Tapas to overcome death🔗

Death is a mystery - but more importantly, it is man's greatest fear. That is why a In some Catholic nunneries, the nuns lie down in open coffins every morning and meditate that they are dead. In Vedanta, this is one of the most used techniques for enlightenment. In Buddhism, anyone initiated into sannyas has to spend three months in the cremation grounds, continuously observing the bodies being burnt, while visualizing oneself being burnt. The logical mind finds it difficult to understand how one simple experience can give such courage.

I myself had this particular experience in Varanasi, Bharat.

When I went to Varanasi, Bharat, I saw that about three hundred dead bodies were being cremated every day in a place called Manikarnika Ghat.

Traditionally, it is believed that if somebody leaves the body in that area, or if their body is burnt in that area, they will be liberated. Ramakrishna confirms thism and says that he saw Mahādeva (Śiva) himself going to every pyre and unclutching every soul from its body and liberating it.

The men working there would carry the bodies to the Ganga river, reaching there by evening. As they walk, they keep chanting 'Rām Nām Satya Hai,' which means, 'The name of the Lord is the ultimate truth.'

There is no special ritual involved. the bodies are dipped into the Ganga three times as they say 'Raam Naam Satya Hai.'

I sat at that particular ghat to observe what was going on, and an hour later, death was no more a strange incident that happens to a distant relative.

Bodies of all sizes, genders, ages, colors, communities and religions were burnt in that hour. When one sees so many bodies, it feels like there is nothing to it. Death means that the breath that goes into them does not come out, that is all. Everyone has to leave their body someday, and they will have company as well!

Knowing that death is inevitable will bring down the respect that one has for the ego. Whatever one thinks should not leave them is their ego. When one knows for sure that everything is going to leave them, the respect for the ego goes down immensely.

Being a very straightforward person, I immediately dropped my ego and decided that if I am going to die after all, I should have a death experience now itself, and live without the fear or die and see for myself.

I sat down in a small Śiva temple nearby and started watching the dead bodies being burnt. The big 'click' that I remember even to this day, happened when an old lady's body was being burnt, and I could see the fat from her stomach melting. This fat made the fire burn brighter!

Seeing this made me think that the very same thing is going to happen to me..! This opened up a deep, terrible fear of death in me, but I decided to face it consciously.

The fear was spreading all over my body, and when it met my awareness, it became a death experience. I saw clearly that the body was dead. For two and a half days, I did not sleep, eat, drink or think. Suddenly the 'click' happened to me that this body is dead, but I am still existing! This was such an intense ecstasy that the fear of death just left. Slowly I opened my eyes, and the first thing I felt was a deep gratitude.

I performed a small puja for Vishwanatha (Shiva) at the temple, and I could see clearly that Vishwanatha was alive. When I died, Vishwanatha became alive to me. Till the previous day, because I was alive, Vishwanatha was a dead stone.

When a fear is suppressed, it stays inside the person. When one does not consciously face the fear, it shakes one's whole nervous system. However, when it is faced consciously, it becomes a death experience.

Facing the fear of death consciously and coming out is the ultimate tapas.

About His Holiness Nithyananda Paramashivam

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is recognized today as a clear, legitimate, apolitical voice of Sanatana Hindu Dharma, and revered as a living incarnation of superconsciousness by millions worldwide. He is a Mahamandaleshwar (spiritual head) of Mahanirvani Peeth, the world's most ancient apex body of Hinduism. He is the author of more than 300 books published in over 20 languages.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is considered the foremost authority in the world today in the field of Consciousness and Kundalini awakening. He has successfully demystified yogic sciences like Third Eye AwakeningSM, spiritual healing, levitation, teleportation, materialization, anti-ageing and going beyond the need for food.

A spiritual genius with an enlightened insight into everything from management to meditation, relationships to religion, success to spirituality, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM brings to us a wealth of practical wisdom and techniques for lasting inner change.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is the spiritual head of several non-profit organizations worldwide which enrich lives through personal transformation programs and courses, publications, spreading Vedic sciences and wisdom, spiritual healing and humanitarian services.

As a global humanitarian, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is working to promote global peace through the transformation of the individual. His spiritual mission includes ashrams and centres worldwide, which serve as spiritual laboratories where inner growth is profound and outer growth is a natural consequence.

Service activities include conducting meditation and de-addiction camps, free medical camps and artificial limb donation for the needy, support for education and vocational training, support for children in rural areas, conducting meditation camps for prisoners and disaster relief activities.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is also deeply committed to creating international awareness about Hindu culture and the ancient Vedic tradition. As an enlightened mystic, a spiritual evolutionary, a trained yogi, a powerful healer and a siddha, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is an inspiring personality for millions of people worldwide. His authenticity, depth of experience and his rare gift for making spirituality both practical and enjoyable have allowed His teachings to reach far and wide.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM has healed people of a wide range of diseases, often with a single touch. Working and sharing with people worldwide every year, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM and His mission are committed to help humanity make the next big breakthrough: into Superconsciousness.

The seed has to break and give way; only then can the tree happen. Any process of transition will be both painful and joyful - a 'sweet pain'. Having the courage to go through it and break free is is what I call TAPAS! ~ HIS HOLINESS THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM