“There is one thing certain which is not clearly stated here, but which is at least as important as all the rest. It is this, that there is an old age much more dangerous and much more real than the amassing of years: the incapacity to grow and progress.
“As soon as you stop advancing, as soon as you stop progressing, as soon as you cease to better yourself, cease to gain and grow, cease to transform yourself, you truly become old, that is to say, you go downhill towards disintegration.
“There are young people who are old and there are old people who are young. If you carry in you this flame for progress and transformation, if you are ready to leave everything behind so that you may advance with an alert step, if you are always open to a new progress, a new improvement, a new transformation, then you are eternally young. But if you sit back satisfied with what has been accomplished, if you have the feeling that you have reached your goal and you have nothing left to do but enjoy the fruit of your efforts, then already more than half your body is in the tomb: it is decrepitude and the true death.
“Everything that has been done is always nothing compared with what remains to be done.
“Do not look behind. Look ahead, always ahead and go forward always 1.”
Age is but a Number
Living is an art but departing from our brief earthly sojourn we know as death is also an art. Between life and death there is interposed the phenomenon of old age. Going through old age is the greatest of art, a fine balancing act between what was and what may be. On the one hand old age is a time for reflection, it is a time for streaming past the banks of memory before plunging into the river that joins the two parishes, — heaven and earth or very simply earth and beyond. On the other hand, old age is also a time to reflect upon the future, the real worth and value of life, its purpose and goal. It is our answer to these reflections that gives the real value of our life.
But then, what really is old age? Chronologically it is just a question of how many seasons one has seen pass through. Physiologically, it is marked by a progressive decline in our various functions and capacities. The organs suffer from overuse, disuse and more importantly misuse. However, organs are not just a conglomerate of specialised cells and tissues with a specific purpose but also receptacles of energies and forces, not just physical but psychological, occult and spiritual. According to the occult yogic science, there are subtle centres in our subtle body through which the cosmic forces enter and naturally flow through the organs through multiple subtle channels or naadis. Depending upon the forces we draw or are tuned to, the organs get affected. They suffer from congestion of certain forces or degeneration for want of them. The nature of force corresponds roughly to the function of the organ.
Thus, the eyes, one of the most fascinating organs, respond not just to visible outer light but also to subtle inner light, the ears to an inner hearing, — inspiration. On the other hand, the denseness of ignorance and the exposure of ears to discordant sounds and voices would harm it. The heart responds to emotions and the nature of emotions would affect it. The lung responds to the environmental energy around while the liver to bitterness and stomach to anxiety and unkind thoughts. Our motives that give us the dynamic push for life flows in the blood whereas ambition strikes the mid abdomen. The lower and petty desires with their attendant lust, greed, anger and fear touch the kidneys, bladder, uterus and the lowest parts of the intestine. Of course, modern medicine, focused only on physical forces, fails to recognise the impact of psychological and occult forces upon specific organs. One day, we shall surely know. But depending upon our indulgence with the forces of Nature, our opening to them, we age in a variable way.
Our activities draw praannic energy in a variable way. There is a certain relation of this praannic energy within us and our environment. Some are primarily givers, whereas some are primarily receivers. There is a balance that one learns to develop with the surrounding environment. There are bodies that blossom well in certain environmental conditions while others wither rapidly in the same environment.
In fact, there is a five-fold movement of the praanna or vital energy, known as pañca praannas or vaayus in AAyurveda and yoga (praanna, apaana, samaana udaana, vyaana)1. Of these, apaana functions in the pelvic region of the body and is responsible for elimination and sexual function is of crucial importance. This, along with the imbalance of samaana and other vaayus, can aggravate fear, anger and ambition.
When an excess of praannic energy is lost through these movements, there is likely to be less available for progress and hence, instead of moving forward, the consciousness slips backwards and ageing is faster.
The development of the mind adds to the complexity of the process of moving.
Given the complexity of the human processes, a progressive dislocation is the rule of human life. This disharmony results in wear and tear of the body tissues with resultant degeneration. In addition, the excessive use of medication, modified foods with various additives create a chemical stress upon the human system.
A crucial factor in the ageing process is cellular programming. It is interesting that each human cell changes several times over in a lifetime, creating new cells every few months or years. Yet each changeover also seems to transmit new information gathered by the cell during its lifetime, including wear and tear as well as various layers of experience coded genetically or by some unknown mechanism. The cells are storehouses, not only of physiological and chemical changes, but also psychological experiences, as has been documented in recipients of organ transplant. While the coding mechanisms and the material substrate of cellular memory is not exactly known yet these cells can possibly be trained or detrained by strong suggestions, or other means of pushing states of consciousness in the cell
Whatever be the causes of ageing and death, man has always nurtured within himself the quest for immortality. The quest is a spillover in the heart and mind of a secret immortal substance man carries within. Yogis and mystics know it as the soul, the indestructible element in us which is a portion of the Divine and is also our true self. It is doubtful whether the ancient project of Immortality can be completed without taking into account the active participation of the true soul within us. But driven by an intuitive sense, man is bound to try it in various ways and through various methods and processes. But the first step in that direction is a mastery over the ageing process. This too, man has been attempting for a long time. From physical methods such as kaayaakalpa cikitsaa to occult methods, as we see in the story of Yayaati to spiritual methods such as is hinted in the story of Bhīssma. That man will one day discover the secret of ageing and the means of retarding or even reversing it is certain. There is nothing that man aspires for which has not already been granted by the secret Providence. The secret probably lies in the meeting of Science and Spirituality. What we still can do is push back our definition of old, rather delink it with age. Each body has its own rate of decline, its own age when a tangible sign of limitations will show up. While still we can and should try to push these limits, this pushing should yet be a gentle rather than an abrupt pressure, more like a vehicle slowly coming to a halt rather than an abrupt stop. To begin with, we can assume that old age in today’s context starts at 75 rather than 60. Sixty is when life comes to fruition. 80 is when the seeds are being gathered for another life.
But for now, we have to reckon with the fact that our bodies do age and grow weaker in capacities with advancing number of years. The genetic material does undergo wear and tear, the senses too narrow down in their range, the organs begin to diminish in function and the overall ability does show a general decline. There is the added load of disease, loneliness, lack of work, leading to isolation and boredom. Apart from these, there are several other challenges that the elderly are prone to face such as loss of old friends, economic loss, depression, in addition to bodily weakness, such as tremors, loss of balance and unsteadiness of feet.
How does or should a person slowly slipping towards the winter of life handle the decline?
Acceptance
The first step is always the most difficult. It is difficult for many to accept that the sun is setting. They keep remembering the morning sun and the glories of noon and hence fail to enjoy the sunset eve. Sri Aurobindo describes something of this mood in one of his poems,
Evening
“A golden evening, when the thoughtful sun
Rejects its usual pomp in going, trees
That bend down to their green companion
And fruitful mother, vaguely whispering,
— these
And a wide silent sea. Such hour is nearest God, —
Rich like old age when the long ways have all been trod 2.”
The quality of life as we age depends quite a bit upon the quality of life we have led.
Rhythm and Season 
Ancient Indian spiritual thought described four stages of life each with its own rhythm and dharma. The lifespan of 100 years can be divided into four stages of 25 years, each as childhood and adolescence, adulthood, middle age and old age. The first phase is for the development of capacities, learning to focus and laying the foundations of dharma as the basis of life. The next phase is for labour and toil in the world. The third phase is a seeking for the deeper purpose and meaning of life. The fourth and final phase is a concentrated seeking for true freedom and higher knowledge.
These can be seen as four seasons of life, that symbolically reveal the dance of life. The first is blossoming and the creative surge, the second is the Summer of labour and toil. The third is purifying rains that wash away dirt and dust and sweat and tears accumulated as we struggle through life. The fourth is a gradual withdrawing into the Highest, to either return as a conscious being or else dissolve into the Supreme Reality. Just as a tree shed leaves in the Autumn and stands silent as if all its energies were being drawn within so too in old-age, one should lead a life of inner detachment and instead of involving with the life of senses, one should lead a life concentrated upon the highest goal.
Towards the Future 
It is common to see an elderly group together reliving their childhood days with old friends, associates or family members. These memories and associations provide temporary feeling of security and comfort by sharing their issues, largely common in similar communities. Often, they are seen complaining about how the modern generation is losing their way. If we look into the archives of history, the refrain was very much the same 5,000 years ago. This is however an error of understanding things. Instead of judging or condemning, it is better to engage them, try to understand their viewpoint, exchange with them your own understanding, knowing that all mental knowledge is relative and, if they ask for it guide them. Advice unasked for creates unwanted reactions. We need to understand that each generation has its own challenges and must find its own solutions. That is how creation moves forward. By giving our solutions or advice unasked for, we may well hamper their growth. We can surely suggest but never impose.
Therefore, it is a very useful and rejuvenating exercise to sit with children and youngsters and listen to them. People often complain that youngsters do not sit with the elderly. It is not quite true, at least the reason attributed to this tendency is not true. Actually, most elderly do not know how to engage with them. They are quick to dismiss but slow to understand. Engaging in interesting and meaningful conversation with the next generation is one of the ways to remain young, one of the ways to keep our face turned towards the future. It gives us a little peep into how the future is shaping up.
Another way to turn towards the future is to pick up something that one wanted to do but could not take up because of paucity of time in young age. To rekindle interest in a hobby, to restart playing one’s favourite game, to learn a new language, read a book one had always wanted to read or to re-read a favourite book, to visit places one could not get to earlier, even to dream up new projects or new ideas, even if one may not see them materialise in one’s lifetime are some of the ways to keep oriented towards the future.
For those engaged in yoga, it is a beautiful opportunity to intensify the aspiration and perfect one’s surrender, to enter into ever deeper and higher states, to work out certain tendencies that one could not because they were quite strong. Though with age there is a tendency for certain patterns to get crystallised by habit, it is also true that they weaken up. It is time to totally discard them or take the last leap of transformation.
The Mother’s example is the best that one can find in recent times. At 70, She resumed playing Tennis, at 77, She formed the Ashram Trust so that She could concentrate more and more on the real work of terrestrial transformation that She was missioned for. At 82, She opened the doors of the New Consciousness to several centres under the aegis of the Sri Aurobindo Society of which She is always the permanent President. At 84, She dived deeper into the cellular consciousness, leaving behind an amazing document of several volumes describing the Yoga of the cells, something that was never attempted before. And then, most interestingly, She initiates and inaugurates a unique and unprecedented city, laying the foundations of an apparently impossible venture of a new township Auroville, at the age of 90. And within 4 years of this, at 94, She declared about the New Body. She was always moving forward.
The Deathless State
The world is a constant forward march and it is difficult for any individual, however progressive, to keep pace. In fact, it is one of the causes of ageing and death as the Mother reveals to us:
“There is a difference between immortality and the deathless state. Sri Aurobindo has described it very well in Savitri.
“The deathless state is what can be envisaged for the human physical body in the future: it is constant rebirth. Instead of again tumbling backwards and falling apart due to a lack of plasticity and an incapacity to adapt to the universal movement, the body is undone ‘future wards,’ as it were.
“There is one element that remains fixed: for each type of atom, the inner organization of the elements is different, which is what creates the difference in their substance. So perhaps similarly, each individual has a different, particular way of organizing the cells of his body, and it is this particular way that persists through all the outer changes. All the rest is undone and redone, but undone in a forward thrust towards the new instead of collapsing backwards into death, and redone in a constant aspiration to follow the progressive movement of the divine Truth.
“But for that, the body — the body-consciousness — must first learn to widen itself. It is indispensable, for otherwise all the cells become a kind of boiling porridge under the pressure of the supramental light.
“What usually happens is that when the body reaches its maximum intensity of aspiration or of ecstasy of Love, it is unable to contain it. It becomes flat, motionless. It falls back. Things settle down — you are enriched with a new vibration, but then everything resumes its course. So you must widen yourself in order to learn to bear unflinchingly the intensities of the supramental force, to go forward always, always with the ascending movement of the divine Truth, without falling backwards into the decrepitude of the body.
“That is what Sri Aurobindo means when he speaks of an intolerable ecstasy; it is not an intolerable ecstasy: it is an unflinching ecstasy 3.’’
Change and the Changeless
Too much focused on the outer physical body, we miss out on the inner possibilities opening before us. We keep running to the physician in the hope of some panacea and miss out on the all-knowing healer within. Old age is the time when we can invoke the Divine Presence in our lives and even in the body in a last sacrifice at the Divine altar. At a certain point, one can sense that Autumn is passing into Winter. A progressive detachment from the outer and deeper engagement with the inner self is the way ahead. As to the physical body it is best to provide it support rather than flog the tired horse with whips. Simple measures like the walking-stick or, if needed, a wheelchair are simpler and safer in preventing falls and providing relative freedom to move around rather than pushing chemicals into the blood. The body machine does undergo wear and tear, and the sooner we accept it the better it is. Simple gentle remedies, simple practical solutions are much better than complicated measures. Quality of life is mainly an inner state than just the outer physical condition.
Working with the elderly and even otherwise, I have seen people with serious physical problems who are quite peaceful and happy, mainly because of their inner attitude. They accept the change; they decline quite sportingly. In fact, by their remarkable attitude, they become an inspiration to many young people. Quite a number of these rare souls whose names are legion, Nolini, Pavitra, Amrita, Champaklal, Pranab, Amal Kiran, Nirod da and others, are quite astounding examples of how to take everything in one’s stride. To age gracefully is also an art and is seen primarily in those who have somewhere found their soul and are rooted in the changeless Eternal. The other kind are unfortunately more common and these are caught up in the rapid change, the downhill course of the body, running from one doctor or hospital to another, in the hope of finding the elixir of immortality. That elixir is always within us and if we have not found it during our lifetime, we are unlikely to find it when we confront the face of death. Though, we still can take a leap of faith and look beyond death to the arms of the Divine Lover waiting to receive us. This becomes possible through an act of surrender to God. Behind the change that frightens us is the changeless. Beyond the slaying fire, there is the saviour smile of Grace. Beyond the pyre and the grave, there is the Smile that saves.
The Journey Continues
The Unknown and the Unexpected
“Death wanders through our lives at will, sweet Death
Is busy with each intake of our breath.
Why do you fear her? Lo, her laughing face
All rosy with the light of jocund grace!
A kind and lovely maiden culling flowers
In a sweet garden fresh with vernal showers,
This is the thing you fear, young portress bright
Who opens to our souls the worlds of light.
Is it because the twisted stem must feel
Pain when the tenderest hands its glory steal?
Is it because the flowerless stalk droops dull
And ghastly now that was so beautiful?
Or is it the opening portal’s horrid jar
That shakes you, feeble souls of courage bare?
Death is but changing of our robes to wait
In wedding garments at the Eternal’s gate 4.”
Death arrives one day. We can face it with courage or we can face it with fear. If we have faith in God, a true and living faith or even a kind of trust in destiny, then generally one copes with the enigma of death with courage. On the other hand, when we are too identified with the body, then death comes as a cruel blow. None experience death until they die, rarest of rare yogis apart (the Mother, for example) and hence the fear of the unknown looms large like a shadow. At its bottom, it is an extreme form of ignorance, the fear of the Unknown. And then there are all kinds of stories associated with it. The simplest way to cope with it is to learn as much as possible about death, through books of course. Knowledge is always empowering. The Mother, a supreme occultist, has revealed many details about death, the reason, the mechanism, the process, the journey thereafter and eventually the return. All that is too vast a knowledge to be compressed here. But the important thing to remember is that death is a moment of intense concentration and if we know, we can use that moment, through concentration upon the Divine, into a means to leap beyond lives. The only problem is that the people around keep reminding the person of their physical miseries or display sorrow even while the person is withdrawing. We need to understand that the sharp distinction that we make between the living and the dead is really not so. There is a time, over nearly 24 hours, when the consciousness of the person is lingering around the dead body and we need to respect that. Secondly, we should be careful that sometimes our so-called help, such as rushing to the ventilator or pushing a host of medicines that stun the consciousness, is not necessarily a help. We have seen people suffering from dementia, having that little soul spark in their eyes as well as the psychic smile upon their face. In our over-eagerness to treat, we end up harming a beautiful inner movement that is building up. Sometimes the best help is not to interfere, the best thing to do is not to do anything, apart from gently assisting the departure.
Let us then close with some suutras on old age from the Mother.
“Only those years that are passed uselessly make you grow old.”
“A year spent uselessly is a year during which no progress has been accomplished, no growth in consciousness has been achieved, no further step has been taken towards perfection.
“Consecrate your life to the realisation of something higher and broader than yourself and you will never feel the weight of the passing years.”
“From birth to death, life is a dangerous thing.
“The brave pass through it without care for the risks.
“The prudent take precautions.
“The cowardly are afraid of everything.
“But ultimately, what happens to each one is only what the Supreme Will has decided.”
“Some of the living are already half-dead. Many of the dead are very much alive 5.”
1Praanna-Vaayu: located in the chest and head, this forward and upward-flowing vaayu governs the lungs, larynx and chest-region and is associated with the element of air.
Apaana-Vaayu: located in the pelvic region, this downward-flowing vaayu is responsible for all excretory and reproductive functions. It is associated with the element of earth.
Samaana-Vaayu: located in the navel, this sideways-flowing vaayu is responsible for all digestive and metabolic functions. It is associated with the element of Fire.
Udaana-Vaayu: located in the throat, this upward-flowing vaayu, is responsible for all the sense organs. it is associated with the element of ether, space.
Vyaana-Vaayu: this vaayu pervades the whole body, regulates and controls all movements and the circulation of nutrients. It is associated with the element of water.
( https://yogainternational.com/article/view/the-5-prana-vayus-chart/)
