Old Age Problems- Some Solutions

    Old age is said to be a curse. It is full of misery, infirmity, sickness,and helplessness.Nobody, born on earth, can ever overcome these, unless they take the help of an attained person, a siddhi purusha.  Many old couple feel neglected by their family and some are left in the old age homes.Children cheat their parents by giving false promises, getting property papers  signed, and ultimately drive them out of home. Even if the sons are good, the same may not be true of the daughters-in-law. We have seen many instances where parents suffer, may be, due to their own follies. Nothing is certain since every case has a different story to reveal!
    This problem of old age is not restricted to only poor people; even the rich are not exempt from this. Money will not completely help this. At best one can afford to have some housemaids and other servants. But they, too, have their own problems. Nobody can fully take care of old people all the time for, their sufferings are not just of physical nature that can be taken care of, but of mental, emotional, and  sub-conscious nature. They feel neglected even when they are fully taken care of.   We tend to forget that children do not have time for their parents or elders for they are busy with their job, children, and have to earn for a livelihood. Their children's future is more important to them than that of the parents! Moreover, they too want to enjoy their life and may feel that the old parents are a nuisance. Even if the children inherit large property, they do not feel obliged to take care of the parents. In fact, property is the main cause for all the problems in the family. What is the remedy for this?

    Let us not forget the fact that Prince Gautama, with his young wife and child, went in search of an answer to these problems and finally became 'totally silent' (attained nirvana), became a Buddha). What did he realize? He must have realized the fact that 'these are problems associated with the earth and, as earthlings, we are bound to suffer'. May be, he realized the fact that  'none can overcome these problems' by just forgetting them' and take things as they come. Moreover, we do not know anything about him since he did not speak a word after his enlightenment What all wee read or hear is the opinion of his followers who did not reach his height of consciousness. Even the next attained person, Paramrtha Samudgatha, did not understand what the Buddha said! But, one thing is certain; "there is a solution, a possible or probable one, at that".

 The solutions to old age problems, may be take precautions like a Life Insurance Policy? Atleast the medical bills can be taken care of. But the best thing is to take to yoga? Yoga makes a person fit to live joyfully in old age. Satsang, spiritual studies and practices like mantra japa, chakra dhyana, engaging is divine thoughts will keep one healthy. 

   Yes. By taking recourse to yoga one can definitely overcome the problems of old age, sickness and death!

  The real meaning of ashtanga yoga is 'eight steps to reach samadhi'. The sadhaka should maintain a disciplined life and live a healthy life and, it provides a number of techniques regarding maintaining good health. First step is yama and niyama; second one is pratyahara (withdraw senses from their out-going tendency) and Ishvara pranidana (surrender to the supreme Lord). By the time one gets control over the first two, the person has already conquered the problems. By the time one comes to samadhi, he has already overcome the limitations of time, space, causality and thereby, death, too. These are age-old practices and great yogis have lived and shown us the way. If we indulge in sensuous life even after seventy, even God cannot help us.  

   Now, as regards the problems of old age and death, it is certain that nobody can overcome these. But, these are solved by jnyana, viveka, and vairagya on the one hand and yajnya (sacrifice), daana (social service) and tapas (renunciation and living in the service of God doing dhyana/meditation / mantra japa all the available time.

   The exact way these help us by diverting our mind from the immediate body sufferings and mental afflictions and engaging ourselves in the service of the downtrodden and meditation. This is what exactly a doctor does when we complain of severe pain; he does gives us a sedative or pain killer. The same effect of a sedative or pain killer is also done by meditation (med i tat i on, meaning, "i contemplate on 'tat'/ I 'brahmn'). This meditation is a panacea to all human problems. 

   We will consider the various aspects of spiritual practices attaining and dwelling in 'brahmn' next.