The moments of Death
How does one die? In this context Indian Yogis (saints) having paranormal perception hold the view that for a short duration preceding death, man experiences a great deal of restlessness, pain and writhe. There are a few reasons for this phenomenon. The event of death necessitates total withdrawal of the current of bio-energy (prana) from all over the body, which before death, is accumulated at that particular part of the body, through which the soul is about to make its exit, whereas, because of prevailing disposition of biological functions, this current tends to flow back to respective neurons.

The impact of this struggle creates the agony or the spasm at the moment of death. The other reasons for the misery proceeding the moment of death are diseases, shock or other physiological factors rendering the body unfit for retention of soul. Whether or not the dying person is able to express, the being does suffer for a few moments before death. However, soon thereafter, the person falls into a kind of coma and the soul departs in this state of unconsciousness. When death becomes imminent, all external functional powers of man become introverted and then cumulatively escape along with the soul through any exit in the physical body.

The Yogis of the West are of the view that the subtle body of the being comes out of the body as a violet shadow, whereas the Indian spiritual Masters see it as a brilliant white aura akin to luminescence of a burning lamp escaping at the moment of death. Because of cumulative withdrawal, all forgotten memories of life lying buried and dormant in the finer cells of brain are stimulated and revived. This phenomenon proves the extraordinary capability of human mind, when the dying person relives all experiences of life in a short moment like a playback of a cine-film, whereas while living it is impossible to remember even fifty percent of lives events in a long time. Each activity of a person, whether mental, verbal or physical, leaves an imprint on the soul.

The sum and substance of these events, deeds accompany the soul as its sanskaras(intrinsic mental and emotional impressions) at the time of its departure from the physical body. In this process, it is said, one feels unimaginable pain, like that inflicted by a thousand scorpion bites. While looking at the activities of bygone human existence the soul feels extremely miserable- because the soul feels extremely repentant for not having utilized lives precious moments fruitfully.

As mentioned earlier, the body becomes insensitive to all feelings of pain and disease much before death when the energy of sense-perception becomes introverted. Thus all sufferings of the body end before death. The bond between the body and soul with diseases, shock or old age begins to loosen. The fruit drops to the ground when it is ripened and its stem is unable to bear its weight. In the same manner, in the normal course, an individual dies when the body and its functional capabilities loosen their grip on the soul. The soul generally departs through the apertures in the upper part of the body, principally from the mouth, eyes, ears or nostrils. Souls of sinners have been found to exit through the anus or organs of sex. The soul of a Yogi leaves through theBrahmarandhra (near top of the skull).

The habitat of departed soul

On coming out of the body, the soul finds itself in a strange environment. Just as after a prolonged period of hard work one seeks a comfortable bed, in order to relax after the lifelong engagement with the body, the soul needs rest and sleep (a period of inactivity). This period of sleep provides the soul a great deal of rest; hence the prayer for the departed soul to rest in peace. However, the soul does not fall asleep immediately after death but takes some time in doing so. Generally, the duration lasts for about a month. It is because the habits and memories of earlier bodily attachments (Vasna) are fresh and strong at the time of death and only gradually loosen their hold. As an analogy, consider the state of body after hard labour. The circulation of blood is fast and one cannot fall asleep even on a comfortable bed till blood circulation becomes normal.

After its separation from the physical body (Sthul Sharir) on death, the soul assumes an astral body (Sukshma Sharir). The form of this body is somewhat similar to that of the physical body. The being is pleasantly surprised to find a sudden acquisition of levity. Now it can move freely in space like a bird and reach anywhere simply by willing to do so. After abandoning the physical body, the soul hovers around the mortal remains. Finding the near and dear ones mourning, it makes a vain attempt to communicate with them or re-enter the dead body.

The following narration of a departed soul illustrates the point. "After death, I found myself in a strange situation. On account of my previous attachments with my physical body and dear ones, I wanted to interact with them but found myself helpless.

I could see and hear everyone and I talked loudly, but found that I had become invisible and inaudible to the embodied living beings. Though it disturbed me to some extent, I felt very happy in my newly acquired body in which I felt very light and could fly around with great speed. I recollected, that while living I was afraid of death, for which now there did not appear any reason, whatsoever. Having acquired the new subtle body, I became less interested in the older one, since this astral (Sukshma) body was in every way much superior to the previous one. I felt that I was existing as before and could see and move my limbs as earlier. It convinced me that there was nothing to fear about death and dying was only an ordinary natural process involving change of body." This experience you will have only, die when you live; i.e. Meditation /Samadhi/ Sadhna.

Longevity

How long the life of the human being? There is a mystery of age. Devraha Baba lived at at 250+ Years Old.

Much research has been done and is being done on aging and how to prevent it. Some observations and theories have evolved. One observation has been that animals with a slow metabolism tend to live longer than animals with a fast metabolism. Shrewd, for example, have a fast metabolism. They live only a year or two. Turtles have a slow metabolism. The giant tortoise lives nearly 200 years. Studies done on mediators have proven that metabolism slows down during meditation; heart rate and breathing slows down. Results of a study measuring the physiological differences between subjects practicing Transcendental Meditation and just simply taking rest were reported in American Psychologist in 1987. The article stated that Transcendental Meditation produced a significant increase in basal skin resistance compared to eyes-closed rest, indicating profound relaxation. Deep rest and relaxation were also indicated by greater decreases in respiration rates and plasma lactate levels compared to ordinary rest. The implication is that practicing meditation may extend one's life span.

Another theory suggests that hormones play a role in the aging process. In 1989, at Veterans Administration hospitals in Milwaukee and Chicago, a study indicated that a growth hormone produced in the pituitary gland plays a critical part in aging. As one ages, production of the growth hormone declines. Injections of a synthetic version of the growth hormone were given to a small group of men aged 60 and over. There was a dramatic reversal of some signs of aging. The injections increased muscle mass, reduced excess fat, and thickened skin. But, when the injections stopped, the men's new strength decreased and signs of aging returned. Also, older people have reduced levels of estrogen, testosterone, melatonin, thymus, and DHEA; reductions of which also have an effect on aging.

Still another theory of aging is the free-radical theory. According to this theory, free radicals, which occur during the natural course of metabolism, also act randomly and indiscriminately to damage cell components. Free radicals are chemical compounds that possess one or more unshared electrons as part of their structural configurations. To become stable they aggressively seek out another electron with which to pair. In so doing they attack molecules, such as lipids, proteins and DNA which make up the cell's membrane. Cells have an internal defense system of creating antioxidants to fight against the harmful effects of free radicals. However, their defense mechanism is insufficient to prevent the damage caused by the actions of free radicals over a cell's lifetime. This cumulative cellular damage may contribute to the aging process. Pharmacologists demonstrated that by augmenting the cell's antioxidant defenses with certain synthetic enzymes they were able to reduce the action of free radicals, and thereby lessen cellular damage that the free radicals caused. By administering synthetic enzymes to worms the pharmacologists were able to extend the average life span of worms by 44%. Using this same pharmacological intervention on humans may lengthen the human life span as well.

Caloric restriction is another approach scientists have discovered which extends longevity. Researchers studied the effects of reducing food intake by 30% to 70% on a variety of life forms, from yeast to mammals. The researchers found that they were able to increase the life span of various creatures up to 40%. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studied yeast and found that when the energy of a cell drops off (which occurs under conditions of caloric restriction) an enzyme called Sir2 is activated. When activated, Sir2 causes a cell's genes within its chromosomes to be silenced. This reduces the production of extra chromosomal DNA circles, or Ecs. Ecs are toxic to cells and decrease longevity in yeast; they self-replicate, accumulate, and compete with the yeast's genome for vital enzymes and other cellular materials. For this reason reducing Ecs results in extending the life span of yeast. Since Sir2 has been found in humans, the research findings on yeast appear to be applicable to the human aging process as well.

What if a person does not eat at all, but is able to switch his body metabolism into living directly off of sunshine, can he prolong his life? Recent studies made on behalf of NASA, as well as other prior scientific research studies have proven that humans can live without food. They do not understand why or how, only that it is possible for humans to do so. One such recorded case is of Giri Bala, a woman who had not eaten for 56 years.

Here is a dialogue between of Paramahansa Yogananda and Giri Bala, excerpted fromYogananda's book, Autobiography of a Yogi.
"Are you never tempted to eat?"
"If I felt a craving for food, I would have to eat."Simply yet regally she stated this axiomatic truth, one known too well by a world revolving around three meals a day!
"But you do eat something!" My tone held a note of remonstrance.
"Of course!" She smiled in swift understanding.
"Your nourishment derives from the finer energies of the air and sunlight and from the cosmic power which recharges your body through the medulla oblongata…"
"Mother," I asked, "why don't you teach others the method of living without food?"
My ambitious hopes for the world's starving millions were quickly shattered.
"No." She shook her head. "I was strictly commanded by my guru not to divulge the secret. It is not his wish to tamper with God's drama of creation. The farmers would not thank me if I taught many people to live without eating! The luscious fruits would lie uselessly on the ground. It appears that misery, starvation, and disease are whips of our karma which ultimately drive us to seek the true meaning of life."

"Mother," I said slowly, "what is the use of your having been singled out to live without eating?"
"To prove that man is Spirit." Her face lit with wisdom. "To demonstrate that by divine advancement he can gradually learn to live by the Eternal Light and not by food."

If a person were able to draw his required energy from cosmic sources he would eliminate the toxic fallout (free radicals and Ecs) that occurs from eating food, and this would help him prolong his life span. And, if the person practiced meditation and lived a relaxed lifestyle (thus lowering his metabolism), and also practiced yoga postures (stimulating his endocrine system), his life span would surely be prolonged. Taking these three factors together, it should be possible for a person living such a lifestyle to extend his life span dramatically.

"And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died," from Genesis 5:5. According to the Bible subsequent progeny lived for hundreds of years, with some in excess of nine hundred years. Are biblical references to a long life span allegorical or statistical fact? Today’s human with an average life span under eighty years may have difficulty comprehending how a human could live so long. But, perhaps a life span into the hundreds of years is not that far-fetched. What if sometime in the future medical science was able to eliminate most diseases, what then would cause people to die? Accidents and wars aside, how old could old age be? How long could the life span of a human be? Hundreds of years? Why not?

An Indian saint named Devraha Baba, who passed away in 1989, was a yogi who lived just such a lifestyle. Devraha Baba was from the spiritual heritage of the Avatar Ramanandacharya and lived beside the Yamuna River in Mathura. He lived on a 12-foot-high wooden platform where he usually remained stark naked. He never ate food. He only drank water from the Yamuna River. He claimed he could be in two places simultaneously (a siddhi described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras). He was observed to have stayed underwater unaided for half an hour. He always radiated love. He was aPremaswarupa an incarnation of love. He gave darshan (spiritual blessing) to devotees who came to pay homage. Many came to visit this great illustrious saint. People came from all over India and from all walks of life. He was a favorite among India's senior politicians, and was visited by Mrs. Indira Gandhi and Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. Ministers, Boota Singh, saints, yogis, priests, rich and poor all came for Baba's darshan.

It was rumored that Devraha Baba claimed that he had lived for over 700 years. We need to consider it just a rumor. Nevertheless, Devraha Baba's family tree records place his age to be at least 250 years when he took mahasamadhi (relinquished his body) in 1989. If he was able to live to be 250, then it is possible that he lived for 700 years as well. Baba was called, "The Ageless Yogi." Devraha Baba gained mastery over the khecheri state of yoga whereby he was able to control his hunger and the time of his death. Devraha Baba was a siddha who lived for over 250 years, before entering samadhi in 1989. So elderly was he that the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prashad, verified Devraha Baba's old age. He said that he personally attests to Devraha Baba being at least 150 years old. He said that when he was 7 years old, his father took him to see Baba, who was a very old man, and that his father already had known Baba for many years before that. An Allahabad High Court Barrister had stated that seven generations of his family had sat at the feet of Devraha Baba. Incidentally, Devraha Baba had predicted the time of his death five years in advance.

Since Giri Bala's interview with Yogananda, the world has undergone an exponential awakening in consciousness and science. The ancient teachings of the Rishis, which heretofore have been kept secret and only shared with the closest of disciples, now are readily available to everyone. As more people begin meditation practices and learns to tap their inner cosmic energies, and as medical science moves towards eradicating all diseases, it is conceivable that the human life span will be extended by decades if not by centuries.

Ghosts and spirits

Because of earlier long attachment the soul continues to hover around the dead body till it is cremated. After it is reduced to ashes, it reluctantly seeks a diversion. On burial, however, it remains infatuated with the mortal remains and hovers around them for many days. Souls of less enlightened persons and of those having deeper involvements in worldly matters haunt the graveyards and crematoriums for many days. Longing for the earlier body draws them again and again towards the place of cremation, and unable to control their emotions, they wail around the grave. Then there are also individuals having deep affections with close friends and relatives. Souls of such persons prefer to stay near the favorite persons rather than around the place of cremation.

[Here I would like to narrate self experienced instance happened with me. After my Father’s death I have performed all the religious rites according to Shastra Vidhi Vidhanand at last I was to perform a Pitri Gaddi (here at this ceremony, what we hilly area people do that all our forefathers are rested at one place in our village keeping a stone on his name with all pooja rituals etc) when we were performing the drizzling started and it stopped after I have completed this last ceremony, relaxed with all village people sat together gossiped and night I slept. Night in dream my father came and tapped at my back and said (saabas beta main Khus hoon Bishan Singh ko 800 rupaye de dena.) Since then till to-day after my Father’s death Three years have passed, any member our family never had him in dreams].

An aged person, while living naturally, develops a greater detachment from worldly affairs. Consequently, the soul of such a person is more relaxed and falls asleep soon after death. On the other hand, youths having strong desires and attachments, especially those dying of shock or suicide, suffer for longer durations, before having rest.

In the event of sudden death associated with pain, quite a few particles of the physical body (Sthul Sharir) cling to the Astral Body (Sukshma-Sharir), as a consequence of which, the soul retains the characteristics of both the former physical form as well as the astral form. It, therefore, has some physical as well as astral (Sukshma) components. Such souls, at times, become visible to a living person as apparitions. However, this is not true about a person dying a natural death. In order to make themselves visible, the latter category of spirits have to make great efforts and carry out specific spiritual exercises. Persons dying of unnatural death, on the other hand, exist as spirits (ghosts) and they are unable to sleep because of troubled emotional state.

Seeking opportunities for taking revenge or fulfillment of insatiate desires through the body of a living person, they hover around old "Pipal" trees, caves, ruins or some reservoirs of water. They make their presence felt to the desired person or persons at opportune moments. The exorcists (Tantriks) bring such spirits under their control with the help of witchcraft and make them work like slaves. The spirits, however, do not work willingly for the exorcists. They remain ever resentful and even kill their captors in their unguarded moments. No one likes to be in bondage. The spirits perform like the caged lion in a circus. The spirits generally tend to stay at a particular place, and do not change their abode frequently unless there is some specific reason to do so.

The rest before rebirth

The souls of modest persons and of those having religious disposition sever links with the earlier worldly milieu after cremation and easily reconcile to the changed environment. Detaching themselves from the past, they easily fall asleep for recuperation. Nature has not specified any fixed duration for this period of rest. It depends on the state of spiritual growth of the soul. As children and hard working persons need a longer period of sleep and rest, so do the souls in various states of spiritual growth. Generally duration up to three years is found sufficient for this rest. During the first year, the soul sleeps soundly. During this period the soul is able to recuperate from the exhaustion of earlier physical incarnation and the finer perceptions of the new astral body begin to respond efficiently to the requirement of new levels of sentience. In the second year of rest the soul recapitulates the wrong deeds Paap (sins) of the earlier physical existence and prepares itself for working in the new environment, in the light of past experiences. The third year is spent in looking for the milieu in which it desires to return to this world by taking birth in a new body. The durations mentioned here are averages. Occasionally, in specific cases, persons have been found taking rebirth even after six months, whereas others have taken as long as five years. The maximum age (period of existence) of spirits (Prait Atma) is believed to be twelve years. Thus the maximum gap between the death of a person and rebirth could be taken as twelve years. Almost all major religions of the world believe in immortality of souls. However, how individual life continues after shedding the physical form is a jigsaw puzzle – different philosophers and religions having given different viewpoints. The Creative Spirit of Life is multidimensional and ever-changing. The essence of life is change and growth. May be we are spiritual beings going through human experience and through numerous incarnations, ultimately we are to be the perfect expression of our innate Divinity!