Transience of Human Life by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj    You must be careful in keeping two points in mind at all times.  One of these you already know. You hear about it, you read about it, and you are aware of its importance. It is the remembrance of God.  Constant remembrance of God!

Now, let us discuss something more important than this. What is that? The human body, which is the means of practicing devotion, is temporary.  In other words, it may be snatched away at any time.  A young man writes his I.A.S. exams. He meets with an accident on the way home and dies. A couple is getting married.  The young man and woman are circling around the fire for the seventh and the last time.  The bridegroom feels faint, he falls down. He dies. How strange this is! Death does not look at what is going on in life; it comes at whatever time. And it does not care whether one is a king or a beggar. It does not discriminate between a scholar and an illiterate man. It visits both the beautiful and the ugly. There is no concession for anyone. Everyone's time is fixed. The exact number of seconds you have been granted in the human body are already fixed. Death is certain.  However, we tend to forget this. We say, "Oh, I am only ten years old; I am only 25 years old; I am only fifty. "This is how we think. We never think that we may or may not live to see the next moment.  What if this body is snatched away from us? Moreover, after death you will attain the result according to the thoughts in your mind in the final moments of your life.

This is why both the points must be kept in mind simultaneously and very carefully. God must be remembered at all times, but you must not procrastinate. You must not wait for even the next moment to remember God.  If we constantly reflect upon the transitory nature of human life, we will cease to be careless.   We will always be careful. You are driving on the road. While driving you are always mindful of the traffic in front of you, behind you, and on your side.  You are careful all the time, otherwise you will meet with an accident and die. Similarly, we must be very careful in life at all times.  In other words, we must keep death in mind at all times.  Who knows when death may come! Everyone is powerless before death. No yogi, no ascetic, no meditator, no God-realized saint can avoid it. Everyone has to leave at the right time. Jagadguru Shankaracharya left his body at the age of 32.  He passed away at such a young age. Though a great Saint, yet he could not conquer death. Saints do not interfere with God's rules. They leave their body when they are meant to leave.  King Dashrath, who had Lord Ram as his son, died, but Lord Ram did not save him.  The Almighty Lord Ram did not save his own father.  Abhimanyu died.  The Kauravas killed him by trickery.  He was the son of Arjun, one of the greatest saints; he was the nephew of God Shree Krishna. Moreover, Ved Vyas ji, a descension of God, had performed his marriage to Uttara. Three divine personalities could not save Abhimanyu and his wife Uttara became widow at the age of sixteen.

Thus, no one has any control over death.   For this reason, we must be cautious at all times. Think, "What if I die the next moment? What will happen then?" Be prepared; be ever prepared.  Always remain in the remembrance of God so that you may think of him in the final moments of life and reach his divine abode after death.