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Life after death – myths and reality (Maranottara Jivana – Tathya Evam Satya): Vangamaya Vol-16
Indian philosophy and culture is developed around the central idea of continuity of life. Living body is described here as an ‘inn’ and the soul as a ‘voyager’. The gross body made up of physical substances is mortal but the soul an eternal expression of the absolute supreme consciousness, is immortal. It can never be destroyed, damaged or injured…. The holy Gita quotes (2|20)
Na Jayate Mriyate Va Kadacinnayam Bhootva Bhavita Va Na Bhooyah|
Ajo Nityah Shashvatoayam Purano Na Hanyate Hanyamane Shareere ||
Meaning: The soul is never born nor does it ever die. It does not come into being in any age. It is self-existing and eternal. It does not die even after the body, in which it is manifested, dies.
Realization of the event of death, knowledge of life after death, reality of rebirth or reincarnation, the principle of karmaphala destiny based on deeds, and the provision of atonement form strong basis of the edifice of Hindu philosophy and Indian culture. Scriptures of yore and saints and visionaries of the later ages too define death as a transition process….; as we replace dirty, old or torn cloths by new ones, similarly, the soul changes old or diseased body and acquires new body after death….
The present volume of Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya Vangmaya elucidates the above issues with reasoned logic, rational arguments and evidential examples and deals with spiritual, psychological and scientific aspects of death and life after death. Specific topics covered here focus at – “What is death?”, “Do ghosts exist?”, “What is the subtle world of different invisible forms of life after death?” Thorough attempt is made to eliminate misconceptions, superstitions and illusions about the existence of ghosts and experiences of life after death….
The author focuses on the impact of psychological makeup, emotional character and intrinsic desires of a person on his subtle body in which the soul resides after departing from the gross body in the event of death. Emotional excitation of unfulfilled desires and impacts of negative thoughts, inhumane deeds and maligned sentiments do not leave the individual soul after death and motivate the subtle body to fulfill its desires through the medium of the gross bodies of other people…. Individuals lacking in inner strength may fall ‘pray’ to such ‘ghostly’ influences. People having the strength of character, strong willpower and self-confidence will never get affected by such ‘psychic’ disturbances. There also exists a category of people who become `living ghosts’ because of their audacious atrocities or sarcastic and cruel mentality.
The subtle bodies of serene, altruist, compassionate people carry the influence of their piety sentiments and even after death help the deserving and needy persons by way of premonition, appearance in dreams, ....., or, by educing inspiration in the latter’s minds. The subtle forms of life after death of this category are termed “pitars” in the Indian scriptures. The history of the world has witnessed ample examples of the aids and unprecedented guidance of such souls in preventing a disastrous accident, resolving a mystery, materialization of a discovery through flashes of mind or intuitive reflections, .....etc.
The souls of great personalities and spiritually refined saints and sages are always keen to bestow their blessings and help the weaker ones. As clouds shower on a thirsty land, the pitars too want to generously offer adept guidance and support to all deserving people. As the mode of linkage and communication with them happens to be the subtle body in the inner core of the mind and the inner self, we must purify our thoughts and sentiments and be devoted to divine virtues in order to be able to receive and understand the messages of the souls of our kind ancestors, the pitars… Views and experiences of reputed scientists and scholars of the modern times are also cited in the volume in this context.
The truth and possibilities of reincarnation, transmigration and yoga experiments of transmission of vital energy and transfer of individual self in multiple bodies are highlighted here with logical explanation and authentic examples in support. Collections and reports on verified instances of reincarnation (rebirth) and transmigration, prepared and published by modern researchers are also referred here which show the changing trends of scientific views on these issues. Scientific decipheration of the cycle of nature with respect to the subtle domains of life has brought the views of modern researchers much closer to the Indian philosophy of continuity of life.
More important and noteworthy is the principle of karmaphala because this is the only principle by which the relevance of religion, social ethics and morality in human life could be justified without any ambiguity or prejudice. Prarabdha (destiny) is a consolidated ‘account’ of our deeds conducted in the present and previous lives…. The quote “as you sow, so you must reap” applies to every aspect of life. Every action has a natural reaction. The duration and extent of the latter depend upon the characteristics of the former and upon the conditions under which either is materialized. How long a pendulum in simple harmonic motion will take to come back to its initial position depends upon its amplitude and air resistance etc. But that, it will come back is certain like the law of gravity. Same is the case with the results of our actions in the human life.
If the outcome or reaction of every action was instant, e.g., instant punishment for sins and reward for noble deeds…., there would not have been any need for a system of justice or social order etc.; prudence, reasoning, vision, hope, aspirations, etc too would have lost relevance in such a ‘mechanical’ life! The complexity of human life, the infinite domains of encounters, interactions and activities at the level of physical body, conscious mind and the inner world of sentiments, ...... and the role of unconscious mind make the consequences of one’s actions delayed by even a life-time or more…. Thus, despite its eternal validity, the principle of karmphala often appears to be false or imaginary to most people especially during the testing times of adversities or due to excessive ego coupled with successes through immoral means…..
The complexities associated with decipheration and verification of this principle are clearly stated by Lord Krishna in the holy Gita as “Karmana Gahano Gatih”; meaning: it is impossible for one to know or analyze his karmas (actions) and their impact. This topic is so vast that many erudite scholars of Gita and of the philosophy of life have written huge volumes on it. Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya too has written several books explaining this principle. The present volume compiles the essence in the context of continuity of life and how one can shape his present and future life…...
Whatever we do, think, aspire or feel through heart gets recorded in the deeper layers (chitta ) of the unconscious mind. The chitta regulates our destiny accordingly. The effects assimilated since the past birth influence our inherent tendencies and intrinsic character in the present life too. Human life happens to be the rarest opportunity in which the supreme creator has endowed the freedom of action (karma). It is only in this life that one can wipe out the malice of sins by expiation (prayashchitta) through appropriate noble actions, altruist service, penance and ascetic endeavors and architect his future destiny in the desired way by determined actions in the present.
Acharya Sharma has analyzed the applicability of the provisions of prayashchitta by the spiritual endeavors of Hemadri sankalpa, Chandrayana Vrata, etc, as advised by the rishis the ancient scholars of human life. He has also suggested practical methods which are easy to follow in today’s circumstances….. He describes a four step procedure: (i) systematically review the present life by unwinding the memory backwards from today until the childhood and take an unbiased stock of the misdeeds, immoral actions or mistakes committed so far….; also infer the harms caused by these to the others at materialistic, social or emotional levels….; (ii) accept the sins or misdeeds committed so far before an authentic guide or revered well-wisher and pledge with determination not to repeat those mistakes; implement this healing process in action; (iii) give a spiritual bath to the inner self by suitable disciplined practices of yoga and meditation; observe fasting and other forms of penance and perform, with sincerity, devotion and faith, anushthans and other religious practices which are aimed at emotional purification and internal refinement; and (iv) compensate for the harms or pains given to others; this can be achieved by offering selfless service to help the weaker or needy ones and dedicating creative efforts for altruist endeavors for the welfare of the human society and other living beings too. Readers will find more details on each of the above aspects and receive inspiring guidance on how to improve their destiny.
The nature of the karmas of the past life and their consequences is unknown…. It is only the present which lies in our hands. Noting the continuity of life and the reality of the principle of karmaphala, we must start the process of self-analysis, self-refinement and ideal shaping of our destiny from today instant.
The present volume deals with a topic which belongs to the esoteric domains of spiritual science and philosophy. Nevertheless, the lucid style of writing and mastery of the author in the subject and his thorough understanding and realization of human psychology through depth has made it an interesting, informative and thought provoking book for everybody.
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