Adding to 'Shishrusha'...

Shishrusha is the word used when refer to Church services; by extension, it could mean the order of worship of any religion, as in, you go to a place of worship for their shishrusha. In essence, thus, shishrusha has a God-centered meaning. 

The one single characteristic of A Supreme Being or God is compassion. When we link it to the Dalai Lama’s mantra of compassion: Om Mani Padme Hum, the meaning becomes even clearer. Om Mani Padme Hum means ‘Hail to the jewel in the lotus’, which is a metaphor for the compassion that lies within every sentient being, or the God (read Divine) in every being. Therefore when we do shishrusha for anyone, it means we are reaching out from our core of compassion to theirs; we are serving them with loving respect as we would serve God. Again, this confirms the belief that God is in everyone; there is a spark of the Divine in everyone.

A powerful word...

Shishrusha

One of the meanings of this powerful word is: 

It is the respectful care and service that you render to one who lies at the door of death...

Continuing sharing...

Still in the presence of death...

In the shadow of death, you realize how far removed you have gone
                                                              From your core -
                                                              From what you really are - 

In the shadow of death
You are stripped of all the layers that life's experiences lay on you
The gloss and sheen that falseness and pretence coat you with are removed -


And
                    You are given a chance to make amends to your real self...

                                    




                             

Continuing the sharing...

As we sit by the bedside of the loved one who is lingering and suspended, as it were, between two worlds, we realize hoe puny we are in the presence of death, and how much we lean on the loving kindness and mercy of the Universal Consciousness, or to believers, on God...

What is life then, we might ask, if the end is so painfully drawn out...I'm beginning, more and more, to believe what I had read once long ago that all of life is, and should be, a preparation (not only physically, but mentally and spiritually), for death. Young and strong, I had scoffed at it, but now I realize the wisdom in these words. It is a preparation not only for those who are going through the experience of death, but for those who sit hour after hour by the bedside of the loved one going through this experience. When memories come pouring into the mind, when the heart seems as if it will break with the weight of things left unsaid and undone, when unanswerable questions batter the brain, how does one cope??

When those who knew the loved one visit the family and reminisce, one realizes that one had missed out on a lot of facets of the loved one's personality...one realizes that this loved one had touched many lives and meant a great deal to many people, people who one never knew existed.

Sitting by the bedside of the loved one, and saying good bye is the most painful experience one can ever go through, especially if the loved one is lingering, caught between two worlds, as it were. You can actually see the transformation and it is the most humbling experience ever. My cousin who is with us was telling us how in the last moments we should not touch the loved one because nothing should come between the communion of the soul with its Source. If we touch the loved one, or express our grief, it will distract the soul of the loved on in its communion. The soul will not want to leave the grieving people at his/her bedside, That really brought home to me how awesome death is...one can only stand in silence with bent head in lowliness and submission in the face of this most powerful of forces...

Sharing...

For all those who, like me, have had to take the painful decision of turning the tubes off of a parent...  . When the doctors say that there is no hope, and no medication that can reverse the process that has set in, then what? Like all times when you have to take a decision, the feelings are: We'll look at it later; Right now do we have to decide?; Maybe we could ask some authority what we are to do, and so on... . Facing the moment when we have to take that final decision regarding the parent... how does one do it? Is what we are doing the only way?; Can we really take this decision?; On what basis are we going ahead with this decision? and the questions go on rattling in the mind, and heart. Cold intelligence says something, and the heart quite another.

Dignity in death is the ultimate gift you can offer a parent. It is the only tribute you can pay to someone who has borne you for 9 months, or from your birth, looked after you and set you on your feet. Of course, they too in their humanness may have screwed things up now and again, but at the end of the day, that person lying there helplessly in front of you is still your parent... . You have to decide whether you want to keep your parent forcefully alive, or whether to let him/her go in dignity and peace. The decision about the last moments of the one who gave you life, are now in your hands. It must be the most devastating decision you are ever faced with. But, when there is no other way, and you are sure that this is what your parent would have wanted and this is how you would want it to be for her/him, then from somewhere you get the strength and calm and peace of mind to finally say 'all right'...It is amazing then how all of life arranges itself with you to help you face the final moments in peace and with strength.

Ramdomly rambling...

When you are in a situation where you have to take a decision on the life of a loved one, the very enormity and gravity of the situation highlights every moment the person is alive...every moment takes on an intense color, picture, meaning, and significance all of its own...

Randomly rambling...

Thinking about The wedding...just reinforced what I've always believed - people need these kind of events as Spirit-Lifts. I know the state of the world economy is worrisome, and there are many more people without food, clothing or shelter than with, and yet, for a few fleeting moments one felt raised out of one's self...Cynics and gloom-and-doom prophets must have had a field day trashing everyone and everything, but at the end of the day, I do believe, it was the spirit of the common, very ordinary people that felt lifted... . Many had come from other cities and countries and camped overnight (some for days), around Westminster Abbey, thousands lined the streets along which the various processions moved, millions around the world, far, far removed from British Royalty, watched on tv. Everyone had only one thing in mind - they wanted to participate in this fairytale wedding of Kate and William. (Do we ever lose our fascination for fairy tales?) For one brief moment, they shared something beautiful and glorious, heard the most ethereal music, and were a part of history. It was a great Spirit-Lift. These are the people who went to sleep with stars in their hearts...

It is the same emotional response that we have towards our own erstwhile royalty. Why did we spontaneously refer to Gayatri Devi as Rajmata right to the end? Why has the coronation of 12 year old Sawai Padmanabha Singh caught the fancy of the public? Why do we, given a choice, want to stay in palaces-converted-to-hotels? Why are we enthralled by the magnificent forts the Maharajahs built? Why do we spend so much time, money and energy on our puja pandals, why do we celebrate our National Days with so much pomp and ceremony and fanfare?

These are all Spirit-Lifts...and...we need them...