Life: Comedy Or Tragedy? Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

The manner of death, like the time of death,
Is not in one's hand; one can't work for it.
A death without sufferings is one's wish,
Which can't be accomplished by one's will.

There is no life style that can ensure it.
No healthy living is a guarantee.
No religious path can take one to it.
The good deeds one did might fail to get it.

Many holy ones had horrible deaths.
Many noble ones had miserable deaths.
Death has been kind to many wicked ones.
Death has been kind to many selfish ones.

A god man can promise you a heaven;
A god man can assure you no rebirth.
He cannot promise you a painless death.
No god man says anything provable.

Sweet deaths and bitter deaths are ruled by Fate.
Fate is nothing but the outcome of fights
The life force wages with the outside forces.
The result determines the nature of death.

A play of comedy ends in happiness.
A play of tragedy ends in sorrow.
One's manner of death is the determiner
Of comedy or tragedy of life.
29.06.2014