And to his utter dismay he was told that he would not be able to carry any of his possessions not even his clothes with him and will have to travel like a beggar without any clothes.

“I am utterly rich. I own fleet of cars, many bungalows and countless bank accounts. So why I am not allowed to carry anything?”

“Because these valuables of yours has no value in the land where you are going. All these are useless,” he was told by the uninvited visitors.

Before he could say anything more, the uninvited guests, who were the agents of death, grabbed him and took him away and his body dropped dead. He was not willing to go but he was hopelessly powerless, his dear family members wanted him to be with him but they were hopelessly helpless. 

All his near and dear ones cried in agony hoping that their tonnes of tears may give him more years.  But slowly the reality dawned and they realized that he has now gone forever never to come back. Tears eventually started drying, his memories gradually started fading and forgetting everything everyone eventually started moving on with their life hoping that they are here for ever.

It is true that we all live as if we are here to live for infinite years. And so we make countless plans for permanent settlement. We spend not just years but our life trying to prove our worth to the world which becomes worthless when we have to leave the world. Whether one is an emperor of the whole world or a pauper on the street, men of extraordinary prowess or women of extraordinary beauty all have to finally die and leave for an unknown destination. The best of the doctors, the best of the hospitals, the best of the medicine aren’t best enough to guarantee immortality.

This is why men and women who can think wisely never just focus on material amelioration but always ponder about the purpose of their life and asks why life is temporary here and how to come out of the vicious cycle of birth and death.

Holy men and holy books always try to address this question of all mortal beings by delineating the process following which we can attain salvation and become a part of the spiritual world where disease and death is conspicuous by its absence.

And so the holy Vedas give a clarion call to all to inquire for the absolute truth and exhorts all to endeavour hard for the spiritual wealth which is inexhaustible and not just material wealth which is exhaustible.

In this world the wealthiest being is not the one who has infinite material riches but is one whose heart is filled with treasures of love for God.  Only those whose heart longs for Lord become eligible to live with Lord in Lord’s abode without fear of death or devastation.

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Purushottam Nitai Das is a member of congregation at Iskcon Kolkata. Check his blog http://krishnamagic.blogspot.in/