Twinn Swan

Just as in this body the embodied (soul) passes into childhood, youth and old age, so also does he pass into another body; the firm man does not grieve at it. (2:13)

The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda

Time alone has the power to change, to transform and to create something new where there was once only grief and loss. There is a saying that time heals all wounds. When a solider has been wounded in battle, he is usually bed-ridden and sent away from the battlefield for a period of time before he can resume his duties.

Similarly, when a person has been through an ordeal, he or she will need time to rest and to recover. This is when all exists in a dormant and you could even say recovery phase. Once this period of rest and recovery is over, activities will resume. But it will not be the same as you knew or remembered it.

In our world, nothing can ever remain the same. Even within a short period, big changes can take place, but only if we allow them to. Through and in the passageway of time, incidents can and do occur. We have no choice but to find ourselves dealing with ever-changing circumstances. Due to this, our present is undoubtedly leading us to an unknown future. By its very nature, life cannot guarantee anyone a permanent state of affairs.

Since every situation, of its own nature, must continue to change. We cannot permit ourselves to dwell on our grief. The external world that seems to be causing us grief, distress and even disillusionment, are all impermanent. The same object, person and even animal companion, which has brought us pleasure and happiness at one point in our life, can, at another juncture, bring about acute pain. The reverse can also be true. What was displeasing to us at the start can later bring joy and happiness into our lives.

In Vedanta, the Real and the Un-real are clearly distinguished. The un-real is defined thus, “That which was not in the past and which will not be in the future, but, that which seemingly (perhaps almost) exists only in the present is called the Un-real.” For instance, that which does not exist in the beginning and at the end is necessarily non-existent in the intermediate stages. Following on from that, the Real is that which defies all changes and remains the same in all periods of time: past, present and future.

Our body changes at every moment. All changes and all evolutionary movements and growths can only come about through a constant death of their previous state. Men and women who have truly sought knowledge have known the essence. It seems that something with us remains, as it were, unchanged through all our changes.

To grieve change is not foolish. But to dwell on it most certainly is.

Om Namah Shivaya.