Life is not meant to be a joke! We must be as conscious, as sensitive, as particular about our time, as we are with our money. We must use time creatively and never forget that every moment is just the right time to do a right thing
This great gift of the human birth is bestowed on all of us—billions after billions of human beings—down the ages, but how many of us have realised its value?
There is one question which we face in life repeatedly: How can we get out of this futile quest, this endless cycle of pursuing material pleasures and make our lives meaningful?
We need to introspect on our life, whenever we find ourselves drowning in mundane routines. We need to ask ourselves, “Why did God create me?”, or “Why am I here?”, or “What is the purpose of my life?”
I don’t think a flippant answer to these questions will satisfy you. As Socrates put it with such clarity and certainty, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Philosophers, theologians, scientists, and, indeed, thousands upon thousands of ordinary men and women have reflected upon these and other related questions such as, “What is the meaning of this existence?”, “What is life all about?”, and “Where is this life leading me?”
Our scriptures tell us that there are thousands upon thousands of beings, including devas, demigods, insects, worms, flies, beasts and birds that God has created in this vast universe, one speck of which is this planet that we human beings call our home. There are in all, 8.4 billion life forms that a soul may enter at the end of any life cycle. In other words, each one of us has an approximate 0.00001% chance of receiving a human form again in our next lifetime!
Of all these creatures, it is only humans who are given the opportunity for liberation from the circle of birth, death and rebirth. It is believed that one is born as a human being only when one has performed good karma in overwhelming measure in one’s previous birth—in other words, one must have a credit balance of good karma to be blessed with this human birth.
This is why our saints and sages emphasise the inestimable and invaluable attainment that is human life. “You have been blessed with a human birth, which is difficult to attain,” Adi Shankara tells us. “Don’t waste the precious moments of your life in pursuit of sensual pleasures.” Tulsidas too emphasises the same truth: “This human body is the gateway leading to liberation. Having attained it, you must strive to take care of your spiritual progress.”
The question is: are we doing justice to this priceless gift that God has bestowed on us?
Friends, with each breath, a precious moment passes by; we have spent one of our precious moments away; what have we done with that golden moment which will never ever be ours again?
Time is passing by! None of us can ever be sure how long we will be here in this human form. It may be that many years are left to us; or it may be that our days on earth are numbered. Whatever the time left with us, we have to make the most of it, put it to the best possible use. And this is certainly not to eat, drink and be merry, but to devote it to the Lord. Let us ensure that our higher- self manifests itself in this human birth. Let our eternal bond with the Divine be strengthened here, during this lifetime.
“With each breath, a precious moment passes by; we have spent one of our precious moments away; what have we done with that golden moment which will never ever be ours again”
Become aware of the value of the human birth. It has been bestowed on each one of us for a specific purpose—that we may realise what we are, whence we came, and whither are we to return.
The river of time flows on. The hours quickly change into days, the days into months and the months into years. Suddenly, one day, the bell tolls for us and the call goes forth: “Vacate the house (of the body)!” The body drops down and man realises, too late, that he has lost the golden opportunity of the human birth, thrown away his precious life without ever really coming to terms with its true nature and purpose. “If life was meant to be a joke, I’m sorry, I haven’t got it,” exclaimed a great comedian. He did not realise this—that life is not meant to be a joke! We must be as conscious, as sensitive, as particular about our time, as we are with our money. We must use time creatively and never forget that every moment is just the right time to do a right thing. If we wait for more opportune moments, we may have to wait till eternity. Take care of your moments, I say to my friends, and the years will take care of themselves.
Life is precious. Let me make the most of it. Let me not go back from this ocean of grace without tasting its sweet waters. Let me not go back exhausted. But let me drink the Divine Nectar and be blessed with bliss and peace!
By Dada J.P. Vaswani
