Almost all of us are affected by problems in our life where the root cause is due to departed ancestors'

subtle-bodies. This type of spiritual problem affects us regardless of race, cultural background or

social status. While this is a spiritual problem, it can manifest in many different ways in our day-to-day

lives. In some cases, people have gone through years of suffering only to find out that it could have

been alleviated in a few days. The alleviation would only have come about if they knew the root

cause, the remedy and if they had the required know-how to put it into practice.

This section is a must for all those who are faced with problems - financial to marital - that do not go

away despite every effort. We have divided this section into three parts:

General information about ancestral problems

What can you do to protect yourself against this spiritual problem?

What can we do to help our ancestors?

Section 1 - General information about ancestral problems

What are ancestral problems?According to the science of Spirituality and unknown to modern sciences, 50% of difficulties in our lives are caused solely due to spiritual factors and another 30% due to spiritual and psychological and/or physical factors.

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Please refer to the article on, ‘The breakdown of spiritual root causes of difficulties in life.’

One aspect of these spiritual root causes of problems in our lives is the distress caused to

descendants by the subtle bodies of their ancestors who have passed away (died). It is also one of

the more common spiritual factors that affects all of humanity in some form or the other. Before we

give a detailed explanation as to why our ancestors would want to cause any kind of trouble for us, let

us first examine the kinds of difficulties that people can experience due to departed ancestors.

The distress caused to us descendants by the subtle bodies of our ancestors manifests in many ways

in our day-to-day lives.  It creates obstacles in both, our worldly lives as well as spiritual practice. In

some cases, it may seem that the entire family has a dark cloud over it and various family members

are undergoing various problems despite all efforts to overcome them. The difficulties that are created

due to departed ancestors come in various forms as listed below:

Inability to get married

Marital disharmony

Addictions (approximately 70% of addictions are due to ancestors who have passed away)

Going blank in examinations despite being well prepared for it

Loss of job

Difficulty in conceiving a child

Miscarriages Bearing mentally challenged children or children with special needs

Death during childhood

Miscarriage, death in childhood, etc. happen when the distress by ancestors is coupled with other

major spiritual causes such as destined possible death. It cannot happen solely on account of distress

of ancestors. While the above types of problems may be a strong indication of ancestral problems,

only a Saint or a Guru (a spiritually evolved guide) can tell with certainty the root cause of a problem.

At an intellectual level, we could use two rules of thumb to decide if the cause of the suffering is

spiritual in nature:

All remedies to solve the problem have failed. This is especially so when the problem should be

easily treatable by modern sciences such as a skin rash, chest pain, etc.

A number of family members (e.g. 4 out of 5) are suffering with any of the above mentioned issues

simultaneously. (The reason that all the family members get affected is that they all have the same

ancestors.)

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/ancestorghoststroubles

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Who all are included in ‘our ancestors’?

For the purposes of this section, when we refer to ancestors, it includes all of the following:

Subtle-bodies of all our known and unknown departed relations from all the previous generations.

Relatives from all the previous generations from the father’s and mother’s side. For a woman from

her parent’s side as well as from her husband’s side are included in this category. The reason for

women having to include ancestors from her husband’s side as well is that with marriage the

woman becomes one with the husband’s family and enjoys and inherits the assets of that family.

Along with this subtle-bodies of departed relatives from previous births are also included in

ancestors.

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Even if one’s descendants (children) die before one, they too are included in the category of

ancestors as described in this section. This is even though they are not technically ancestors.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/included

Up to which generation of our ancestors is most likely to affect us?

Effect by generations of ancestors:

The influence or impact of ancestors of the past three generations is maximum i.e. up to the

generation of our great grand parents.

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The ancestors of up to the last seven generations have some sizeable influence.

The ancestors beyond the seventh generation do not affect us much. This is because the give-

and-take account with the ancestors is fully completed or completed to a large extent in a given

birth. Hence in the next birth, the give-and-take with ancestors of this present birth will be

negligible if at all. If a sizeable give-and-take account remains, then we are born in the same family

once again.

The above pertains to how far we are affected by our lineage (i.e. the vertical family tree). If we

look at it horizontally (or laterally), we are affected by our ancestors up to our second cousins.

 Please note: Close friends cannot affect or cause distress like ancestors. They can try to help if they

have a higher spiritual level but we should not accept it. This is because it will increase their

attachment to worldly matters and make them Earth bound. As a result it could cause an impediment

in their onward journey. We should instead pray that they concentrate on their onward spiritual

journey.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/GenerationsofAncestors_possession

Why would my departed loved ones and my other ancestors want to give me pain?

Note: In order to understand this article better, it is recommended that you read the article ‘Where do

we go after death?’

This is a question that is very commonly asked. People think of their near and dear ones who have passed away and find it unimaginable that they would deliberately cause them problems in life. The following are the two main reasons as to why ancestors trouble their descendants.

Due to unfulfilled desires and

Due to the inability to move on in the after life and attain a higher positive region or sub-region.

Distress due to unfulfilled desiresIn this case, ancestors trouble us as they have unfulfilled desires. These desires can include:

Anger directed at descendants who do not use their inheritance in accordance with the ancestors'

wishes.

Ancestors who have an attachment to the family and still want things to be done their way.

Ancestors who are addicted to some physical desire such as cigarettes, drugs, sex, food, etc.

They take advantage of the remaining give-and-take account between them and their descendants

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to possess their descendants and fulfill their desires. Departed ancestors trouble their

descendants instead of others with whom they may possibly have a give-and-take account with;

this is because the bond between blood relations is the strongest.

 

Distress due to a call for help by ancestors

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When one dies, the vital energy is released back into the Universe. The physical body remains on Earth, while the subtle body travels to a subtle plane depending on its merits or sins and its spiritual level. Unlike on the Earth plane, the only parameter that matters in the after-life is the spiritual level or the spiritual purity of a subtle body. The physical body and the various worldly aspects such as money, prestige, job, how well we are connected etc. have absolutely no relevance in the spiritual realm or subtle world.

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The subtle body as shown in the diagram becomes 'heavy' due to sins and excessive ego. As a result, it gets stuck in lower subtle planes of existence such as the Nether region (Bhuvarlok). If the demerits or sins are intense, then the subtle body goes to one of the regions of Hell (Pātāl). On the other hand, the subtle body becomes lighter due to good deeds (merits) and the intensity of spiritual practice. The higher the spiritual level, the lighter the subtle body and faster the progress to the higher positive subtle regions of the Universe.

 Samashti spiritual level refers to the spiritual level attained through spiritual practice for the sake of society (samashti sādhanā), while vyashti spiritual practice refers to the spiritual level attained through individual spiritual practice (vyashti sādhanā). In the current times, spiritual progress for the sake of society has 70% importance while individual spiritual practice has 30% importance.

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An advanced seeker's subtle body crosses the Nether region immediately as a result of spiritual

practice and goes to higher subtle regions of existence such as Heaven (Swarga). Only ancestors

who are above the 50% ( samashṭi) or 60% (vyashṭi) spiritual level are able to go to higher subtle

regions, such as Heaven and are able to access the requisite protection from God to fend off any

attack by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.). Less than 5% of the world population falls

in this category.

The following is the breakdown of world population by spiritual level:

(Please refer to the article on spiritual level and the breakdown of the world population by spiritual level.)

This means that the vast majority of our ancestors (over 95% of them) will be consigned to regions

below Heaven like the Nether region or one of the regions of Hell. A large percentage of the world

population is at a spiritual level of below 30%. When they die, they have very little spiritual strength to

help themselves in the lower subtle regions. By ‘help’ we mean helping themselves spiritually to

advance to higher positive subtle sub-regions.

In the lower subtle regions, they experience pain due to demerits and do not know how to help

themselves. They are also attacked and tormented by more powerful ghosts who control them for

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various purposes. They try to go to a more positive region or sub-region in the Universe but cannot

quite do so without spiritual help.

Subtle bodies who are over 30% spiritual level, can technically help themselves by doing spiritual

practice, but this too, is rare unless they have a strong impression to do spiritual practice that

conforms to the six basic principles of spiritual practice. All other versions of spiritual practice are

inefficient and do not really provide any spiritual help to the subtle body of the ancestor.

The distress suffered by our ancestors in the lower regions of the Universe emanates from them as

distress frequencies/vibrations that travel across the various subtle regions as well as the Earth

region. As their family members or descendants have the most matching frequencies, they are best

able to receive these frequencies.

Only on the Earth plane, do we have the ability to do something for our departed ancestors. Their

relatives in the other various subtle realms are pretty much in the same boat and so cannot help. In

the present times, as most descendants are not sufficiently spiritually evolved to be able to subtly

perceive the distressing frequencies, the ancestors use spiritual energy to create distress in their

descendant’s lives so that the descendants take notice of their needs. The distress perpetrated by the

ancestors is thus basically a means to communicate their pain. When the descendant finds that

problems are not going away despite their best efforts, they sometimes seek spiritual guidance. If the

appropriate spiritual guidance is obtained and implemented, it not only provides the descendants the

required protection from their ancestors but also provides the ancestors the necessary impetus for

their onward journey in the spiritual realm.

Depending on the nature and spiritual level of ancestors the extent of distress varies. A good ancestor

would give distress only to the extent of making the descendants aware of their needs. A vengeful

ancestor on the other hand, could cause extensive distress to his descendants.

An ancestor wanting to fulfill his desires would trouble a descendant with similar desires.

An ancestor desirous of moving on to a higher subtle region would target a descendant doing

spiritual practice.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/reasonforancestortrouble

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What are the signs that my illness could be due to my departed ancestors?

Saints with the help of their highly active sixth sense can diagnose whether a particular symptom is

caused by ghosts ordeparted ancestors. They can even tell us the details of the attacking ghosts, the

reason behind the attack, the exact remedy, etc. For more details, please refer to the article on ‘Depth

of ability to perceive paranormal activity with our sixth sense’.

Those with an activated sixth sense can also ascertain to some extent whether a certain symptom is

caused by ghosts. However they cannot be 100% sure and they do not perceive many details about

the nature of the attack.

What about the rest of us who do not have the sixth sense (ESP) ability to understand if a symptom is

being caused by a ghost? There are some simple rules of thumb which we can apply in order to

decide, by using our intellect. We can consider that there is a strong likelihood of an illness being

caused by a ghost when the symptoms are:

not alleviated with routine, conventional medicines

fleeting in nature

have an unexplained cause

accentuated on full moon or new moon days and

relieved by spiritual remedies

For example, if a simple skin rash is very stubborn and does not go away with conventional medicine,

it is more than likely to have been caused by a ghost or departed ancestors.

Even in cases where the root causes are physical and/or psychological, we recommend that one

complements the medical treatment with spiritual remedies. The reason is that ghosts take advantage

of any vulnerability caused by the illness to attack a person and compound or aggravate the problem.

Hence even an illness that may have started as a purely physical illness, in most cases, is later

complicated by an attack by ghosts.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/ghosts/ghosts-causing-sickness

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It is said that sometimes our ancestors help us, is that correct?It is commonly believed by many people and cultures that their departed ancestors look over them and help them in their lives.

The spiritual research conducted by SSRF corroborates the fact that ancestors can help us. The extent and quality of help depends on their attitude in their life on Earth and their spiritual level. Departed ancestors at a lower spiritual level can help less than those at a higher spiritual level. The higher the spiritual level, the more the extent and quality of help possible.

In almost all cases, the help that ancestors want to provide to their descendants is at a worldly level.

For example:

An ancestor may help his descendant get a job by putting the idea in the interviewer’s mind of selecting him.

They may help a girl get the boyfriend of her choice by putting the thought in the to-be boyfriend’s mind.

An ancestor with the foreknowledge of a possible accident may try to delay the departure of the descendant from the house thus trying to keep him away from the scene of the accident.

Ancestors, by helping their descendants, are in effect enhancing the attachment of their descendants

to worldly pleasures and simultaneously get further attached themselves. The only real help departed

ancestors can give their descendants is to make them aware of the necessity of spiritual practice.

More than 50% of mankind is below the 30% spiritual level with minimal spiritual strength. It is very

difficult for these ancestors to be of any help to their descendants. Sometimes higher-

levelghosts   (devils, demons, negative energies etc.)  like subtle-sorcerers ( māntrik )  can also ensnare

our departed ancestors of lower spiritual levels and torment them. At this point, survival is the only

thought in their mind.

However even if some ancestors may genuinely desire to help their descendants, the fate of the

helpful ancestors is akin to being trapped in a glass cage. They can see the plight of their

descendants but cannot reach out to them to alert them of danger or deliver timely help. This can be

caused by one of two factors:

The descendants do not receive or understand the signals sent by the ancestors or do not believe

in them.

The spiritual power of ancestors falls short of the help needed.

For example, a departed father may want to warn his son about the risk in signing the business deal through dreams but the son either does not make the connection between the signs in the dreams and the deal or if he does, he may not attribute enough significance to it thus ignoring the message.

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In another case, a departed mother may have to helplessly watch her beloved son falling prey to a lethal drug addiction orchestrated by a subtle-sorcerer. She understands the root cause of the addiction, though the son and the world is unaware about it, but as her spiritual power falls much shorter than that of the subtle-sorcerer she is forced to be a helpless spectator.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/ancestorshelp

How is it that an ancestor at a lower spiritual level has the strength to trouble, but not to help?

Divine help is unavailable to fulfill worldly desires: In almost all cases, the meaning of ‘help’ for departed ancestors and descendants is restricted to worldly help. When help is restricted only to worldly needs, ancestors are unable to access divine help to assist them in fulfilling their wishes. As a result, they have to depend on their own spiritual strength which is negligible. If the intention of the help is to assist the descendant spiritually, the ancestors have more access to divine intervention and assistance. 

Need to use their strength to protect themselves: Departed ancestors between the 20-30%

spiritual levels, due to their lower spiritual strength will be curtailed in the quality and quantity of help

that they can give their descendants. The truth is that ancestors at a lower spiritual level are in most

cases in survival mode and cannot think beyond themselves. The oppressive environments in the

lower regions, that is Nether region and Hell along with the attacks by higher level ghosts give them a

substantial amount of pain. So instead of helping their descendants they are actually in need of help

themselves.

They try to communicate to their descendants and do so in the form of creating problems in their

descendants' lives. The extent of the problems they can cause is disproportionately larger than their

ability to help.

Influence of higher level ghosts: When it comes to causing distress to people on Earth, higher

level ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) use ancestors as a means to get to humanity

with expending the least amount of energy. Hence they provide departed ancestors with the required

black energy.

Ancestors between the spiritual levels of 20-30%, i.e. lower spiritual levels are more self-centered and

hence focus on alleviating their own pain in the Nether region. Hence their attempt to help their

descendants is negligible.

Causing distress is a method of communicating with the descendants: When we are living on Earth, we have a variety of issues in our lives that vie for our attention. Our energy ends up being distributed across various facets such as job, relationships, chores and errands, entertainment etc. However when we die, there are no such activities to vie for our attention. In the subtle regions, our departed ancestors experience the full measure of happiness and unhappiness in accordance with their merits and demerits. Ancestors of a lower spiritual level generally accrue more demerits and as a result experience more pain. With no other distractions as we have on the Earth plane, they become singularly focused on reducing this pain or experiencing some worldly desire. They reach out to their descendants on Earth to do something for them. As there is no physical body, they do not need to

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sleep and can work at reaching out to their descendants with an incredible amount of single-mindedness. This single-minded focus in turn enhances their ability to affect us.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/lowersplevel_ancestors

What happens after the death of a person that causes him to need help?A human being has two bodies – the gross body (sthūladēha) and the subtle-body. Along with this he has Vital energy (Prāṇa-shakti) that links these two bodies together. See the diagram given below.

Note: In order to understand this article better, it is recommended that you read the article Where do

we go after death?

When one dies, the vital energy is released back into the universe. The physical body remains on the

Earth region (Bhūlok) while the subtle-body travels to a subtle-plane depending on its merits or sins

and its spiritual level. The subtle-body becomes heavy due to sins and excessive ego and as a result

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gets stuck in lower subtle-planes of existence such as the Nether region (Bhuvarlok). If the sins are

intense then the subtle-body goes to Hell (Pātāl).

On the other hand, the subtle-body becomes lighter due to good deeds (merits) and the intensity

of spiritual practice. The higher the spiritual level, the lighter the subtle-body and faster the progress

during its sojourn.

After death, those whose spiritual practice is not intense, get stuck in the Nether region. A seeker's

subtle-body crosses the Nether region immediately due to the lightness of the subtle-body as a result

of spiritual practice and goes to higher subtle regions of existence such as Heaven (Swarga).

However the subtle-body without the strength of spiritual practice remains in the subtle Nether region

and has to undergo the distress there. It doesn't gain momentum (gati) because it lacks spiritual

energy and purity (Sattva predominance) and hence is stuck in the heavy atmosphere of the subtle

Nether region.

They need spiritual help to make their onward journey. Now, they can turn only to their descendants

to do something for them. As the descendants are benefactors of the assets of their ancestors in one

way or another, they are spiritually bound to render requisite help to these subtle-bodies. However,

the descendents in many cases are unaware of the rites and rituals that need to be done in a correct

manner according to the science of Spirituality to assist their deceased ancestors. As a result, the

ancestors who have passed away get no relief in the subtle Nether region. The ancestors therefore

trouble (as mentioned in an earlier article) their descendants, in order to draw their attention towards

them. When the descendant in the Earth region experience difficulties that just don't seem to go away,

they start looking for solutions beyond conventional means.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/Ancestors_afterdeath

"I dream of departed family members and ancestors"

1. Introduction

2. What are the reasons behind seeing dead family members in dreams?

3. What if the dream is of a close friend who had died suddenly?

4. What can one do, at a spiritual level, to help deceased loved ones or family members who appear in one's dreams?

1. IntroductionQuite often our readers ask the meaning behind seeing dead relatives in their dreams frequently. A few of them, welcome seeing dead relatives and a few are fearful of the same. Their questions

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include, ‘Has my father moved on in the afterlife?’, ‘Has he gone to heaven?’, ‘What are they trying to tell me?’, etc. In this article, through spiritual research, we shed some light on this issue from both a psychological and spiritual viewpoint.

Please read what is spiritual research?

2. What are the reasons behind seeing dead family members in dreams?Through spiritual research we have found that there are psychological and spiritual reasons for seeing dead family members in dreams. 30% of the time the reason is psychological and 70% of the time it is spiritual.

Psychological reasons can include a feeling of guilt or regret for not having spent time with a loved

one before he/she died or some anxiety about that departed family member. Here the images that

appear in the dream are eruptions from our sub-conscious mind.

Spiritual reasons are mainly two-fold. One is that the subtle-body of the departed family member

needs help in the afterlife and is trying to contact its descendant on the Earth region (Bhūlok) of

existence. The other reason is trying to seek revenge, to get even with some family member. 

Through spiritual research we have found (with regards to the spiritual reasons) that approximately

70% of the time, it is the subtle-body’s need for help in the afterlife and 30% of the time, it is to seek

revenge or to trouble the descendant on the Earth plane of existence.  

A dream can be considered spiritual in nature if the same dream recurs at least 3 times. Dead family

members will generally try to contact the family member (or appear in the dreams) who they feel is

most likely do something for them. The reasons subtle-bodies, in the afterlife, find it easier to

communicate through dreams as opposed to the waking state is because during the waking state the

person who they are trying to contact, is more engrossed in the five senses and does not have

concentration of the mind. During the dream or sleep state, the mind is more receptive to messages

from the subtle.

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We have found that people who have had untimely or violent deaths are more likely to appear in

dreams as opposed to people who have had normal deaths such as after a prolonged illness. This is

because the person who has died of natural causes is more mentally prepared for death and therefore

finds it easier to move-on in the afterlife. In only 10% of cases could there be a negative energy

masquerading as the ancestor, in the dreams.

3. What if the dream is of a close friend who had died suddenly?However, dreams of the departed are not necessarily limited to deceased family members. Sometimes even close friends who are deceased appear in one's dreams. This is mainly to seek help as they may feel closer to the person who they are trying to contact as opposed to their family members on Earth. The following example narrated by one of the members of the SSRF research team will shed more light on this aspect.

Recently a friend of mine, Andrew (not his real name), visited me at the SSRF research centre and narrated how he had been plagued by dreams of a close friend who had died in a tragic accident. Andrew said that once, while at University, he did not go on a trip with his friend because he was competing in an event that his friend had trained him for. During the trip, his friend drowned.

Andrew was overcome by a feeling of remorse and guilt for not being there for his friend and perhaps being able to save his life. He did not have the strength to go to the funeral. Soon after the funeral, Andrew’s deceased friend began to appear in his dreams. It would be the same dream each time and it would recur every few days. This continued for many years. Andrew was very fearful of the dream but he did not ask for help from anyone on this matter.

Then one day after many years, he faced his fears and said to his friend in the dream, “Look I am sorry I was not there for you. I cannot change the past but I cannot keep living like this, dreaming of you every second day. So whatever it is you want from me .... do what you must ... kill me if you will, I don’t care.” From the next day onwards he did not have the dream ever again. Andrew felt that standing up to his deceased friend in a dream was the correct thing to do. However, from a spiritual perspective, all that the departed friend wanted, was some spiritual help from his closest friend Andrew. Once he saw that Andrew would never understand, the subtle-body of the deceased friend retreated, never to ask again.

Andrews’s correct action should have been to help organise a ritual to be conducted to help his deceased friend.

4. What can one do, at a spiritual level, to help deceased loved ones or family members who appear in one's dreams?

The Name of Shrī   Gurudev Datta  is a potent chant that provides relief from any problems caused

due to departed ancestors or family members.

SSRF also recommends that for more severe problems due to departed ancestors or family

members, along with chanting Shri   Gurudev   Datta , some specific rituals such as Nārāyaṇa

Nāgbali (for ancestors), Tripindi shrāddha, etc. be performed.

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It is the spiritual level/ability of the priest conducting the ritual and the mantras that mostly

determine the efficacy of a ritual and its ability to help the deceased in need of help in the afterlife.

Rituals that just have prayers are more at a psychological level and have a minimal effect as

opposed to the energy generated from specific mantras.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/spritualscience/dreams-departed-

ancestors

Can we meet our ancestors and loved ones in the afterlife?1. Introduction

2. Where do we go after death?

3. Some principles that govern which of our departed ancestors we can meet in the afterlife

4. How do we recognise our previously departed ancestors when we die?4.1 What form do we take after we die?4.2 Mechanism of meeting4.3 Risks involved with meeting

5. Once identified do we stay together with other departed relatives in the afterlife?

6. How do we communicate when we meet with relatives and friends in the afterlife?

7. Do we meet our pets in the afterlife?

1. IntroductionAlmost all of us have at sometime wondered if we can meet our departed ancestors and loved ones when we leave this Earth at the time of death. The purpose of this article is to explain the factors and principles governing who we can meet and who we cannot in the afterlife.

2. Where do we go after death?

Please refer to our article on ‘Where do we go after death?’.

As you can see, there are 13 subtle and intangible regions we can go to after death. In the current

era, approximately only 5% of us make it to the positive regions of Heaven (Swarga), Maharlok and

above. This is because one needs to be at least at the 50% (samashṭi) or 60% (vyashṭi) spiritual

level (which is 5% of the world’s population) to attain the first positive region of the Universe, i.e.

Heaven, after death. Please refer to the breakdown of the world’s population by spiritual levelfor more

information.  

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There is another region that is very important to mention in order to understand what happens to us

after death. Immediately after we die, we go to a region known as the ‘Region of the Dead’

(Martyaloka). This is a halfway house or an interim plane of existence where one stays as one makes

their journey from the moment of death to their final resting place in one of the 13 subtle (intangible)

planes of existence.

Please refer to the article on the Region of the Dead for more information.

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3. Some principles that govern which of our departed ancestors we can meet in the afterlife

Same region: Subtle-bodies of relatives in the same region can meet each other easily. For

example, two subtle-bodies of relatives in the Nether region (Bhuvarlok) can meet each other.

Subtle to subtler regions: It is not possible for a person in a subtle (intangible) plane to meet a

person in an even more subtle-plane of existence. After the Earth region (Bhūlok), the Nether

region is the most gross (tangible). A subtle-body in one of the planes in the Nether region cannot

go to meet a subtle-body in Heaven or the 1st Region of Hell (Pātāl).

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Subtle-regions to more gross regions: A subtle-body from a more subtle-plane of existence can

go to a grosser (less subtle) plane of existence. For example, a subtle-body in the 3rd Region of

Hell can go to meet a person in the 1st Region of Hell on a temporary basis. Such visits usually

last for as long as they are required and are also dependent on the spiritual strength of the visiting

subtle-body.

Subtle higher regions:

Subtle-bodies in the higher positive subtle-regions of Maharlok are so spiritually advanced that

they are devoid of desires including the desire to meet family members. The main purpose of

their existence is to grow spiritually.

Subtle-bodies in Heaven experience immense happiness and are generally caught up in the

subtle-pleasures that Heaven has to offer. As a result, the desire to meet previous relatives just

does not encroach upon their consciousness.

Visiting Region of the Dead or Earth: Subtle-bodies in any subtle-region can visit the subtle-

bodies in the Region of the Dead   or Earth region.

A ghost of higher spiritual strength in the lower regions of Hell can temporarily enter higher positive

regions such as Heaven to upset the peace.

4. How do we recognise our previously departed ancestors when we die?

4.1 What form do we take after we die?Once a subtle-body enters the Region of the Dead, it begins to lose its identity with its previous Earthly life. By the time it crosses the Region of the Dead and reaches one of the main subtle-regions such as the Nether region, the subtle-body takes an amorphous form.

If people have a strong attachment to their Earthly life and relatives, they are not able to move

on beyond the Region of the Dead. Here, they continue to take a form resembling their

previous form. The form is created by the ‘energy of desire’. Subtle-bodies can get stuck in

the Region of the Dead for many years and hover around their ancestral home. As a result,

those with sixth sense are able to feel or see their presence.

4.2 Mechanism of meeting

When entering the same region: When the subtle-bodies of departed ancestors have an

intense desire to meet another departed relative or friend, the energy from that single-

minded thought creates a subtle (intangible) materialisation of his form when he knew his

relative. At the same time, the relative who has just died and entered that region is

attracted to that particular ancestor’s subtle-body because of the frequencies of desire

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emanating from the subtle-body of the ancestor. The descendant who has recently expired

then recognises his ancestor because of the familiar form that the subtle-body of the

ancestor has taken.

At the time of death: There are generally hereditary similarities at the level of the subtle

basic Sattva, Raja   and   Tama   components among family members. Hence, due to their

oversensitiveness the subtle-bodies of ancestors residing in the Region of the Dead   and

the Nether region are able to perceive the changes happening in the dying person at the

time of death. They are then pulled towards the sound of the sub-vital energies emitted

and the excretory gases discharged by the dead body. Thus, they enter the Earth’s

environment and come near the dying person. That is why many dying people get visions

of their dead ancestors. If the recently dead person strongly wishes to meet his departed

ancestors or if the departed ancestor strongly wishes to meet the dead person, then the

ancestor on the strength of his strong ‘energy of desire’ attains a gaseous apparition-like

form. They thus help the dead person in identifying themselves.

4.3 Risks involved with meeting

In some cases, higher level ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies,

etc.) like subtle-sorcerers ( māntriks )  can take the form of dead relatives and

misguide recently departed subtle-bodies. This can be best avoided if one has done

a lot of spiritual practice on Earth and can see through their illusory (māyāvi) form.

Departed ancestors who are in one of the Regions of Hell can also mislead recently

departed subtle-bodies.

The sure way of ensuring one is not misled after death is to do regular spiritual

practice as per the six basic principles of spiritual practice   and attain as high

a spiritual level as possible. The higher the spiritual level at the time of death, the

lower the chances of being deceived by ghosts or ancestors from Regions of Hell.

Also, one is able to access greater protection from God.

5. Once identified do we stay together with other departed relatives in the afterlife?Subtle-bodies from a family generally stick together. This is because there is a lot of similarity among relatives as compared with others.

6. How do we communicate when we meet with relatives and friends in the afterlife?The method of communication in the afterlife is not the language of sound that we are used to on Earth. The thoughts in one's mental body are perceived by others.

7. Do we meet our pets in the afterlife?

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There is a chance of an animal being born as a human being if a human being had regressed to that animal form as punishment for his misdeeds. After the animal that was initially a human has finished its quota of suffering as an animal, it can be reborn in human form. Rituals for departed ancestors done by their descendants also help.

 It is extremely difficult for an animal (that was born as an animal to start with) to evolve to a human being as it is very difficult for an animal to do spiritual practice. However, an animal who has attained a Saint's satsang, consumed Holy sacrament (prasad), listened to Holy songs or repetition of the Name of God regularly may develop the desire for God realisation and evolve spiritually to human form. Also if an animal lives with a Saint, and the Saint makes a resolve for the animal to progress spiritually to evolve to a human form, then an animal could attain a human birth.

Hence, it is highly unlikely to meet pets in the afterlife. If at all one sees pets, this again is the doing of illusion creating subtle-sorcerers. Again, regular spiritual practice is the assured way of avoiding being deceived.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/spiritualscience/afterdeath/

meetingancestors

Frequently asked questions

1. You have mentioned in one of your articles that one of the reasons our ancestors trouble us is because the give-and-take account has not been settled. However is it not pre-destined how much account we are going to settle and with whom in a particular lifetime?

Yes, but we do not always complete it and besides we create new give-and-take account too.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/faqsect1

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Section 2 - What can I do to protect myself against this spiritual problem?

What can I do to protect myself against ancestral problems?

Problems caused due to departed ancestors are a specific type of spiritual difficulty. Therefore we can

successfully overcome them only by applying a specific spiritual remedy. Psychological and physical

remedies simply cannot overcome the root cause of the problem and can only provide some

symptomatic relief, at best. For example, if a person is suffering from a skin rash caused by

ancestors, relevant medical treatment can at best provide relief but it cannot cure the rash completely

or prevent it from occurring again.

In order to gain insulation from problems caused due to departed ancestors, we recommend chanting

the protective chant of 'Shrī Gurudev Datta'. This chant represents the Name of Deity Datta, an aspect

of God. This is to be done daily along with chanting the Name of God according to the religion of

one's birth.

Chanting of Deity Datta’s Name is a kind of prescription chant to overcome a specific spiritual problem

i.e. problems caused due to departed ancestors. On the other hand, chanting the Name of God

according to the religion of one's birth acts as a general spiritual tonic for overall spiritual growth.

Chanting of Deity Datta’s Name provides protection, but not spiritual growth.

To give you an analogy, chanting Deity Datta’s Name is like having an extra dose of Vitamin C when

one has a common cold. The Vitamin C is taken along with the usual multi-vitamin tablet taken for

good health (which is the Name according to the religion of birth).

When we repeat the protective chant of 'Shri Gurudev Datta', we attract the divine energy associated

with Datta’s Name and as a result we benefit in the following ways:

1. A subtle protective sheath envelops us, protecting us from obstacles caused by our

ancestors.

2. It helps to nullify the give-and-take account that we have with our ancestors thus reducing

their influence on us.

3. It gives our ancestors the assistance they require to make their onward journey in the subtle-

world.

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However, the extent of benefit depends on the quantity and quality of our chanting, which besides

other factors, depends on ourspiritual level.

It is recommended that one chants the protective chant of ‘Shri Gurudev Datta’ on a daily basis

depending on the severity of the distress. As it is a prescription chant that helps to remove obstacles

in one's life, it is best if it is done in the morning as it then provides the requisite spiritual protection for

the day. One can then chant the Name of God according to the religion of birth during the rest of the

day.

We recommend the quantity of chanting 'Shri Gurudev Datta’' that is commensurate with the severity

of the distress experienced due to ancestral problems. It is based on spiritual research and

Knowledge gained by accessing the Universal Mind and Intellect through the medium of a highly

advanced sixth sense (ESP).

1. In case where no distress to mild distress is experienced, one can chant for 1 to 2 hours

every day in order to avoid such trouble in future.

2. In case where the distress is medium, chant for 2 to 4 hours every day.

3. If the distress is severe one must chant 'Shri Gurudev Datta' for 4 to 6 hours per day.

Note: The above quantity of recommended chanting has been increased recently. The increased

duration of chanting has been recommended taking into account the rise in trouble caused by

ancestors and negative energies in the current and in the coming times.

Please read the article, ‘What are ancestral problems’ to understand the types of distress or problems

that can happen due to our departed ancestors. The following are some indicators of the severity of

distress

Type Example

Mild Skin problems, marital conflicts

Moderate Divorce, mentally challenged child

Severe Miscarriage, death in childhood

Note: If the difficulties are severe, then one could also be advised to perform specific spiritual rituals.

Information regarding these will be published in later articles.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/ spiritualresearch /difficulties/ancestors/ remedies_ancestorghoststroubles

What does the spiritual protective chant of Shri Gurudev Datta represent?

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The protective chant of Shrī Gurudev Datta represents the Name of Lord Datta, an aspect of God.

One of His functions in the Universe is alleviating distress caused due to the subtle bodies of

ancestors. God carries out His mission in the Universe through the three major principles of Creation,

Sustenance and Destruction. Lord Datta's ability is derived through a combination of these three

major principles of God i.e. Creation 10%, Sustenance 80% and Destruction 10%. His manifest divine

energy is 10% while 90% of His divine energy is unmanifest.

The concept that our deceased ancestors can cause trouble in our lives is very alien to us. However

people from various cultures and religions have experienced an immense improvement in their lives

by repeating Lord Datta's holy Name of ‘Shri Gurudev Datta’.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/LordDatta

Listen to a chant of Lord Datta – Shri Gurudev Datta

I am a Christian, why should I chant Lord Datta's Name?

Lord Datta is a deity. One of His functions is such that, those who worship Him are bestowed with the

ability to overcome the difficulties in their lives that are due to subtle-bodies of ancestors. 

 Quite often people from various religious backgrounds (for example, Christians or Buddhists) may

question, “Why should I chant a deity's Name that does not belong to my religion?”

The universality of this aspect of God, regardless of religious faith or religion of birth can be

understood by a simple analogy.

Panadol (whose chemical formula is C8H9NO2) is an allopathic drug that is manufactured in Australia

and other countries as well. It helps to provide relief from symptoms such as fever, headaches and

other minor aches or pains. Irrespective of place of manufacture (in this case Australia), Panadol

whose chemical formula is universal can be used to treat the symptoms of people not only in Australia

but in the entire world.

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So also, chanting Lord Datta's Name helps any person regardless of nationality, religion or cultural

background to overcome problems caused due to departed ancestors. This benefit of chanting His

Name has been experienced by many seekers being guided spiritually by SSRF around the world.

Read the case study of Cyriaque who was troubled by subtle-bodies of his ancestors and how

chanting Lord Datta's Name helped him.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/chantingLordDattaname

Does the give-and-take (karma) with my ancestors get cleared if we chant the protection chant

of Shri Gurudev Datta?

Yes, chanting the Name of Lord Datta clears our give-and-take account with our ancestors. The mechanism of how this works is that the subtle basic   sattva  component is generated through the chant and passed on to the ancestor. This acts as a repayment mechanism and helps to nullify the give-and-take account between the affected person and his ancestor. With the increased subtle basic sattva component, the ancestor’s desires pertaining to their give-and-take with their descendant doing the chant reduce. However, the ancestor’s desires in general do not reduce. Along with this the ancestor also acquires the requisite spiritual boost to make his onward journey into more positive sub-regions. The quantity and quality of our chanting will decide how much we can contribute to their onward journey.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/chantingLordDatta_Giveandtake

Frequently asked questions by our readers

1. We are living a very comfortable life and so did our parents and grandparents. We do not suffer from any symptoms of ancestral problems as mentioned on your website. Should we and our children still chant Lord Datta’s Name?

Ans.: It would still be advisable to chant Lord Datta’s Name as it is extremely rare for one not to have

distress due to subtle bodies of departed ancestors. Besides not doing any form of spiritual practice is

itself a kind of distress. One is so engrossed in and attached to worldly life that one is consequently

far away from God. One experiences the full measure of pain when the people and things we are

attached to are taken away from us.

 2. Is it true that children are protected by keeping photos of their ancestors in their bedroom?

Ans.: No, this is a misconception. In fact they are prone to experience a variety of distress due to the

negative vibrations of the subtle bodies of the departed ancestors.

The reason is as follows. A rule of Spiritual science says that ‘the word, touch, form, taste, smell and

the energy of any object co-exist.’ According to this rule, wherever there is a picture of our ancestors,

their spiritual energy co-exists. As explained earlier, most ancestors experience distress in the subtle

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realms due to their lower spiritual level. Therefore there is a very high likelihood that their distress is

transmitted through their photographs. These distressful vibrations can affect children adversely.

Refer to the article, ‘Why would my departed loved ones and my other ancestors want to give me

pain?’

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/faqsect2

Section 3 - What can we do to help our ancestors?

Where do my departed loved ones go after death?

Abstract

The innumerable recorded and researched cases of past life experiences clearly point to life after

death. In all the recorded cases of reincarnations, it was found that there was a variable time lag

between the death of the person and his next reincarnation on Earth. So, where do we go after death

till our reincarnation on Earth? Is it a single plane of existence or are there a variety of planes of

existence? If so, what are the factors that decide where we go after death? In this article, we present

the answers to these and other questions about this topic. These answers are obtained

through spiritual research done by seekers of the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF) with

highly developed sixth sense (ESP).

Note: In order to understand this article better, it is recommended that you read the article on the

three subtle basic components of Sattva,  Raja   and  Tama .

1. What happens after death?

2. The 14 planes of existence in the Universe

3. Heaven and the other positive planes of existence in the Universe

3.1 Positive planes of existence and reincarnation on Earth

3.2 The importance of the Earth plane of existence

4. What is Hell, who goes to Hell and what is Hell like?

5. Movement between subtle planes of existence in the Universe

6. What decides where we go after death?

6.1 Importance of the mental state at the time of death

6.2 Who goes to Hell?

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7. Suicide and the after life

8. Why is there a time lag between two reincarnations?

9. Life after death – in summary

 

1. What happens after death?

Spiritual research has shown that man is comprised of the following four basic bodies:

Physical Mental Causal or intellectual Supracausal or subtle ego

The picture below is a diagrammatic representation of what a human being is comprised of.

When a person dies the physical body ceases to exist. However, the rest of his existence or

consciousness continues. The existence of the person minus the physical body is known as the subtle

body (linga-dēha) and it comprises of the mental, causal (intellect) and supracausal (subtle ego)

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bodies. This subtle body then goes to one of the 13 subtle planes of existence other than the Earth

plane.

2. The 14 planes of existence in the Universe

There are 14 main planes of existence in the Universe. Seven of them are positive planes of

existence and seven are negative planes of existence. The seven negative planes of existence are

commonly known as Hell (Pātāl). There are numerous sub-planes within these main planes of

existence.

Righteousness (Dharma) is that which accomplishes the 3 tasks of:

Keeping the social system in excellent condition Bringing about the worldly progress of every living being Causing progress in the spiritual realm as well.

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Shri Adi Shankaracharya

Seven Negative planes of existence: These are planes of existence occupied mostly by subtle

bodies that have done unrighteous deeds and are engaged in spiritual practice according to the

negative path. By negative path, we mean the orientation of spiritual practice is towards attaining

spiritual power, e.g. supernatural powers. This spiritual power is primarily used to enhance one’s

control over others or for negative purposes. Thus all subtle bodies that go to any one of the planes of

existence of Hell, by virtue of their evil intentions become ghosts.

Refer to the article on, ‘What is a ghost’?

Sub planes of existence of Hell (Narak): Every plane of existence of Hell has a sub-plane known

as Narak. For example, the first plane of existence of Hell will have within it a sub-plane that is known

as the first Narak. Narak is reserved for the worst ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) in

Hell. The ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) occupying the first Narakface more severe

punishment and for a longer duration than those occupying the first plane of existence of Hell.

The diagram below shows the 14 planes of existence in the Universe.

An explanation behind the colour scheme used

Earth is depicted reddish as it represents action (i.e. subtle basic Raja component), as it is the only

plane where we have the physical body to do something.

Heaven has been depicted in pink, which represents an abundance of happiness.

Yellow represents spiritual knowledge and an increase in the subtle basic Sattva component. It

finally becomes almost white at the highest stage, which represents the close proximity to the

unmanifest God principle.

The regions of Hell are represented by darker shades to black, as there is an increase in the

subtle basic Tamacomponent.

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3. Heaven and the other positive planes of existence in the Universe

Footnotes (based on the numbers in red in the above table):

1. Each positive and negative plane of existence beyond the Earth (physical) plane of existence

becomes more and more subtle. By subtle, we mean, that which is beyond the

comprehension of the five senses, mind and intellect. Satyalok is the subtlest, i.e. the most

difficult to perceive or comprehend unless the highest sixth sense (ESP) level is attained.

2. Due to lack of spiritual practice, most people in the current era go to either the Nether world

or one of the planes of existence of Hell. We generally go to the Nether world after death

when the proportion of demerits (incurred due to wrong doings on Earth) is approximately

30%. Demerits typically include malice towards others and a lot of desires. The likelihood of

being attacked in the Nether world by higher-level ghosts from the lower plane of existence

of Hell is almost certain.

3. Earth is the only plane of existence where there is an amalgamation of people with varying

spiritual levels. However, after death we go to the precise plane of existence corresponding

to our spiritual level. 

4. The minimum spiritual level required to attain Heaven after death is 50% (samashṭi) or 60%

(vyashṭi). Please refer to the article, which describes what spiritual level is and

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the breakdown of the world population in 2006 according to spiritual level. Basically from the

Spiritual science perspective, meritorious acts to attain Heaven or the higher positive planes

of existence are those acts done with the objective of God-realisation. The following three

criteria can be applied.

Acts done without doership, i.e. with the outlook that God Himself is getting it done from

me and hence I cannot lay claim to any credit.

Done without expectation of acclaim or appreciation.

Done without expectation of results.

More than the acts per se, it is the attitude or outlook behind the acts that counts more.

5. To attain a higher plane of existence beyond Heaven one needs to be at a spiritual level

higher than 60% (samashti) or 70% (vyashti). This can only be achieved by

consistent spiritual practice according to the six basic laws of spiritual practice along with a

major reduction in ego.

6. By predominant body, we mean the body that is most active, i.e., mental, intellect or the

subtle ego. For example, in the Nether plane of existence (Bhuvarlok), the subtle bodies still

have a lot of desires and attachments. As a result, quite often they become ghosts trying to

fulfil some desire of theirs. This leaves them open to higher-level ghosts from the lower

rungs of Hell to take advantage of their cravings to affect people on Earth.

7. In the Nether plane of existence we experience some happiness. However, the unhappiness

is amplified as compared to the unhappiness experienced on Earth.

8. In Heaven plane of existence, subtle bodies experience an over abundance of happiness.

This happiness is much beyond the happiness experienced on Earth in quantity, quality and

duration. As we go up the positive planes of existence, there is an increase in the quality of

happiness and no unhappiness.

9. Sāttvik happiness means happiness derived from helping others without any expectations or

strings attached. When ego is involved in the act, it becomes rājasik.

10.Serenity is a higher experience than Bliss.

3.1 Positive planes of existence and reincarnation on EarthFrom the planes of existence below Maharlok, people need to be reincarnated on the Earth plane to settle their destiny and complete their give-and-take accounts.

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If one attains Maharlok at the 60% (samashti) or 70% (vyashti) spiritual level or attains Janalok at the

70% (samashti) or 80% (vyashti) spiritual level after death, one does not need to be reincarnated as

all of the individual's remaining destiny (accumulated account) can be worked out from these planes

themselves. However these evolved subtle bodies may choose to be born of their own will. They do

so primarily to act as spiritual guides for humanity.

In some circumstances people who pass away even below the spiritual level of 60% can

attain Maharlok. Here the person’s potential for further spiritual growth is considered. Through spiritual

research we have found that that there are 5 factors that influence this potential for further spiritual

growth. 

Having a high amount of spiritual emotion (bhāv), 

Having a low ego, 

Having an intense desire for spiritual growth, 

Doing regular spiritual practice of increasingly higher levels,

Affected or not affected by negative energies.

Being affected by negative energies can severely obstruct the ability for spiritual growth. Hence, if a person is below the 60% (samashti) or 70% (vyashti) spiritual level and has good qualities, but is severely affected by negative energies, then the individual's ability to attain the higher spiritual planes of existence such as Maharlok is restricted.

If one attains Tapolok or Satyalok after death, then one does not take birth on the Earth plane of

existence but continues to do spiritual practice from that plane of existence until one merges

completely with God.

3.2 The importance of the Earth plane of existenceThe Earth plane of existence is very important. It is the only plane of existence where we can make rapid spiritual growth and settle our give-and-take account in the shortest period of time. The main reason for this is that with the help of the physical body, we can do many things to enhance our spiritual growth and spiritual level and reduce the basic subtle Tama component.

Other than Earth, spiritual growth is mostly likely to occur only in the regions beyond Heaven such

as Maharloka etc. This is because in Heaven, the subtle bodies run the risk of getting caught up in the

unending pleasures it offers. In the Nether and Hell planes of existence, the punishment is so severe

and also the distress from the other higher-level ghosts is such that it becomes very difficult to rise

above the suffering to undertake any spiritual practice of value.

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4. What is Hell, who goes to Hell and what is Hell like?

As one goes to lower planes of existence of Hell, as the subtle

basic  Sattva   component progressively reduces the environment becomes less conducive to the

experience of happiness.

Within the planes of existence of Hell, there are some ghosts who do certain types of spiritual

practice to gain spiritual power. The highest in the hierarchy of ghosts are sorcerers from the

seventh plane of existence of Hell. They have immense spiritual power almost equivalent to

a Saint at the 90% spiritual level. They control all the other types of ghosts with lesser spiritual

power.

As one goes deeper into the various planes of existence of Hell, i.e. from 1st to 7th, the extent of

happiness experienced by the subtle bodies therein goes on decreasing and the extent of

unhappiness goes on multiplying. The minimal experience of happiness is also due to being

engrossed in memories of past positive events, pleasant memories of wealth in a past life, etc. The

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experience of unhappiness is due to memories of physical pain and insulting events, memories of

unfulfilled desires, e.g. regarding education, house, career, expectation of happiness from children

in past life.

The extent of punishment/pain to be endured in the various planes of existence of Hell and their

associated Narak goes on increasing with the subsequent plane of existence of Hell. Also, the

period of punishment to be endured in each Narak is in excess compared to the corresponding

plane of existence of Hell. If we consider the punishment in first plane of existence of Hell as

100%, then the punishment in the corresponding first Narak region is 50% more, i.e. 150%.

The following table is a description of examples along with the average intensity of happiness and

unhappiness we experience in the various planes of existence of Hell.

5. Movement between subtle planes of existence in the Universe

One is assigned that plane of existence which matches one’s basic nature in terms

of Sattva ,   Raja   and   Tama . This is also a function of one’s spiritual level. Hence, subtle bodies from

lower positive planes of existence cannot go to higher positive planes of existence and those from first

or second negative planes of existence cannot go to the deeper planes of existence Hell. This is

similar to how people living in the planes find breathing difficult at higher altitudes, but people staying

at higher altitudes manage fine.

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6. What decides where we go after death?

At the time of death, as the physical body becomes inactive the vital energy used for the functioning of

the physical body is liberated into the Universe. This vital energy at the time of death propels the

subtle body away from the Earth region. Just as the weight of a projectile decides how far a rocket will

propel it, similarly the weight of the subtle body decides which plane of existence it goes to in the

subtle planes of existence in life after death.

The ‘weight’ of the subtle body is primarily a function of the amount of the subtle

basic Tama component in our being.

The 3 subtle basic components: Each one of us is made up of three subtle basic components

or guṇas. These components are spiritual in nature and cannot be seen but they define our

personalities. They are:

Sattva: Purity and knowledge

Raja: Action and passion

Tama: Ignorance and inertia In an average person in the current era, the basic

subtle Tama component is as high as 50%.

Please read the article on the 3 subtle basic components

The more we are filled with the Raja and Tama components the more we display the following

characteristics which add to our ‘weight’ and impact which plane of existence we go to in our life after

death:

More attachment to worldly things and selfishness

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More unfulfilled desires

Feelings of revenge

Higher amount of demerits or wrong-doings

Higher amount of personality defects such as anger, greed, fear, etc.

A higher amount of ego: By ego we mean how much a person identifies himself with his body,

mind and intellect as opposed to the soul within

Resulting in lower spiritual level

A permanent reduction in the proportion of the subtle basic Tama component and the related

characteristics mentioned above come about only with sustained spiritual practice according to the six

basic laws of spiritual practice. Psychological improvements with self-help books or trying to be nice

are at best superficial and temporary.

6.1 Importance of the mental state at the time of deathThe mental state at the point of death, apart from what has been mentioned above, is very important. Our mental state is generally relative to the proportion of the subtle basic components in our being.

If a person is actually doing his spiritual practice such as chanting the Name of God at the time of

death then the influence of desires, attachments, ghosts, etc. are minimal possible for that person

compared to his state when not chanting. This makes his subtle body lighter. Hence, if he passes

away while chanting, he attains better plane of existence among the sub-planes than what he would

have attained were he to pass away without chanting.

At the time of death, if a person is chanting the Name of God and is also in a state of surrender to

God’s will, then he attains an even better plane of existence in his life after death and his sojourn is

undertaken with lightening speed. This is because the person being in a state of surrender on Earth

plane of existence itself, has very less chance of increasing his ego in his life after death. Also, the

entire responsibility of his well-being in his life after death is undertaken by his evolved spiritual guide

(Guru).

6.2 Who goes to Hell?The following are the types of deeds in our life on Earth that typically land us in one of the planes of existence of Hell.

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The extent, duration and intention behind the wrong-doings are important factors deciding the planes

of existence of Hell attained after death rather than just the action itself.

7. Suicide and the after life

There are two types of death with regards to its timing.

Destined final death: This is the time of death that no one can escape.

Possible death: This is where a person can possibly die. Each person may undergo a possible death wherein one comes close to death but may be saved due to his or her merits.

For more information on the types of death please refer to our article - Time of Death

In cases where a person is going through insurmountable crisis in his life or has severe personality

disorders, he may think of taking his own life in a depressed state. Ghosts (demons, devils, negative

energies, etc.) also fuel the depression of a suicidal person and sometimes are instrumental in

pushing a person over the edge into committing suicide. However, suicide remains a wilful act that

happens when a person is going through a possible death phase as per their destiny.

Life on the Earth plane of existence is precious and is given to us primarily for spiritual growth. When

we kill others we create akarmic give and take account with them. However by committing suicide, we

squander away the opportunity for spiritual growth and hence incur the heaviest sin. The

consequences are that a person committing suicide goes to the Narak part of the 7th plane of

existence of Hell for a period of 60,000 Earth years, in his life after death. It is a place that is without

40

any light; something like solitary confinement in a prison. As there is nobody in that Narak region who

can give advice about spiritual practice, the subtle body remains in the darkness of spiritual

ignorance.

8. Why is there a time lag between two reincarnations?

In the course of research by using hypnotic trance to trace the past lives of the person, it has been

found that the time lag between two reincarnations on Earth could be on average 50 to 400 years.

The reasons for this time lag are as follows:

The subtle body remains in the Heaven or the Nether plane of existence for variable periods of

time to undergo its merits and demerits (sins).

Circumstances on Earth plane of existence need to be favourable to complete the give-and-take

account from previous births with various people. This is in accordance with the law of Karma. The

reincarnation of the subtle body is postponed until the time various other people who they have a

give-and-take account with are also preparing to take reincarnation.

Sometimes in past life regression, a person does not report a reincarnation in the trance state. The

reason for this is that a certain reincarnation has been very uneventful or brief and the person may

not remember any details of it.

In the case of subtle bodies that have been relegated to the deeper planes of existence of Hell, the

time lag between two reincarnations may be thousands of years. They stay in their respective plane of

existence of Hell until such time they have completed their punishment. In most cases, this means

languishing in plane of existence of Hell in their life after death till thedissolution of the Universe.

9. Life after death – in summary

The above facts about the various planes of existence give us a fair idea of the possible

consequences in our life after death of how we live our lives. Only with spiritual practice or with

extreme meritorious deeds can one go to the higher planes of existence and thereby avoid

unhappiness and punishment and enjoy higher levels of happiness. There are also better chances of

a reincarnation on Earth plane of existence in circumstances conducive to spiritual practice. This is so

that one moves further up in the subtle planes of existence in the Universe. As we go further into the

current Era of Strife (Kaliyug), there is lesser likelihood of people going to the higher planes of

existence.

Once we go to the lower planes of existence such as the Nether plane of existence or other planes of

existence of Hell, we stay there and experience severe unhappiness for centuries until we completely

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pay for our demerits (sins) by suffering the intense punishments meted there and get a chance to be

reincarnated on Earth.

To do consistent spiritual practice on the Earth plane of existence according to the 6 basic laws of

spiritual practice is like swimming against the tide in the current era. However, it is also a guaranteed

way of advancing to higher planes of existence in our life after death.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/articles/id/spiritualresearch/spiritualscience/afterdeath

What type of ancestors need help?

The following is a frequency interval table (breakdown) of the world’s population as per spiritual level.

It is based on information accessed from the Universal Mind and Intellect in 2013.

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Please refer to the article, ‘What is spiritual level?’

As you can see, in today’s world over 50% of people fall in the category of 20-30% spiritual level.

People below the 30% spiritual level, due to lack of any spiritual practice (sadhana, sādhanā) have

very low spiritual purity or spiritual strength. When a person dies, the only thing that matters in the

after-life is the spiritual level or the spiritual purity or sattvikta (sāttviktā) of a subtle-body (linga-deha,

linga-dēha). Unlike on the Earth region (Bhulok, Bhūlok), the gross body (sthuladeha, sthūladēha) and

the various worldly aspects such as money, prestige, job, how well we are connected etc. have

absolutely no relevance in the spiritual realm or the subtle-world.

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The subtle-bodies of people between the 20-30% spiritual levels are heavy as in the lowest circle

shown in the diagram above. The heaviness is primarily caused due to demerits incurred from their

life on Earth, immense worldly attachments and lack of spiritual practice that conforms to the six basic

principles of spiritual practice.  

Due to this spiritual heaviness, the subtle-bodies cannot move on to

higher positive realms of the Universe and are therefore relegated

to the lower subtle-regions such as the Nether region

(Bhuvarlok) and Hell (Patal, Pātāl). Here they experience the full

measure of pain or unhappiness according to their demerits

respectively. In most cases, the demerits outstrip the merits in

people at the spiritual levels of 20-30%. Hence they mostly

experience pain and unhappiness in these realms. Along with this,

more powerful ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies,

etc.) attack and control them.  These ancestors require our help at

a spiritual level the most. We have defined what spiritual help we can provide them in subsequent

articles.

Ancestors between the 30-50% spiritual levels require our help less and less. Ancestors beyond the

50% spiritual level do not require any spiritual help from their descendents in the after-life. This is one

of the main reasons why reaching the 50% spiritual level is a keyspiritual milestone that we need to

strive for.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/ancestorstype_help

How can we help our ancestors in the after-life?

When family members die, depending on our culture and traditions, we pay tribute to their lives by

offering flowers at their grave,

by publishing kind words about them in their memory in the obituary section of a newspaper or

hanging the photograph of the deceased in one's house.

However, all these have no significance in assisting them in the subtle-world.

Spiritual research conducted indicates that after death, about 60% of ancestors are unable to acquire

momentum and move beyond the Earth plane (Bhūlok) due to lack of spiritual level and excessive

desires. As they are unable to move on, they reside mostly in their family homes.

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There are many things we can do to help our ancestors as soon as they pass away and when they

are in the afterlife. We will be covering the various things we can do in subsequent articles.

1. Spiritual protection chant of Shri Gurudev Datta

To immediately begin to help your ancestors, we recommend chanting the spiritual protection chant of

'Shrī Gurudev Datta'. Refer to the article on, ‘What does the spiritual protective chant of Shri Gurudev

Datta represent?’.

2. Vulnerability of the deceased’s body and subtle body at the time of death

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At the time of death, excretory gases are expelled from the dead body. These excretory gases are

regular physical gases expelled by the body such as putrefying gases etc. Their frequencies and

vibrations are negative in nature and as a result, theTama component increases in the immediate

environment. The ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) get attracted to these distressing

frequencies and enter the environment around the dead body.

They attack the dead body by gaining control over the five vital energies and sub-vital energies which

are in the process of being released into the Universe at the time of death. They emit black energy in

smoke form on to the dead body, engulfing it and creating a black covering on it. Due to the attacks by

ghosts, there is a transmission of black frequencies in the dead body and the corpse gets charged

with black frequencies.

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When the ghost gains control on the five vital energies and sub-vital energies, it also transmits whorls

of black energy to ensnare the subtle body. It thus pulls the subtle-body of the deceased ancestor in

its field of attack. Then they trap the subtle-body into their web of black frequencies and can create

obstacles in its onward journey in the after-life. After some time, many ghosts attack the subtle-body

by creating a whorl of black frequencies and take it into their complete control. In this way, ghosts

systematically gain control over the dead body and the subtle-body of the departed ancestor.

Spiritual science advocates some specific rites and rituals that need to be done at the time of death to

protect the body and the subtle-body from being potentially attacked by ghosts. In many cases,

people either do not know these rituals or do not know how to perform them correctly.

3. Benefits of chanting ‘Shri Gurudev Datta’

The following are some of the main benefits of repeating the spiritual protection chant of 'Shri

Gurudev Datta'.

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Reduces Raja-Tama: Deity Datta is an aspect of God that provides momentum to our ancestors.

Effulgent striking frequencies are emitted through the chant of ‘Shri Gurudev Datta’. These

frequencies reduce the severity of the frequencies of desire present around the subtle-body of the

departed ancestor. This results in a decrease in the Raja-Tama in the subtle-body and thus

reduces its heaviness. This enables the subtle-body to gain energy to move onwards in its journey.

Protective sheath: A protective sheath is formed around the subtle-body and its actual physical

body. This protects it from attacks by ghosts.

Instigates momentum:  As the attachment in the form of desires is also reduced, the subtle-body

is able to cross the Earth plane in a shorter time period.

Spiritually purifies the environment: Due to the chanting, particles of Divine consciousness

(Chaitanya) are generated in the atmosphere. The subtle-body of the recently departed ancestor

benefits from these particles. All the persons chanting are also protected from the distressing

frequencies present in the atmosphere.

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Continued protection: By continuously repeating the chant of 'Shri Gurudev Datta' on a daily

basis, we protect ourselves from distress caused due to ancestors. We also help our ancestors in

the after-life by providing them with the necessarySattva component to make their onward journey.

 

4. Which of your ancestors will benefit from the chant?

The ancestor who is troubling the most will derive maximum benefit and get first priority for the

spiritual help generated by the protective chant of 'Shri Gurudev Datta'.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/ancestorshelp_afterlife

From a spiritual perspective what is the best colour of clothes to wear to a funeral?

From a spiritual perspective, any sober colour other than black can be worn by relatives and well-

wishers in the event of the death of a person. It is preferable to wear lighter colours such as white and

pale blue as they are more sāttvik. Wearing black attire is common in many societies and cultures,

however from a spiritual perspective it is most likely to be detrimental to both the family and the

person who has passed away.

Since the colour black is tāmasik in nature, it has maximum capacity to attract and transmit negative

and distressing frequencies in the environment, i.e. to the extent of 70%. This means, out of all the

possible negative vibrations (ghosts included) that there can be in the environment, the colour black

can attract up to 70% of them.

Along with this, the surviving relatives who are mourning are generally in a depressed state, also adds

to the Raja-Tamafrequencies in the environment.

The combination of these two factors makes it conducive for ghosts to possess the mourner through

the medium of his black clothing and weakened emotional state. As a result, the overall increase

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in Raja-Tama also affects the subtle-body of the deceased, increases its distress and impedes its

onward journey in the afterlife.

On the other hand, wearing white coloured clothes for funeral repels the Raja-Tama frequencies and

attracts sattvik frequencies. This makes it less conducive for ghosts to possess mourners and give the

subtle-body of the deceased any distress.

The continued wearing of black throughout the period of mourning only makes matters worse and also

prolongs the state of depression. The negative vibrations of black continue to retard the progress of

ancestors and aid the activity of ghosts.

The subtle-bodies of the deceased ancestors, who cannot move forward in their journey in the subtle-

realm, stay in their family’s homes. They can cause problems for the surviving members of their

family. The problems that they cause are a plea for spiritual assistance to help them move on in the

afterlife.

Refer to the article - Why would my departed loved ones and my other ancestors want to give me

pain?

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/funeral_clothescolour

What is the effect of kissing the hand or forehead of the dead body?

Losing a loved one is a traumatic experience for anyone. Sometimes people who are emotionally upset, hug and kiss the body of the deceased. This may however be harmful for both the person and the subtle-body of the deceased. 

The proportion of excretory gases expelled from the dead body is high. Hence the area around the

dead body is charged with distressing frequencies. This negatively charged area is conducive to the

functioning of ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) therefore increasing their activity.

By kissing the hand or forehead of the dead body the distressing frequencies on the skin of the dead

body can enter that person. As the immediate area is charged with distressing frequencies, the

person who goes to kiss the dead body also gets charged with the distressing frequencies and runs

the risk of being severely affected by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.).

If the person who kisses the dead body is affected or possessed by ghosts then through the medium

of his touch the ghosts in him can enter the dead body and take control of the body. They can then

trouble its subtle-body thereby creating obstacles in its onward journey.

People involved with the funeral by necessity need to touch the body of the deceased to prepare it for

the funeral rites. This is a professional hazard. For example, the staff in Radiology (X-ray) department

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by virtue of their profession run the risk of exposure to harmful X-rays. Hence they wear lead shields

to protect themselves from the radiation. Similarly, as the people involved with the funeral too run the

risk of being affected at a spiritual level, it is recommended that they repeat the spiritual protective

chant of Shrī  Gurudev Datta while performing their duties. It is also strongly recommended that they

persevere with spiritual practiceon a daily basis. The spiritual practice needs to conform to the six

basic principles in spiritual practice, else it is of little value in obtaining sustained protection.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/deadbody_effects

What is the effect of keeping objects in the coffin?

The favourite objects of the dead person kept in the coffin are attacked by ghosts in the same way as the corpse is attacked. This includes even dressing up the dead body in their favourite clothes. The subtle sorcerers can use these objects to do black magic. Also as the vibrations of the person are more in those objects, the subtle body instead of attaining onward momentum is attracted again and again to the coffin because of prior attachment to those objects and then finally starts residing in it.

Due to being Earth bound, the subtle body of the deceased ancestor falls prey to other tamasik subtle

bodies in the graveyard and also to ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.). It comes under

their control and becomes a medium for their activities. Therefore while the act of keeping something

special in the coffin may be done with the best intentions, it is most likely to be harmful for the subtle

body of the deceased. Instead of moving out of the Earth region, the subtle body gets stuck in its

favourite objects. As the subtle body becomes more earth bound, it gets easily controlled by ghosts

and thus suffers immense agony. Besides being trapped by ghosts, he also gets stuck in the cycles of

birth and death.

For this reason it is best not to add anything into the coffin, not even flowers. Also in the case of

burial, it is best to dress the body in white and simple clothes.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/coffin_objects

What is the spiritual perspective on cremation, burial and the body being consumed by vultures?

1. Introduction

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2. The circumstances of the physical body after death

3. Cremation of a body

4. Burial

5. Dead body being consumed by vultures

6. The environmental perspective of cremation versus burial

7. In summary

1. Introduction

Every year more than 50 million people die worldwide. The two main forms of funeral rites adopted by

most are either cremation or burial. The Parsis (Zoroastrians) in Mumbai, India, a small community,

leave their dead out in the open in the Towers of silence to be consumed by vultures. In the past

some civilizations would embalm their dead in the process of mummification. Through spiritual

research methodologies, we have examined the effect of some of the main modern types of funeral

rites from the point of view of helping our ancestors in the afterlife.

A popular concept is that after death the soul goes towards the light or has its loved ones waiting on

the other side to welcome them etc. However, to understand the true experience of a subtle-body who

has just left its gross body (sthūladēha) after death, we recommend that you read the following 3

articles before resuming reading this.

Where do we go after death?

What is the region of death?

Going towards light

Having read these articles, one will have an understanding of how ancestors can be in a state of

distress in the afterlife and how they can be helped. Another popular belief is that our ancestors who

pass on are in a position to help us on Earth. However this is far from the truth. Most of our departed

ancestors are desperately in need of help themselves. The only people who can do something for

them are their descendants on Earth. The only way to get the attention of their descendants is to

harass them. This harassment can come in many forms until they reach a point where the descendant

is cornered into doing some spiritual practice which would go towards relieving the distress of the

ancestors.

To understand this further please read:

What are ancestral problems?

Why would my departed loved ones and other ancestors want to give me pain?

The method of disposal of the dead can contribute to or alleviate the distress that the ancestor has to

go through in the subtle-realm.

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Sometimes people weigh the pros and cons of different forms of funeral rites based on its impact on

the environment. This is one yard stick to use. However the most damage is done in the spiritual

environment when a spiritually detrimental funeral rite is performed leading to further distress to the

subtle-body of the dead ancestor.

2. The circumstances of the physical body after death

When a person dies only the gross body is shed, but the subtle body consisting of the mind, intellect,

ego which contains all the desires and impressions continues to exist. The mind, intellect and subtle

ego form the personality of the person. These personality traits remain unaltered and dying physically

does not change the person in any way.

The concept of attachment for ones gross body:When a person dies, he is unfamiliar with all the experiences of the afterlife as one will understand from the article – The region of death. Thus he clings to the body he knows and the world he came from, even though he is dead. This is heightened when the body is kept completely intact as happens when the body is embalmed or frozen for a delayed funeral. The subtle body associates itself with its gross body and thus finds it that much more difficult to detach and proceed on its onwards journey as it cannot leave its prior ‘home’ – its gross body.

Vibrations around the dead body that attract negative frequencies:At the time of death, excretory gases are expelled from the dead body. These excretory gases are regular physical gases expelled by the body such as putrefying gases etc. Since they are gases exiting a decaying body, their frequencies and vibrations are negative in nature and as a result the tama component increases in the immediate surrounding environment.Ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) get attracted to these negative frequencies and enter the environment around the dead body.

The series of drawings based on subtle-knowledge below have been drawn by  spiritual seekers who

have an advanced sixth sense that enables them to ‘see’ what happens to the subtle body of the dead

person as well as what happens in the unseen environment around the gross body of the dead

person.

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Ghosts attack the dead body by gaining control over the five vital energies and sub-vital energies,

which are in the process of being released into the Universe from the body at the time of death. They

emit black energy in the form of smoke on to the dead body, engulfing it and creating a black covering

on it. This smoke is invisible but can be perceived through one’s sixth sense (ESP). Due to the attacks

by ghosts, there is a transmission of black frequencies into the dead body and the corpse gets

charged with these black frequencies.

After the ghost gains control of the gross body and five vital energies and sub-vital energies, it turns

its attention to capturing the subtle body of the dead person.

The subtle body of an average person is generally full of worldly desires and hovers around in the

Earth plane. It has a subtle link with its previous gross body, both in the form of attachment to it and

also through the vital energy which is released from the dead body into the atmosphere over a period

of a few days. Ghosts use this subtle link to get to the subtle body. It begins to ensnare the subtle

body by transmitting whorls of black energy towards the subtle body. It thus pulls the subtle body of

the deceased ancestor into its field of attack.

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Then they trap the subtle body into a web of black frequencies. This impedes the free movement of

the subtle body and thus creates obstacles in its onward journey in the afterlife. After some time,

many ghosts join the attack on the subtle body by creating further whorls of black frequencies and

take it under their complete control. In this way, ghosts systematically gain control over the dead body

and the subtle body of the departed ancestor.

From a spiritual perspective, the main aim of a funeral rite should be to accomplish the following:

Minimise the attack by ghosts

Help the subtle-body shake off its bond to the gross body

To give momentum and protection to the subtle body in its onward journey in the afterlife.

The information given below along with the drawings based on subtle-knowledge have been provided

by Mrs. Anjali Gadgil, a seeker in SSRF with a highly advanced sixth sense. The information and

drawings based on subtle-knowledge have been obtained from the Universal Mind and Intellect and

show the exact sequence of subtle events when a person is:

A. Cremated

B. Buried or

C. Consumed by vultures

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3. Cremation of a body

Cremation is the practice of disposing of a corpse by burning.

At the outset, it is important to note that the cremation needs to be done at the earliest and preferably

before sunset. If the person has died at night, then one can wait till the morning to conduct the

cremation. By expediting the funeral process itself, we minimise the impact on the dead body by

ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.).

The following is the sequence of events that were observed:

1. During the cremation (with the effect of the Absolute Fire Principle(Tējtattva) along with the

recitation of specificmantras, the five vital energies, sub-vital energies and excretory gases

in the corpse are expelled and disintegrated in the atmosphere.

2. As the body is burning, a subtle protective sheath forms around the body due to the Absolute

Fire Principle andmantras, protecting it from any attack by ghosts.

3. Due to the complete disintegration of the five vital energies and sub-vital energies any subtle-

bond that the subtle body had with the body is broken.

4. The Absolute Fire Principle and mantras also cleanse the subtle body of any Raja-

Tama frequencies and provide a protective sheath around it.

5. As a result, the subtle-body now cleansed of Raja-Tama frequencies becomes lighter and

more sāttvik. This adds to the momentum in its onward journey out of the Earth plane.

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A quick analysis of cremation shows that it meets all the criteria for the effectiveness of a funeral rite.

If a body is incompletely burnt, it still faces the risk of attack by subtle-sorcerers (māntriks).  

Also read: "What is the spiritual perspective on scattering of ashes from a cremation urn?"

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4. Burial

Casket (coffin) manufacturers generally manufacture caskets with seamless welds and rubber

gaskets. These caskets are known as 'sealed' caskets. The caskets are made in such a way so as to

keep out water, soil and air. However they also succeed in trapping all the excretory gases in the

coffin. The subtle pressure in the coffin rises as the distressing frequencies emanating from the

corpse materialise within the coffin and are transformed into a black sheath around the body. This

materialisation process generates distressing, frictional, hot frequencies. These frequencies generate

a subtle distressing sound that attracts ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.).

The ghosts enter the coffin and gain control over the five vital energies, sub-vital energies and begin

the charging of the corpse with a covering of black energy. As the body is buried adjacent to the

ground, it attracts distressing frequencies from the Hell region (Pātal) that form a dome of black

frequency chords over the corpse. Ghosts use the control that they have over the gross body, five

vital energies and sub-vital energies to gain access to the subtle body. Over time, with the inundation

of black energy by ghosts, the heaviness of the subtle body also increases. The subtle body is pulled

towards the coffin and gets trapped in it and falls prey to the attacks by ghosts.

As the subtle bodies of the buried are trapped in the Earth region their probability of becoming ghosts

is more than in those where the body is cremated. Even if the person has led a relatively good life

when alive, just by the very act of burial, his probability of becoming a ghost much against his own will

increases manifold. Under the influence of other ghosts, he is forced to commit acts wherein his

demerits rise relegating him further to the lower regions of the Universe.

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A subtle-analysis of the burial method shows that it does not meet any of the criteria for the

effectiveness of a funeral rite.

5. Dead body being consumed by vultures

 

The Parsee (Zoroastrians) community disposes its dead by placing the bodies in a place known as

the ‘Tower of Silence’. The tower is open to the sky as it has no roof. The corpse is subjected to the

rays of the sun to decompose and vultures to eat it.

As the subtle-body is still attached to its gross body at the time of death, it undergoes agony when the

body is torn by vultures and is decomposed.

For a body not be used as a vehicle to attack the subtle-body, it needs to be destroyed completely

and as soon as possible. Fire is the only element that can do this immediately. The five vital energies

and sub-vital energies generally take a few days to finally leave the body completely. During this

period, they can be used by ghosts as a means to get to the subtle body of the departed ancestor.

The sun’s rays simply do not have the ability to destroy the body and nor do the vultures in a matter of

days.

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However something far more damaging happens at a spiritual level. In this method as the vultures

attack the corpse, many subtle-sorcerers and ghosts are attracted to the smell of the blood, bones

and flesh of the corpse. They use the blood and bones to do negative rituals to gain control over the

subtle-body. By giving the corpse to vultures the entire body goes into the complete control of the

ghosts and subtle-sorcerers in a very short time. They are more likely to become slaves of these

subtle-sorcerers and suffer immensely in the afterlife. In this way, these subtle-bodies also do not

attain momentum and easily go into the control of ghosts and thus to the Hell region. In addition,

many ghosts fulfil their cravings and hunger for meat by eating the human blood and flesh through the

medium of the vultures.

The subtle-sorcerers materialise the subtle distressing smell emitted through the blood and flesh and

with the help of recitation of negative mantras give subtle form to that subtle body again. Then they

give it a genie like form and make it perform many negative acts and thus trouble others severely.

A subtle-analysis of being consumed by vultures shows that it does not meet any of the criteria for the

effectiveness of a funeral rite and is more harmful than burial.

6. The environmental perspective of cremation versus burial

On the face of it the funeral rite of burial of a person in a shroud or letting bodies be eaten by vultures

may seem to be more eco-friendly than burial in a coffin or crematorium or funeral pyre. However in

choosing the way we want our funeral rites done cannot be looked at purely from an environmental

point of view. There are other spiritual considerations such as the attack of ghosts. By excluding the

spiritual realm in our decision making on what funeral rite to choose and by keeping the body intact

dramatically increases the chances of our departed to get attacked by ghosts.

7. In summary

Out of all the types of funeral rites to let go of a body, committing it to cremation is the most beneficial.

People who have lived relatively good lives, by the very act of burial increase their risk of becoming

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ghosts in the afterlife.  Sometimes we are attached to the form of funeral rite that our culture is used

to. However, the spiritual repercussions of burial and being consumed by vultures needs to be

weighed against one’s psychological attachment for a certain funeral rite.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/Burial_Cremation

What is the spiritual perspective on scattering of ashes from a cremation urn?

Abstract

The way we scatter the ashes of our loved ones after they are cremated, either helps them in the

afterlife or obstructs their onward journey. Spiritual research conducted has shown that immersing

ashes in water alone can benefit our ancestors. This article also provides information on the reasons

behind the spiritually correct methods to be adopted - right from the collection of ashes to its final

disposal.

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Where should one keep the cremation urn until the ashes are scattered?

3. How long should the cremation ashes be kept?

4. What is spiritually the best way to scatter the ashes from a cremation urn?

4.1 Immersion of ashes in water

4.1.1 What should one do with the urn after immersing the ashes in the sea?

4.2 Burial of the ashes

4.3 Keeping ashes in jewellery

4.4 Scattering remains by airplane or on a favourite place of the deceased

5. Who should perform the rite of scattering of the ashes?

6. What material should the cremation urn be made of?

7. What should I do with my pet’s ashes?

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1. Introduction

Nowadays there is an increasing trend of people choosing cremation over burial as a funeral rite. The

funeral rite of cremation that takes place either on a funeral pyre or in a crematorium does not dispose

off the body totally. The remains are commonly known as ashes and are handed back to the family in

an urn. The entire process from receiving the ashes to the scattering of the ashes is important from a

spiritual point of view. Depending on the process adopted, we can either help our departed loved one

to move on in their afterlife or we may be instrumental in their remaining earthbound. However the

surviving relatives who receive the ashes in a cremation urn are generally unaware of the spiritually

correct way of scattering the ashes.

In the article on, ‘What is the spiritual perspective on cremation, burial and body consumed by

vultures?’ we described how the corpse could be attacked by ghosts, thus impeding the progress of a

subtle-body after death. The ashes after cremation represent the last vestiges of the person. The

ashes therefore have the same frequencies as that of the departed ancestor.

We know that we can medically identify a decomposed body that is beyond recognition by techniques

such as DNA testing etc. because even a small remnant of a tooth or hair matches exactly to the

person. Similarly at a subtler, intangible level the smallest remnant of the corpse, even in the ashes

has the same frequencies and vibrations as the person.

These frequencies are generally negative in nature. As 50% of the population is below 30% spiritual

level, the frequencies emanating from the body are the subtle basic Raja-Tama frequencies. Also

as 100% of the population is affected by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) the

frequencies emanating from the body and ashes are of the Tama variety. As a result, they are

distressing to us at a subtle level.

Refer to the article - the three subtle basic components of  sattva, raja   and  tama   in relation to spiritual

level.

There is also a subtle bond that exists between the ashes and the departed ancestor because of the

similar frequencies. These frequencies and subtle bond can be used by ghosts to create obstacles in

the subtle body’s journey after death. By creating obstacles in the onward journey in the afterlife,

ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) capture and then end up controlling the subtle body.

This enables them to trouble the subtle body or make it do many undesirable acts as per their bidding,

like troubling others. In almost all cases where the ancestor is earthbound they end up troubling their

descendents.

Refer to the article - Why would my departed loved ones and my other ancestors want to give me

pain?

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In this article, we present the spiritual research undertaken to identify the spiritually most beneficial

method to be adopted from the time the cremation ashes are received to the final scattering of the

ashes. The primary purpose is to help the departed ancestor move on in the afterlife with minimum

negative impact on the surviving relatives.

2. Where should one keep the cremation urn until the ashes are scattered?

As explained above, the ashes of any person who is not a Saint is usually high in the subtle

basic Raja-Tama component. Any contact with it adds to the subtle basic Raja-Tama component in us

and can be a cause for distress. Hence it is advisable to scatter ashes immediately after collecting

them. Bringing the ashes into the house also increases the attachment of the departed ancestor’s

subtle body and makes it more earthbound instead of hastening its momentum in the afterlife.

If for some reason the scattering of ashes cannot be done immediately, the sealed urn is best kept

outside the house, tied to a tree etc.

3. How long should the cremation ashes be kept?

If the cremation was done on a funeral pyre the ashes are generally collected on the 3rd day. This is

because it takes approximately three days for the embers to completely die down. If the cremation is

done in a crematorium, the ashes are available the next day itself. Whatever the method of cremation

the sooner one scatters the ashes the lesser is the negative impact of the Raja-Tama frequencies.

In some cases, relatives residing overseas who could not make it for the funeral want to be part of the

ritual of scattering of ashes. Here too, one has to weigh the spiritual benefit to the ancestor and

preventing distress to oneself by scattering the ashes immediately versus the emotional gratification

of the relatives.

4. What is spiritually the best way to scatter the ashes from a cremation urn?

4.1 Immersion of ashes in water

After the body is cremated, immersion of the ashes in water is spiritually the best way of disposing of

the ashes. The reasons for this are as follows:

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1. It is easier for ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) to gain control of the ashes

and the subtle body and misuse it. This is especially so when they find the ashes all together

in one place in the ground. By immersing the ashes in water, they are dispersed and hence

unavailable to the ghosts in a collected form to gain control of.

2. As water is all-assimilating, it imbibes the distressing vibrations remaining from the dead

body in the ashes and the other Absolute Cosmic Principles (Panchamahābhūtās) related to

the subtle body like Absolute Earth (Pruthvī), Fire (Tēj), Air (Vāyu) element etc. This helps to

break the remaining attachment of the subtle body to its gross body (sthūladēha) on the

Earth region (Bhūlok). As a result, the probability of the subtle body getting stuck in the

Earth region as well as that of being attacked by ghosts is dramatically reduced.

3. The demerits (sins) of the person add to the subtle basic Raja-Tama frequencies of the

ashes. By scattering the ashes of the deceased in the water, the demerits i.e. the Raja-

Tama frequencies related to the demerits are washed into the water.

4. Sea water is the best for disposal of ashes. This is because sea water has the maximum all-

assimilating property among all types of waters. Amongst other waters, holy rivers are the

best. Holy rivers are those rivers whose waters have a very high content of subtle

basic Sattva component. For example, in rivers like the Ganges in India the subtle

basic Sattva component is high despite the water being heavily polluted. In general, flowing

water is the best as it scatters the ashes thus making it near impossible for the ghosts to

gain control on the subtle body through the ashes.

4.1.1 What should one do with the urn after immersing the ashes in the sea?

As the ashes are collected in the urn, the urn gets charged with the vibrations in the ashes. Keeping

the urn or using it later can give rise to distress because of the distressing frequencies associated with

most ashes as explained above. Hence it is best to immerse the urn in water along with the ashes.

4.2 Burial of the ashes

Some cultures prescribe burial of ashes in the urn after cremation. They also argue that the body is a

temple of God and therefore should be buried instead of cremated.

As explained above, burying the ashes in an urn makes it an easy target for the ghosts (demons,

devils, negative energies, etc.) and it is much easier for them to gain control of the subtle body of the

departed ancestor. At a spiritual level, the adverse effect of the ashes on the subtle body is identical

to that of burying the body albeit of a slightly less intensity. Thus burial of a corpse or burial of the

ashes is a highly incorrect act. Considering the number of burials so far over the centuries and those

to come, it is evident that everybody has to face the consequences of the increase of subtle

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basic Raja-Tama vibrations generated through this incorrect act. When there is an overall rise in

the Raja-Tama vibrations on Earth there is an increase in natural disasters, wars, terrorism, social

unrest etc.

4.3 Keeping ashes in jewellery

Some people make cremation jewellery by placing a lock of hair, a dried flower from the funeral,

ashes etc. in a locket, pendant, bracelet etc. By doing this we harm the ancestor by:

Increasing his worldly attachment thus causing an impediment to his onward journey in the afterlife

and making him Earthbound.  The act of wearing the ashes itself causes a higher level of

attachment in the subtle body of the departed ancestor for the descendent and their previous life

on Earth.

Exposing him to the risk of attack by ghosts.

Cremation jewellery is harmful to us as:

We expose ourselves to the subtle basic  Raja-Tama  in the ashes intimately and over an extended

period of time.

We expose ourselves to the risk of being affected by the subtle body of the ancestor as well as the

ghost who may be in control of the ancestor's subtle body through the ashes.

4.4 Scattering remains by airplane or on a favourite place of the deceased

It is best to scatter ashes quietly and without much fuss/fanfare as a sign of respect to the dead and

also to keep its worldly attachment to the minimum.

As explained above, it is best to scatter ashes in water.

5. Who should perform the rite of scattering of the ashes?

Anybody can scatter the ashes; usually it is the next of kin who does it. It is best that only a single

person does it to limit contact with the ashes and keep it to the minimum.

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6. What material should the cremation urn be made of?

Manufacturers of cremation urns offer a variety of products to select from. The cremation urn varies

from the type of material used, to the design on them, to the shape.

From a spiritual perspective, the following is recommended for the selection of an urn:

Material: It is best to use a plain earthenware urn for collecting and storing ashes. The urn should

not be of any other material such as ceramic, glass, porcelain etc. The earthenware urn when

immersed in water dissolves completely into the water and thus causes no or minimal pollution. It

also is high in the Absolute Earth Principle. The ashes are also predominantly made up of the

Absolute Earth Principle. As both belong to the same Absolute Cosmic Principle their frequencies

do not clash. Hence it is beneficial to use earthenware urns.

Design: Every type of design or art can be sāttvik, rājasik or tāmasik. Only if one has evolved to a

level where one can perceive the purity in the art or design will one be able to perceive the positive

or distressing vibrations from the design on the urn. Thus it is recommended that the urn have no

design. If the design is subtle Raja-Tama predominant, it will add to the existing Raja-Tama in the

ashes. It will thus cause further distress or impediment in the onward journey of the subtle body of

the departed ancestor.

Shape: Urns are manufactured in all shapes and sizes. They are generally cubical, cylindrical, like

a pyramid etc. The urns with sharp angles as in the aforementioned shapes give rise to striking,

opposing frequencies that are predominantly subtle basic Raja-Tama. These add to the distressing

frequencies of the ashes. This means an addition of subtle basicraja-tama to the subtle body too.

Spiritual research has shown that with regards to shape, it is best to have a plain circular regular

shape as it does not have the detrimental effect of adding on subtle basic Raja-Tama frequencies.

Some manufacturers of cremation urns advertise cremation jewellery that allows the surviving

relatives to keep a part of the ashes in some bracelet or pendant. In these pendants, they also keep a

lock of hair of the dead person, some dried flowers from the funeral or some earth from the burial site.

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From a spiritual perspective, this is most harmful for the subtle body of the dead person and also the

person wearing it. Please refer to point 4 for a full explanation of why ashes should not be kept.

To seal the urn, from the time of collection of the ashes to its final scattering, it is best to use white

cotton cloth.

7. What should I do with my pet’s ashes?

It is recommended that the pet’s ashes too be immersed in water for the same reasons as above.

Some people have expressed their desire to bury their pet dog or cat’s ashes along with their ashes.

Spiritual research indicates that this is highly detrimental. This is because they are holding on to

attachments thus increasing the possibility of remaining Earthbound. Also the pets ashes’ are

more Tama predominant than human ashes. 

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/scattering_ashes

What is the spiritual perspective on contacting my departed relatives through a medium or an Ouija board?

The following are reasons why contacting departed relatives through a medium or an Ouija board is

detrimental:

1. Most mediums do not have the high level sixth sense ability (ESP) nor the spiritual level to

discern the true identity of the spirit they are speaking to. In almost all cases, instead of

our ancestors or our loved ones coming through, it is aghost (demons, devils, negative

energies etc.) who tries to communicate with us. These ghosts (demons, devils, negative

energies etc.) can have our departed ancestors under their control, sometimes extracting

personal information from them to fool us into thinking that we are indeed talking to our

ancestors. This happens even if the ancestors do not want to give information to the ghosts

(demons, devils, negative energies etc.). Ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies

etc.) also have the ability to invade the mind of the ancestor and extract information from the

ancestor. Sometimes the ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) purposely let the

ancestors come through but force them to give wrong information to their descendents, thus

leading the surviving relatives astray.

2. In almost all cases, mediums who are at lower spiritual levels are possessed by ghosts

(demons, devils, negative energies etc.) without having the slightest inkling. Also most

mediums do this for money and/or fame. Ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies etc.)

use this desire in the medium to enhance their control over them. (Refer to: Who are more

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likely to fall prey to an attack by ghosts?)  They sometimes enhance the ability of the

medium to exert a wider and deeper influence. The medium interprets this improved ability

as a sign of their personal progress, but this is far from the truth. Finally, ghosts (demons,

devils, negative energies etc.) mislead people through the medium.

3. On the other hand mediums who have higher spiritual strength generally have a few ghosts

(demons, devils, negative energies etc.) under their control. They use these ghosts

(demons, devils, negative energies etc.) to get information about the people coming to them

and who are in need of contacting their departed loved ones.

4. Sometimes we hear about "ghost whisperers" helping our ancestors to cross over. A ghost

whisperer is another word for a medium who can communicate with the spirits of the dead.

However, unless a ghost whisperer is above the 70% spiritual level (i.e. at Sainthood level),

it is nearly impossible to help any subtle-body cross over to the higher positive regions from

an Earthbound existence.

5. Trying to contact departed relatives only increases their feeling of attachment for us and vice

versa. The departed ancestors can perceive the pain and mourning of their surviving

relatives and are drawn back to the Earth region (Bhūlok). This creates obstacles in the

subtle-body’s ability to move on and progress in the afterlife.

6. Only a person who is a Saint (i.e. above the spiritual

level of 70%), can actually decipher information

accurately from the spiritual realm about one's departed

ancestors. They are able to discern whether contact is

being made with the concerned ancestor or if a ghost

(demons, devils, negative energies etc.) is

masquerading as an ancestor. At present, there are less

than 10,000 of these evolved people living on Earth and

they generally never indulge in helping people talk to their dead relatives.

7. There is only a 10% chance of getting in touch with one’s departed ancestors by using an

Ouija board. However the flip side is that there is also a 90% chance of a ghost (demons,

devils, negative energies etc.) coming through masquerading as an ancestor. What is more

damaging is that the ghost (demons, devils, negative energies etc.) can use the medium of

the Ouija board itself to possess the person involved.

Losing a loved one can be a traumatic experience and one may have the desire to contact them to see if they are doing well. However the best service we can offer to our departed relatives is to make every effort to let them go. This is so that they can continue with their onward journey in the afterlife. Likewise, the best way to honour them and show our love for them is to let them go. Communicating with the dead has absolutely no spiritual value and will only create a loss to both the ancestor and to the descendent. It is important and beneficial to channel the sorrow of losing a loved one into doing spiritual practice and chanting the spiritual protection chant of Shrī Gurudev Datta. This will not only help alleviate the pain that one feels but also substantially assist the departed loved ones in their afterlife.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/ancestors_ouijaboard

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How should one dispose the clothes and things of a person who has died?

After a loved one dies, many people are unsure what they should do with their belongings. The purpose of this article is to provide a guide to the surviving relatives.

At a principle level, we can keep a few things in mind. The actions we take with regards to belongings

of ancestors need to help them reduce their attachments and help them move on in their afterlife.

The vibrations of the dead person remain in their belongings that they leave behind. Death of a

person means an increase in subtle basic tama component in the environment. If there was an

associated illness leading to death, the subtle basic tamacomponent is further accentuated. In

addition to this, if the person was suffering distress by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies,

etc.) before, at the time of death or after, the person using the dead person’s belongings is likely to

suffer a corresponding amount of distress.

The following are some of the things one can do after a relative has died to help the dead person

break his attachment to his belongings and to protect oneself from the distressing effect of the subtle

basic tama frequencies emanating from the belongings.

1. It is best to burn the clothes worn by the person at the time of his death and at the time of his

cremation/burial as they are affected the most by the distressing subtle

basic tama frequencies. The ashes can be immersed in the sea.

2. Sprinkle holy water (i.e. water plus holy ash) all over the dead person’s room. This will help to

reduce the tamacomponent that is generated in the atmosphere at the time of death.

3. The whole family can chant the spiritual chant of ‘Sree Gurudev Datta’. The chant can also

be played continuously at low volume in the dead person’s room. By continuously playing

the chant of ‘Sree Gurudeva Datta’ for about a year, the premises are purified and the subtle

body of the departed relative also gains momentum in its onward journey in the afterlife.

4. For items where the dead person was very attached to, it is best to give them to a deserving

spiritual organisation. As it is given to deserving spiritual organisations, the resolve of God

becomes functional. The vibrations of the dead person in his belongings are destroyed and

the subtle body gains momentum in its journey after death. This is because merits are

accrued due to this donation to the deserving. By ‘deserving’, we mean those organisations

that help people realise their true spiritual purpose in life.

5. For items that the dead person was not much attached to, family members may use them

after a period of six months by which time the vibrations of the dead person would have

been removed due to the purification by the spiritual chant.

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6. Pictures of the departed ancestors should be taken down in the house. Having the pictures of

dead relatives in the house fuels their attachment for their previous Earthly life and their

previous family. This in turn impedes their progress in their onward spiritual journey. In some

cases it makes the departed ancestor Earthbound in their home.

7. If a will has been drawn out by the dead person it should be honoured so that his wishes do

not remain unfulfilled.

The importance of putting the above steps into practice is that this is one of the deciding factors in the

departed ancestor moving on or getting stuck in the Earth region. For our own complete protection,

regular spiritual practice that pertains to the six basic principles in spiritual practice is suggested.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/disposing_belongings

What is the effect of talking about the deceased and refreshments at the funeral reception?

According to Spiritual science, all rituals and functions associated with the last rites of a person should

be designed with the objective of helping the subtle-body of the deceased in its onward journey.

Activities that have the potential to increase the attachment of the subtle-body of the deceased to his

or her previous life on Earth are best avoided.

It is common funeral etiquette in today’s world to have a funeral reception. Here the relatives and well-

wishers gather at the home of the deceased’s immediate family members to pay their respects and

offer condolences with regards to the recent death. Invariably food is served and a discussion takes

place over the life of the deceased.

From a Spiritual science perspective, this can be highly detrimental for the people involved as well as

for the subtle-body of the deceased.

1. Issue: Talking about the dead person pulls his subtle-body to the premises again and again

Most people in today’s world are Raja-tama predominant and have a lot of ego, desires and

attachments. When Raja-Tamapredominant people pass away, their attachments and desires have

the potential to make the subtle-body linger after death and hence be unable to move on in the

afterlife.

When we speak about the dead person, subtle basic Raja-Tama vibrations associated with the person

are transmitted through the talk. Due to these vibrations, the subtle-body of the dead person is pulled

to the premises again and again and it loiters in that environment. This is according to a rule of

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Spiritual science that says ‘The word, touch, form, taste, smell and its associated energy coexist’.

Here the 'word' refers to the person’s name and the 'form' refers to the subtle-body.

Talking about the dead person generates energy associated with him, which pulls the subtle-body in

the field of the discussion.

What is the spiritually correct way to pay one’s respects to the recently departed?

In view of the above principle, paying of respects to as well as grieving for the departed needs to be

done taking care not to add on to the Raja-Tama already present in the premises.

Refer to the article on the three subtle basic components that gives examples of what activities

increase Raja-Tama.

In addition, one should preclude all activities that would pull the subtle-body of the departed back

towards the Earth region. Hence large gatherings talking loudly and talking at length about the

departed are best avoided. Instead of talking about the person, it is best to be introverted after

returning from the funeral. Chanting the spiritual protection chant of Shri Gurudev Datta or playing it in

a low volume not only helps the deceased move on but also insulates the descendants from any

harmful effects.

2. Issue: Possibility of distress by ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc.) by partaking of food in the house of the deceased

All objects, including the food in the house of the dead person, are affected by the subtle

basic Tama predominant atmosphere in the house. Partaking of such Raja-Tama polluted food

increases the possibility of the person eating it being affected byghosts.

What is the spiritual perspective on partaking of food in the house of one recently departed?

Given the above, it is best not to serve refreshments in the house of the departed after returning from

the funeral. Even for the relatives in the house, food should not be cooked or prepared in the house at

least till the day the dead body is buried or cremated. Relatives, neighbours or friends can provide the

food to the family of the deceased. Food should be partaken only after spiritually purifying it by

sprinkling holy water (water plus holy ash) and praying to God for protection. It is best eaten silently

without talking, constantly chanting the spiritual protection chant of Shri Gurudev Datta.

Note: Refer to the spiritual remedy of holy water in our spiritual healing section.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/refreshments_after_funeral

Ancestor veneration and ancestor worship

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1. Introduction to ancestor veneration and ancestor worship 2. Some popular belief systems that drive ancestor veneration and ancestor worship 3. Departed ancestors’ ability to protect and look out for their descendants:   4. Can departed ancestors intercede for us with God or Deities? 5. If neglected or not worshiped can ancestors cause us problems? 6. Can departed ancestors communicate with their descendants? 6.1 Mechanism of the   action for communication

1. Introduction to ancestor veneration and ancestor worship

Ancestor veneration or ancestor worship is practiced in some form or another throughout the world.

The types of customs and rituals are varied; in some cultures, ancestors are worshiped as deities. In

this two part series on ancestor veneration and ancestor worship, we provide spiritual perspectives for

various beliefs and customs, from simple respect and veneration to ancestor worship, so that people

can make informed decisions about how they should treat their departed ancestors, both from their

own perspective and that of the departed ancestors.

The first ritual for departed ancestors is the funeral rite and we have given a spiritual perspective to

some of the more popular funeral rites in our article cremation versus burial.

2. Some popular belief systems that drive ancestor veneration and ancestor worship

Protection: Departed ancestors are believed to wield great authority, having special powers to

influence the course of events or to control the well-being of their living relatives. They provide

protection to the family; keeping it together is one of the departed ancestors' main concerns. The

living may regard the departed ancestors as ‘guardian angels’; protecting them from serious

accidents, or guiding their path in life.

Intervention: Sometimes departed ancestors are considered intermediaries between God (and/or

Deities) and the family they have left behind. It is believed that they intercede with God, Saints and

Deities for the benefit of the family.

Fear and reverence: In some cultures the attitude of descendants towards departed ancestors is

one of mixed fear and reverence. It is believed that if neglected, and not venerated or worshiped

after their death, the departed ancestors may cause disease and other misfortunes.

Communication from the afterlife: Departed ancestors have the ability to communicate with the

living through dreams and by possessing their descendants.

Help in life’s decisions: The descendants sometimes turn to the ancestors for guidance through

seances and mediums or Ouija boards to help them in making important decisions.

The following sections explain some spiritual research in relation to the above beliefs that fuel

ancestor worship:

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3. Departed ancestors’ ability to protect and look out for their descendants: 

The ability of a subtle-body in the subtle-regions of the Universe to protect someone on the Earth

region (Bhūlok) is directly related to the subtle-body's spiritual strength or spiritual capacity. The

following table provides an overview of the proportion of people going to the various subtle-regions

after death.

Region type Proportion of people

going to these regions

after death

Relative spiritual

strength

Main aim

Higher positive regions of

the Universe

(i.e. Maharlok and

beyond)

Less than 0.1% + 100 to Infinity Spiritual growth

Heaven (Swarga) Less than 1% + 5 Enjoying the fruit of their

merits

The Nether region

(Bhuvarlok)

85% + 1 Survival

1st and 2nd Region of

Hell (Pātāl)

10% -10 to -20 Survival and troubling others

3rd region of Hell and

lower

5% -30 to slightly

before negative

infinity

Troubling others

Note: The negative figures for spiritual strength show the spiritual energy that is demonic spiritual

energy.  It is also commonly known as black energy.

On average a departed ancestor will take about one to three generations to lose attachment to his

previous life on Earth. One generation can be taken as roughly 30 years. In other words, people are

most affected by the generations that pertain to their parents to great-grandparents. One aspect that

decides this time period is the suffering that one has to undergo in the subtle-regions due to incorrect

actions and deeds when on the Earth plane. When undergoing these sufferings, departed ancestors

are aware of which part of their Earthly existence is responsible for the suffering. In that time their

attachment to their previous worldly life also exists and is bound to influence the lives of their

descendants.

 

Samashti spiritual level refers to the spiritual level attained through spiritual practice for the sake of

society (samashti sādhanā), while vyashti spiritual practice refers to the spiritual level attained through

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individual spiritual practice (vyashti sādhanā). In the current times, spiritual progress for the sake of

society has 70% importance while individual spiritual practice has 30% importance.

The subtle-bodies that can effect real change on the Earth plane for their descendants are subtle-

bodies that are spiritually evolved and reside in the higher regions of the Universe such

as Maharlok,Janolok, etc. These subtle-bodies are above the 60% (samashṭi) or 70%

(vyashṭi) spiritual level. However, in practice people do not receive material help from these highly

evolved beings. This is for two reasons:

Firstly, less than 0.1% of our departed ancestors go to these higher regions of the

Universe because one’s spiritual level needs to be above 60% (samashti) or 70% (vyashti). 

Secondly, even if our departed ancestor was to be of a high spiritual level, material help would not be something that he would indulge in. As a person evolves their only focus is to grow spiritually. So all their help to others is also given from the perspective of helping them grow spiritually. Moreover they begin to loose their attachment to family members. This is because they get more expansive in their perspective which is to help all of humanity grow spiritually.

Subtle-bodies in Lower and Higher Heaven are fairly evolved spiritually. However, while in the

subtle-region of Heaven, they are mostly involved in enjoying and experiencing the fruits of

the merits gained when they were on the Earth region. This is why they rarely help their

descendants on the Earth region. Moreover, they have less spiritual strength and if they do help

their descendants it is in the more easily manageable worldly matters. Less than 1% of all

departed ancestors go to the subtle-region of Heaven.

Most of our ancestors go to the subtle-regions of Nether region and the 1st and 2nd regions of

Hell. Here the environment is quite oppressive. Due to a lack of spiritual practice and various

attachments/unfulfilled desires, subtle-bodies of departed ancestors in these regions mainly

experience unhappiness. Most of the time these departed ancestors want to trouble their

descendants. The following are the two main reasons as to why ancestors trouble their

descendants.

Due to unfulfilled desires

Due to the inability to move on in the after life and attain a higher positive region or sub-region.

Please refer to the article - Why would my departed loved ones and my other ancestors want to

give me pain?  If help is provided by the ancestors, then it is because of intense desire to help. It is

generally for small things such as getting a job, etc. However if a descendant on Earth is to

undergo some event because of medium to severe destiny, it is impossible to change that

event without the descendant themselves doing spiritual practice.

Ancestors that go to the lower regions of Hell generally only trouble their descendants and never

help.

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Mechanism of how subtle bodies of departed ancestors help

In almost all cases, ancestors have very little ability to influence events on a sustained basis in

another plane of existence such as the Earth region. Sometimes the strength to accomplish the

wishes of departed ancestors is given by higher level ghosts (demons, devils, negative energies, etc).

Higher level ghosts provide energy so as to create a give-and-take account   with these subtle-bodies

that they help and thereby get them under their control.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/ancestors/ancestor-worship-1

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Section 4 – Effect of departed ancestors on our lives

Planning one’s wedding after the death of a close relative such as one’s parents

For those who are in a quandary about wedding plans due to the sudden death of a close relative

such as one’s father or mother, the following spiritual perspectives can be kept in mind:

It is recommended that a wedding ceremony should not be planned for at least a year after the

death of a close relative. This is because the period after the death of a close relative is

considered spiritually inauspicious. The reasons are:

There is an increase in the subtle Tama component at the time of death and the period after death.

Due to the unfulfilled desires of the person who has recently passed away, the strong vibrations

related to their attachments are present in the house where they were living.

The ancestral home is affected with the subtle existence of the deceased. Even if the groom-to-be

is living in a different country because of the karmic connection with the deceased he and his

home will be affected.

Spiritual research shows that people with whom we have a strong emotional bond such as a close

friend are not included in the spiritual definition of close relatives.

In such cases, if the marriage happens within a year, the newlywed couple can have distress from

the departed ancestor lingering around the family. Additionally, if the departed ancestor’s subtle

body is suffering from any spiritual distress such as demonic possession, then all attendees

present for the marriage ceremony may also face spiritual distress.

Thus, it is advised not to plan weddings or any other auspicious ceremonies for at least a year

after the death of close family members.

The best way to minimise the harmful effects of the death of a close relative is by doing

regular spiritual practice.

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/articles/id/spiritualresearch/ancestralproblems/planning-wedding

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