Life after death...

Friends,

The Bhagavatgita, the bible of Hindus, speaks of rebirth, which means, there is life after death.Have studied that death is only for the physical body, and the astral body remains, on its way to continuing the journey, whatever there is.We also hear about siddhas living still after hundreds of years, after relinquishing their physical bodies!There should be some truth in all these, is my humble opinion.

I think Kannan's question is about the near death experiences, the tunnel and white light that prople describe when they recover after a physical trauma. Dr. Gupta has explained the white light and tunnel experience in medical terminology.

Nandu, these are my thoughts on re-birth. I believe humans are sent into this world to gain certain experiences and grow from them. If we have not learnt what we are supposed to learn in one life, then we are returned. It is like repeating a grade in school because the student has performed poorly. Also, in a school, only the gifted students are challenged by the teacher to excel. In the same manner, we see that most often bad things happen to good people. In fact, there is a book "When bad things happen to good people" written by a Rabbi.

So these days, when something doesn't go the way I like it to, I question myself "what is it I am supposed to learn from this experience? How can I grow into a better person from this knowledge?" I have found that this keeps my emotions in check.

Everything in nature is a cycle. If there is birth then there is death as well. And if there is death... sure enough there is birth too for the same soul. Energy can never be destroyed.

Actually the soul is eternal... it is neither born nor dies. It just takes up bodies and gives them up if found not useful to continue our quest (due to old age etc., or any other reason like karmas get exhausted).

We the souls continue through all this journey to reach the final destination... the truth of Advaita - the eternal oneness we always are. The changing of bodies is akin to changing vehicles enroute the final destination.

Death is like a sleep and birth is a waking up. We continue from where we left before we slept during the night of death.

Also the whole world as we experience it is only a projection of our mind. Nothing exists apart from you. This is the truth. Realising that everything is ONE .... that is... there is NO-TWO (Advaita) is the state of liberation or jeevanmukti. Only in ONENESS there is LOVE. When one has realized this TRUTH s/he has love for the whole world. This is the ONLY TRUE LOVE. No wonder then "LOVE is the GREATEST thing in this world".

Till you pass this exam and get the highest marks for Self-Realization you are sent back again and again (reincarnations) to qualify in the exams/efforts towards liberation from all ignorance defined by duality and separation caused by powerful maya (which keeps distracting you from your final goal - otherwise known as Satan or the Devil) created by the illusory ego.

The driving force for reincarnation is the ego which is nothing but a bundle of VASANAS (the fragrance that cling to the EGO which is the sense of 'I"ness and "myness" created by ego-prompted actions in this world). The vasanas (or tendencies) express themselves as karmas.

Our mind is the chitragupta - something like a constant/continuous sting operation, who records all our thoughts, words and deeds. That is why Chitragupt (Lord Yama's Minister) opens the books (on our reaching yamaloka - yam = one who disciplines) of our deeds on earth for only he knows the truth and can prove it!!.

Now the question one should put to oneself is "who dies". We say "I". Now enquire/question who is this 'I". The answer which you must get on your own will reveal that nobody is born and nobody dies. Birth and death are only for the ego. AND YOU ARE NOT THE EGO. THEREFORE REJOICE WE ARE ALL CHIRANJEEVIES - IMMORTAL. That is why in Hinduism we are always addressed as " LISTEN YE, CHILDREN OF IMMORTAL BLISS !!".

So we must not worry about 'life after death'; rather the focus must be on "LIFE BEFORE DEATH" !!

Pradeep, very nice explanation. Thanks

Usha Thanks for writing back your thoughts...

Well even i would be happy if there is a life after death basically cos we humans dont wanna lose our sense of consciousness or self....But i dont think there is anything afterwards maybe its just blank.....I heard some saying death is like eating a big piece of banana....Its hard only for a few seconds where its stuck in the throat but once it goes past it we dont know or feel anything about it........Maybe its like this only......Totally blank.....But thats sad.....I dont think one human life is enough to be satisfied living in this world

Yes i have read about rebirth in all our books but i think thats impossible....If you think rebirth was there how can you explain the fact that the worlds population is keeping on increasing not just humans the entire living beings are just increasing if rebirth was the source then only 1 should come from one....Right

Really a good topic..
I don't know about the rebirth. But i would like to share my experience.
Me and my grandma was very close as she was with our family even though she had 7 children.My father is the youngest in his family. So my grandma was with us always after grandpa passed away. After our marriage she was not keeping well as she fall down. I used to visit her often since i was at my Hus's house (5yrs travelling). One Sunday when i visited her she told me don't go be with me here itself, and i could find tears in her eyes and she said me that"grandpa is waiting for my arrival he is always near me now a days". But since i was working i have to leave. After a day she was not able to talk and was like unconscious all the time, when i saw her again after 2 days she could recognize me but she was not able to talk, she holded my hands and i could see tears.. I felt touched and she was holding my hand very tight.. Again after 3 days i got a call from my home, my mom told she is breathing heavily and all my aunties and uncles are here come fast.
Infact she was waiting for me... by then i reached i could found my home was full of relatives and grandma was lying on the hall with all the aunties and uncles nearby reading Ramayan, and chanting mantras.. when i entered she was smiling at me... and she was murmuring something seeing the ceiling.. she also looked around the ceiling as somebody was there... By then her eyes was closing slowly, seeing that i cried heavily, hearing that she opened her eyes and kept it that a way she doesn't like to close it...But my relatives took me aside bcos seeing her breathing i was not able to control my crying.... she left us then....
I still remember my grandma used to tell me that at the time of death, our very own close person will be there to take us near to the God.. to show us the way.. She also told me if we cry the soul cannot leave this earth happily as she has to go far to meet god.
Sorry for the long post. But somehow i felt to share these experiences.. I love her a lot.. and even i can see her in my dreams....

That is an interesting topic - for reasons I cannot explain or comprehend, I do believe in life after death, unless a person has reached the highest level of existence in his current life.

Usha thanks for all those book references. I am going to check them out. Personally for me, the book that helped immensly with personal loss is "same soul many bodies" - Brian L.Weiss It was referred by another IL here and I loved it. While it might not answer all questions, it does take us to another level of thinking.

What a coincidence ....just saw this article. Haven't read it - just sharing with you D'Souza's New Book Promises Proof of the Afterlife | Newsweek Books | Newsweek.com

Sharanyadevi what you said is so true even i have had such incident when my grandpa was dying in his last moments he said about his mother waiting for him there and few year later when one of my relatives died he said he is seeing my grandpa there......I have heard this many times dont know.....Well some ppl say its brains last electric discharge just firing....But i dont think it explains this well......