Soul After Death: Personality And Individuality

By Sri Swami Sivananda

There is a distinction between personality and individuality. Many have no clear understanding of these two terms. They get these mixed up and are confused. Some people think that personality is individuality and individuality is personality. That which distinguishes a person from a thing or one person from another is personality. Personality in common parlance refers to the body. When a man is tall, has good complexion and beautiful features, when his face has a fine cut, we say that Mr. So-and-so has a charming personality. When one is able to influence others, people say that such-and-such a man has strong personality. When one is timid and shy we say that such and such a man has weak personality; he must develop his personality. Personality counts much in society for success in life.

The term personality comes from the Latin persona, the mask. Personality is that particular consciousness which concerns the physical body. Mr. or Mrs. or Miss So and so is the personality. Hunger, thirst, physical beauty, black or red colour, height, stature, anger and all the limitations of the body relate to the personality. He is a Brahmin. He is a Sannyasin. He is a merchant. He is a doctor. All these concern the personality. This is the mask which the man is putting on now.

Death destroys the personality but it cannot annihilate the individuality. Individuality is separate and has distinct existence. It is something which is beyond the body. It has no relation to your personality at all. It is the sense of ‘I’. It is like a continuous current. It is the continuity of the one thought, the thought of ‘I’. All other thoughts are centred round this ‘I’. I was a boy. I become a man. I was a doctor. I ate. I drank. I spoke. I meditated. I talked. I went to America, England, France and Germany. The same ‘I’ has gone through all these experiences. ‘I’ is the dweller in this body. ‘I’ is the same in childhood, youth and old age.

Personality changes but your individuality, the sense of ‘I’ can never change because the sense of ‘I’ will continue to exist with you. After leaving this physical body the sense of ‘I’ continues to exist. After death you take the sense of ‘I’ with you. Even in dream you have the sense of ‘I’ within. Even in deep sleep you have the sense of ‘I’. If you have not got the sense of ‘I’ in deep sleep you would not remember that you slept happily.

You can lose this individuality by becoming one with the Supreme Self or Para Brahman through meditation and Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Just as the water in the pot becomes one with the ocean when the pot is broken, so also the individuality becomes one with the Infinity or the Universality when ignorance is destroyed, when the idea of separateness is annihilated through knowledge of the Imperishable or Brahma Jnana. Do you see now clearly the difference between personality and individuality?

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This was an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. We want to now the truth behind near death experiences and become certain that there really is a life after death.

Many books have been written on the subject of death, but most of the works deal mainly with the astral or other spirit world. It has mostly been the study of the conditions in the Pretaloka which is merely one among the numerous supramundane planes or lokas beyond the grave. Spiritualism, seance and the testimony of recognised mediums have for most part featured prominently in all such works.

What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj is a departure from the usual line in that it is based, to a great extent, upon authoritative scriptural texts and upon knowledge derived through reasoning, deep reflection and personal meditation. It throws a flood of light upon all aspects of life after death not adequately dealt with in other works. The book also gives valuable information about the different beliefs on this subject, of the various races and religions.

The book is dealing with rebirth, the soul, reincarnation, moksha, heaven and hell, karma and different lokas. It even includes death poems and death poetry, giving a complete picture and a new face of death. For more material see this link: What Becomes Of The Soul After Death.

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