Varanasi: Murli Mohan Shastri awaits death peacefully on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India’s northern city revered by millions of Hindus.
More than a decade ago, the 82-year-old former college teacher and his wife left a comfortable life in the southern city of Hyderabad.
He now hopes that by dying in Varanasi, he can break the arduous cycle of death and rebirth to achieve salvation, which is an article of faith for many Hindus.
“We invite death,” Shastri said shortly after offering his morning prayers, taking a complete dip in the river water three times.
“And he’s really our guest. So proud are we going to die here.”
The couple, who live in one of the Spartan community houses in the Holy City for those seeking to live out their twilight years, were inspired by the example of their mother, who lived in the same place.
Although Western-style retirement homes are becoming popular, Shastri has no interest in worldly comforts, preferring to spend his last days immersed in study and prayer.
The white-haired Shastri said, “Our Indian philosophy is, those who seek worldly pleasures can never go to God, can never reach God.”
“As far as possible, give up all these things. Don’t go for them. Go only for God’s sake.
More than a million people live in the ancient city famous for its temples and bathing places along Hinduism’s holiest river, where devotees come from across the country for rituals marking events from birth to death.
“I don’t feel like living in this world anymore,” said Ram Pyari, another resident of the home, as she prepared a meal for her husband, who is confined to bed for most of his last days.
“There is so much suffering that the mind gets bored. That is why you feel that if you attain salvation, you will not have to suffer anymore,” said Ram Pyari, who is in his 80s.
The manager of the home, Mumukshu Bhavan, which dates from the 1920s, says it has reached full capacity with more than 80 residents, although demand for places remains high.
Official, Manish Kumar Pandey said, “More and more elderly people want to come and live in Varanasi.” “But we can only accommodate a limited number.”
Nevertheless, devotees unable to breathe their last in the holy city can take solace from the Hindu belief that one will come one step closer to salvation if their remains are cremated.
(Reporting by Joseph Campbell and Sunil Kataria; Editing by Clarence Fernandez