Importance of spiritual practice during human life and even after death

The last rites of a seeker were being performed, when his relatives said, “When we go for a funeral or last rites, we experience a lot of bad odour in that place. It is so strong that we feel like leaving the place immediately, but we didn’t feel like this now, during these last rites (of the seeker)”.

1. Ordinary people do not perform spiritual practice, therefore, after death, their subtle bodies become heavy, engulfed with the coverings in the form of their personality defects and ego, which hamper their progress after death : An ordinary individual does not perform spiritual practice, therefore, the body of such an individual is full of Raja and Tama components due to his personality defects and different facets of ego, his attachment to worldly matters, etc. When an individual (in whom Raja / Tama components are predominant) dies, the Raja / Tama leave his body sometimes in the form of a bad odour, attracting negative energies towards this odour.

The heaviness of the subtle body due to personality defects and the ego of the individual, besides attacks of negative energies on the subtle body, cause obstacles in the subtle body getting momentum after death.

2. Seekers perform Ashtangasadhana (8-fold spiritual practice) as advised in ‘Gurukrupayoga’, therefore, the journey of their subtle bodies to higher planes becomes easy : Sanatan’s seekers, however, perform Ashtangasadhana as advised in ‘Gurukrupayoga’ (Note). They try to remain engrossed in satseva (Serving the God Principle) and remain in satsang (Company of God Principle), meaning, they try to remain in ‘Sat’ (Absolute Truth) and are devoted to God. Their spiritual practice leads to reduction of Raja / Tama components and increase of the Sattva component in them. There is Chaitanya (Divine consciousness) in people who have more of the Sattva component. After such people die, waves of fragrance, Chaitanya and Anand (Bliss) are emitted by their bodies. Negative energies cannot, therefore, attack the bodies of such seekers. There is a protective sheath of the Guru’s grace around the seekers, and since the subtle bodies of seekers become light with Chaitanya, it easily travels to the higher planes.

Note : Steps in Ashtangasadhana are –

1. Eradication of personality defects and nurturing of qualities

2. Eradication of ego,

3. Chanting God’s Name

4. Efforts to increase bhav (Spiritual emotion)

5. Satsang

6. Satseva

7. Tyag (Sacrifice for ‘Sat’)

8. Priti (Selfless love for others)

3. The spiritual practice performed by a seeker all his life leads not only to the virtuous act of spreading Chaitanya in the environment, he is protected even after death, which helps his subtle body attain good momentum.

With the Guru’s grace, the subtle body is freed from the cycles of birth and death !

– Shrisatshakti (Mrs) Binda Singbal, Sanatan Ashram, Ramnathi, Goa. (30.11.2022)

Since there is a protective sheath of the Guru’s grace around seekers, their subtle bodies easily travel to higher planes !