These tragedies have made me very conscious that we are so involved with our busy lives of going to work, bringing up children, achieving goals, and trying to find some pleasure in this material world, that we always think these things only happen to other people.

The tragedies I have mentioned have been happening all around me, but some miracle prevents me from seriously accepting that I could be the next victim at any moment.

How would we live our lives if we knew we only had three months to live? Would we go on a world trip, buy a big screen TV, bungy jump? Many people with the knowledge that their death is near, try to squeeze a little more enjoyment out of their lives before they depart this mortal world.

No one standing around our bed at the moment of death can come with us. We are completely alone on the journey, and all the material things we have worked for and put before our spiritual lives, must be left behind. When we leave this world we should have a clear idea of where we are going. Just as with any journey, if we don’t take the right road we could end up where we don’t really want to go.

Witnessing the pain and despair of those losing loved ones, I have meditated on how we can keep our sanity and faith through it all. A comment by a bereaved parent at a recent funeral made a lot of sense. He said that at the end of it all we only have the Holy Name. There is nothing we can do at the end of our lives or during suffering ,but hang on to our link with Krishna.

Therefore the constant practice of daily chanting our 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra is crucial in preparing us for the moment of death. How simple it all seems that if we meditate on the names of God for two hours every day, at the time of death we will be prepared, just as great souls have been before us.

Chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra, crying out like a baby for Krishna, is not something that can be done at the time of death without a price. This price is the daily sincere chanting of japa as ordered by the spiritual master at the time of initiation. We vow to chant a minimum of 16 rounds every day but how often do we rush through them, or even skip them for more important things. There can be no more important event in our lives than the time when we leave this world for another realm.

It is amazing that we have deep realizations at funerals, but shortly after, maya (illusion) covers us over and we again believe we will not be the next victim.

Let us keep the consciousness and realisations that we had as we stood looking at the lifeless form of our loved ones, and dedicate ourselves to following the instructions lovingly passed to us by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada to chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Srila Prabhupada said:

One who thinks of Krishna at the time of his death goes to Krishna. One must remember the form of Krishna; if he quits his body thinking of this form, he approaches the spiritual kingdom.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Introduction