The Blessed Lord said: “While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead. Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” (Bg.2.11-12)

“For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (Bg.2.20)

Once we truly understand that we, as spirit souls, are eternal, our whole attitude changes. Death can be a great fear for many individuals, but death is only a change of bodies, like a change of clothes. The soul never dies, so there is also no need to unnecessarily lament or grieve for those who have died. Naturally we may miss them but they have gone elsewhere just as we will when our time comes.

If we are spiritually prepared, then there will be nothing to fear from death. Actually, for those advanced souls, they can rise above the body enough to where they can actually perceive what lies beyond death. They can see it. Thus, they know where they will go, according to their level of consciousness. It is like dying now but leaving later. So there is nothing to fear. This is one of the goals of human life, if a person can do it.

So the point to understand is that we are eternal and that birth and death are only appearances on the material plane. Like an actor who enters a stage and plays a part in a costume until it is time to exit the stage and be reminded of who we really are. Ultimately, since we are already eternal beings, entering that spiritual dimension is the real goal of life.