death:

[Guest guest]

One of the best explanations on death is given by Sri Krishna in Uddhava Gita .

He says ," At the time of death, the sum total of the past experiences come to

the fore of the mind. The man then loses control of his thoughts. These past

experiences group themselves into a predominant impression. The mind then

attaches itself to this new impression. All memories of his present life are

forgotten. This attachment to the new impression is called birth and his

forgetting his old life is called death"

 

Source :- Srimad Bhagavatam. The wisdom of God translated by Swami

Prabhavananda

 

Manikarnika ghat is supposed to be the holiest crematorium and it said that

anyone who is cremated here is liberated. Sri Shankaracharya has composed a hymn

on the glory of Manikarnika ghat.

Sri Ramakrishna's vision of Manirkarnika Ghat in Kasi is interesting to note.

On the way to Manikarnika ghat by boat, Sri Ramkarishna was overwhelmed and went

into samadhi. When he came back to the normal plane he relates his experience.

He says he saw a tall grey figure come to each burning corpse, lift the jiva out

of the sheath. On the other side of the pyre was the all powerful Mother Kali ,

untying the knots of the soul and sending each soul to Parabrahman.

What this vision means I do not know. However quite evidently the intensity of

the spiritual presence is more in certain places than others and it is better

for an "unrealized" person to give up his body is such places.

 

Regards,

Anand

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

-

Anand Natarajan <anandn

On the way to Manikarnika ghat by boat, Sri Ramkarishna was overwhelmed and

went into samadhi. When he came back to the normal plane he relates his

experience. He says he saw a tall grey figure come to each burning corpse,

lift the jiva out of the sheath. On the other side of the pyre was the all

powerful Mother Kali , untying the knots of the soul and sending each soul

to Parabrahman.

 

pranams:

 

The tall gray figure, that Sri Paramahamsa witnessed is called, "Sarva". He

acts in the name of the Mighty Lord Shiva. All the souls, whose bodies are

burned in the funeral fire are received by him. The souls of the bodies,

that are buried in the sand, are received by another form of Shiva called

"SaMga", and the souls of the bodies - which are given to vultures and

wolves, are received by another form of Shiva called "ugra".

 

Lord Sharva himself receives the souls who intentionally let their bodies

burn in the Manikarnika ghat. During the time of pralaya (doomsday) Lord

Shiva performs his destruction with eight forms. Sarva is one among them

who takes the form of Fire in order to perform the complete destruction.

 

Mother Kali is the ultimate womb, she gave birth and she also gave the

bondage. Hence she personally manages the removal of bondages for the soul

at Manikarnika Ghat. She who created the labyrinth only knows how to get

you out of it.

 

Those who could see the "Sarva" in his form, a soul who sees the forms of

Gods/Goddess is received especially by the divine parents Lord Shiva and

Mother Parvati at their home Kailasa. In kailasa they perform a festival in

order to mark the day of arrival of any such noble soul! One of those

biggest festivals took place, when paramaguru Sri Adishankara visited the

Kailasa.

 

Lord Shiva personally questions such a noble soul about his onward journey.

He questions about the wish of the soul. If the soul is interested in

taking birth again then Lord Shiva gracefully orders the Aryama (Manager of

pItRlOka) to put this soul in Krishna Marga (the path of darkness which

leads to this earth), he also instructs that the path is supposed to end at

a noble mother's womb. Thus, yogies take birth! How ever, if a soul is

not interested in the cycle of birth and death, and the soul wishes the

total liberation (moksha) then Shiva asks him to stay at Kailasa, as his

royal guest, till the time of Pralaya. Because, at the time of Pralaya,

Shiva gives these souls the liberation.

 

-M