An Amazing verse from Bhagavad Gita
It is said that the greatest spirit of renunciation, detachment and futility of our life is felt by persons at two places.They are called, Prasuthi Vairagya and Smashana Vairagya.Prasuti vairagya is felt by a mother, when she is giving birth to a baby. She is in so much pain that she thinks and says to herself that she will never go through this in this Life time. Similarly, when one is in a smashana – Cremation or burial ground, people are so much grief stricken and reach a state of neutrality of being a observer and lot of self-introspection, that they think things like, why all this trouble, struggle. Someday, everyone has to die so, why not lead a sober or humble life. It is said that in both instances, as soon as the scene changes i,e the time passes within hours or days, people get back to their normal routine and totally forget what they thought about.
Similarly we see in Mahabharata – Questions by Yaksha”And what is the greatest wonder? “The answer given was “Each day death strikes, and we live as though we were immortal. This is the greatest wonder.”
Also, there is a noteworthy Quote from Dalai Lama
“Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
Here is the Amazing verse from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 2.29 (Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupad)
āścarya-vat paśyati kaścid enam
āścarya-vad vadati tathaiva cānyaḥ
āścarya-vac cainam anyaḥ śṛṇoti
śrutvāpy enaṁ veda na caiva kaścit
TRANSLATION
Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.
PURPORT
Since Gitopanisadis largely based on the principles of the Upanisads, it is not surprising to also find this passage in the Katha Upanishad (1.2.7):
śravanayāpi bahubhir yo na labhyah
śrnvanto ’pi bahavo yam na vidyuh
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo ’sya labdhā
āścaryo ’sya jñātā kuśalānuśistah
śrnvanto ’pi bahavo yam na vidyuh
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo ’sya labdhā
āścaryo ’sya jñātā kuśalānuśistah
The fact that the atomic soul is within the body of a gigantic animal, in the body of a gigantic banyan tree, and also in the microbic germs, millions and billions of which occupy only an inch of space, is certainly very amazing. Men with a poor fund of knowledge and men who are not austere cannot understand the wonders of the individual atomic spark of spirit, even though it is explained by the greatest authority of knowledge, who imparted lessons even to Brahmā, the first living being in the universe. Owing to a gross material conception of things, most men in this age cannot imagine how such a small particle can become both so great and so small. So men look at the soul proper as wonderful either by constitution or by description. Illusioned by the material energy, people are so engrossed in subject matters for sense gratification that they have very little time to understand the question of self-understanding, even though it is a fact that without this self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for existence. Perhaps they have no idea that one must think of the soul, and thus make a solution to the material miseries.
Some people who are inclined to hear about the soul may be attending lectures, in good association, but sometimes, owing to ignorance, they are misguided by acceptance of the Supersoul and the atomic soul as one without distinction of magnitude. It is very difficult to find a man who perfectly understands the position of the Supersoul, the atomic soul, their respective functions and relationships and all other major and minor details. And it is still more difficult to find a man who has actually derived full benefit from knowledge of the soul, and who is able to describe the position of the soul in different aspects. But if, somehow or other, one is able to understand the subject matter of the soul, and then one’s life is successful.
The easiest process for understanding the subject matter of self, however, is to accept the statements of the Bhagavad-gītā spoken by the greatest authority, Lord Krsna, without being deviated by other theories. But it also requires a great deal of penance and sacrifice, either in this life or in the previous ones, before one is able to accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna can, however, be known as such by the causeless mercy of the pure devotee and by no other way.
