Written by: Sadhguru5 min readSep 10, 2026 06:20 AM IST First published on: Sep 10, 2026 at 06:20 AM ISTWhen I went to Kailash for the first time in 2006, I went with 168 people from many nations. The conditions were very harsh at that time. We lived in small tents all along the way. There was not a single bathroom anywhere. There were no roads. We were finding our way through the desert. Normally, groups travelling to Kailash are never more than 40 to 45 people. Even for such groups, a minimum of one to two body bags would come back by the end of the trek.A local Sherpa group was conducting our affairs for us in Tibet. They were joking among themselves, “How many body bags will this group come back with?” So, I took a vow that no matter what, we were not going to bring back anyone in a bag. And we brought in an extraordinary sense of discipline, focus and training into our teams so that our medical teams, cooking teams and volunteer teams functioned with military precision.AdvertisementAll these years, we were proud that we never left even one person back there and came. But now, we have left 80 people and come back. They were in the Gyirong immigration centre when millions of tons of water and debris landed, and this well-constructed concrete building just vanished. No one expected something like this would happen, that a glacier 2,000 feet wide would just fall 4,000 feet down a mountain and create a massive flood. It was the kind of disaster that we have not seen in any part of the world.We cannot reclaim lives that are gone. Nor are there words that can erase the pain of the families who lost their loved ones. I know this is painful to hear for those who have lost someone. I understand that 100 per cent. Though people claim all kinds of things, no one has brought back those who are gone. There are stories and fairy tales, but in reality, it has never happened.At a time like this, it is very important that we realise the reality of our existence — that we are here this moment, and the next moment, we may be gone. This flood occurred on August 26. I was supposed to be there at the same immigration centre just 24 hours later on August 27. You think the flood would not hit me because of who I am? It would. This is the nature of life.AdvertisementThis is why, in the culture of Sanatan, children are made to attend funerals from day one. Families are always told that life is very brief. We are not talking about going to heaven or talking about God holding your hand. We are telling you continuously that this life is your karma, do the best that you can. No one here is immortal. No one is negotiating life or death. All of us will die. We are only negotiating more time. Your psychological structure should be aligned with this reality of our existence. It should not become hallucinatory, because then the life that is here will be wasted.you may likeUnderstanding the nature of life is the only way you will be relieved of the pain and suffering of losing someone or something. If we do not do that, everything will hurt us on the way. Not just death, even life hurts people. Many people suffer life a lot more than death. This is why it is important that we are conscious every moment of our life that we are mortal. Being mortal means we are here on a limited lease of time. If we are continuously conscious about this, we will plan and execute our life in the most sensible way possible, based on our own intelligence, capabilities, and the situations and times in which we exist. We will value every breath, every moment that we have here and do the best for ourselves and everyone around us.The moment we forget we are mortal, we will have a lot of time to do all kinds of stupid things. Suppose you know life will end tomorrow, will you have time to quarrel with someone, to get angry with someone, or to do anything that does not truly matter to you? No. If you are conscious that you are mortal, you will do what truly matters to you. If every one of us does what genuinely matters to us, we will create a great world.The writer is founder of the Isha Foundation and Conscious Planet (Save Soil)