In plain words
full of bliss, beyond the pairs of opposites — it is to such a guru that people turn, so the Śruti declares. One who possesses these qualities is the Lord of all alone; worldly gurus, however learned in philosophy, are not such — this we must believe.
In the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha, the question Śrī Rāmacandra put to Vasiṣṭha was this very one: 'O Guru! Is there a way to escape the grip of death?'
Was it not this very question that turned Gautama Buddha toward renunciation, made him give up every attachment, and won him renown as the supreme among men?
Prahlāda, foremost among devotees, likewise called his playmates and said, 'O boys! Have you seen some boys of our own age in this world collapse, be consumed by fire, or fall away and perish?' So saying, he brought the very spectacle of death before their eyes, and taught them what death truly is.
Therefore it is most essential that all who seek the highest good undertake, first of all, an inquiry into death. Death should not be imagined as something fearful or inauspicious. One must not think that death belongs to others and not to oneself. Nor should one dismiss the matter of death, saying, 'why concern myself with it now — it serves no purpose.' Inquiry into death means, in truth, inquiring precisely into one's own highest goal — this one must believe.
Viveka means thoroughly examining the visible world and striving to know its true nature and its own essential form. It is the matter of death alone that gives rise to the question, 'Who am I?' Therefore the matter of death must never be forgotten, disregarded, or fled from in fear. This is the very first step of ignorance; it is the seed sown for an unwary life; it is a great source of strength for Māyā. The supreme secret of what it means to be human is entirely bound up with the inquiry into death, and it is only in the examination of death that the divine play of consciousness shines forth.