What are the causes of Death?

When it comes to finding what are the causes of death, responses tend to differ. Some die due to illness, while some may die of an accident. Some may die due to natural calamities, while some die by cutting their lives short of their own hands. However, what are those invisible reasons behind these visible causes, which are responsible for death? Come, let's understand the subtle reasons behind why death happens.

Death upon Discharge of the Mind-Speech-Body’s Battery:

This body can be compared to a charged battery. We fully charge the phone battery by inserting the charger into the power plug. Then, if we remove the phone from the charger, the battery of the phone gets discharged upon being used throughout the day. Similarly, when a human being is born, at that time, three pre-charged batteries begin to discharge, 1) the mental battery, 2) the verbal battery and 3) the bodily battery. Right from the time it’s in the womb, these three batteries of mind-speech-body go on giving results and get discharged. Then, just as when the entire battery of the phone gets used up, we say that the phone is ‘dead;’ in the same way, when the three batteries of mind-speech-body are used up and get exhausted, that is called 'death'. This is one of the least known causes of death.

This body can be compared to a charged battery. We fully charge the phone battery by inserting the charger into the power plug. Then, if we remove the phone from the charger, the battery of the phone gets discharged upon being used throughout the day. Similarly, when a human being is born, at that time, three pre-charged batteries begin to discharge, 1) the mental battery, 2) the verbal battery and 3) the bodily battery. Right from the time it’s in the womb, these three batteries of mind-speech-body go on giving results and get discharged. Then, just as when the entire battery of the phone gets used up, we say that the phone is ‘dead;’ in the same way, when the three batteries of mind-speech-body are used up and get exhausted, that is called 'death'. This is one of the least known causes of death.

Earlier, there were dolls running with mechanical keys. In that toy doll, if you turn the key once, the doll will move for a distance of about a foot and then stop. If we turn the key three times, it will go up to three feet and stop. Discharge happens according to the type of key keyed in. Similarly, according to the amount and the type of karmas that may have been charged in this body, these live (bodily) dolls will also get discharged and fall down.

Death upon Completion of Accumulated (Sanchit) Karma:

Lifespan is a karma. We can understand from the example of a candle that as long as the candle thread and the wax are burning, till then the life of the candle prevails and it gives light. It can be said that from the moment a candle is made, it comes along with the wax, thread, its burning time i.e. its lifespan and the resulting light. In the same way, human beings also come along with a stock of the past karma i.e. the accumulated (Sanchit) karma. Sanchit karma (the Dravya karma) includes Naam, Roop, Gotra and Aayushya karma, on the basis of which what kind of body a person will get, where he will be born, how many praises-insults (credits or shame to his name) he will receive in life and how much life he will enjoy are determined. As those karmas dissolve, so does the lifespan. When the karmas get completed, breath also ceases and death occurs.

Death upon Cessation of Breath:

Life expectancy depends on the consumption of breath. This is one of the most recognized causes of death. When a human being is born, one comes with a limited amount of breaths. If we consider human lifespan to be of maximum hundred years, then one brings along those many breaths as required by a normal, healthy person to live for a hundred years, that’s a given rule. A person who uses less breaths, his life can increase to up to even one hundred and forty years. And one who uses more breaths, he may die in thirty years also.

Where is maximum breath used in? Breaths are used the most in every action where fear is felt inside, panic arises. There are some unscrupulous thieves who pick pockets, steal and yet never get caught. Although they seem quite calm while stealing, but really while stealing, the thief is fearful from all sides, inside he’s afraid that 'Hope no one sees me!', 'What if I am caught?' So there a lot of breaths get consumed. Similarly, one feels a lot of fear when enjoying in a stealthy manner an illicit sexual intercourse with another woman or another man (other than one’s legal spouse), and the breath gets consumed just as a coil unwinds on the roller wheels! In one such illicit sexual intercourse, almost one year’s life gets consumed! Even when a person gets angry, more breaths get used up. Even those who keep running all day long use a greater number of breaths. On the other hand, the more one meditates upon the Soul, lesser number of breaths get used. Therefore, life expectancy in terms of breath is fixed. But to fracture our breaths or not is in one's own hands.

Nevertheless, the complex process of calculation of human breath, karma and binding the karma of lifespan cannot be understood by simple arithmetic. When a person dies young, rather than assuming that he used a greater number of breaths (by breathing quickly), it is better to assume that s/he brought forth (from past life) fewer number of breaths. But if the science behind longevity is understood, then the superstition that a saint or a doctor can increase the lifespan will disappear.

It is a rule that as many less breaths are used, those many years of life increase! So, one cannot boast that 'I have extended life!' or 'My death is dependent on myself, when I wish, death comes.' Saying both these sentences is called crime. When human beings do not have the slightest power to change the karmas they have to suffer, how can they increase their lifespan?

When the time of Lord Mahavir's Nirvana approached, Gods requested the Lord, 'Veer, please increase your life! If he would increase the lifespan by two or three minutes, then this world will not be affected by the burning planet (Bhasmak Grah).' Because after the Nirvana of Lord Mahavir, this Bhasmak Grah was predicted to have an adverse effect for two and a half thousand years. The Gods requested the Lord so that the world does not have to suffer. Then God said, 'That has not happened, nor will it happen. Bhasmak Grah will come, and it is bound to happen.' Therefore, to avoid death, to move it or postpone it is not even in God's hands.

Lifespan Based on Time:

During Satyuga, human lifespan ran into thousands of years. Then as time deteriorated, the years of life also went on reducing. Life expectancy in Kaliyuga (the deteriorated time-cycle) is considered to be a maximum of hundred years. So as the time-age changes, accordingly, changes in life expectancy keep happening.

Now, it is also said that the average life expectancy of human beings has increased. A few years ago, humans lived an average of sixty-five years, while today they live seventy-five years. So, the reason is only that they have brought so much life. Earlier life expectancy was high, then it has reduced. And now the life expectancy has increased again, that’s how some up and down, up and down goes on.

Death Cannot Happen Without Signature:

The law of Nature is such that no person can die without his own signature.

But no one wants to take leave from this world. Then who would deliberately sign for his own death? Truly speaking, the signature of death happens unintentionally.

Let's take an example. When someone is admitted in a hospital or one has met with an accident, at that time, there is terrible pain in the body. When one cannot bear that suffering, out of pain, he cries out, "O God! I can't bear it anymore; it's better if this body is released now!”. Not being able to bear the pain, one ends up saying, "God, it is better to leave from here!" This is called, one signed for death. If he is quite aware, he will understand that this sign happened.

Until the ego doesn’t sign, death cannot come. This is one of the least recognized causes of death.