Age is catching up with me

When Sridhar called Aswath to find out if he would join the group on the proposed trip to Hosaholalu, he said, ‘I wish I could, but you know how it is. With my backache and my knees not cooperating, it would be very difficult for me to manage the travel. Age is catching with me and my body is no longer in a shape to let me do what I want to do. As the saying goes, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak’

Our group of classmates from long, long ago consists of old fogeys all past seven decades in age. It is, therefore, no surprise to hear someone or other complaining of one ailment or another. Many are diabetic, a few have had heart surgeries and one is afflicted by Parkinson’s disease. Almost all have enlarged prostates causing numerous breaks in their sleep for bathroom trips. Some are widowers, some have ailing wives but almost all are in good spirits with almost child-like curiosity about everything on earth. Many are addicted to classical music and attend cutcheris regularly. Some are inclined towards spiritual matters and philosophy and argue endlessly about God, Soul, Life after death, Dharma, Karma, Bhakti and so on. Almost all are secure financially due to prudent financial management over the years and assisted in no small measure by support from children working abroad.

At the meeting to plan the trip, Sridhar informed the group about Ashwath’s opting out and the reason.

Jayaram: Isn’t it amazing? All of us suffer from aches, pains and age related diseases but somehow we keep our spirits high. It is almost as if our spirits are not subjected to aging unlike our bodies.

Ananth: You should have heard Swami Hariharananda’s discourse last Monday. He explained how our tradition emphasizes that Soul, call it Atma or spirit is separate from the body and one should strive to realize one’s soul to attain Moksha or liberation from cycle of birth-death-birth.

Venkatesh: Bunkum! We have been hearing this all through our lives, but it is difficult to believe in a soul which has no feelings just like that.

Ananth: OK, OK, Non-believer. The Swamiji explained it this way: When a child is born, it has sentience or life or spirit or whatever you want to call it. From the time a child opens its eyes, it is constantly subjected to external stimuli. Guided by its sensory organs, it keeps acquiring knowledge which if you analyze is all external to its soul. Call it Ego or I, it is separate from the world outside.

Venkatesh: So why should I break my head over some abstract theory? I am very aware that it is I who suffers when there is injury or sickness or even due to horrible weather and to me, I and my body are inseparable.

Jayaram: I also heard him say that the Soul does not age but only the body does. Even as the body ages, you do not feel aged but only suffer body aches. And you suffer the diminished physical abilities of the body.

Venkatesh: But according to Scientists, it is all physical and everything can be explained using scientific tools.

Ananth: Yes, you can, if you consider the Soul to be a physical entity but it is not. One can only experience it and not feel it physically. Look at it this way. A dead body and a living one will have all similar physical features but yet the living one has that ‘life’ ‘sentience’ or spirit. How would a physicist explain it?

Venkatesh: That is all very well. Tell me, when you look at an attractive female even at our age the urge that you feel, is it felt by the soul or the body? I firmly believe that it is all physical.

Jayaram: That proves Ananth’s point. Because even though the ageless soul feels the urge, it is your aging body that will prevent you from satisfying it. Hence, the two are separate.

Ananth: No. That’s not it. When a soul occupies a body, Ego, Intelligence and Sensory organs are created within and as part of the body. Without these the soul is without any attributes. It is given to one to live a life time with the soul and body as integral parts. But that doesn’t take away the fact that soul and body are separate.

Venkatesh: Come on! We are here to talk about the trip to Hosaholalu. Let’s finalise the arrangements of moving our bodies there, feeding our bodies at lunch time and keeping the pace slow to enable our bodies to manage the travel, OK?

Jayaram: Also, at the same time pray at the temples to gain blessings and wash our sins.

Venkatesh: Gaining blessings and washing of sins for our souls or our bodies?

Jayaram: You are incorrigible and the debate is endless. To each his own.