What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

The epic Mahabharat war had ended. Duryodhan was on the deathbed, wounded with his broken pelvis, bearing excruciating pain and wailing. It had become dark. Three shadows were crawling stealthily towards Pandavas’ tent. As they had vowed to kill Pandavas as a ravage of dying Duryodhan.

As the three shadows reached the tents, they whispered together and, tearing apart the tents, killed all the sleeping fives in the tent with their swords. After realizing that they did not kill Pandavas but their sons, they became enraged. The three were Ashwatthama, Kripacharya and Kritverma.

Ashwattama, the only son of his parents Dronacharya and Kripi was a warrior, born with a jewel on his forehead. The jewel guards him from hunger, illness and even with weapons. He fought against the Pandavas in the Mahabharat war and killed many warriors using his celestial weapons.

After eliminating the five sleeping sons of Draupadi and Dristdumn, her brother and the one who killed Dronacharya, Ashwatthama’s raze was still ablaze. He intended to kill the son of Abhimanyu in his mother’s womb. He used yet another super weapon, “Brahmastra”, to destroy the embryo in the womb. Though it hurt the developing embryo, Lord Krishna intervened and saved him in the nick of time.

Enraged by the heartless cruelty of Ashwatthama, Lord Krishna cursed him and snatched the jewel affixed on his forehead. Krishna cursed him to live forever, roaming alone as a vagabond with his leaking and incurable wound, bearing the burden of a dejected life.

Folklore says Aswatthama still roams in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The epic of Mahabharat tells a lot about the ways of life. The holy Gita, contained within is not only a pious book preached by Lord Krishna himself but is a discourse of deep philosophical thoughts. It tells a lot about life and death. Gita preaches not to fear death. It is the ultimate truth. The eternal thing is “Aatma” (The inner consciousness), which passes from one to another.

While showing His “Virat Swaroop” (Cosmic Body of Supreme) to Arjuna while preaching to him amidst the war, he showed Arjuna how organisms were dying and reborn. In ancient Indian theology, birth and rebirth are a cyclical phenomenon. Only the blessed ones are relieved from the bondage of birth and rebirth.

Death is a much-feared topic and is like a taboo. It is not considered good to talk about death, knowing well that it is inevitable. Yet, in the Indian ethos, it was not so untouchable thing. Our philosophers and primogenitors have discussed it. A story of Nachiketa would illustrate this point.

Scolded by his irascible father, child Nachiketa left home to search for Yamraj (God of death) as per the wishes of his father. The child roamed in the jungle, hills and everywhere in search of Yama to seek his blessings and enlightenment about death and the life after death of an individual.

Death is the biological elimination of an organism. A dead organism stops functioning, and its body becomes stiff because of certain chemical changes in its tissues. Death and destruction are essential qualities of a living being. To put it simply, it is a process which creates space for newborn organisms. The incoming population should ideally be equal to the outgoing population. The old age is the stage when the vitality starts waning indicating the end of the journey.

The ages of organisms differ. It ranges from a few weeks to several years. Some plants and bacteria live long, very long lives. In human beings, a mechanism of life expectancy has been developed for developmental and other related activities. Various factors are considered to find out the average life expectancy. It varies according to region, geographical and social conditions. In India, the Average life expectancy in India was 67.78 in 2022 and is now 73.3 years.

The geriatric population in India is expected to reach 230 million in the next ten to twenty years. By 2050, it is estimated to reach 20.8 per cent, compared to 10.5 per cent in 2022. Aged people are considered unproductive and a burden. Many instances of leaving them in old age homes are on the rise. They feel left out and dejected. One of the several causes is increased financial dependency. Alzheimer’s is a serious mental condition at senectitude. Readers may like to visit my related writing by clicking here.

Living long has been a wish of the human race. The glam and glitter of the physical world lure. Sensual pleasure and comfort are the outcome of the want for more. It should not be construed as an advocacy of having nothing. Poverty is a curse that must be fought against. As they say, excess of everything is bad. One has to have a balance.

The greying population has a lot of practical experience. They can be beneficial in shaping the future through their valuable contribution. We in India have many illustrious personalities who, at the age of super seniority, are Contributing a lot to society. Ms Vajanthimala Bali, a noted dancer and famous Bollywood actress of her time is still active at the age of 94. It is commendable. Late Ratan Tata was active till his last breath. Similarly, Dev Anand, a celebrity film actor, director and producer, was active even when an attack grabbed him before snatching him away from us. Sri L.K. Advani and Sri (Dr.) M.M. Joshi are a few illustrious figures among us who are still active and contributing to the society.

“Jeevem Shardah Shatam” (May we live a hundred years) has been a blessing during ancient times in India. The wish to live up to a century was latent. Elderly people used to bless their juniors and children saying “Chirajivi Bhav” (be eternal). It was a blessing of immorality. It does not mean a life of lame, frail and inactive. The wish was for a long, healthy and active life. The mantra did not stop after expressing the wish for a life of a hundred years. Our primogenitors wished and prayed for good health, too, so that we stay vigilant, sapient, growing, healthy and fulfilled.

Living long is an inherent wish. It is intrinsic to every organism. Yet, a healthy and active long life is desirable and preferable. One should be healthy, happy and fulfilled at the gravid age of life. It is only then we can live the expectation of “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramaya…” (May all be happy, May all be healthy…).

As has been said above, an active life and financial independence are necessary in old age. Elders also have their share. They have grown old watching the changing scenario. They feel attached to their children and grandchildren. Parallel to it, elderly people must also understand their responsibility. They need to draw a line between them and their progenies and must stop undue interference in their lives. Elders need to be positive and think that they lived their lives. It is the turn of the younger generation to live as per their wishes. So long as they do not need assistance, Elders should give them freedom of choice. As an elder, it is their responsibility to keep harmony and equilibrium. It is only then the blessings of long life would be fruitful.

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