An intelligent person shuns marriage; a semi-intelligent one thinks about the idea but does not entertain the idea for long. The rest of us plunge headlong into marriage, hoping to make it perfect. After a few months or years, become disillusioned with it, and the dream of perfection begins to fade. The very word marriage casts a shadow over the canvas of joy and emotions. One wonders what it was that had so enchantingly drawn one to it. Then, we spend our lives amid squabbles, fleeting joys, sorrows, and unwavering allure. We spend our lives patching things up, yet our quest for enduring joy and perfection never ceases. Perhaps it is the illusion and charm of married life. This is what Adi Shankaracharya calls Maya – the illusion that keeps ordinary mortals entangled in worldly desires, forever searching for a happiness that remains elusive. In this matter, at least, the great seer proved himself truly intelligent. 

Stumble after stumble, we continue to hope for better things and raise our children with high dreams, hopes, and great affection. We are so terribly busy that we hardly realize how years slip by as we watch children grow, seemingly carrying our unfulfilled dreams. When they become adults and are absorbed in their own dreams, desires, and aspirations, and finally leaving our nest fly away, we find ourselves at the fag end of our lives, overcome by loneliness. Then everything appears bleak, and we find ourselves mired in uncertainty. An inexplicable fear takes hold of us and rudely pushes life off course. Life drags on. Dreams fly away. Desires retreat into hiding. Aspirations lie buried deep.  The remaining years become a weary passage through loneliness. Lonesome life loses all charm, eagerness, and enthusiasm; it is too cumbersome, Children hardly realize it.

BUT the bird of hope still perches on the bare branch of life.

Worse still, if one of the two is left behind, it is the cruelest blow that Time can deal – a loss almost impossible to bear. Yet, somehow, memories keep us warm as we move towards the end. Sometimes, one is even forced to spend one’s last years in an old-age home. And so, life, dear life, draws to a close, leaving scarcely a trace behind.

The cycle of life continues unbroken…