The Final Moment - "Ant Kaal" (ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ)

Recently my friend shared the story of her cousin's grandmother. She was very ill and was in semi-coma. She could not talk or communicate with anyone. However, through out her coma state she continued to repeat Gurbaani.

Bibi jee kept moving her lips and repeating Gurbaani, yet she could not communicate or speak to others. Her continuous non-stop repeating of Gurbaani led her mouth and lips to become very dry, making it hard for her to open her mouth. The nurses would continuously water her lips and mouth to prevent them to become dried up. Dhan Guru, Dhan Guru Ke Piaare.

Someone is lying on their death bed and they are in semi-coma. However, the only thought, the only consciousness and words on their mouth is Gurbaani and Simran. Waheguru! How amazing. It makes you think how one gets to this state.

My friend told me that her cousin's grandmother was a simple and pious Gurmukh (Guru-orientated person). Everyday without fail Bibi jee would go to the Gurdwara and do Sukhmani Sahib da paath. Bibi jee would always be attuned to Gurbaani and didn't indulge in useless worldly talk like gossiping or slander. Hence, when she got to her death bed she was also repeating and attuned to Gurbaani. How fortunate are such Gurmukhs who die such a death remembering their Beloved Waheguru.

Gurbani says:

ਗੂਜਰੀ ॥
goojree.
Raag Goojaree (Common theme: prayer (ਪੂਜਾ); Feelings communicated: Satisfaction/ softness of heart/ sadness).

ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਜੋ ਲਛਮੀ ਸਿਮਰੈ ਐਸੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ॥
ant kaal jo lachhmee simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
At the very last moment, one who thinks of wealth, and dies in such thoughts,

ਸਰਪ ਜੋਨਿ ਵਲਿ ਵਲਿ ਅਉਤਰੈ ॥੧॥
sarap jon val val autarai. 1
shall be reincarnated over and over again, in the form of snakes. 1

ਅਰੀ ਬਾਈ ਗੋਬਿਦ ਨਾਮੁ ਮਤਿ ਬੀਸਰੈ ॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
aree baa-ee gobind naam mat beesrai. rahaa-o.
O sister, do not forget the Name of Waheguru, the Lord of the Universe. Pause

ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਜੋ ਇਸਤ੍ਰੀ ਸਿਮਰੈ ਐਸੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ॥
ant kaal jo istree simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
At the very last moment, he who thinks of women, and dies in such thoughts,

ਬੇਸਵਾ ਜੋਨਿ ਵਲਿ ਵਲਿ ਅਉਤਰੈ ॥੨॥
besvaa jon val val autarai. 2
shall be reincarnated over and over again as a prostitute. 2

ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਜੋ ਲੜਿਕੇ ਸਿਮਰੈ ਐਸੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ॥
ant kaal jo laRike simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
At the very last moment, one who thinks of his children, and dies in such thoughts,

ਸੂਕਰ ਜੋਨਿ ਵਲਿ ਵਲਿ ਅਉਤਰੈ ॥੩॥
sookar jon val val autarai. 3shall be reincarnated over and over again as a pig. 3

ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਜੋ ਮੰਦਰ ਸਿਮਰੈ ਐਸੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ॥
ant kaal jo mandar simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
At the very last moment, one who thinks of mansions, and dies in such thoughts,

ਪ੍ਰੇਤ ਜੋਨਿ ਵਲਿ ਵਲਿ ਅਉਤਰੈ ॥੪॥
pret jon val val autarai. 4shall be reincarnated over and over again as a spirit/ghost. 4

ਅੰਤਿ ਕਾਲਿ ਨਾਰਾਇਣੁ ਸਿਮਰੈ ਐਸੀ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਮਹਿ ਜੇ ਮਰੈ ॥
ant kaal naaraa-iN simrai, aisee chintaa mehi je marai.
At the very last moment, one who thinks of the Lord Waheguru, and dies in such thoughts,

ਬਦਤਿ ਤਿਲੋਚਨੁ ਤੇ ਨਰ ਮੁਕਤਾ ਪੀਤੰਬਰੁ ਵਾ ਕੇ ਰਿਦੈ ਬਸੈ ॥੫॥੨॥
badat tilochan te nar muktaa, peetambar vaa ke ridai basai. 52
says Trilochan, that man shall be liberated; the Lord Waheguru shall abide in his heart. 52
(Ang 526)

GurbaaNee (the Divine Word of God) tells us that one's thought-condition at the time of death determines one's next field of experience. For this reason, one's mentality or state of being at the last moment when leaving one's body, is very important.

Depending on a person's mind-set at the time of death, two things can happen:
(1) Either the old mentality (memories) will supply the energy for A NEW MATERIAL BODY at an appropriate time and place,
(2) Or it will link back to its ORIGINAL SOURCE (the Supreme Soul (ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ), Waheguru).

Guru Arjan Dev jee says on ang 242 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee:

ਜਿਤੁ ਲਾਗੋ ਮਨੁ ਬਾਸਨਾ ਅੰਤਿ ਸਾਈ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਨੀ ॥੬॥
jit laago man baasnaa ant saa-ee pargattaanee. 6That desire, to which the mind is attached, at the last moment, becomes manifest. 6

Bhagat Kabeer jee says on ang 327 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee:

ਪਿੰਡਿ ਮੂਐ ਜੀਉ ਕਿਹ ਘਰਿ ਜਾਤਾ ॥
pind moo-ai jee-o kih ghar jaataa.When the body dies, where does the soul go?
ਸਬਦਿ ਅਤੀਤਿ ਅਨਾਹਦਿ ਰਾਤਾ ॥
shabad ateet anaahad raataa.It is absorbed into the untouched, unstruck melody of the Word of the Shabad.

So does this mean that it doesn't matter whether I do Simran, Sewa or read and reflect on Gurbaani in my life because I can just say "Waheguru" when I am about to die, then sorted! I will become ONE with Waheguru? How can an alien thought enter the mind at such a time as death? Only those thoughts will enter which you in your sub-consciousness. So, if one has not attuned to themselves to Naam and Gurbaani while alive, it is very UNLIKELY that they will be attuned to Naam & Gurbaani when about to die.

Whatever we think at the time of death depends on WHAT WE PRACTICED THROUGHOUT OUR LIFE. In other words, whatever we practice in our entire life will determine our consciousness at the time of death. For example, if one cultivated "God-Consciousness" throughout their life, they will obviously die in such Pure Consciousness, resulting in liberation (ਮੁਕਤੀ) here and hereafter.

On the other hand, if one has cultivated the mental state of a fruitive worker or sense-enjoyment throughout their life, they will naturally die in material-consciousness (body-consciousness). Such conditioned consciousness results in supplying energy for a new body to work out the consequences of stored thinking and actions. For this reason we are told by Guru jee to a householder life BALANCED with spirituality, avoiding being OBSESSED with work, family, desires etc, through which one's consciousness and mind is IMPRISONED and entangled in over attachment.

Even though Gurmukhs (Guru-orientated persons) and Manmukhs (self-willed persons) both die, BUT the Gurmukh dies in UNCONDITIONED CONSCIOUSNESS and goes back to Waheguru, on the other hand the Manmukh dies in MATERIAL CONSCIOUSNESS and falls down again into the evolutionary cycle of reincarnation. Accordingly, just as the air carries fragrance of a flower or incense, so a person's mental state at the time of death will carry his bundle of memories to the next dwelling.

ਪੁੰਨੀ ਪਾਪੀ ਆਖਣੁ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
punnee paapee aakhaN naahi.Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;
ਕਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਣਾ ਲਿਖਿ ਲੈ ਜਾਹੁ ॥
kar kar karNaa likh lai jaahu.actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.
ਆਪੇ ਬੀਜਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਖਾਹੁ ॥
aape beej aape hee khaahu.You shall harvest what you plant.
ਨਾਨਕ ਹੁਕਮੀ ਆਵਹੁ ਜਾਹੁ ॥੨੦॥
naanak hukmee aavhu jaahu. 20O Nanak! By the Hukam of God's Command, we come and go in reincarnation. 20(Ang 4)

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