Vedas say about death

Some seekers of Vedic knowledge have enquired during the various Prayer Meetings “What Vedas say about Death and Rebirth of the human body? 

 

With my limited knowledge I could find the following description on the subject in Vedas. Kindly feel free to improve this description based on Vedic metaphysics ONLY as the description in some other scriptures In the Chapter Soul,manifested Soul and Spirit, this subject is covereed in greater details.

 

Kindly also forward this to other seekers of Vedic knowledge.

 

With kind regards,

 

Prem Sabhlok

 

 

What Vedas say about DEATH and Rebirth of the human body?

Human body is mentioned in VEDAS as tri-ani pada(three bodies in one)- divine, spiritual and gross. Atma (soul)- the omniscient principle resides in divine body, spirit (JIVA)- the energy principle resides in spiritual body along with ten Pranas (vital breaths/Asu), Vivek(discernment) Buddhi (intellect). According to Rig Veda 1-2-7 Pranas/Asu is the great devourer of diseases. 
Billions of cells along with senses/sense organs and etani -outward looking mind reside in our gross body. Atma (soul) is not affected by MAYA the cosmic delusion. Since Maya hides the Truth and Reality with its Golden Lid, and this dazzling golden disc (extreme Materialism in the vast sea of turbulent matter) affects senses and sense organs, so the existence of Soul as Reality remains hidden from the senses. 
Beneficent spirit is provided to us to perform our right deeds. Good thoughts relate to the soul. Thus, human mind (manas) is completely joined with soul and spirit but under the influence of senses, phenomenal world of matter it is de-linked from these divine inner instruments and is badly entangled with matter, lust, greed infatuation and attachment. One of the purposes of human birth is mentioned “realisation of one’s Real Self”. For Self Realisation Vedas prescribe “Follow RTA (cosmic laws) which having been created even God follows sternly.” By following Rta and Dharma, one can realise the Real Self in one birth.  

What happens at the time of Death of the gross body? Vedic Description.

At the time of death of the gross body, cells merge with the earth, Spirit (Jeev) merges with the divine Nature (Prakrti), the human Soul being immortal remains alive, and hence consciousness remains. Based on degree of truth, quality of Karma (good or bad deeds), acquired in the present and previous births as individual's running ledger account, it gets manifested again on the birth of another gross body. This process of birth and rebirth continues until, the soul achieves perfection, is released from the three modes of Prakrti and moves beyond three gunas of transparency, activity and passivity. It is the stage of salvation, liberation i.e. Vedic Moksha.

Rig Veda 1-164-20, 10-9-20, 10-8-43 and 44 describe three divine substances, Parmatma (Supreme Soul),Atma (human soul) and the divine Nature Prakrti. On the “Death” of human beings, Spirit goes back to Prakrtiand merges with the Nature as part of the vast storehouse of energy. The Soul does not go back toParmatma who is the Supreme Soul as it gets affected with subtle atoms and particles of human good and bad deeds, thoughts and desires.

Vedic metaphysics is emphatic that owing to the prevalence of the spirit of God in all human beings, any distinction of class superiority or inferiority is negation of religion and ethics.
Soul is dynamic but not moving when manifested, but moves faster than all material things when not manifested. It traverses billions of miles when it goes to devas (formless beings of light as forces of divine Nature) viz. Suriya (Sun), Chandrama (Moon), Indra, , Mitra, Varun, Yama etc., during the 12 days journeyafter the death of gross body for purification, knowledge, luster, noble and divine traits, which it lost during the stage of manifestation in the body. (Yajur Veda 39-6). However, the effects of Karma remain intact. It becomes fierce, calm, terrible, fearless, ignorant, enlightened, passionate or ascetic dependent on the past deeds, desires and thoughts (Y.V.39-7). In the womb it becomes lovely through various virtuous deeds, chastise able through ignoble deeds, supreme through divine knowledge, noble through spiritual force and protector of all bodily organs and the pericardium enclosing the heart. It is for this reason that most of the scriptures mention the soul dwelling in the heart of all individuals. Apart from Vedas, Bhagavad-Gita, Adi Grantha Gaund M-5 and Katha Upanishad 1-2-20 to 22 also mention the soul residing in the heart.

 

After its 12 days journey, it is well equipped with Vedic knowledge, a-priori principles and cosmic laws of social and moral order (Rta). Thus on the birth of a child, the knowledge of four Vedas is made available through the manifested soul which is part of the inner world.

Thus consciousness is the real cause of transmigration of soul from one body to another. Brihadarnyaka Upanishad 4-3-34 and 4-4-4 explains the rebirth as a man passes from dream to wakefulness, so does from this life to next life. At old age or during the stage of degeneration even during young age, the self separates from the limbs like ripe mango, fig or banayan fruit separates itself from the trunk. The same way the self hastens to his new abode based on past karma and begins a new life in a new body. The "self" i.e. atmadeparts through eye, or gate of the skull or some other apertures of the body. The deeds of the entire life and the impressions those deeds created to the manifested soul before leaving the body follows the individual in the next birth.

Even those Souls which have achieved Moksha and have become one with God also take birth after centuries to guide the harassed humanity. Some time they take birth through divine potency like Lord Krishna or Lord Rama and most often as human beings with normal birth like Buddha, Mahavira, Socrates, Sankracharya and many others.

From the above description, it is apparent that true followers of Vedic guidelines observe Prayer Meetings of the departed souls on the 13^th day of the death as the departed soul completes its journey for purification on the 12^th day. 

 

 

With regards, 

 

 

P.K.Sabhlok

 

P.S 

Vedas no where says on rebirth the individual is born in the same religion, state/country or continent. Thus Vedas have the perfect decription of Universal Brotherhood (Viswa Bandhutva).

2. The concept of Rebirth in Vedas is based on Rta-Laws of Nature "As you sow so shall you reap"

 

Kindly also read the Book by an American Professor and renowned Parapsychologist of Virginia University" Rebirth is a Possibility". I have mentioned the following in my book "Glimpses of Vedic Metaphysics" 

   Hindus by and large accept reincarnation and transmigration of soul as all their scriptures from Vedas to Tantras refer to these. Inspite of this many Hindus still do not know that in their next birth a Hindu could be reborn in the families of Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhist or other religions and a male could be reborn as female and vice versa. Also in their previous births/ lives they could have been belonging to other religions, sex, region or country. There are a large number of recorded and unrecorded cases of small children mostly between the ages of 3 to 5 years remembering their previous births.

 

 Dr Ian Stevenson of the Virginia university and a renowned para psychologist is of the firm opinion that rebirth is a serious possibility. Many others having belief in occult, arcane and mysticism agree with such findings. Dr Stevenson studied a few hundred cases out of 2700 brought to his notice. These cases relate to India, Burma, Pakistan, West Asia, Africa, Europe and America. Most of the children who knew their previous births were below six years. His study showed that after six years the memory of previous birth starts fading. In one case researched by an occult scientist, police could solve a murder mystery as the child in his new birth remembered all the events leading to murder and finally the murderer was arrested and punished after a few years of the crime. 

 

One child of a Sikh family of Peshawar (now in Pakistan) at the age of three years suddenly started insisting to go to Afghanistan where he said that his wife and children lived. The parents ignored it as hallucination and did not take him to Afghanistan. In 1947 when Pakistan was created out of Indian Territory, the parents shifted to Ambala City. The child still insisted to see his wife and children of his previous birth. He gave full details of location of the house, articles lying in a particular almirah, name of his wife and children of his earlier birth. Though the child was never taken there, the facts were got verified by the parents and found to be mostly correct. After the age of about 5 years the child started forgetting all the memories of his previous birth.  

After that his growth was just like a normal child and at young age he opted for a noble profession as a lecturer in a college..

 

       Dr. Stevenson after studying a large number of cases had observed that most of the children who had memory of previous births had met with a violent death. He confirmed that he verified many such claims with the postmortem reports of the victim in his her previous birth. He also observed cases of sex changes and in Burma over 25% of the cases, the children claimed they belonged to the other sex in their previous births. However, he agreed that out of 2700 recorded cases many were hoax. He is of the opinion that number of such cases could be more as many families do not inform and the cases go unnoticed by the researchers. Many parents feel that more probing could affect the future life of their children who remember complete details of their previous life. Irrespective of Dr. Stevenson's study and research, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains have belief in reincarnation. However, Muslims, Christians and many others do not give any importance to this kind of para-psychological research, inspite of the fact that metaphysics of Socrates, Plato and Pythagorus did mention about the immortality of soul and reincarnation. Pythagorus claimed that he .