Life After Death

By Kulwant Singh

From times immemorial man has been curious to know what is beyond knowledge, to achieve what is beyond achievement and to see what is beyond horizon. Science has been at work all along the evolution of mankind but the mystery of life and death remains virtually closed to science. The secret of this truth, however, is experienced and known through metaphysics, by the saints, and sages all over the world. From Gurbani --- The Sikh scripture, we have many allusions that provide the glimpse of the life beyond death -- which otherwise is unfathomable. Gurbani is the beacon light through which we can see and reach this truth in this life itself. Accordingly, if the soul of a man is not able to attain the final goal of salvation, he will have to continue his efforts in the subsequent lives. This is in accordance with the nature's law of "Transmigration of Soul". The soul always carries with it the sanskaras --attainments -- of the past life, and the present changed sanskaras of this life to the next, and so on. The soul thus continues to revolve on the wheel of transmigration until it evolves to a stage fit to be accepted in its Divine source.

Guru Nanak reveals, in stanzas 34 to 37 of Japji Sahib, a guildline to his disciples by which they can attain the salvation or union with God in this life itself. When the Divine Grace descends on the soul through the Guru, the aspirant soul will discipline itself by passing through certain stages known as Dharam Khand, Gyan Khand, Saram Khand and Karam Khand to be finally accepted in the Sach Khand. The disciple thus starts moulding his karmas(vigilant of right and wrong actions), then by developing spiritual faculties, he evovles Universal Consciousness by chistling his mind, intellect and wisdom;   he enters into the stage wherefrom his every action is in complete harmony with the Divine Will. He becomes a Jeevan Mukt (a saint), a person completely free from the attachments to the material world, and hence no more cycle of births and deaths. He is ready to return to his true abode after completing the present assignment. However, if the soul cannot complete his salvation in the present life, he will have to continue rolling in the next lives. The virtues and vices stored in our day to day life are those karmas to which our souls keep responding and adjusting through birth after birth. The journey to the next life starts here itself in the present life. The potential force which the soul carries with it, is the desire (trishna). The desire to live, the desire to obtain material objects for its sustenance.

Just as our Physical body is constituted of five basic elements, our mind is also constituted of certain basic elements. These are subtle particles, in constant vibration at the frequency spectrum of electro-magnetic fields. It is the energy life force, and is always remaining in a volatile ethereal state constituting an aura around our physical body.  Our samskaras remain like the ripples within this aura and undergo variety of changes due to change in the thought patterns and the actions performed by the individual soul during this life time. The imprints of our 'KARMAS' are stored in our soul, which are the records remaining with us for ages and it is the etheric body covering the physical body  which is called the 'Etheric double'-- the Sukhsham Sharir. Its major role comes into action only after death and there it has no physical vehicle to express itself. If the soul has not achieved its final goal of 'SALVATION', it will rotate on the wheel of Transmigration.

On death our soul leaves our physical body and rests entirely in our etheric double. depending on the purity of our soul: Gurbani says -- 'Karmi Karmi hoe vichar. Sacha aap sacha darbar.' It enters either direct to the astral world, or enters purgatory where the soul cleanse itself for getting fit to enter the astral world after undergoing certain penances .In the astral world the astral body gets into its position according to its rate of vibration. Better the soul's performance in the physical world, the better the rate of vibration in the astral world. Since it is very fine and lighter matter here, it is free to move up and down according to the frequency of vibration and all the desires are completely fulfilled here until the purgatory period is over. After the second death (first being the physical death) in the astral world, the soul goes to the world of gods (the dev lok). Here the soul's wishes are instantaneously fulfilled. What we wish, simply we get it, and no effort. Its dimensions are entirely different from that of this world. In this world of Devas, the soul again plans to reincarnate into the physical world in order to get more experiences of pleasure and pains, so that to get the end result he should be free from more sins than what it had at earlier stages of birth after birth. However there are many many things in this mystic world which we cannot prove but feel like the dumb who can smile to express the sweetness of the sweetmeat taken. These may not be realized by ordinary people, but the saints and the sages have realized it and told us, hence we must believe it. (This paragraph is on the basis of a lecture delivered by T L Vaswani in a Radio Program).

In Gurbani, Bhagat Trlochanji confirms, in one of his hymns that at the time of the death the prevailing thoughts of man drive him inexorably to the corresponding next birth. For example, he says if a dying man thinks of wealth at the time of his death, he incarnates in the life of a cobra who guards treasure: if a man thinks of his children at the time of his death, he incarnates in the life of a pig who is known for his fecundity: if a man thinks of his mansion at the time of his death he incarnates in the life of a ghost who is known for seeking the Ghost Houses -- "the Bhoot-Banglas". In the last line he says, if a man thinks of the Lord at the time of his death, that person surely secures salvation and integrate in the Divine source.

"Aant kaal jo Lachmi simrai, aisi chinta mai je marai, sarap jone val avl autrey".....

"Aant kaal jo Ladke  simrai, aisi chinta mai je marai,  sukar jone val avl autrey".......

"Aant kaal jo mandir simrai, aisi chinta mai je marai, preytt jone val val autre"........

.........................

"Aant kaal Narayan simre, aisi chinta mai je marai,
 Badit Trilochan te nar mukta,
 Pitamberwa ke ridai vasai."

"Remembering God's name, and thinking of Him alone, if one dies,
 Bhagat Trlochan says,
Such a person attains salvation and
           straight away goes to the abode of God."

In Bhagvad Gita, when Arjuna asks Lord Krishna, in the eighth chapter -- "The Way to Eternal Brahma", Lord Krishna clears his doubt about "Life after death".

Arjuna asked Him, who is God who presides over this body, and how does He dwell here in this world? How are you revealed at the hour of death to those whose consciousness is united with you?

Lord Krishna says:

Brahma is that which is immutable, and is independent of any cause and is self effulgent. When we consider Brahma as lodged within the individual being, we call Him the Atama. The creative energy of Brahma is that which causes all existences to come into being.

The nature of the relative world is mutability. The nature of the individual man is his consciousness of ego. I alone am God who presides over action, here in this body.

At the hour of death when a man leaves his body, he must depart with his consciousness absorbed in me. Then he will be united with me. Whatever a man remembers at the last hour of his death, will be realized by him in the hereafter; because that will be what his mind has most constantly dwealt on, during his life.

When a man leaves his body and departs, he must close all the doors of his senses. Let him hold the mind firmly within the shrine of the heart, and fix the life-force between the eye brows. Then let him take refuge in steady concentration, uttering the sacred syllable (OM) and meditatig upon me.

All the worlds, and even the heavenly realms of Brahma, are subject to the laws of rebirth. But for the man who comes to me, there is no returning.

In conclusion, it is my humble prayer that our Guru may bestow on us the knowledge and the strength, so that we can endevour in disciplining our soul by following to live in the word and spirit of the four stanzas, 34-37 of Jupji Sahib: from Dharam Khand to Karam Khand, and Finally to be fit for Sach Khand. These are meant for the aspirants in the spiritual field to practice and purify the past karmas and samskara, evolve the mind and consciousness from the earthly life to the divine life, and enable him to complete the journey from the domain of his duty to the domain of Sach Khand, where dwells the almighty Lord, the God. " Sach Khand vasse Nirankar".