Soul’s Journey After Death: How Soul Departs After Death

By Sri Swami Sivananda

At the time of death when the breathing becomes difficult the Jiva or the individual self that is in the body goes out making noises. Just as a cart heavily loaded goes on creaking, so does the Jiva creak while the Prana departs.

The Jiva or the individual self has the subtle body as its limiting adjunct. It moves between this and the next world as between the waking and the dream states. It moves from birth to death. While in birth it associates itself with the physical body and the organs, in death it disassociates with them. The departure of the soul is immediately followed by the departure of the vital force. It is presided over by the Supreme self-luminous Atman. It is through the light of the self that the man sits, moves and does his daily duties.

The subtle body has the vital force or Prana as its chief constituent. It is revealed by the self-luminous Atman. When the subtle body rises up, the Atman also seems to go with it. Otherwise how can the self, being unified with the Supreme Self, go making noises like a cart? It goes making noises because it is afflicted by the pain as the vital parts are being slashed. Loss of memory is caused as a result of this vital and excruciating pain. He is then put in a helpless state of mind on account of the pangs felt. Therefore, he is unable to adopt the requisite means for his well-being, before that crisis comes. He must be alert in practising the means conducive to that end. He is not able to think of God.

In old age, the body becomes thin and emaciated on account of fever and other diseases. When the body is extremely emaciated by fever and other causes, dyspnoea sets in and at this stage the man goes making noises like the overloaded cart.

The causes of death are many and indefinite. Man is ever in the jaws of death. Death overtakes him suddenly when he is the least prepared for it. He ever thinks that he will escape death or even if he believes in death to be certain he expects it only at a very distant date. Just as the mango, fig or the fruit of the Peepul tree is detached from its stalk, so does this Infinite being completely detached himself from the parts of the body, again go in the same way that he came to particular bodies, for the unfoldment of his vital force. The self that is identified with the subtle body completely detaches itself from the parts of the body such as the eye, etc. He is not able to preserve the body through the vital force at the time of his departure. Just as he detaches himself from the body and the organs, and enters deep sleep, even so, he detaches himself from this body during death and attaches himself to another. As frequently as man moves from the dreaming to the waking, from the waking to the dream and thence to deep sleep, so frequently does he transmigrate from one body to another. He has transmigrated from many such bodies in the past and will continue to do so in the future as well. He gets his future birth according to his past work, knowledge and so forth. He goes from one body to another, only for the unfoldment of the vital force. It is by this vital force, that he fulfils his object viz., the enjoyment of the fruits of his work. The vital force is only auxiliary to the enjoyment of the fruits of his work and hence the specification: “For the unfoldment of his vital force.”

The Jiva has adopted the whole universe as his means to the realisation of the fruits of his work and he is going from one body to another to fulfil this object. Therefore the whole universe implied by his work waits for him with the requisite means for the realisation of the fruits of his work made ready. The Satapatha Brahmana says, “A man is born into the body that has been made for him” (VI-ii. 2-27). It is analogous to the case of a man about to return from the dream to the waking state.

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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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