"Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to 'die before you die' — and find that there is no death."
— Eckhart Tolle
"The ego’s death is the only true death. What remains afterward is eternal — blissful and without fear."
- Ramana Maharshi
Kabir – The couplet
जा मरने से जग डरे, मेरे मन आनंद।
कब मरूँ कब पाऊँ, पूरन परमानंद॥
Transliterated:
Jā marne se jag dare, mere man ānand |
Kab marūn kab pāūn, pūran Parmanand ||
Translation:
"That death which the world fears brings joy to my heart.
When will I die and attain complete, supreme bliss?"
My understanding:
Kabir, in his doha turns the world’s deepest fear into a moment of divine longing. While others tremble at the thought of death, he rejoices, for he sees it as the gateway to Pūrṇ Paramanand — complete, infinite bliss.
Eckhart Tolle echoes this when he says:
“Die before you die, and find that there is no death.”
And Ramana Maharshi affirms:
“The ego’s death is the only true death. What remains afterward is eternal — blissful and without fear.”
All three voices — across centuries and cultures — converge on a single truth: real death is not of the body, but of the ego. It is the collapse of the false self, the mask of separation and fear.
Death, as we perceive it, is the most potent symbol of the unknown — and thus, the ultimate representation of fear. It threatens our sense of control, identity, and continuity. And yet, for the awakened, death becomes liberation — because it dissolves the boundaries we so desperately cling to.
When fear of death vanishes — not through denial, but through deep inner realization — life is finally free to reveal its full glory. We no longer live defensively, reactively, or half-heartedly. We live present, open, and whole.
In surrendering to death — not as annihilation, but as transcendence — we don't lose ourselves.
We find the Self that was always there — vast, unchanging, and filled with bliss.