An exit - not so graceful

The sudden demise of saint Bhaiyuji Maharaja has left the whole of India in dismay and why not? A saint committing suicide by shooting himself compels us not just to question what led him to take such a severe step but also to question the society we live in, in today’s era.

A saint is perceived to be above materialistic things and to be unaffected by all the wordily relationships. Then, why and how did all these superficial things catch the so-called saint into their trap and finally lead to his fatal end? Secondly, if saints are also getting affected by the venom spilled by the foundation of this society, then it’s high time to start rethinking our values and ethics. Mostly, to start thinking in what direction do we wish to lead ourselves.

Even though suicide does sound like a coward step but the idea to kill yourself doesn’t develop in a day. It goes through a long process and many factors contribute to the same. The components mostly being relationship statuses, financial stability, relation with peers etc. and everything which comes under the general functioning of a society. India is one of the leading countries in increasing suicide rates and the news of a saint committing suicide has put our whole working as a society and as a family under a question.

Rather than just focusing on what interpersonal relations or what property disputes caused Bhaiyuji Maharaja’s death, I believe this time should be used in self-analysing and in questioning the practices we are indulging ourselves in.

There is, of course, no harm in being ambitious or aspiring to be rich or successful but at what cost needs a serious thinking. There is a famous tale from South Indian mythology where a queen explains to his husband how he could have it all from his dynasty to his family and still be a religious or say devotee to his lord. The key is detachment. Detachment seems to be missing from this generation. This generation seems to be too sentimental about all the materialistic things and wordly relations around.

A very good article was published in the “Times of India” which talked about the graceful exit. When the situation demands leave, just leave. It doesn’t mean to face the failure but to take a step back and evaluate. The race of doing it all at once and of reacting quickly needs a pause today. If the situation doesn’t seem to be fair, just make a graceful exit from it instead of clinging on to it before it gets ugly. Its okay to make a departure and come back again.

The same phenomenon applies to death. It's very important to leave this body with elegance. Suicide or leaving behind the ugly unfinished business is not an ideal way to bid goodbye as it leaves no good message for a family or for loved ones. For that, its very important to learn the concept of leading a good life, the concept of detachment and as stated above the concept of exiting gracefully.

Let us not turn this unfortunate casualty into a debate on Bhaiyu maharaja’s connections, relations or money but make it a significant moment of self-inspection and evaluation.