Talks on the Gita -Vinoba 77

Chapter 8 SADHANA FOR A HAPPY ENDING OF LIFE: THE YOGA OF CONSTANCY 37. Living With The Awareness Of Death 8. The Professor of logic teaches in the college, “Man is mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.” Why does he not give his own example? The Professor too is mortal. But he would not say, “All men are mortal. Therefore I, the Professor, am mortal and dear students, you too are mortal.” He gives the example of Socrates, since Socrates is already dead and is not there to protest howsoever we use his name! Students and teachers talk of the mortality of Socrates, but conveniently keep mum about their own. Perhaps they feel that they are fully secure from death. 9. In this way, people everywhere are continually making deliberate efforts to forget death. But does that ward off death? It makes its presence felt when someone dear to us passes away. But still man does not think of death fearlessly and summon courage to overcome its challenge. A deer chased by a tiger finally gets exhausted, although it is swift and agile. Death in the form of the tiger continues to pursue it. Imagine the condition of that poor creature. It cannot look at the tiger. It closes its eyes and buries its antlers and face in the ground and helplessly waits for death. We too cannot dare to look at death. But howsoever we may try, it is bound to pounce on us.