Yam Thinks of Immortality

Yam thought of the human being’s long struggle to immortalise himself. It is a good struggle, he reflected. Great works of creativity have emerged out of the desire among human beings to immortalise themselves. A work of art or literature may disappear with time or by accident or even wanton destruction, but the beauty that it inspires will remain forever – that is the immortal element in any creation. A simple thought came into Yam’s mind: look at a flower, it blooms and wilts. But the beauty it radiates, its fragrance, its colours, remain in the memory of the earth. The feeling of being bereft of beauty is death. Brahmn is Satyam Shivam Sundaram, reflected Yama … living daily in beauty, be it in thought or action, is to come as close to Brahmn as possible. Like the beautiful sentiment that arose in Garud when he saw a little bird, which was also beautiful.

Once, all gods were travelling to Mount Kailash to meet Shiv. So was Yam. Upon reaching there Yam saw Garud at the gate and understood that Garud had just dropped off his master there. He smiled at Garud. He also saw a beautiful little bird perched on the branch of a tree by the gate. Yam went in.
Meanwhile Garud, who had been following every movement of Yam’s with a view to understanding what this most feared king would do next, caught him looking at the bird. ‘Oh! Yam looked at the bird, that means the bird’s days are numbered. Such a beautiful bird, i must save the bird,’ thought Garud, and flew into an obsessive panic. He quickly took the bird and flew as far away as he could, across many seas, and finally landed near a lake in the Dandakaranya forest, where he dropped off the bird. He returned just as gods were leaving after meeting Shiv. Luckily, Yam came out before Vishnu did, and so Garud had the opportunity to watch him and his reaction when he saw the bird was gone. With a smug expression on his face, Garud caught Yam looking in the direction of the branch where the bird had been sitting. ‘Sire,’ said Garud respectfully, with a little curiosity and a small sense of accomplishment, ‘are you looking for the bird you saw here before you went in? Why had you noted it before going in?’

‘Oh that?’ smiled Yam, and Garud felt that maybe he was not so fearsome after all. Yam continued, ‘When i chanced to see that lovely bird, i saw that it was going to be swallowed by a python in the Dandakaranya forest, near a lake. I wondered how that could happen because its moment of departure from the world was almost here. And the bird was so small. How could its wings take it to the Dandakaranya forest which is so far away?’ There was a moment’s silence. Garud felt his vison was getting hazy. He had been so foolish. He, not Yam, had taken the bird to its death. Yam was speaking again, softly. ‘But something must have happened …’ he mused as he drove away on Mahisha.

Yam hoped Garud now understood that he, Yam, was just doing his duty as one who transported those souls whose life on earth had been completed to their resting place before they returned to earth again. This samsar is a cycle. But the incident remained in his memory because of the beauty of the bird, because of the beauty of Garud’s sentiment towards it.
(Excerpted from The Immortal King, Yama)

By: Sudhamahi Regunathan