Fear Of Death (What Happens at the Point of Death )

Sri Ramakrishna

oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 11:21

Vedanta gives a vivid description of what happens at the point of death: When the soul departs from the body, the life-breath follows: when the life breath departs, all the organs follow. Then the soul becomes endowed with particularized consciousness and goes to the body that is related to that consciousness. It is followed by its knowledge, works, and past experience.

Just as a leech supported on a straw goes to the end of it, takes hold of another support, and contracts itself, so does the self throw this body away and make it unconscious, take hold of another support, and contract itself. Just as a goldsmith takes a small quantity of gold and fashions another, a newer and better form, so does the soul throw this body away, or make it unconscious, and make another, a newer and better form suited to the Manes, or the celestial minstrels, or the gods, or Virt, or Hiranyagarbha, or other beings. As it does and acts, so it becomes; by doing good it becomes good, and by doing evil it becomes evil—it becomes virtuous through good acts and vicious through evil acts.

The thought at the time of death determines the future life of the soul: 'For whatever object a man thinks of at the final moment, when he leaves his body—that alone does he attain, O son of Kunti, being ever absorbed in the thought thereof.' Vedanta lays great stress on the thought and the state of mind at the time of death as determining the future of the soul. Thought is endowed with a self-creative power. Our inner being changes into that of which we insistently think with faith and devotion. We become that on which we keep our minds fixed and to which we constantly aspire.

The ever-recurring thought of a lifetime, whether good or bad, presents itself vividly at the time of death. We cannot get rid of it, as the sleeping man cannot get rid of his dream. Since the character of the body next to be attained is determined by what a man thinks intensely at the time of death, he should always think of God if he wants to attain Him after leaving the body. This idea of the Gita is not analogous to the indulgences and facilities of popular religion. The absolution and last unction of the priest does not make death edifying and spiritual after an unedifying and profane life. Even while the priest performs his rites, the dying man may be cherishing in his mind the thought in which he has indulged all through life.

The embodiment of the soul is apparent and not real. Therefore its birth and death are also apparent only. A knower of Self realizes that repeated cycles of birth and death are like nightmares and not real. A knower of Self is truly awakened. Though experiencing disease, old age, and death, he remains unruffled by them because he knows that they are characteristic of the body and not of the Self. He is also free from desire, which arises when one is identified with the body. For if a person has realized himself to be Brahman, infinite and all-pervading, and if he sees himself in the universe and the universe in himself, he cannot desire anything. Self-Knowledge liberates the individual soul from its bondage and delusion. Only Self-Knowledge can overcome death.

This is the Vedantic conception of immortality, an immortality not to be attained in heaven, but here on earth in this very body through the knowledge of the immortal nature of the self. About the enlightened person the Upanishads say: 'Dwelling in this very body, we have somehow realized Brahman; otherwise we should have remained ignorant and great destruction would have overtaken us. Those who know Brahman become immortal, while others only suffer misery.'

According to the Upanishads, souls not illumined go to heaven or return to earth for the satisfaction of their unfulfilled desires. He who desires is reborn. But the man who does not desire is not reborn. Regarding this there is this verse: 'When all the desires that dwell in his heart are got rid of, then does the mortal [man] become immortal and attain Brahman in this very body.' The knower of Atman is like a man who is awakened from sleep and dreams no more of empty things. He is like a man who, having been blind, has received back his eyesight.

To Be Continued

About the author

Swami Adiswarananda

Swami Adiswarananda, the Minister-in-charge of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre, New York, USA, is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He is a well-known thinker and contributes articles to various journals.

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