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Rahul Arya, a notable Arya Samaj preacher in his YouTube channel has told Lord Indra lived for 500 years and then he died.
He tells that God has made our body in such a manner that a human structure can't live more than 100-500 years .
He says Indra was there in Ramayan and then in mahabharat also . It's not possible.
He says this about hanuman ji also that it's not possible for human to stay alive in both the EPICS.
Is his statement true ?
Please explain with reference from scriptures
According to Ramayana, the Gods are immortals, and hence, we cannot presume that Indra's life span is around 500 years.
एतद्धि किल देवानाम् वयो भवति नित्यदा | यथा इमे पुरुष व्याघ्रा दृश्यन्ते प्रिय दर्शनाः || ३-५-१८
"The age factor of gods remains constant at the age that appears for these nice-looking Tigerly-men, so they say... for gods are immortals and they will be ever young...:
According to the same Ramayana, Indra gave a boon to Sri Hanuman that the latter will die as per his wish. And, hence, we cannot fix the life span of Sri Hanuman.
वज्रस्य च निपातेन विरुजम् त्वाम् समीक्ष्य च | सहस्र नेत्रः प्रीत आत्मा ददौ ते वरम् उत्तमम् || ४-६६-२८ स्वच्छंदतः च मरणम् तव स्यात् इति वै प्रभो |
"On scrutinising that you are unhurt even after hit by Thunderbolt, oh, ablest Hanuma, the Thousand-eyed Indra kind-heartedly gave you a choicest boon saying that your death occurs only by your own volition.."
He says this about Hanuman ji also that it's not possible for human to stay alive in both the epics
Is his statement true?
Yes, it is true. According to Vedas, humans cannot live beyond 100 years. So the concept of cirajīvin or cirañjīvī (long-lived or immortal) found in the Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, is contrary to the teachings of Vedas.
Īśopaniṣad, verse 2 says:
kurvanneveha karmāṇi jijīviṣet sataṃ samāḥ
evaṃ tvayi nānyatheto'sti na karma lipyate nare...In the world, one should desire to live a hundred years, but only by performing actions. Thus, and in no other way, can man be free from the taint of actions.
Commentary by Swami Nirvikarananda:
Having understood the meaning and significance of life, we must try to live our lives to the full span, and the full span of life, according to the Vedas, is one hundred years:
Shatāyur vai purushah. Says Shankaracharya in his commentary:tavad hi purushashya paramayuh nirupitam-'that long, verily, has been determined to be the length of human life. This determination was the product of a close study of human life. The sages came to the conclusion that if an individual lived a healthy life, physically and mentally, he would live a hundred years; they also saw that if an individual lived an unhealthy life, if his diet was poor, sanitation unsatisfactory, and his way of life faulty, his span of life would be reduced to lower and lower levels....
This idea of hundred years’ life span is the accepted tradition in India. In the brahmacharya ceremony, for instance, at the time of the investiture with the holy thread, the boy is blessed with the word: ‘May you live a hundred years!’ after the marriage ceremony, the husband and wife pray together: ‘May we live a hundred autumns!’
There are even some prayers in Atharva Veda suggesting human life is limited to hundred autumns/years.
(AVŚ_19,67.1a) páśyema śarádaḥ śatám ||1||
(AVŚ_19,67.2a) jī́vema śarádaḥ śatám ||2||
(AVŚ_19,67.3a) búdhyema śarádaḥ śatám ||3||
(AVŚ_19,67.4a) róhema śarádaḥ śatám ||4||
(AVŚ_19,67.5a) pū́ṣema śarádaḥ śatám ||5||
(AVŚ_19,67.6a) bhávema śarádaḥ śatám ||6||
(AVŚ_19,67.7a) bhū́ṣema śarádaḥ śatám ||7||
(AVŚ_19,67.8a) bhū́yasīḥ śarádaḥ śatám ||8||
A prayer for long life
- A hundred autumns may we see.
- A hundred autumns may we live.
- A hundred autumns may we know.
- A hundred autumns may we grow.
- A hundred autumns may we thrive.
- A hundred autumns may we be.
- A hundred autumns may we bide.
- A hundred, yea, and even more.
(AVŚ_19,12.1a) uṣā́ ápa svásus támaḥ sáṃ vartayati vartaníṃ sujātátā |
(AVŚ_19,12.1c) ayā́ vā́jaṃ deváhitaṃ sanema mádema śatáhimāḥ suvī́rāḥ ||1||A prayer to Ushas or Dawn for wealth and long life
Dawn drives away her sister's gloom, and through her excellence makes her retrace her path. Through her may we gain God-appointed treasure, and with brave sons be glad through hundred winters.
A mantra uttered by the groom to the bride:
(AVŚ_14,1.52a) mámeyám astu póṣyā máhyaṃ tvādād bŕ̥haspátiḥ |
(AVŚ_14,1.52c) máyā pátyā prajāvati sáṃ jīva śarádaḥ śatám ||52||Be it my care to cherish her: Brihaspati hath made thee mine. A hundred autumns live with me thy husband, mother of my sons!
