Q: What is death? What happens after death?
Today, we will contemplate Death. What happens after death for different types of living beings?
First, let us contemplate what happens to a person who is enlightened, a jivanmukta. A jivanmukta, by definition, is liberated, when he is alive. What has happened to him? There are 3 bodies: the gross body, subtle body and causal body. The causal body or body of ignorance is dissolved. So, because of that, because of Jnana, the Avidya is gone, the causal body is gone. Because of that, the Jiva, the individual soul has found the unity or merger with the Sakshi.
He or she has become Brahman while he/she is alive. He/she is merged with Universal Consciousness. But there is a body. Individual soul or Jivatma, has become one with the Paramatma. So, the body is not operated by the individual. But because of the Consciousness, which is there, the Paramatma, the body is operating, and the body is continued to live on. This happens because of some Prarabdha karma. The pending Prarabdha karma is there. So, the body continues to live on.
Now, what is the pending Prarabdha karma? The pending Prarabdha karma is related to the teaching. So, ultimately it is only the Jnani who has to transmit the wisdom to other people. Scriptures means, to save something. But ultimately, they take the words of scriptures, which become alive in the mouth of Jnani. So, the body of the Jnani is maintained by the universal energy, Shakthi, for the purpose of continuing the teaching. This is the case of a Jnani or Jivanmukta.
Such a person is said to be in Sahaja Samadhi or the Natural state. He walks, he talks, he does everything, but there is no individuality. It is an impersonal Consciousness operating through that body-mind complex. This is for the purpose of teaching wisdom. Now, when he dies, when we say, “he dies”, there is no question of death for him. The body becomes old or the body dies.
Where does the soul go? Nowhere. Because it is already merged with the Paramatma. There is no movement anywhere. So, this is the state of a jivanmukta.
For most people, the body is burnt after death. Typically, Jivanmukta’s body is buried. Because that body has become sacred or holy due to the merger of Jivatma with Paramatma. After exhausting all the Prarabdha karma, the body dies. Before the body dies, it would be a temple of Paramatma.
I will narrate the story of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was a Jnani of the highest order. But he had a desire. He used to eat a lot of food. He liked the food. Maa Sharadadevi used to tell “What is this? You have desire for food? What will people think of you? A Jnani is supposed to drop all desires and you have still desire for food?”.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to say that, “If I don’t have a small desire for food, my body will drop. To maintain the body, I need to have some small desire, to hold on to the body”.
For an Ajnani, to realize that I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not the intellect, I am pure Chaitanya, is very difficult. It is the other way for a Jnani. For a Jnani, holding on to the body is very difficult. For Ajnani, to hold on to Atma is very difficult. For a Jnani, to hold on to the body is very difficult. Because he has already become Paramatma. But Jnani may still continue to have some desire, some Prarabdha karma for the purpose of teaching.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to say, “The day my desire for food stops, the day I stop taking food, my body will drop”. He was eagerly waiting for disciples like Vivekananda for teaching purpose. After he taught Vivekananda and many disciples, he developed throat cancer. He stopped taking food and within 2 days he attained Mahasamadhi.
So, a Jnani, when he is alive, is in a state of Sahaja Samadhi or the Natural state. When his body drops, it is a state called Mahasamadhi. But there is no difference from the perspective of Jivatma. Jivatma has already become Paramatma. So, the presence or absence of the body doesn’t matter. But it makes difference to the people who are seeing it. Because the teaching is happening, or teaching is not happening. That’s all. This is the state of a jivanmukta.
There is another category of person who is called Yogabrashta. Yogabrashta is someone who is trying to do sadhana, a yogi, but he could not progress and died before the completion of the sadhana or realization of the truth. That means, he started the spiritual practices, but passed away or died before he could attain any state of realization. Such a person is called Yogabrashta.
What happens to Yogabrashta? A Yogabrashta takes birth in another family which will be conducive for his spiritual practices. He will take birth in a place that will help him to continue spiritual practices and get realization. He will be born in the family of a yogi or possibly in the family of a rich man. In either case, it will be very conducive for him to continue his spiritual sadhana and realize.
So, we have understood what is happening to a Jnani, what is happening to a yogi. Now there is a 3rd category. There is a Bhakta. Three categories totally: Jnani, Yogi and Bhakta. So, the difference between Jnani and bhakta is that Jnani typically does his sadhana of “Neti. Neti.” Or “Not this! Not this”. Jnani goes inside and realizes the Atma. Whereas Bhakta may focus on a Deity or devata. A Bhakta attains what is called Krama Mukti. Krama Mukti means gradual liberation.
So, depending on the stage of realization of a Bhakta, Bhakta can be in different stages. He can be in Salokya, Samipya, Sarupya or Sayujya. If it is Sayujya, it is already as good as Jeevan Mukti. But if he has attained Salokya which means he experiences the presence of the deity or Samipya which is closest to the deity or Sarupya which is some of the qualities of the deity that has come in you.
Then what happens to him after death? He goes through a path called Devayaana. Devayaana means the path of light . When we say the path of light, it is not physical light. It is the path of enlightenment or liberation, Mukti marga. He goes through the path of the Sun. Sun represents intellect, wisdom. So, he goes through the path of the Sun and he goes to a higher level loka of the deity which he did Upasana. And that loka is called Brahma loka. In that loka, he stays for a long period of time. Actually, till the end of Brahmaloka. He continues his sadhana and attains the Mukti along with the deity in that loka at the end of the period. It is called Devayaana marga or it is also called Uttarayana marga. It is also called path of light. This is the state of a Bhakta.
Then, what happens to a person who has not taken up spiritual sadhana? He is doing in dharma. He is doing good activities and dharmic activities. But his mind has not yet come for liberation or Mukti. People can do activities for 4 purposes, Purushartha: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.
Moksha, there is 2 type of people. Jnani and Bhakta and yogi. I spoke of Jnani, what happens to him. I spoke of Bhakta, what happens to him and I spoke of a yogi, what happens to him.
Now, another category of person, who is not looking for Mukti, but he is doing the dharmic activity. Dharmic activity purifies him. Dharma can be performed in many ways. Whichever position he is in, he can perform that role with a dharmic attitude. For e.g.: Somebody is a king or an administrator. He can do service to the people or somebody can do pancha yajnas: Deva yajna, Pitru yajna, Manushya yajna, Bhoota yajna and Rishi yajna. They can do these very sincerely. Those people will acquire punya phala. They go through the path of darkness or it is called Pitrayaana. They go to the Swargaloka. They enjoy the fruits of good merit at Swargaloka. And come back to the earth once the fruits of punya or good merit are exhausted. This is called Dakshinayana marga or path of darkness or pitrayaana. Pitru means ancestors, the path of ancestors. So, this is the path for a person who has done good karma or punya.
What happens to a person who has done adharma? What happens to a person who has not performed his duties? What happens to a person who has created disturbance? What happens to a person who created disturbance for the people or the society or for animals or for the environment? Such a person will also go in the path of darkness. But he will go to hell and suffer until his papa gets exhausted. He will be there in hell till all his papa gets exhausted and again he can be born on earth as a human being or possibly in the animal life also. This is the category of people who have done dharma and adharma.
One more category of people is there who is not even bothered about dharma, not bothered about moksha. They are living with Artha and Kama. Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha are the 4 principles. Those who have Artha and Kama, which is actually the category for most of the people today. The bulk of the people fall into this category. Artha means money. Kama means desire. Those who live for Artha and Kama, their actions are always selfish oriented. They are called kamya karma.
So, these people who do kamya karma will definitely do some good to others. Or they do something bad to others also. But their intention is some selfish interest. Something has to come back to me, or I want to hurt somebody. So, this debt, will not qualify him to go either to Swargaloka or narakaloka or hell. This has to be cleared in the earth plane itself. They will be reborn in the earth plane, in a place suitable for fulfilling their karmic debt. So, all our families, all our friends, all our relatives, most of our relationship in life, business, most of these are nothing but our karmic connections.
If somebody hurts you, don’t get angry with the person. He has only come here to take back the karmic debt which you are due, which you have given. Some negative karma, which had incurred, he has come back to kill them. Somebody brings good news to you, somebody does good to you, just accept with respect. He has only delivered the good punya, good karma which you have done to you. These people who do bad karma or good karma, they are just agents to you. What is coming back to you, is what you have done in your life, knowingly or unknowingly, It is coming back to you in various ways.
When a courier comes to you, sometimes the courier brings good news to you. Sometimes the courier brings bad news. But don’t get angry with the courier. Most of the time we get angry with the person. Actually, it is not the person. It is the messenger of your karma. So, this is what happens to a person who lives in kamya karma.
Now, there is a question. Somebody is a Bhakta or a devotee. But because of impressions, he has desires, he is doing adharma. What happens to him?
When you say Bhakta, Bhakta doesn’t automatically qualify for higher loka. A Bhakta, when he goes to Brahmaloka, on the path of light. I am speaking of a Bhakta who has a certain level of realization. Not just a simple Bhakta. A Bhakta gets a realization. A realization in Salokya, Samipya, Saropya or Sayujya. One of these 4 categories will only go to higher loka.
Otherwise, Bhakta has not got any of the realizations. He has done his practices and he has done adharma also. Adharma and papa-punya, are different. Adharma is more related to not falling in line with universal principles. So, in case he has done adharma, he will go to narakaloka, experience the adharma phala. But because he is a Bhakta, he will come back on the earth plane and continue his sadhana, until he gets some level of realization.
So, papa-punya, good karma-bad karma, all these accounts are settled independently. They are not settled together. Papa doesn’t cancel punya, neither adharma cancel dharma. He has to come back to earth. Because realization can happen only in the earth plane. The Mukti or realization, you have to come back to the earth plane only.
Moksha has nothing to do with swarga. Swarga is not a junction for moksha. He will experience dharma in Swarga and adharma in Naraka. But for Mukti, he has to come back to earth. From there, Swarga to Mukti there is no direct path. Naraka to Mukti there is no direct path. Because he has not attained that realization.
Realization can happen only on the earth plane. To give an example: Dharmaraja [Yudhishthira], who followed dharma. In all his life, he told one lie and because of this lie, he had to visit narakaloka. Visit. A brief experience and then he went to swarga loka. But please understand he didn’t go to Mukti. Because he followed dharma. Following dharma is not the same as liberation.
Pranams
References:
SK 18
Self Knowledge Talks_T18_After Death(Jnani-Yogi-Ajnani)_13April2016
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