Hello and welcome to episode 142 of The Ask Sri Vishwanath Show. Today is part eight of what happens after death.
This has been quite a long series of videos with lots of great information so I would really recommend that you watch the other seven videos so you can really get a good idea of what we have been talking about. I will give a quick summary but you should also go and read them in detail to get the most information.
In 135 we spoke about the sacrifice of Nachiketa. How a young buy asked his father to sacrifice his best asset, himself. He was sent to the chamber of death where he met Yama who offered him three boons. For his last boon he wanted to know what happened after death. Yama tried unsuccessfully to distract the boy and in the end, revealed his secrets to him.
In 136 we learned that Yama told him that destruction is only going back to the source. How there are some things that die with the body and some things that do not. The spirit never dies. The spirit is what is important and what we should focus on.
We talked about that source, sound and how all creation began with sound. As before we discussed the most powerful sound in the universe, AUM. We talked about how AUM makes up the entire sound matrix and how mediating on it, feeling it vibrating through every part of your body can really help you get back to your consciousness.
In 137 we spoke about the different realms and how heaven is not the final destination. Heaven is a stop of on a transit journey. If you have not formed the gold image then your stop off in heaven will be used to better equip you in your next life. We also learned that a high level of sattvic gunas ensures a better position in heaven with the greatest teachers.
In 138 we talked about the 5 spheres, the earth sphere, lunar sphere, electric sphere, Brahma Lok and the un manifest. We spoke about the difference between matter and force and how it changes between the spheres because the higher the vibrations the hard it is to distinguish between the two. As you go up through the sphere’s the vibrations get higher so in the Brahma Lok and un manifest you cannot distinguish between particles and force.
We learned that once you reach the electric sphere you do not come back. The great ones exist in the Brahma Lok and have power over everything except creation.
In episode 139 we learned about how we are all born through food, sacrifice and rain. The wise ones would create sacrifices of fire to the rain gods so they would bring the rain and the crops would grow.
In episode 140 we learned about time and how there are two types of time: real and apparent. We talked about the life force, prana and how there are two columns of this force called pingala and ida which run around our spines on either sides. We spoke about how we can make use of this life force through Raja yoga which allows us to create a new channel and be more aware of the consciousness.
In episode 141 we spoke about children and the fact that children choose their parents and not the other way around. We spoke about how children do not need instruction to grow up and do great things. They only need a good example and a good environment. If you are a parent I highly recommend this episode as the information in it is really important.
Today I want to talk about the final moments before the consciousness leaves the body. Krishna says “in the end who so ever departs giving up the body and remembering me only reaches me. Remembering whatever being one gives up the body that very being one attains to ever conforming to that being. Therefore remember me at all times. Fixing your mind and intellect on me, rid of all doubts you will surely reach me.”
Godly impressions
When leaving it is very important that the last thoughts are filled with Godly impressions. It doesn’t matter if you have never done it throughout your life. You still get a chance at the last moment to have god in your thoughts. Your last thoughts should not be worldly or what you have done throughout your life. Do not miss that chance to redeem your life. This is why when someone is near death you should read scriptures to them and keep images of God near them. This way their last thought will be of God and this thought will enter the prana which will then enter into the jiva and leave the body.
The great masters have a jiva that leaves at the highest point of the body between the eye brows but most of us are not masters. Some of us can attain it but the rest of us have to work a bit harder at it. So help the person by reciting scripture and keeping images of God in front of them.
Don’t be sad
There should be no sadness surrounding the death of a loved one. Don’t be sad around them when they are near their final moments. If the person sees sadness all around them this will make an impression on them. You do not want their last thought that goes with them to be of sadness. You do not want them to carry sadness with them on their journey. Yes it is OK to cry but do not be sad. Know that you have done a great job by keeping God in their minds and that God will be there to welcome them.
So repeat scriptures but sit next to the person and tell them directly. Tell them not to be sad, not to be worried but to be happy. Happy for a life well lived and happy to be finally welcomed into the arms of God. As a family member this is the single most important thing you will ever do for a loved one.
Ganges water
Another really important aspect is having holy water from the Ganges. If you have any you should offer it to the person to drink. Adi Shankaracharya says that anyone who recites the Bhagavad Gita and drinks water from the Ganges does not have to worry about the God of death. You will be taken to the highest heights of Brahma Lok and you will not come back because you will have completed one of the most important tasks of contemplating on the Brahman on your very last breath.
In our day to day lives we get in touch with the world and with people and our own thoughts. The un real world. We indulge in a lot of thinking and gain impressions. The Ganges help by removing doubt, fear, hatred and other thing that come with the world. So by reading one verse of the Bhagavad Gita every day and drinking one drop of the Ganges water you will never have to fear Yama, the god of death.
The heart of it all
There is a text in Hindu literature called the Garuda Purana which a lot of people should pay attention to. The heart of Hinduism is the Vedas. The Vedas are nothing but the sum total of un-manifest and the manifest. So how the world was created and everything that came before it. There is Jnana kanda and karma kanda and we should be focused on Jnana kanda(knowledge of consciousness) but because of desires people wrongly focus on the karma kanda(rituals to help you manifest desires). Gnana Kanda is the heart of everything.
Long ago everything was focused on the heart of the consciousness and then came the Bhagavad Gita which was knowledge straight from the mouth of Krishna. After that came the Purnanas of which there are 18. Vivekananda said that Hinduism did a great job right up until the Bhagavad Gita but after that the sages decided that it wasn’t good enough so they decided to introduce hell. Nowhere in the Bhagavad Gita will you find any mention of hell because it was all about fearlessness.
Hell
You will never see Hell in the scriptures because they are meant to help you go from fear to fearlessness. People already have fear, insecurity and doubt and they don’t need any further of that coming from religion. If you look at a lot of other religions there is an element of fear in the text.
So the Puranas were great but they introduced the concept of Hell. And what happens when you read about Hell? You experience fear. One of the texts is called Garuda puran and it has a version of what happens after death. It talks about the journey of the people who have not followed dharma and created the gold image. It says they are tortured for 365 days and only then do they get to the lunar sphere and come back. I don’t really want to get into that but I want to give you some tips. It’s not completely untrue but I want to give you some of the best parts.
Silvester Stallone’s son died about 8 or ten years ago because of a drug overdose. He said that his son appeared to him every day and it really disturbed him. A popular Hindu astrologer went to him and told him that he needed to perform the rites called the Shraddha. It’s a 13 day ritual that is performed after someone dies and after that a lot of people took an interest in it. When you perform the Shraddha it will ensure that the soul that departs will be peaceful. If the souls leaves with sadness it can no longer discriminate between real and unreal.
Gifts
If you can’t do Shraddha then there are some other things that will help you. They say the most powerful gift you can offer is a cow. This will absolve a person’s mistakes that they made during their lifetime. It can be given by a relative. Another gift is a piece of land the size of a cow’s hide.
The great ones say all of your friends, family and relatives can accompany you to the crematory ground. After that the only thing that can follow you is dharma – your consciousness. After you leave the body behind everything else is gone. You leave behind family, friends, money, property and everything except the consciousness- Dharma
This is why it is so important to withdraw the gunas and be detached. Your most important mission should be to decimate between the real and unreal and to form the gold image. Practice dharma and you will be safe. You will get to Brahma Lok and you will never have to come back. You will never have to worry about heaven or hell or anything else. Remember dharma pays off a million times over.
So remember to make sure your loved one pass with only God on their eyes, ears and mouth.
I hope you enjoyed this series. Remember you keep asking questions and I’ll keep answering them.
