DEATH-MARANAM- मरणं - मृत्युः,

SUBHASHITHANI:180
जातस्य हि ध्रुवो मृत्युर्ध्रुवं जन्म मृतस्य च |

तस्मादपरिहार्येऽर्थे न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि || BG-CH2-27||

jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha

tasmād aparihārye ’rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi

Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.

मरणान्तानि वैराणि निर्वृत्तं नः प्रयोजनम् |

क्रियतामस्य संस्कारो ममाप्येष यथा तव || Ramayana
. maraNaantaani vairaaNi nirvR^ittaM naH prayojanam |
kriyataamasya saMskaaro mamaapyeSha yathaa tava || 6-109-25

"Hostilities end with death. Our purpose has been accomplished. Let his funeral rites be performed. He is even as good mine, as yours." ( Rama to Vibhishana )

सनत्सुजात यदीदं शृणोमि  मृत्युर्हि नासीह तवोपदेशम् ।

देवासुरा ह्याचरन्ब्रह्मचर्यम्    अमृत्यवे तत्कतरन्न सत्यम् ॥ २॥Sanat sujaateeya

Dhrtarashtra starts questioning Sanatsujata thus “O, Sage Sanatsujata, I hear that you are of the opinion that there is no such thing as death. On the other hand it is said that the Devas and Asuras practiced austerities and approached Prajapati to overcome death that will make them immortal. So of these two views, which is the truth? Is there death or is there no death?” 

Sanatsjata’s highly sophisticated reply to this eternal question :

उभे सत्ये क्षत्रियाद्य प्रवृत्ते   मोहो मृत्युः संमतो यः कवीनाम् ।

प्रमादं वै मृत्युमहं ब्रवीमि   सदाप्रमादममृतत्वं ब्रवीमि ॥ ४॥

O!King, both the above views are correct( death  is and death is not ) .These have come down to us from the beginning of creation. But the view of the learned is that ‘moha’ ( ignorance) is death. I hold the view that inadvertence is death and eternal vigilance is immortality and therefore there is nothing like real death .

अमॄतं चैव मॄत्युश्च द्वयं  देहप्रतिष्ठितम्।
मोहादापद्यते मॄत्यु:  सत्येनापद्यतेऽमॄतम्॥

Immortality and Death both reside in the body only. Death is attained due to delusion and Immortality by truth.

आयुः कर्म च वित्तं च विद्या निधन मेव च ।

पञ्चैतान्यपि सृज्यन्ते गर्भस्थस्यैव देहिनः ॥

AyuH karma cha vittaM cha vidyA nidhana meva cha |

pa~jchaitAnyapi sRujyante garbhasthasyaiva dehinaH ||

A man's lifetime, his karmic acts and fruits, the wealth he is going to obtain, the knowledge and skills he is going to learn, and the time, way and place of death--all these five things are predestined  even when he resides in his mother's womb. He cannot change them.

अनित्यानि शरीराणि, विभवः नैव शाश्वतः ।
नित्यं सन्निहितः मृत्युः, कर्तव्यः धर्मसंग्रहः ॥Mahabharata

anityAni sharIrANi, vibhavaH naiva shAshvataH |
nityaM sannihitaH mRutyuH, kartavyaH dharmasaMgrahaH ||The bodies are not permanent, nor the wealth is everlasting;  death is always nearing, so let all your acts be such as can be accumulated as dharma.

परिवर्तिनि संसारे मृतः को व न जायते ।

स जातः येन जातेन याति वंशः समुन्नतिं ॥Niti satakam

parivartini saMsAre mRutaH ko va na jaayate |

sa jAtaH yena jAtena yAti vaMshaH samunnatiM ||

In this revolving worldly life, who is not born and who is not dead (or, what dead person is indeed not born again)? He alone is truly born, by whom the family is raised to eminence when he is born in it.

अहन्यहनि भूतानि गच्छन्ति यमालयम् ।

शेषाः स्थावरमिच्छन्ति किमाश्चर्यमतः परम् ॥Mahabharata

ahanyahani bhUtAni gachChanti yamAlayam |

sheShAH sthAvaramichChanti kimAshcharyamataH param ||

Even though all creatures reach the abode of death (Yamalayam) eventually, the rest still desire to remain on the earth. What else can be more surprising than this fact? (Yudhishthira utters this verse in reply to the question of Gandharva, "What is the most surprising thing on the earth?" 

विद्या मित्रं प्रवासेषु भार्या मित्रं गृहेषु च ।

व्याधितस्यौषधं मित्रं धर्मो मित्रं मृतस्य च ॥ - Yaksha Prasna

Knowledge is (your) friend in the journey, wife is the friend at home, drug is (like) friend in illness and dharma is the friend after death.

अनित्यता सर्वे क्षयान्ता निचयाः पतनांताः समुच्छ्रयाः ।

संयोगा विप्रयोगांता मरणांतं च जीवितम् ॥ - रामायण, अयोध्या

sarve kShayantA nichayAH patanAntAH samut shrayAH ।

samyogA viprayogAntA maraNAntam cha jIvitam ॥ - rAmAyaNa, ayodhyA

Any accumulated wealth can dissolve in due time. Any position of power attained may come to an end. All the relations (children, wife) come to an end in death. There is nothing in this world that is permanent. 

मरणं प्रकृतिः शरीरिणां विकृतिर्जीवितमुच्यते बुधैः ।

क्षणमप्यवतिष्ठते श्वसन् यदि जन्तुर्ननु लाभावानसौ ॥ - रघुवंश

maraNam prakRutiH sharIriNAm vikRutiH jIvitam uchyate budhaiH ।

kShaNam api avatiShThate shvasan yadi jantuH nanu lAbhAvAn asau ॥ -raghuvamsha

Death is the natural steady state of nature. Life is an aberration. Wise men realize this. Even if one is alive for just a second, he must consider himself in profit.