Dibyendu Bhattacharyay
Guest Lecturer, Balagarh Bijoy Krishna Mahavidyalaya. Email: dibyendubhattacharyay9@gmail.com
Special Issue on Diseases, Death and Disorder, 2020
Abstract
In Being and Time, Heidegger talks about Dasein (Being-in-the-World) as a journey that remains unfulfilled for the being. Heidegger considers death as a barrier for the being because the supreme manifestation of the being remains unattainable. Whereas, in Hinduism, Lord Shiva, the destroyer and protector of all, is prayed in several hymns as the only divine entity that can free us from the fear of death and lead us to spiritual salvation. Does death, the barrier from Heideggerian perspectives, serves as a gateway for the emancipation of the soul in Hinduism? This paper attempts to posit the Hindu concept as well as the western philosophical thought of Martin Heidegger in terms of analysing death.
Keywords: Heidegger, Hinduism, Dasein, Fear, Death, Lord Shiva
Of all the evolutionary endeavours of the elements of nature to eliminate the conditions set on them by nature perhaps the only limitation that remains inescapable is mortality. It does not matter whether it is a living being or a non-living one, everything else has to get itself wiped off from the face of this world. There can be several reasons behind animal mortality, aging being primary of them. Life, as it appears, at least in laymen’s eyes, is like a circle in which the starting and the ending points overlap each other. Hindu spiritual beliefs also share a striking resemblance both with the art of drawing a circle with the help of a compass, and the circle itself. Primarily, to draw a circle, the pointer of the compass is held at a certain point and the pencil, attached to the leg adjacent, moves around drawing the round shape. During the entire drawing, the pointer should have to be still at the point and, only then, we shall be able to draw the shape perfectly. It shall not be wrong to consider that, as the shape in the drawing gradually develops, the pencil understands the importance of the pointer. Now, if we could think of this at a metaphorical level that the pointer symbolises Mortality, and the pencil stands for Life, we can easily deduce that we are dancing around mortality while remaining connected to it. Just as the pencil (perhaps) does, we too understand the role of death gradually in our life. On the secondary level, a circle meets its endpoint just where it starts, and this fact, thus, can be associated to be fitting perfectly with the Hindu religious perspective of life – that we share a common starting and endpoint of our existence – birth and death.
What happens to this compass when the drawing is over? Sadly but true, we all are sharing the same compass in our lives. The moment your life circle is complete, the compass must serve another pencil. This is where the Hindu ideas of death and rebirth come in. In one of the most important Puranic texts, the Bhagavadgita, Shri Krishna explains to his friend Arjuna the concepts regarding the soul that it is ever alive and following the death of the body where it resides, it goes on to take another physical form thereby arousing the concept of rebirth. The pointer, as mentioned earlier as the reminder of mortality, can be viewed as identical to a soul, according to Hinduism, and attaches itself to a new or another pencil to draw the desired shape. As the drawing progresses, just like the pencil is, we become conscious of the finishing point.
As a human being, does this concern worries us? Do we pray to avoid this condition? This paper shall connect Hindu religiosity with the Heideggerian concept of being. In his book, Being and Time, Martin Heidegger elaborately talks about Dasein[1] (Being-in-the-world). He conceptualises that any being, in this world, has a supreme goal to achieve. In its mundane affairs, the being meets with the existential question – “Who am I?” and s/he finds the self, bound within a triadic structure of existence – existenz[2], facticity[3] , and fallenness[4]. At this point, this paper might seem deviating from its topic of death, but to understand how the being encounters Death, we need to pay heed to this philosophical side of the story as well. Dasein, with facticity, serves itself with choices which, in turn, help existenz with infinite possibilities – whether to be itself or not. When Dasein fails to grasp the infinite possibilities of the self, Heidegger calls this as fallenness that leads to an imperfect daily existence of the being. This appears to be imperfect because the being, instead of gaining complete access to the infinite possibilities that he holds or the opportunities the world holds for him/her, lives a common, mundane life and becomes Das Mann[5] or a compromiser with an inauthentic existence, instead of becoming Dasein or the supreme realisation of the self. This mundane existence, thus, grows certain moods in us, among which dread and angst are most important. Dread here is not about anything or any person, rather it is the fear of nothingness. The being primarily fears death, and secondarily wonders his/her existence in the world.
On the other hand, angst is the outcome of a conflict between the world and the self that results in understanding the Existenz. The inauthentic existence and the dread, resulting from it, make him/her realise and accept – “Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same”[6]. In Being and Time, Heidegger defines the word ‘care’ as “the way in which Dasein lives ahead of itself into its possibilities” (Adkins 24). Dasein, the supreme form of existence lies ahead of us as a life yet to be lived. Every simple step that we take to reach towards the realisation of the supreme self, leads to another, in front of us. Even if we consider that life aims to attain death, the experience of it remains unattainable because one cannot experience one’s death, rather gets a glimpse of it from the experiences of other beings dying around. Heidegger considers this as the fulfillment of existence. He also proposes two other ways of the end of existence – stopping and disappearing. The stop of phenomena appears to be the end of an experience of the being’s journey towards attaining Dasein and as the stop sometimes leads to the disappearance of the attachments around, the being cannot but experience the process of anticathexis[7].
So, if we are aware of the fact that we all are going to share the same destiny, today-or-tomorrow, we should try to get rid of the fear of death. The trauma, resulting from the anticathexis makes us both powerful and powerless at the same point. We fear both the loss and the inevitability of sharing the same fate, and the experience of the death of a near and dear one brings with it the fear of the death of the self. Taking a turn from the western philosophical epistemology into the domains of Hinduism, we may find Death, as an issue, is more complicated in the case of Hinduism because the Hindus believe in pre-life and after-life situations. It differs radically from most other religions of the world, in terms of its notion of the soul – the inner resident that remains immortal and only takes different bodies or shapes at every rebirth. Even if Buddhism does not believe in the idea of the soul, it does accept the notion of rebirth. So, when one is aware of his/her death, the fear that what will happen after death remains ever alive.
This “[f]ear destroys the alignment of the mind; rather than accept the reality of nature, the mind seeks to change and control it. These attempts invariably fail, creating frustration and fear and confusion that blinds one to spiritual reality” (Pattanaik 40).
If we follow the Darwinian Theory of “Survival of the fittest”, we can come to a point that the fear of death keeps all natural entities engaged in the existential struggle. But in this struggle, humans can keep themselves distinctly apart from the rest of the animal world, in terms of their imaginative power. In Hindu religiosity, especially from the perspectives of Shaivism, we meet Lord Shiva who is worshipped both as a destroyer as well as a preserver.
Lord Shiva protects us from the fear of death and this is there in the Markandeya myth. Markandeya, who was supposed to be dead in his sixteenth year, avoided it with his prayer and as Lord Shiva interrupted Lord Yama’s planning, he had been named Yamantaka – who conquers Yama. As Markandeya realised that his payer could set him free from the condition, set on his life, we learnt a lesson that we can free ourselves from the fear of death with our faith. Lord Shiva is “Kamantaka, Yamantaka and Tripurantaka, destroyer of desire, death and the three worlds”(Pattanaik). Following Markandeya myth, we pray to Lord Shiva, and seek freedom from the temporal world through the Mahamrityunjay Mantra[8]:
“oṃ-tryambakaṃyajāmahe-sugandhiṃpuṣṭi-vardhanam
urvārukamivabandhanānmṛtyormukṣīyamā ‘mṛtāt”[9] (Sadagopan)
Having a protector, thus, fear of death does not remain an option in Shaivism. According to the Shaivites, out of all the gods in Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva holds the supreme position and out of his many incarnations, Kala Bhairava is one that is endowed with the power to transgress time. According to The Shiva Purana, Lord Shiva himself created Bhairavato to control the pride of Lord Bramha. Emerging from Lord Shiva’s nails, Kala Bhairava cut off Lord Bramha’s fifth head, signifying the end of his excessive pride. Then Lord Shiva assigned Lord Shiva the task –
“O Kālabhairava… You shine like god of death, hence you are Kālarāja. You are called Bhairava because you are of terrifying features and you are capable of supporting the universe. Since even Kāla (time) is afraid of you, you are called Kālabhairava. When you are angry you will be suppressing the wicked souls. Hence you will be known everywhere as the suppressor of the wicked. Since you will be devouring the sins of devotees in a trice your name will be famous as sin-eater.”(J.L.Shastri)
So, in the case of human beings, he destroys the sin and being free from sin, one may attain salvation. Adi Shankaracharya wrote a specific mantra ascribed to Lord Kala Bahirava. It is –
“Deva-Raaja-Sevyamaana-Paavana-Angghri-Pangkajam
Vyaala-Yajnya-Suutram-Indu-ShekharamKrpaakaram |
Naarada-[A]adi-Yogi-Vrnda-VanditamDigambaram
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||1||
Bhaanu-Kotti-BhaasvaramBhavaabdhi-TaarakamParam
Niila-Kannttham-Iipsita-Artha-DaayakamTrilocanam |
Kaala-Kaalam-Ambuja-Akssam-Akssa-Shuulam-Akssaram
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||2||
Shuula-Ttangka-Paasha-Danndda-Paannim-Aadi-Kaarannam
Shyaama-Kaayam-Aadi-Devam-AkssaramNir-Aamayam |
BhiimavikramamPrabhumVicitra-Taannddava-Priyam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||3||
Bhukti-Mukti-DaayakamPrashasta-Caaru-Vigraham
Bhakta-VatsalamSthitamSamasta-Loka-Vigraham |
Vi-Nikvannan-Manojnya-Hema-Kingkinnii-Lasat-Kattim
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||4||
Dharma-Setu-PaalakamTvadharma-Maarga-Naashakam
Karma-Paasha-Mocakam Su-Sharma-DaayakamVibhum |
Svarnna-Varnna-Shessa-Paasha-Shobhitaangga-Mannddalam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||5||
Ratna-Paadukaa-Prabhaabhi-Raama-Paada-Yugmakam
Nityam-Advitiiyam-Isstta-DaivatamNiramjanam |
Mrtyu-Darpa-NaashanamKaraala-Damssttra-Mokssannam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||6||
Atttta-Haasa-Bhinna-Padmaja-Anndda-Kosha-Samtatim
Drsstti-Paata-Nasstta-Paapa-Jaalam-Ugra-Shaasanam |
Asstta-Siddhi-DaayakamKapaala-Maalikaa-Dharam
Kaashikaa-Pura-Adhinaatha-KaalabhairavamBhaje ||7||
Bhuuta-Samgha-NaayakamVishaala-Kiirti-Daayakam
Kaashi-Vaasa-Loka-Punnya-Paapa-ShodhakamVibhum |
Niiti-Maarga-KovidamPuraatanamJagatpatim
KaashikaapuraadhinaathakaalabhairavamBhaje ||8||
KaalabhairavaassttakamPatthamti Ye Manoharam
Jnyaana-Mukti-SaadhanamVicitra-Punnya-Vardhanam |
Shoka-Moha-Dainya-Lobha-Kopa-Taapa-Naashanam
Prayaanti-Kaalabhairava-Amghri-SannidhimNaraaDhruvam ||9||” (Sankaracharya)[10]
This mantra as well repeatedly chants Lord Shiva as the mighty lord, who can free us from our karma or deeds. He is there to break the illusions of ‘me’, ‘mine’ and what is ‘not mine’. When this illusion is no more, we attain Moksha, the supreme liberation of the being.
If Heidegger considers death doesn’t allow the being to achieve Dasein, the supreme achievement of the being, Hindus believe the ultimate goal of life is “the realization of one’s union with God”(contributors, Hinduism). Thus Dasein, which seems to be unattainable in western philosophy, is considered beyond death because it is achievable only when there is a unison of the being and the Supreme-being. Unlike in Christianity, there is no judgement day in Hinduism and with the realisation of the unison of the being and the Supreme-being, the being is able to permanently conclude the endless cycles of rebirth. The death that shuts the door for Heidegger, opens a path for the unison of the human and the divine here.
References
Adkins, Brent. Death and Desire in Hegel Heidegger and Deleuze. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd, 2007. Pdf.
contributors, Wikipedia. Being and Time. 8 March 2020. Web. 10 April 2020.
—. Mahakala. n.d. Web. 6 April 2020.
—. Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. 19 March 2020. Web. 18 April 2020.
Freud, Sigmund. “Mourning and Melancholia.” Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. London: Hogarth Press, n.d. 243-258. Pdf.
Green Message. n.d. Web. 18 April 2020.
Martin Heidegger, tr. by J. Macquirrie and F.S. Robinson. Being and Time. New York: Harper and Row, 1962. Pdf.
Mulhall, Stephen. The Routledge Guidebook to Heidegger’s Being and Time. Oxon: Routledge, 2013. Pdf.
Nellickappilly, Dr. Sreekumar. Heidegger : phenomenological hermeneutics; concept of Being. 10 April 2020. Web.
Pattanaik, Devdutt. Seven Secrets of Shiva. Chennai: Westland, 2011. Pdf.
Sadagopan, Prof. R.L. Kashyap & Prof. S. RIG VEDA SAMHITA. Bangalore: Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture, 1998. Pdf.
Sankaracharya. The Works of Sri Sankaracharya. Srirangam: Sri Vani vilas Press, 1910. Pdf. 8 April 2020.
Sarkar, Swapna. “Heidegger.” Sarkar, Swapna. Astibadi Darshan O Pratobhas Bunon. Kolkata: Progressive Publishers, 2013. 48-100. Pdf.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Martin Heidegger. 12 October 2011. Web. 17 April 2020.
[1]Daseinis not “man,” but is nothing other than “man”, it is the being that attempts to find the answer of its existence.
[2]Existenz refers to the prerequisite forms that projects possibilities of the being.
[3]Facticity ensures Dasein’s existence in the world
[4]If Dasein fails to grasp the innumerable possibilities it holds, it fall prey to falenness or moral decay.
[5]Das Mannis the opposite of Dasein; when the being fails to understand the innumerable possibilities s/he holds and lives acommon life.
[6]In Avengers: Infinity War, the villain Thanos makes this comment to mean that he is the supreme leader of the universe.
[7]Anticathexis means withdrawal of attachments. Freud used this term in his essay Mourning and Melancholia referring to it as the source of trauma.
[8]The Rudra Mantra or Mahamrityunjaya Mantra(lit. “Great Death-conquering Mantra”), is a verse (sūkta) of the Rigveda (RV 7.59.12).It is said to be beneficial for mental, emotional and physical health and to be a moksha mantra which bestows longevity and immortality.
[9]This literal meaning of this mantra is – “we worship the Tryambaka (the Three-Eyed One), who is Fragrant (as the Spiritual Essence), and increases the Nourishment (of our Spiritual Core) to be liberated from Death (Attachment to Perishable Things) and from these many Bondages (of Samsara) similar to Cucumbers (tied to their Creepers), so that I am not separated from the perception of Immortality (Immortal Essence pervading everywhere).
[10] The literal translation of the mantra is – I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the City Kashi, Who is adorned by lotus-feet which is revered and served by Indra (Devaraj), Who has a Yagya-thread made up of snake, Who has the moon on His forehead, Who is the abode of mercy, Who has been sung by Narad and other celestial singers, and Whose clothes are the directions.||1||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Who is resplendent like millions of sun, Who absolves the ocean of cycle of rebirth, Who is supreme, Who has a blue neck, Who bestows us with our desires, Who has three-eyes, Who is the end of Kaal, Who has lotus-like eyes, Who has immortal monodent weapon, and Who is immortal.||2||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Who has monodent, spade, a cord and punishment in His hands, Who is the cause behind the beginning, Who has a grey (smeared) body, Who is the first Deva, Who is imperishable, Who is free from illness and health, Who is immensely mighty, Who is the Lord, and Who loves the special Tandava dance.||3||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Who is the bestower of desires and salvation, who has an enticing appearance form, who is endears His devotees, who is static, who takes various manifestations and forms the world, and Who has a beautiful golden waist-thread with small melodious bells.||4||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Who is the maintainer of righteousness, who is the destroyer of unrighteous paths, Who liberates us from the ties of Karma or deeds, Who bestows us with shyness, Who is splendid, and Whose organ-groups are decorated with a beautiful cord of golden color.||5||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Who has feet adorned by two sandals made of gold which is possessing a resplendent shine, Who is eternal, Who is induplicable, Who bestows our desires to us, Who is without desires, Who destroys the pride of death (as in is supreme to death), and Who liberates soul by His teeth.||6||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Whose loud roar is enough to destroy all the manifestations created by the lotus-born Brahma, Whose (merciful) glance is enough to destroy all the sins, Who is the powerful ruler, Who gives the eight-powers, and Who wears a garland of skull-caps.||7||
I sing praise of Kalabhairav, Who is the ruler of the city Kashi, Who is the leader of the ghosts and spirits, Who showers immense glory, Who absolves people dwelling in Kashi from their sins and righteous deeds, Who is splendor, Who has explained the path of righteousness, Who is eternally old, and Who is the controller of the universe.||8||
Those who studies these eight verses on Kalabhairav — which is enticing, which is a source of knowledge and liberation, which increases righteousness of a person, and which destroys grief, attachment, depression, greed, anger an heat — will move towards the proximity of the feet of Shiv (Kalabhairav).||9||” (Green Message)
Mr. Dibyendu Bhattacharyay serves as a Guest Teacher in the Department of English, BalagarhBijoy Krishna Mahavidyalaya. His areas of interest are Digital Humanities, Ecocriticism and Game Studies. He may be contacted via email – dibyendubhattacharyay9@gmail.com.