Editorial

The news of the devastating Tsunami that hit Japan, with the death and destruction it
has caused, has deeply shocked us. The latest news feeds peg the death toll at about a
thousand as I write this.

As the world joins Japan in this sad moment, one prays that the great Nation accepts yet
another tragedy with the characteristic grace, poise and resilience that embodies Japan’s
soul. The spirit of the Samurai warrior has made Japan spring back with persistence,
courage and yet a delicate, aesthetically inspiring spirit after a heart wrenching tragedy
as after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki calamity. Given the warning of possible radiation
leaks from nuclear reactors in Fukushima, about 3000 people have been evacuated till this
morning, it is understood. This earthquake is believed to be more powerful than the 1923
Kanto earthquake and the 1995 Kobe earthquake that have hit Japan in the past.

Events such as this bring us face to face with the cruel harshness and torturous pain of
death. ‘Why does all this happen?’, ‘What is the meaning of death?’- are some of the
questions that come to our mind. These questions stoke the curiosity and mind of children
who pose it in numerous ways. ‘How does one explain the phenomenon of death to
children?’ is a question that most great teachers would have grappled with some time or
the other. Indeed, this question is as old as mankind and yet as unclear or unresolved as
can be. The question is often skirted or avoided in classrooms and homes. Insights on
this question can be found across religions, across space and time. In the instance of Kisa
Gautami, a young distraught mother, who lost her child, the Buddha agreed to bring the
child back to life. But, there was one condition- that she brings a handful of mustard from a
house that has never had death. As she knocked and went from door to door, she realized
and accepted the inevitability of death. The inspiring story of the relentless Nachiketas in
the Kathopanishad talks of the immortality of the Atman, which is merely wearing the jacket
of the body. It sheds the jacket when the time comes, just as one sheds old clothes when
they get dirty or torn.

As children play in the lap of nature and gaze at fresh flowers in full bloom, it fills them
with delight. A few weeks later, when the Champas or Cherry Blossoms fall, wither away
and go, they possibly give them a most powerful silent message - to spread joy, harmony,
steadfastness and highest delight even in their fragile and short life span. Against this
backdrop, the pettiness, bickering, anger, hatred, jealousies and ego trips seem so irrelevant
and misplaced. Inspired by the Cherry Blossoms of Japan, against the backdrop of the
terrible Tsunami, can we learn a very basic lesson to be able to pass it on to our children
- to live with dignity, truth, courage and compassion, spreading beauty and fragrance all
around?

The Vedic search was for immortality, and although that search has not yet been fulfilled
in its fullness, can we not join with science which is seeking uninterrupted longevity and
work with the spiritual message as a result of which both science and spirituality can work
together to fulfill that Vedic ideal in fullness, namely, conquest of death.
Smt. Jayanti S. Ravi