Gita3
Keshava Swami WebsiteFollow @keshavaswamiBuy the print editionSupport this work
  • Welcome to Gita3 Online!
  • Copyright
  • The Inspiration
  • Gratitude
  • Introduction
  • The Battlefield of Life
  • Part One: Think Different
    • Think Different
    • 1. Leave the Problems | Learn from Problems
      • Hidden Stories
  • 2. Act First, Ask Later | Ask First, Act Later
    • Living or Existing?
  • 3. Spiritualists don't own | Spiritualists aren't owned
    • Spiritualising
  • 4. Know through study | Know through sincerity
    • Digesting Wisdom
  • 5. Be the Best | Try your Best
    • Circles of Life
  • 6. Train your Body | Train your Mind
    • Do Not Disturb
  • 7. See to Believe | Hear to See
    • Locating your Heart
  • 8. Live Before you Die | Die Before you Die
    • Your Memorial
  • 9. Ask God for your Wants | Give God what He Wants
    • Daily Prayers
  • 10. Can't See God Anywhere | Can See God Everywhere
    • Missing the Obvious
  • 11. Believe in Yourself | Believe in Krishna
    • Quietly Confident
  • 12. Make a 'To Do' List | Make a 'To Be' List
    • Practical Saintliness
  • 13. God is Far, Seated in Heaven | God is Near, Seated Within
    • Answer my Prayer
  • 14. The Wealthy Have the Most | The Wealthy Need the Least
    • The Balancing Act
  • 15. Pursue your Dreams | Discover the Reality
    • Frustrated Happiness
  • 16. I, Me, and Mine | We, Us, and Ours
    • Me to We
  • 17. Faith Opposes Knowledge | Faith Builds Knowledge
    • Building Faith
  • 18. Try To Be Happy | Try To Serve
    • From Selfish to Selfless
  • Summary | Think Different
  • PART 2: HOW TO
    • How to...
    • 1. How to Become Determined
      • My Mission
    • 2. How to Make Decisions
      • Decisions Decisions
    • 3. How to Overcome Temptation
      • A Battle Plan
    • 4. How to Find Purpose
      • Finding Purpose
    • 5. How to Become Successful
      • Building Blocks of Success
    • 6. How to Be Present
      • Mantra - Free the Mind
    • 7. How to Avoid Mistakes
      • Learning through Hearing
    • 8. How to Face Death
      • Life’s Change Agent
    • 9. How to Find Love
      • Loving Connections
    • 10. How to Perceive Beauty
      • Enjoy, Ignore or Engage?
    • 11. How to Detect Divinity
      • Connection Points
    • 12. How to Spiritually Progress
      • Spiritual Flow
    • 13. How to Find Freedom
      • Big Questions
    • 14. How to Avoid Burnout
      • Sattva Life
    • 15. How to Become Detached
      • Eternal Assets
  • 16. How to Change Outlook
    • True Lies
  • 17. How to Perfect Your Speech
    • Real Conversations
  • 18. How to Conquer Fear
    • Face your Fears
  • Summary | How To
  • PART 3: WHY NOT
    • Why not?
    • 1. “I don’t have the time.”
      • Killing Time
    • 2. “I already know all of this.”
      • Library for Life
    • 3. “I have so many duties to fulfil.”
      • Work as Worship
    • 4. “I’m not intelligent enough.”
      • Walk the Talk
    • 5. “I’d prefer to practically help the world.”
      • News of the World
    • 6. “I’m too active – I just can’t focus.”
      • The Yoga of Writing
    • 7. “I trust science and fact, not spirituality and faith."
      • Faith Issues
    • 8. “I'll do it in the future.”
      • Enemies of Growth
    • 9. “I don’t follow organised religion."
      • Mechanics of Spirituality
    • 10. “I don’t experience God – I’ve never seen Him”
      • Time for God
  • 11. "I have too many difficulties in my life"
    • Digesting Life
  • 12. “I will lose all my friends.”
    • Best Friends
  • 13. “I’m already happy.”
    • Hierarchy of Needs
  • 14. "I have too many bad habits"
    • Four a Day
  • 15. “I’ll lose my ambition and won’t be successful."
    • Chasing Dreams
  • 16. “I see religion causes more problems.”
    • Spiritual Solutions
  • 17. “I’ve seen too much hypocrisy in religion.”
    • The Truth about Lying
  • 18. “I don’t want to be forced.”
    • 12 months, 12 goals!
  • Summary | Why Not
  • APPENDIX
    • Bhakti: The Yoga of Love
    • The Author
    • Wisdom that Breathes
    • Read the Bhagavad-gita As It Is Online
    • Support this work
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  1. 8. Live Before you Die | Die Before you Die

Your Memorial

Sit in a quiet place, remove all distractions, and play some light, relaxing music. Now ask a friend to read the following passage to you.

Close your eyes, inhale deeply, withdraw your mind from the daily pressures and concentrate on the breathing sensation at your nostrils. Slowly take yourself on a guided meditation into the future.

Fast forward twenty years, and in your mind’s eye picture a large gathering of people coming into a room. The mood is sombre and serious. You have departed the world, and this is the occasion of your own memorial service. Now try to picture the scene – Where have you gathered? Who has come? What are they thinking and feeling? How do you feel seeing them all?

Everyone is now seated and the person who knows you best comes forward to give a eulogy. Who would that person be? They begin to talk about your life, where you were born, your youth, education, where your first job was and your family situation. They talk about your interests and the major junctures in your lifetime. Try to envisage the speech.

Please turn over now..

As they begin to reveal their deeper feelings, how would you like them to complete the following sentences:

Statement
Answer

What I loved most about their personality was...

Their greatest achievement was…

They made a difference to the world by…

When you reflect on your activities and character in the past week you can ask yourself what you have done to become the person that you have just described.

Krishna teaches Arjuna about his deeper identity, what the goal of life is, and where happiness is really to be found. Having this clarity at the beginning of each day helps us align our activities and energy accordingly. When we have clear answers to these questions that we have deliberated on, it helps overcome the external obstacles and internal blocks that may divert us from our real path in life.

This is an activity that can be done regularly in order to re-calibrate your vision and reassess your priorities.

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Last updated 2 years ago