Protective threads

Death does not demand logic. Sometimes some of the situations change the way we think. Sometimes when it comes to death we have to look away from logical and scientific explanation. Sometimes we have to surrender ourselves to the faith. This is one of the experiences where all logic failed and faith sailed.

My friend Smita's mother was ill. She had been bedridden for several years. She was not even eating. Her condition was deteriorating with each passing hour. One afternoon my dad received a call from her, "I wanted to get your advice on something. I do not know if this is right or wrong. My mother's caregiver is suggesting something".
My friend asked her mother's caregiver to speak with my dad, "sir, aunty is wearing a protective thread on her arm. I think that thread is the reason why the death is not approaching her. The thread is keeping the death away. Looking at her condition I suggested Smita to cut the thread. I think once the thread is cut she would be relieved in a couple of hours. Smita was not sure whether this was a right decision".
The caregiver handed over the phone to Smita, "uncle what should I do? I do not find this ethically right. I feel this is cruel. But mom is suffering. She cannot live like this. She hasn't eaten for three full days. She is not even opening her eyes. What should I do?"
My dad adviced Smita to cut the thread as the caregiver had suggested. While cutting the thread he asked Smita to toughen up and say, "I am not aware of the purpose of this thread. I do not mean any disrespect to this thread or any energy. I believe this thread is keeping her away from death. I am cutting this thread so that the death can approach her. I have no ill intention but I want my mother to be free from her suffering".

My dad further added, "your mom's caregiver has experience of taking care of elderly who are critically unwell. I believe she knows a lot about death then both of us. If you trust her to advise you correctly then I believe this will be the only way. If her belief was right we would get to know it in next few hours".

My friend did as the caregiver my dad had suggested. She cut the protective thread that was tied around her mother's arm. Surprisingly as the carigever had suggested her mother died within next two hours.

This was the incident that shook my entire believe system. I am from science stream. Though I am religious I always try to find a scientific explanation for everything. For most traditions and rituals that are performed in Hindu religion I do often find a clinical and scientific explanation to those. What happened with my friend's mother was beyond any explanation. I could not find a justification for how a thread was protecting her mother from the death. I could not understand that cutting the protective thread would bring her mother close her to the death. But what I had witness had no other scientific explanation. That made me believe that in death sometime the logic and Science could not answer all the questions.