The other day I was checking my messages on a group chat, I and there was a news of someone passing away. This was followed by RIP-RIP-RIP by many. Then someone texted me asking me as to what is the concept of soul in Vedic religion and what happens to soul after death - death of physical body. Then we had exchange of texts and I thought of doing this blog. What I thought was what I told him and that is what I am writing here.
The soul is a reflection of the CONSCIOUSNESS. So then the question comes as to where is this reflection and what happens to it after the death. How can it be carried from one life to other life. The reflection is not ORIGINAL THING , but still has the properties of the original thing. Let us take example of the Sun. When the Sun is reflected in a mirror, the reflection has the qualities of the Sun ,it has heat and also light .If we use lens to concentrate the image of the sun, then we can burn a paper.. But it is not real SUN. If we have a mirror, we will have a reflection of anything including the sun. The same thing can be applied to the human body. As one may recollect, we have 3 bodies namely physical body ,astral body and causal body - STHUL SHARIR-SUKSHMA SHARIR AND KARAN SHARIR . The physical body dies at the time of so called death. But the 2 other bodies - Astral and Causal bodies are carried from one life to other. The IMPRESSIONS of our lives and KARMA are stored in CAUSAL BODY. And that is why we have rebirth. The Reflection of the Consciousness is in the CAUSAL BODY and the Astral body . As long as we have the MIRROR of these bodies , we have existence. This is THE SOUL-THE REFLECTION OF THE CONSCILUSNESS . This is the light - energy or the cause why we can think -act have intellect etc Without the fuel of this CONSCIOUSNESS , ONE WILL NOT HAVE ANY VALUE TO THE 2 BODIES. This can be compared to electricity. The computer works - the AC unit works -the Heater works and so does the light bulb. None of them can function without electricity . But the electricity ITSELF does not heat or cool or give light etc. The same is true of the reflected consciousness. IT ITSELF DOES NOT DO ANYTHING . But for mind to think , we need the consciousness. ASLONG AS THE MIRRORS OF ASTRAL AND CAUSAL BODIES ARE THERE there will be reflection and the SOUL IS THERE as an separate entity - separate but still dependent. The only way we can have MUKTI or FREEDOM is when we have broken the CAUSAL BODY MIRROR. The astral body exists due to causal body and causal body is there as we continue to accumulate KARMIC IMPRESSIONS. So now you know ,how to achieve NIRVANA and what is the SOUL.
