Guest guest Posted September 13, 2002 Report Share Posted September 13, 2002 Soul’s Journey After Death The soul accompanied by the chief vital air (Mukhya Prana), the sense-organs and the mind and taking with itself Avidya, good and evil actions and the impressions left by his previous existence, leaves its former body and obtains a new body. When the soul passes from one body to another he is enveloped by the subtle parts of the elements which are the seeds of the new body. He rises on the road leading through the smoke and so on, to the sphere of the moon. After enjoying the fruits of his good actions he again descends to the earth with a remainder of the works, by the way he went and differently too. When the Karma, which gave the soul a birth as a god in heaven, is exhausted, the remaining Karma, good or bad, brings him back to the earth. Otherwise it is difficult to explain the happiness or misery of a new-born child. It is not possible that in one life the entire Karma of the previous life is worked out. Because a man might have done both good and bad deeds, as a result of which he is born as a god, or an animal. The working out of both kinds of Karmas simultaneously in one birth is not possible. Hence although the result of virtuous actions is exhausted by the enjoyment of heaven, there are other Karmas in store according to which a man is born again in good or bad environments. The soul has a vision of the body to come. Just as a leech or caterpillar takes hold of another object before it leaves its hold of an object, the soul visualizes the body to come, before he leaves the present body. The view that after death the entire store of Karmas about to bear fruit fructifies and that, hence, those who return from Chandraloka do so without any remainder of work, is wrong. Supposing that some of those Karmas can be enjoyed only in one kind of birth and some in another, how could they combine in one birth? We cannot say that one portion ceases to bear fruit. There is no such cessation except by Prayaschitta or expiation. If the entire Karmas bear fruit, there will be no cause for rebirth after life in heaven or hell or in animal-bodies because in these there is no means of Dharma or Adharma. Moreover, some sins like the killing of a Brahmin involve many births. Sri Madhvacharya writes in his Bhashya of Brahma Sutras that from the fourteenth year of age the Jiva does of necessity works, each of which would be the cause of at least ten births. How then can the entirety of Karmas lead to one birth alone? --\ ---------------- The above is an excerpt taken from Swami Sivananda's book titled, "What Becomes of the Soul After Death", which I have just up-loaded onto my website and may be perused there. It is an interesting and revealing book about the soul's journey hereafter with many real life examples of reincarnation. The website address is given below. Swami Radhamadhavananda Saraswati *********************************************************************** "Bhakti is immortalizing nectar; it transmutes a man into divinity. It makes him perfect. It bestows on him everlasting peace and bliss." --- Swami Sivananda. -- Please visit our websites on Vedanta: http://personal.vsnl.com/vedanta or http://www.geocities.com/radhakutir ********************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 16, 2002 Report Share Posted September 16, 2002 - There is another good book/source on this topic, it is the book entitled, "Understanding Death from a Spiritual Perspective" by Pascal M. Kaplan, Ph.D. printed by Sufism Reoriented, Walnut Creek, CA. This book can be obtained from the Love Street Lamp Post (they carry many of Meher Baba books) in CA. I noticed in the Bibliography of the book that Swami Vivekananda's book, "The Yogas and Other Works" is listed. If any one wishes the address, please let me know and I will be happy to provide it. Although I haven't yet read this book, I skimmed parts of it over quickly and it looks to be highly helpful/informative. Blessings, Kathy @}-->--- -- In , "SRI RADHA KUTIR" <radhakutir@v...> wrote: > Soul's Journey After Death > The soul accompanied by the chief vital air (Mukhya Prana), the sense-organs and the mind and taking with itself Avidya, good and evil actions and the impressions left by his previous existence, leaves its former body and obtains a new body. > > When the soul passes from one body to another he is enveloped by the subtle parts of the elements which are the seeds of the new body. > > He rises on the road leading through the smoke and so on, to the sphere of the moon. After enjoying the fruits of his good actions he again descends to the earth with a remainder of the works, by the way he went and differently too. > > When the Karma, which gave the soul a birth as a god in heaven, is exhausted, the remaining Karma, good or bad, brings him back to the earth. Otherwise it is difficult to explain the happiness or misery of a new-born child. > > It is not possible that in one life the entire Karma of the previous life is worked out. Because a man might have done both good and bad deeds, as a result of which he is born as a god, or an animal. The working out of both kinds of Karmas simultaneously in one birth is not possible. Hence although the result of virtuous actions is exhausted by the enjoyment of heaven, there are other Karmas in store according to which a man is born again in good or bad environments. > > The soul has a vision of the body to come. Just as a leech or caterpillar takes hold of another object before it leaves its hold of an object, the soul visualizes the body to come, before he leaves the present body. > > The view that after death the entire store of Karmas about to bear fruit fructifies and that, hence, those who return from Chandraloka do so without any remainder of work, is wrong. Supposing that some of those Karmas can be enjoyed only in one kind of birth and some in another, how could they combine in one birth? We cannot say that one portion ceases to bear fruit. There is no such cessation except by Prayaschitta or expiation. If the entire Karmas bear fruit, there will be no cause for rebirth after life in heaven or hell or in animal-bodies because in these there is no means of Dharma or Adharma. Moreover, some sins like the killing of a Brahmin involve many births. Sri Madhvacharya writes in his Bhashya of Brahma Sutras that from the fourteenth year of age the Jiva does of necessity works, each of which would be the cause of at least ten births. How then can the entirety of Karmas lead to one birth alone? > > -- ---------------------------- > > The above is an excerpt taken from Swami Sivananda's book titled, "What Becomes of the Soul After Death", which I have just up- loaded onto my website and may be perused there. It is an interesting and revealing book about the soul's journey hereafter with many real life examples of reincarnation. The website address is given below. > > Swami Radhamadhavananda Saraswati > > ********************************************************************** * > "Bhakti is immortalizing nectar; it transmutes a man into divinity. It makes him perfect. It bestows on him everlasting peace and bliss." > --- Swami Sivananda. > -- ------------ > Please visit our websites on Vedanta: > http://personal.vsnl.com/vedanta or http://www.geocities.com/radhakutir > ********************************************************************** > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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