Death, an inevitable stage for every living being. It is present all around us. Almost every moment some form of life is as at this stage. The plants, the living creatures, the human beings, in fact all forms of life encounter it. Death could be defined as when the living form ceases to function. It might be for any reason, both internal and external. Internal one would include when the life sustaining substances stop functioning. The external one would include the alien factor. Simply put in case of air breathing creatures that the body ceases to breathe. The same air that we inhale every moment of our lives, unaware of its living giving power.

Death comes in so many ways, both naturally and unnaturally. Again these terms, naturally and unnaturally, have been coined by the human mind. If a man dies a natural death then it is very well accepted. However in case of an unnatural death, the cause and the whole life of the man is analysed. The man is termed to be an unfortunate one who could not die a natural deaht.Death due to being killed is an unnatural death. But Death is beyond such mortal definitions.

Humans have been pondering over as to how to define death. To explain many unknown phenomena and to lay down the principles of the way of life, man came up with the concept of religion. According to some religions death the final stage of a man�s life. After this stage the man is judged for his action by a supreme being called God. Some religions say that it is the soul that�s eternally present. The soul never dies. It takes the form of one life form, gives it up when death occurs and then takes up another life form. Along with giving death a definition, man has also been trying to fight against it or rather prolong the life period by inventing and discovering medicines and cures for life threatening diseases.

How ever there is some control that a man exercises over death. And that is the way a man faces death. Many fear death, some welcome it to be free from their miseries, some let it come when its time and some are unaware of its coming. However there were some who lived a life with death on each step. They lived a life of principles, a life of honour, a life of service, a way of life worth dying for. It was the life of a warrior, the life of a soldier, the life of a Samurai. For them death was not a mere categorization into natural an unnatrual. It was a duty to be performed.

Samurai was a class of warriors of the country Japan, in service of the emperors. They were the protectors against the enemy. Their armaments included bows and arrows, swords etc. All through their life, the samurais adhered to a certain set of principles and rules. They practiced discipline in all the activities of their life. The way life of Samurai was a difficult one. And the way of death of a Samurai was equally tough. A Samurai could not bear the shame of defeat by the enemy. If a Samurai was defeated in battle then he would end his own life in the name of honour. Either the enemy would kill Samurai or the Samurai would take his own life if defeated. How one would justify it did not matter to them. They followed the principles even at the time of death.

So what was this act to a Samurai? Why at that moment he would not hold on to a great gift called life, a gift that all considered so precious that they would go to all extents and even kill another man, end another life. A gift that man cherished so much that he would compromise on any principle, just to have a bit more of it.

A warrior�s life, a soldier�s life is an honourable one. A warrior fights for his country, his people, the things that he loves and the things that he cares for. A death in the battlefield is what a warrior looks for. His loved ones and dear ones feel proud of such a death. But a Samurai�s way of death would make many a warrior hesitate. Even a warrior would love to be alive.

The word we came across is �honour�. What is honour? And how is it more powerful than the life itself at that moment. Since the beginning man has been trying to live more and more. He has many a reason to do it. A man wants to experience more in life, see more things, get more of what he considers valuable, love and care longer for his dear ones, feel loved by people for a longer time and much more. How is all this not relevant anymore in the face of honour.

If one comes to analyze honour then he would term it as a sense of satisfaction that one derives by following certain rules and principles. Rules for a way conducting oneself in life. Different cultures have different set of rules. These rules would be based on the societal norms. To some, these rules may appear irrelevant or irrational or even foolish. To some the rules may appear life itself or maybe more than life. But what is honour to someone who is not alive. But a Samurai followed the principles of his life till the last breath. He had dedicated his whole life for a reason and he would dedicate his death too.

For any warrior choosing death by himself in a war is a decision he makes at the battlefield. He has many choices at the battlefield while confronting the enemy. The choice to fight, the choice to run away, the choice to surrender, the choice to die, the choice to win and the choice to not fight. But a Samurai has only two choices when he goes to the battlefield. They are either victory or death.

When a man adopted the way of a Samurai at an early age, he made the decisions being aware of the two choices. This asked for a lot of courage and discipline from a mortal being, especially for the one who knew how precious his life was, not only for himself but for his dear ones too.

No army in the whole world lays down any such rule of giving up one�s life when facing defeat. If that would be so then there would be very few men standing up as warriors. But this was the way of the Samurai. For a Samurai it was a ritual similar to the daily rituals performed by him on any day, without an iota of hesitation. A Samurai lived in present life. He did not think about the life after death. He did not think about the judgment that would be passed on to him, if any. He did not think about heaven or hell. He only thought about honour.

No wonder these warriors were respected by their people for their single minded purpose, never failing, no matter what the cost. The whole mankind has been trying to evade death while this clan of warriors, the Samurais, chose it themselves. Their way of living had made them so pure that they had renounced life itself and all the glories of it for what the called, �Honour�.