Reflections of a Grandfather

(A speech I wrote for my grandfather's funeral Friday 8th April 2005)

Namaste,
In the Yogavasishtha Ramayana, Lila, the devoted wife of the ancient king Padma, propitiated goddess Sarasvati and sought immortality for her husband. Lila said “Tell me in short, Goddess Sarasvati, something more with regards to death, as to whether it is happy or painful to die and what becomes of people after they are dead and gone from here"
Goddess Sarasvati replied “Dying men are of three sorts and have different results upon their death. They are those who are ignorant, those who are versed in Yoga and those that are abstemious and religious."
Our beloved Aja was an abstemious and religious man. He dedicated his sweat, tears, love and his life to his family. Now he has departed this physical world, he is no longer a victim of this cosmic disillusion; he is on his continued journey to Brahma Loka (the divine kingdom of God).
The poet Khalil Gibran once said “You can find the secret of death if you seek it in the heart of life” and Aja discovered the secret of death because he lived a long and happy life in accordance to Vedic dharma.There was never a time when he was alone; he was constantly surrounded by the love and laughter of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Aja was always present in every family gathering. Being the head of the household he kept the family grounded and together. Aja, now that you are gone who is going to keep us united as a family?

Aja was very strict person and very much overprotective and I am sure all his children and grandchildren agree to this. The phrase “At 6 o clock in the evening I will lock up everyone inside this house and nobody leaving” would forever echo in the ears of the grandchildren. One night we were all remembering and reflecting our life with Aja and one of my cousins told me that she believed that Aja quarreled with her the most. Parents quarrelling with their children are testimony of their undying love and affection and genuine concern.

Aja was a man of great physical strength. For an old man he was physically strong. There was nothing that he could not accomplish. This was due to his strong will power. He had the desire to do; he had the desire to live. I remember a time when I was walking home from school in the hot sun and I saw an old man trotting down the Main Road, upon closer inspection I realized that it was Aja. I approached him and enquired “Pa what are you doing walking in the hot sun all by yourself”. He said “I just coming from your Aunty Savi house, I went to cut the lawn and paint the fence”. Like I said, a man of great physical strength!

Apart from his physical strength, Aja had great memory skills. For a man of his age, he remembered everything. He would always keep us entertained with vivid stories of his childhood days. I remember whenever introducing Aja to any of my friends he would ask “Who is your grandfather? Yes yes I know him when I was a little boy growing up……” and then he would proceed to narrate a childhood experience. Aja knew everyone in the community and everyone knew him.

Aja spent 91 years, living a life filled with happiness. The Vedas refer to this as "the Man of long life," the one who has lived his life, who has fulfilled his life span, does not die; he does not experience a break and, thus, a trauma; he has simply consumed the torch and exhausted the fuel. On Aja’s last days in this world, I sat there looking at him, dying slowly and I wondered what were his final thoughts. The Bhagavad-Gita says that it is the last thoughts of a dying man that decides his next life. Lord Krishna says, "Whoever at the time of death remembers My real Being as the Supreme Lord attains my glory and in fact reaches My Being". I knew in my heart that Aja’s final thoughts were spent meditating on the Supreme Being.

Now that Aja has departed this world, he can no longer perform Agnihotra with us. No longer can he offer oblations into the sacrificial fire, but I know the flame of his life goes on and it burns in his sons, his daughters, his children's children, his friends, his work, and in his ideas which are scattered to the winds. Even his body, with its own energy, has already enriched the earth on which he has walked, the rivers in which he has bathed, and the living beings with whom he has been in communication and communion.

Aja was more than just a mortal man, more than a friend, a husband, father and grandfather. He was a legacy and the memory of his life will forever reside in our hearts. Life is continuous; the flower may fade but the fragrance floats. Aja’s physical body may disintegrate; but the immortal fragrance of his soul will always remain.

As I bid farewell to my beloved Aja, I wish to read these verses from the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda.
“Immortal is the region of celestial bliss,
Where all darkness dissolves
And every wish and yearning,
Every noble aspiration finds fulfillment.
It is the heavenly place where the soul is liberated
And happiness is gained never to be lost again.
Let my heart turn towards the love of The Resplendent Lord, the source of all light,
Speed fast, then, O mind
And unite with the source of eternal bliss.”

Aja, “May your soul, enlightened with light divine,
aspire to unite with God and acquire eternal bliss.
Inspired by divine energy, blessed with all worldly gifts,
Rise above them all and aspire to attain ultimate salvation.
Ascend upwards to that blissful state;
Sail across through both the worlds.
May Godly powers unite you with eternity”

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Namaste Aja