Dr R N Sharma
Planet earth is also known as “mrityulok” or the realm of death. All persons born on this planet are bound to die after completing their tenure. This is the law of the universe. When a person dies, his physical body is cremated, buried or disposed of in another appropriate manner.
What Remains after the disposal of the physical body?
The subtle body and the individual body remain after the physical body is shed.
Subtle Body: It consists of five sense organs, five organs of action, five pranas, mind, intellect and ego. In other words, it comprises of the vital layer, the layer of the mind and the intellectual layer of one’s personality.
Individual Soul: It is the innermost essence of one’s personality and is also known as Jivatma.
Self-realisation: Realisation of the identity of one’s self with the ultimate Reality or Supreme Brahman is self-realisation, liberation or emancipation. It is freedom of the embodied soul from its coverings or adjuncts, namely the layers of the intellect, the mind, the vital layer and the physical layer. The greatest delusion of the embodied soul is its mistaken identity with the physical body.
Passage of Subtle body and the Soul is being taken up under five categories: These are:
Passage of Unrealised Souls: Those who are unable to attain self-realisation in this life come under this group. Majority of persons fall under this category. When a person becomes weak due to old age and is awaiting death, people gather around him and query, ” Do you recognize me”, ” I am so-and-so, related to you, do you recognize me?” He is able to reply to these people as long as the pranas do not depart from the body and as long as the mind is working in a normal manner. But when the mind is compelled by the “pranas” to withdraw itself into its source, no sensation, no thought, no recognition remains whatsoever. The series of events which it undergoes are something like this. The Purusha in the eye withdraws itself into its source, the Sun; then there is no seeing and he cannot recognize anyone. The olfactory sense also gets withdrawn to its source and he cannot smell. The sense of taste also gets withdrawn and he cannot taste anything. The faculty of speaking or Agni Tattva also gets withdrawn and he cannot speak. Likewise, he cannot hear; he cannot think and he cannot understand. Then all the energies of the sense organs gather together in the centre of the heart; there is flash of light and the “pranas” may move up vertically, horizontally or downwards and then they burst through one of the orifices of the body. It is believed that if the pranas leave through the crown of the head, the soul goes to higher regions; if the pranas move horizontally or downwards and exit through one of the other orifices, it is supposed to indicate downward descent of the soul to lower regions. While these events are going on, there is a concurrent feeble awareness in the subtle body of its future habitation into another realm and the preparation of a new body for it. The subtle body does not leave the previous body unless proper arrangement is made elsewhere for the formation of the new body. The forces of nature work spontaneously and unless the subtle body puts one foot on its future habitation, it does not lift its other foot from the previous body. The new body is formed by the five primary elements derived from the storehouse of nature. These elements are earth, water, fire, wind and space. The type of new body that the soul acquires is such through which it can fulfil the remaining unfulfilled desires of its previous life. The innermost longings of the individual determine his future birth.
What goes with us when we leave this world? Three things go with us. They are:
Knowledge: That knowledge which has become an integral part of our being and which we spontaneously use in our day-to-day living, with which we think, behave and act in our daily life would go with us. The so-called knowledge or information that is found in the libraries of the world or in the encylopedias shall not go with us.
Work or Actions: All voluntary actions done with a purpose and not compulsive actions would go with us. Our voluntary actions generate a subtle and invisible force called Apurva and that goes with us.
Impressions or Sanskars: Impressions which have been accumulated by the mind, various thoughts, perceptions, cognitions and feelings are called Vasanas or Sanskars. These would go with us.
Passage of the soul of the Yogis: Persons who have been spiritually inclined throughout their life, who have been engaged in regular meditation in their life, who have gained an insight into the secret of Truth and who practice austerity with great faith are known as Yogis.
They go by the Archiardi Marg, Devayana Marg, the Northern Path or Uttarayana Marg. Their soul first goes up to the realm of the god of fire; then it goes higher to the deity of the day, then higher to the realm of the deity that superintends the bright half of the lunar month; then to the deity of the year and thereafter it goes higher to the deity of the six months when the sun travels through the Northern hemisphere. Then it goes to the sun. As the soul is rising higher and higher through the above realms , it gets more and more refined and lustrous. From the sun, the soul goes up to the realm of lightening where there is a flash of lightening of knowledge, there is further refinement of the soul and it gives up its individuality. Then a superhuman person comes to receive it , holds it by hand and takes it to the realm of Cosmic Waters and finally the soul reaches the Hall of Brahma. There the soul acquires the luster, the powers and privileges of Brahma Himself. And there the soul resides for a very long period of time and eventually the soul attains Moksha or liberation on the completion of one day of Brahma which is 432 million years.
III. Passage of Good persons: Persons who have been philanthropic, charitable who have done rendered social service, done other good deeds, who possess virtue of compassion for other human beings, animals , ants etc. and who have performed many sacrifices or yajnas recommended by the scriptures go by the Southern Path, the Dark Path or Dakshanayan Marg. They have not done any meditation and lack the knowledge of Reality and not led the spiritual life of Yogis. Their soul first goes to the realm of the deity of smoke, then to the deity of night, then to the deity that superintends the dark fortnight of lunar month, then to the realm of the deity that superintends the six months of the course of the sun when it moves to the Southern hemisphere. From there, the soul does not go up to the realm of sun; it goes south to the realm of forefathers or Pitrs, then it goes to the realm of space and finally to the realm of the deity of moon. There it enjoys the fruits of its good actions for many years and also enjoys the privileges of gods. And when the merit of its good actions gets exhausted, it returns back to earth.
IV. Passage of Realised Souls: Persons who have led a spiritual life, who have acquired the knowledge of the Supreme Reality and have identified their self with the Ultimate Truth and constantly abide in the eternal blissful state, have no desires left whatsoever through discrimination and renunciation are described as Jivanmuktas or emancipated while living. On shedding the body, their soul does not go anywhere but directly enters the immanent Brahman present everywhere and becomes one with it.
V. Passage of other souls: Persons who are absolutely selfish, cruel, sinful, violent, who lack compassion and other virtues, who have no faith in the existence of anything higher than themselves, who are antisocial and indulge in criminal activities do not go by any of the above paths. After shedding this body, they pass through a cycle of innumerable births in countless species of flora and fauna, vertebrate and invertebrate creatures, creepers, insects, moths, flies, gnats etc. of very short duration of life and as inhabitants of nether regions of the universe with extreme hardships and sufferings.
(The author is former Professor and Chairman of Urology SKIMS, Soura Srinagar)
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