The beginning of the end

                                       Why we do what we do?

The answer, as per Hindu mythology, is Karma. If we do good deeds then good things happen to us. If we do bad deeds, bad things happen to us.

Does this not sound too simplistic to be true? The creator of life has also created death. Will this action not affect God? After all when God kills someone it becomes his Karma.

Let me narrate the story of how death came into existence. Brahma, the creator of everything in the universe, to his dismay, found out that once he created something, it comes into being permanently. This reduced Brahma’s work and he had very less work to do.

After sometime he started getting frustrated and his frustration turned into anger when he realised that what he had created all along were now not under his control.

In an uncontrolled state of anger he let out a fire that began to destroy everything that was created. The fire raged on for several years. Lord Shiva became concerned and counselled the creator. Together they decided to find a solution. Brahma then decided to create a form that will be responsible for creating destruction. Brahma realised that an extraordinary power was required to cause death and hence created a female form using his own bones and skin. There emerged dark skinned maiden with red eyes and tongue. 

There emerged a dark female form with red eyes and tongue.

Once created, death refused to carry out her assigned task. She spoke to Brahma in a pleading tone. “Since I am a lady, I will not be able to kill anyone” she said.

Brahma remained unmoved and she started doing penance towards Brahma. Brahma was pleased with her penance and finally created Yama to assist in the job of super seeing the death of the created. Brahma understood the pain it would cause somebody to kill a living being.

After years of pondering over the problem Brahma decided that death will be brought about by the created on them.

 “All that is created will bring death on themselves in the form of disease, natural calamity, wars” Brahma told death. Death felt consoled and realised that the Karma of destroying will not befall her any more and willing agreed to assist Yama in bringing back the soul to the maker and in assessing the Karma of the dead ones.

Yama, would assist Death, in bringing the soul of the dead to the creator.

Yama, popularly known as the ‘God of death’ is more of a ‘transporter’ of the dead. The death per-Se is caused by the created upon their selves and therefore the Karma of destruction also befalls them!

Brahma also assuaged the fears of Death by telling her that all creations have to die one 

day and this would be realised by the created one day. Death, being a woman, could empathize with the created and asked God to give the strength to living beings to endure the destruction of their near ones. Brahma was pleased with the selfless thought of Death and blessed the universe with the healing touch called ‘Time’.