What is The Purpose of Life?

Standing on the banks of river Ganges, I was staring at a pyre. It was a burning ghat where corpses are consigned to fire.  In various faiths, the dead-bodies are disposed off in different manners. Some burry, others place on the tower of silence. In Hindu faith, they are consigned to fire. The moments before the person burning on the pyre was among us – laughing, chatting, shouting or gossiping; but now he has become a thing of past. Moments thereafter people start talking about him/her in past-tense. The burning-ghat was humming with activity. The person who was to offer fire to the pyre was engaged in last rituals, some people were talking in groups, others were standing as silent-spectators. There were huge piles of wood-logs on sale. However, all the activities were in hushed tone. Despite activities, the atmosphere was laden with certain amount of gravity. The fire of the pyre gradually extinguishing and finishing the last rituals, people went away – leaving the remaining fire to die down, giving place for another corpse. It was as if a routine…

What is life? There appears not to be any conclusive and definitive answer to this question. Biologically speaking the living world is life. One who breaths, eats, grow, move, excretes, reproduces own offspring and dies is living. After death their bodies get decomposed and mingle with the five basic elements – air, water, earth, space, and fire. However, as a most advanced creature of the living world, humans with increased cranial capacity and brain size and resultant power of reasoning, has put forth various views. The quest of the answer has given various logics and philosophies. To put it simply, life may be good or not so good. It’s the perception which makes us feel about life the way we feel. For some it is a fun for others it is not so fun. Some take it as challenge while some as journey. There are varied views and perceptions. Every perception and resultant experiences are true but not complete. Life is a mixed bag feeling. There are ups and downs and like a roller coaster ride it gives a sense of thrill, fear, romance and love.

Life is like a journey in several ways. We start our journey. Mode of transportation is though meaningless, for our convenience we can take train. Boarding on train and starting journey gives varied feeling and the changing scenes while travelling can be seen as the changing incidences of life. Passing through various landscapes, the train heads towards its goal. The train provides ample opportunity to interact with our fellow passengers. Some may not seem palatable while other may. Someone may seem loquacious while other taciturn. Among them some may start conversation on their own, throw an idea and try to invite your comments. Thus the conversation rolls on and the journey smoothly passes. During conversation, we sometimes go deep and start establishing a bond – an unseen bond. This bond it seems start gaining strength. As the train moves, stations arrive. Some get down at their destinations, while some continue their journey until their destination comes. We have to end our journey some day or the other. Our journey of life is predestined and unlike a physical journey it is only the first and last. The need is to make this journey more pleasant, memorable and amicable.