Death Defying Acts-Part 3 : The propulsion after Death

Embodiments of Love! 

Hope you all understood from “Death Defying Acts Part 2” wherein it was mentioned that after death the physical body remains on earth for the relatives to perform the last rites and start the fight for the property if at all anything is left , the Vital energy which has helped in sustaining life on earth, is released into the Universe!

This Vital Energy is the propellant for the Rocket of our Subtle Body to move out of the influence of Earth Region!

Now let us focus on the differences that makes a person reach one of the other 13 planes of existence, whether Heaven or Hell!

Simple mathematics and Simple Physics

1)      Higher body weight and lesser propellant power—Lesser Distance coverage

2)      Lesser body weight and higher propellant weight—Longer Distance coverage and could be a great Leap also!

Let us talk about the Factors that contribute to the Subtle Body weight:

Sattwa : Purity and Holiness

Rajas: Activeness

Tamas: Laziness, Inertia

We will go into details of the above components later on; to keep the tempo of the topic, I continue with the major point “weight of the subtle body”.

The two sides of the balance will be like this: on one side we have Sattwa and on the other side we have Rajas and Tamas

Imagine that on one side we have the Sattwa Factors-

Love, compassion, devotion to God (Bhakti), ahimsa (non-injury), truthfulness, non-stealing, discrimination (viveka), dispassion (vairagya), daya (compassion), thyag (sacrifice), kindness, soft-speak, control over senses, non-jealousy, honesty, non-covetousness, patience, forbearance, mercy, humility, guilelessness

And on the other side we have Rajas :

Activeness, boisterousness, hurry, action, impatience, passion, drive, ambition, motivation, power-mongering, manipulation, desire for leadership, domination, self-promotion, rule-breaking, pushy, love for coterie, love for subjugating others, love for grandeur, competitive instinct, workaholism, exhibitionism, strenuous effort, fighting spirit, strong belief in self-will, love for spending and extravaganza, materialism, loud mouth, assertiveness, avarice, authoritativeness, pride.

Combined with Tamas:

Laziness, dullness, sloth, greed sans effort, lack of motivation, fatalism, negativism, excess sleep, jealousy, envy, miserliness, pessimism, perverted desires, hatred, lust, obsession, deceit, vengeance, day dreaming, bashfulness, covetousness, gluttony, stealth, treachery, possessiveness, aversion, rumor mongering, back biting, dishonesty, laxity.

I understand your question that Rajas equally has the some weight and it would just balance Rajas and Tamas as Human mind is a mixture of the three Gunas( characteristics); we will have a separate session on this balancing act!

Coming back to our Topic on propulsion, See what Krishna has to say:

yada sattve pravrddhe tu pralayam yati deha-bhrt
tadottama-vidam lokan amalan pratipadyate-----14

rajasi pralayam gatva karma-sangisu jayate
tatha pralinas tamasi mudha-yonisu jayate-------15

“If one meets death when Sattwa is predominant, he/she attains the spotless higher worlds of the great Gnyanis( wise people). If one dies when Rajas is predominant, he/she takes birth amidst people who are attached to action. The one dying when Tamas is predominant, takes birth off the wombs of the irrational.” (14.14-15).

In a nut shell following characteristics which add to our ‘weight’ and impact which plane of existence we go after death:

·         More attachment to worldly things

·         Selfishness

·         Unfulfilled desires

·         Feelings of revenge

·         Higher amount of demerits or wrong-doings

·         Higher amount of personality defects -- Anger, Greed, Fear, etc.

·         A higher amount of ego: By ego we mean how much a person identifies himself with his body, mind and intellect as opposed to the soul within

·         Resultant lower spiritual level

Okay let us talk about the propellant—Vital Energy:

What is vital energy?

It is the vital life sustaining energy of both the individual body and the Universe.

There are five types in relation to a person:

·        Energy for the activity of inhalation (Pran)

·        Energy for the activity of exhalation and speech. (Udan)

·        Energy for the activity of the stomach and intestines. (Saman)

·        Energy for the voluntary and involuntary movements of the body. (Vyan)

·        Energy for urination, excretion, ejaculation, childbirth, etc. (Apan)

If any Brahmin is reading this article he/she  can recollect that before having food they are supposed to do Parisheshanam in which all these five energies are addressed and given food and finally Brahman which is otherwise Atman, residing inside the body and sustained by these energies is also called and offered food; after this process only, one is supposed to take his/her food.

• praaNaa is the principal breath coursing through our nostrils and lungs; you can use it to control and regulate your mind and thoughts.

• apaana is responsible for the excretory activity.

• samaana circulates around the navel and plays a vital role in digestion.

• vyaana is diffused through the body and is responsible for circulatory activity.

• udaana is the wind that goes upward in respiration.

Okay friends; it is a big topic; we will continue to talk;

My mission is to propel higher at least a few of you; we will have some practical Tips to reduce the weight of the subtle Body and increase the efficiency of the Propellant, Vital Energies.

धन्यवाद:

See you in the next episode

With lots of love

श्वस्ति , मङ्गलं भूयात्

राजगोपालः

rajagopal

28.07.2012