Curious ElfThe Holy books of Hinduism are said to contain intellectualistic perceptions of life after death. Hindu holy books such as Garuda Purana intricately specify the reincarnation of the soul and the constant cycle of birth and death. While some Hindus believe in the immediate shift of the soul into another body, others believe it pays for its deeds, which begins this process. But exactly how far the truth reaches is unfathomable until you read these books yourself. Here’s a list of what we’ve learned from our experience of reading them.
The body is mortal, and soul is eternal
Hindus believe that the body is material while the soul is eternal. This means that the body dies, but the soul lives on. In this constant cycle of birth and rebirth, the soul plays the dominant role. That is why everybody contains a soul (Aatman). When this soul resides in the body, the person lives. However, when the soul leaves the body, the body decays, and the soul is reborn again. This cycle is never-ending. Now, most people think that the soul is reborn immediately. But most holy books say otherwise. It is believed that the soul goes through several processes before it is reborn into a different form.
Journey of the soul in afterlife
As soon as the soul leaves the body, the God Of Death (Yama) comes to take the soul with him. After performing an identity check on the soul, Yama returns the soul to the place of the dead body, where it waits at the doorstep. This is when the body is allowed to see his funeral and his family members mourning for him. It is said that the soul feels at peace when he sees this. That is why the cremation rituals need to be performed during this time so that the soul does not re-enter the body.
By the 10th day of the demise, the Karta (Chief mourner) and the priest (Sraddha) perform the rituals necessary to help the soul be reborn. That is why a trench is dug in the holy river to make this possible. This is also the day when the soul digests and eats food to practice their new reincarnation without any inconvenience. Once all the rituals are performed correctly, the soul leaves the mortal world for a new journey.
After almost a whole year has passed, Yama will make the final judgment of where the soul belongs. That is when the soul is put into heaven (Swarg) or Hell (nark) based on its deeds (Karma) in the mortal world. It is also believed that both heaven and Hell are entirely different places for the soul to experience. Those who perform good deeds will be greeted by God and experience the most peaceful afterlife. However, those with evil deeds who go to Hell are tortured terribly until they have received sufficient punishment for those wrongdoings. After this, the soul is reincarnated in any mortal form based on their deeds.
Hindus belong to the supreme God, Brahma
Hindus believe that every soul on this planet is born from the supreme Brahma. He is the supreme consciousness from where each soul arrives on Earth. So, when the souls have to return, they all depart inside Brahma. This is when the soul returns to peace for eternity.
It is also believed that the soul cannot free itself from this cycle of birth and death (suffering) until it attains Salvation (Moksha) during its living years. The soul can do this by gaining a sense of stagnancy and learning to control our emotions, desires, and actions. It also means stagnancy in the mind, heart, and sensory organs. The four Yogas (Jnanas, Bhakti, Karma, Raja) are the main ways to achieve this goal. So, when the soul can attain Moksha, they align with the supreme God and free themselves from worldly sufferings forever. People can also chant ‘Sivaya Namaha’ to attain Moksha faster. Constant devotion to God, treating people with kindness, avoiding evil, and performing charity are also some of the best ways to achieve salvation on time.
The bottom line
Hindus continue to believe in diverse theories about life after death. But the facts we have listed above are entirely based on holy books by Hindus that are said to be the ultimate messenger of God.
