Q: Your body just turned 70 years old. How did you notice approaching old age?

Well, as devotees, we know that we are not this body, and so one becomes a mere observer of the process, which is unavoidable for those who survive the process of aging. One feels more detached and is not so easily drawn into an action, which may cause anxiety or fear for others and oneself.
The soul is never old, never born, and never dies, but the body does.

Besides the physical symptoms, in my case, I would describe it as a diminishment of the elasticity of the bone structure, starting with difficulties to bow down, sit on the floor, and raise again. There are also changes in consciousness.

The passion of the youth is more and more replaced by a more rational approach to any action. One considers more:

• Is this action of some use?
• How much energy and time may it consume?
• What would be the karmic effects of such an action?
• Is this the right time for the action, and are these the right circumstances for this type of action?
• Are those involved in the action reliable?
  (One doesn't anymore expect others to act beyond their limits, but one becomes aware of their nature and their conditioning by understanding that the nature of the body doesn't change; what can change is our consciousness and the way we use the body.)

Further on, I personally noticed that after meeting many extremely foolish people in my life, their foolishness possibly upgrading to insanity, one becomes more and more unwilling to engage in worthless arguments with those who cannot accept reason and logic as given to us by Srila Prabhupada. In other words, one realises that the radius of what one would be eager to share is limited, and one doesn't throw anymore “pearls for the swine” around.

I also met in my life dangerous individuals; some tried to kill me, but by Krsna's mercy, they didn't succeed. Some of them claimed to be devotees of the Lord but ultimately acted as demons.
And so one becomes concerned with the appearance of people, their designations, their words, and the way they perceive themselves. One pays more attention to their actions based on their desires.
One learns to perceive others more on the basis of their hearts than their outlooks, their physical bodies, or their academic erudition. One becomes more selective with whom to associate and in what manner one can associate.

One also more and more sees the limitations of one's abilities, and even as Srila Prabhupada has shown us, old age is not limiting anybody to be empowered; one learns to mind one's conditioning and doesn't expect the impossible. In full awareness, by Krsna's mercy, ANYTHING is possible.

One sees oneself more as the observer than as the performer.

One learns that life is an accumulation of moments, and as one used to plan for the future when one was young, one often missed its presence. Approaching old age means making one aware of how precious moments and time as such are. They never return. Therefore, they are called "moments.”

One becomes more and more aware of the moments one wasted, the moments that were properly used, and the moments that became turning points in their lives. Particularly, each single moment spent in association with a pure devotee is a moment lasting for eternity, as association with a truly pure devotee is the most precious gift one can receive.

Every day I thank Krsna for sending Srila Prabhupada, and I thank Srila Prabhupada for coming to the West, saving us all from the darkest ignorance.

These are just a few symptoms of approaching old age.