceful ending. 

How can we succeed in living  a hundred years?  Only by the Blessings of those who want us to do so. Thus an elderly person should not hesitate to Bless for /dIrg/Ayus and /sarva/maGgalam or sakala sau/bhAgyam. Good thoughts and words do generate positive energy and vibrations.

It is apt to seek Blessings for not only a full life but also for a peaceful death, when we pray. Of course, a person cannot bless us to have peaceful death. But we must ask the Lord for it, especially when we reach old age. 

I have heard a lot of elders say, "I am waiting for the Lord to call." It is always touching to hear those words. And it sets a good example to young people.

/vantanam.

/naH svI/kurvaka asmAt krupAm: Wherefore, cause us to have Your Grace.

/anpuTan visvanAthan







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