28 Sep 2015
Mr. Martin Evind asked: What is the process of death and the fate of the soul in it?
Shri Swami Replied: The human being is made of four components: 1) the ultimate causal body (Maha Kaarana Shariram). This is a drop of ultimate infinite ocean of cosmic energy. Qualitatively, this and the infinite cosmic energy are one and the same even though there is quantitative difference. This ultimate cosmic energy is the second item that appeared on the first wish of God for entertainment (Sa Dviteeyam Eaichchat). This cosmic energy has taken different forms and became this world, which is both inert (inert energy) and alive (awareness). This cosmic energy is inert energy, which has become the matter (inertia or static nature) and energy (dynamism). A specific work form of this inert cosmic energy is the awareness. Hence, this cosmic energy is the source of the entire world consisting of living and non-living items. This is the cause of all the other three bodies. 2) Causal body (Kaarana Shariram) or Praajna or individual soul (Jiva) made of awareness, which is a bundle of thoughts or qualities. These thoughts are formed due to the mixing of the three qualities (Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas) in different proportions. The awareness consisting of these three qualities is related to the three forms of cosmic energy: Sattvam (knowledge), Rajas (dynamic energy) and Tamas (inertia or matter). 3) The subtle body or Sukshma Shariram or Taijasa, which is made of dynamic inert energy. This body takes the shape of the gross body. 4) The gross body or Sthula Shariram or Vishwa, which is made of mainly inert matter bound by the inert energy in the form of bonds. All these four components constitute the human being, which is a group of four bodies only and no body is the owner of the other bodies. The owner of all these bodies is only God. The ultimate cosmic energy is under the control of the unimaginable God only and hence its forms (the other three bodies) should be also under the control of God only. Every house owner may be the master of his family and the house. But the house, the family and its master (all the three) are already sub-ordinates of the king only. Hence, the ultimate owner is the king and therefore, the house, the family and the master are sub-ordinates to the king. Therefore, the ownership is not given even to the human being or the ultimate cosmic energy for which the owner is only God. Therefore, all these four components of the human being are called as bodies (Sharirams) only and not any body is called as the owner (Shariri). All this knowledge is called as the discussion about Shariram (body) and Shariri (owner), which is termed as Shaariraka Meemaamsaa. When the God enters a human being to become the human incarnation, all these four components are His sub-ordinates only because even though He does not enter, all these four components are already His sub-ordinates. Similarly, if the king enters and sits in a house, the owner of the house, family and the house become his sub-ordinates because these three are already sub-ordinates even in the absence of the entry of the king. In the formation of human incarnation, God is said to enter the human body and here the individual soul is also treated as a part of the body. When the Prime Minister enters a house allotted to him, there may be several servants (alive) in the house apart from the inert house. But, all the servants are total sub-ordinates to the Prime Minister (God) like the inert house without any independent decision. Hence, it is said that God enters a human body (Manusheem Tanum... Gita) and it is not said that God enters a human body in which the individual soul is living as its owner.
At the time of the death, nothing is destroyed. The five elements of the body are just separated and there is no destruction of any element. The ultimate cosmic energy is eternal standing like the undisturbed ocean and hence there is no destruction to it. There is no destruction to the gross body because all the five elements (components of the gross body) are just separated and merge with the nature to become stable in their original state of maximum freedom or randomness (entropy). This is the spontaneity of the nature to go into free state of lower free energy from the bound state of higher free energy as per thermodynamics. Hence, there is no destruction to the gross body. Now, at the time of the death, the causal body covered by the subtle body leaves the gross body for its decomposition or disintegration, which is only separation of the five elements to go into the free state. The Veda says the same point that at the time of death, the nervous energy (causal body) surrounded by the subtle body made of inert energy goes out (Manomayah Prana Sharira Netaa). The Gita says that this subtle body containing the causal body is not seen by neither naked eyes nor sophisticated equipment because both these bodies are made of the inert energy (remember that the causal body, which is nervous energy is also a specific work form of inert energy only) of such high frequency that it is beyond the range of electromagnetic spectrum (Naanu Pashyanti...). Only people, who have the grace of God, can see such bodies. Such bodies, sometimes, come to lower frequency of visible range and are seen as ghosts. Such vision depends on the will of such departed bodies only and not on the will of the human being. Thus, the subject of death is beyond science, which is knowable but unknown. This state is not the unimaginable state of God, which is unknowable and unknown. The causal body indicates its causal status to the subtle (energy) and gross (matter) bodies. The awareness or wish being the specific form of inert energy can have the causal status to the energy (subtle) and matter (gross). This causal body indicates the first wish of God to become simultaneously the aspects of inertia (matter) and energy. The Veda also says that the causal body (mind) is associated with the energetic body, which follows the path established by the administration of God (Manastejasi tejassati...). The drop of ultimate cosmic energy, called as the ultimate causal body, is purely made of the inert energy or soul or Atman, which is inert (Sthaanurachaloyam... Gita). This inertness of the cosmic energy or the soul makes it beyond every thought and hence neither the soul is doer (Kartaa) nor enjoys the fruits (Bhoktaa).
This departed soul (causal and subtle bodies) goes to hell to enjoy the fruits of bad deeds and to heaven to enjoy the fruits of good deeds. If this soul is involved in the practical service of God without aspiration for any fruit, it reaches the upper world in which the God exists in the desired form of the devotee. This departed soul returns to this world again through a gross body developed in the womb of its mother. This cycle is common in all the three paths (heaven, hell and God). This individual soul is encouraged for doing good deeds through rewards in the heaven and is severely punished in the hell at least to minimize its sinful nature so that the individual soul is made ready to enter this world again. The devotee of God will return again to this world in the service of God only without bound by the worldly bonds. The re-birth of such a devotee is just like the divine birth of human incarnation again and again. People misunderstand that the devotee is not born again in this world. This is utter foolishness. Is such devotee greater than God, Who is born again and again in this world? The devotee, a human being, who is the citizen of this world, having gone to the upper world for a temporary stay on Visa only and cannot stay there permanently to get a green card there (Martya lokam vishanti— Gita)! The devotee does not come to this world means that the devotee is not trapped again by the worldly bonds. Such a devotee is always involved in the service of God without coming back to the trap of the worldly bonds, which does not mean that the devotee is not re-born in this world.
The death after birth is inevitable as seen by us in this world (Jaayate... Gita). At the same time, the birth after death is also inevitable (Mriyate... Gita) as we see in several examples of re-birth reported in several countries throughout the world. The state of ghost, which is of the size of a thumb during the time of death, is an intermediate state in which neither the individual soul lives in this world nor goes to the upper world. It suffers due to lack of liberation in such state of unfulfilled aspirations. When the ghost comes down to the visible range to appear before your eyes, its size is dilated to the full size of the human being with its energetic body having the frequency of visible light. In such state, it can be captured by the camera of the cell phone, as we saw recently in an item of news in the T.V.
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