Guest guest Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Dear Kripamoya Prabhu. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for your kindness. I just wish to point out, that I believe, that question was not how long after death soul remains (in the body?), but how long it takes for the soul to take the next body. I wish there was exact answer to this, but I'm afraid that an "educated guess" is the most we can do in this matter. Especially since the time it takes for the soul to take another body, is somewhat connected to activities that the soul performs inbetween bodies. Usually new-age sources say that it takes from some minutes to some days. As we know, that clearly reveals, that those souls were wisiting hellish planets inbetween. Time goes faster there, so some thousands of years there can take up just few minutes or hours here. And for pious soul, going to higher planets, even if he goes just for few minutes there, here it can be tousands of years, or even kalpas. So, basically, those that we see coming back, are either sinful persons, or lucky devotees, who were blessed and thus missed the heavenly planets. In nondevotee circles we can see only comeback of souls, who didn't see heaven even for a second. Most likely they spent their inbetween-bodies-vacations in a bit hotter places down below. Anyway, those unfortunate devotees, who go to heavenly planets to enjoy there, come back after 100 years there, and that is 36.000 years here, even if they go to the lowest heavenly planets. So they will miss Prabhupada's ISKCON entirely. When they come back, ISKCON will be 26.000 years over, in the past. Probably not much information will be available to continue practising. What to speak if they go to higher havenly planets, it can take millions of years to take birth again. Therefore, even if such question is discussed in sastra, it is there just to give us some idea of how things go. I'd say that the only authoritative answer would be: ===== So always be engaged in Krsna consciousness, chant Hare Krsna mantra. Then you are sure and safe not only in this life, but also you are going home, back to Godhead. It is so nice thing. Thank you very much. (end) >>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 8.1 -- Geneva, June 7, 1974 ===== ys gnd > > > Please accept my humble obeisances. > All glories to Srila Prabhupada. > > I just performed a funeral this morning - an English lady, down in Kent > - which involved me spending quite a few minutes with the body. The > question of how long after death the soul remains seems highly pertinent > to me and not at all a challenge to authority. It's a pretty basic > question isn't it? > > As such, it is a mystery how this most basic of questions should be > misconstrued as being one of those useless questions Srila Prabhupada > often deferred to answer. > > Your servant, > > Kripamoya das > > Visit www.kripamoya.com for Resources, Links, News, ISKCON membership > information, and how to hold an event in your home or town. > > > > Ananta (Purusottama das) (UK) [Ananta (AT) pamho (DOT) net] > 06 October 2005 08:17 > Ganga IDS; Giri-nayaka (das) BVS (Ljubljana - SLO); (ISKCON UK) > Notice board > Time before next body > > > > With all due respect, but why would you need authoritative answer on > > > this? Usually people, who require answers to such questions, do not > care > > > for any authority anyways. > > I find sometimes devotees offer a bit of an "educated guess" at the > answer, > but may not quote from any particular text, but I prefer such an answer. > > > > I am interested in how you have classified this question as indicative > of > > the asker not caring for authority. > > Yes, email is always misunderstood, perhaps I should explain briefly, I > meant no disrespect to anyone, what I meant is anyone who has an answer, > please don't just make a guess at what you think the answer might be, > but > quote from some scripture. I seem to remember the Garuda Purana may > offer > some insight, can anyone confirm? > > >The question seemed to me quite a good > > I was asked by a guest at the manor recently, and did not have a > specific > answer. > > > question, and by using the word "authoritative", it seems to me he > doesn't > > want peoples ideas gleaned from reading Lobsang Rampa, Carlos > Casteneda - > > or even Martha Stewart - but "authoritative" information, from Srila > > Prabhupada's teachings, or else none at all. > > With all due respect, I would have thought that obvious. When I read > dialect > spiritualism, I see some philosophers had some ideas, and Srila > Prabhupada > gave some credence, but he gave the Vedic perspective, putting the > "icing on > the cake" in terms of transcendental knowledge, giving a fuller picture > to > the reader. It seems some well known philosophers had partial knowledge, > as > do some other religious systems. > > Please can we stick to the point here, no getting personal or assuming > what > another person means, perhaps ask first for clarification which > Antardvipa > has nicley done in this case. > > Thank you. > > Your servant > > > Ananta Purusottama das Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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