The Business of Breath

Death informs every living person that just the way someone has died, one who is still alive will also die. The message of death is: “O people, prepare yourselves for the future, because finally what is about to fall to your lot is your future, and not your past or your present.”

A certain person, known as Mullaji, lived in our vicinity in Delhi. He bred cattle and sold milk. He had a Hindu friend who was a businessman. The Hindu friend had an iron business. One day a buffalo died. When Mullaji met his Hindu friend and told him that one of his buffalos had died, the Hindu iron trader said: “Mullaji, you have a business of breath. Breath may stop anytime.” That is, a buffalo is alive only so long as it is breathing. If it’s breathing stops then the buffalo’s life will also come to an end. These words were uttered by the trader about Mullaji’s business; but in reality, this is true of every living person. The iron trader should rather have said: ‘Mullaji, the case of both of us is just a matter of breath, it may continue or it may stop.’

As we know, there are different types of systems in the human body which are essential for life. One of which is the respiratory system. This system is indispensable to human life. This system goes on functioning so long as the person is alive. If this system stops working the person will die within a few minutes.

When a person dies, his breath stops at that very moment. The moment a man’s respiratory system ceases to work properly or stops functioning, a strange type of voice may be heard, called the death rattle. This sound goes on for a few minutes. Almost immediately death follows. The truth is that, the death of another person is a reminder of one’s own death. Every death tells every living person that in just the way someone has died, one who is still alive will die too. Every death says: “O people, prepare yourselves for the future, because finally what is about to fall to your lot is your future, and not your past or your present.”