Recently I met a person (a friend of my grand-dads) whose dad died at the age of 100 years and 41 days. We were all curious to know about it. This person said that at the age of 97 or so his father had told him 5 secrets to living well till 100 years of age. Basic but significant, here they are in an order I remember :),

1. Never tell lies. If situation demands it then remain silent and refuse to answer, but don’t say an untruth.

2. Never keep someone else’s money & in case you get it then return it promptly. This includes paying your taxes/buying tickets (& probably paying for pirated software).

3. Never gamble.

4. Never complain or speak bad about someone or something.

5. Wake up before the sunrise everyday.

These teachings are a bit goody-two-shoes for me, but it was interesting to hear this story. Especially because this person was a yogi. He had at a younger age met Aurobindo who was then alive. Aurobindo told him that he already had another Guru and he was waiting for him at an ashram near Junaghad in Gujarat. So he went and met that Guru then lived a full life with his family in Mumbai. At the age of 100 and 40ish days, he asked his son (my grand-dads friend) to take him to his ashram. There he kneeled down and was gone.