Excerpts from International Art of Living Ashram, Bangalore (India) Satsang (17th June 2011)

Posted on: Saturday, June 18, 2011 | Posted by: Art of Living Universe

Sri Sri: How are you all?

How many in the advance course? How many in the Basic course? Are you all enjoying?

Audience: WOW!

Q: Is there rebirth? If yes, then after how many days and is it always as a human?

Sri Sri: Yes rebirth does happen but when it happens is not known. It can happen immeditately or Sometimes, it can happen after 1000 years. It is a secret of nature.


Q: After death, do feelings and thoughts remain?

Sri Sri: Yes. Feelings, thoughts, and vasanas only remain. If someone leaves the body in meditation or devotion then this will not happen. It depends on the last thought of fear before death which will take the first form in the next birth. Its like the last thought before you go to bed that pops up in morning when u wake up.


Q: What is pitra dosh?

Sri Sri: Pitra dosh is when a soul does not have good feelings for its sons or daughters.

It has a solution called tarpan. Til (sesame seeds) is offered to symbolize that all the things that are going on in the mind of the departed soul is small like it. So when the parents die, the children put sesame seeds in water and put it giving knowledge to the parents that dont care or worry for all these sesame seeds like worldly thoughts, Go ahead. Even after the death, the son or daughter gives the same knowledge in the ear of the dead body. This is why they say that if there is no son or daughter then mukti is not possible.

Why? While people are alive if they do not get anyone to give knowledge then at least they can get that knowledge after death from their son or daughter. This is shraadh. This is there in every culture of the world. In China, on one day they will burn things made out of paper. In Singapore too. Whatever they want they make it out of paper and burn it. They burn these things with the feeling that whatever they burn they will get that with the blessings of the departed souls. Practice similar to it is there in South America. The important thing is that you receive blessings from the departed soul.

So With belief, from your heart you give and that is what is tarpan. Of course the life is give and take game only but the best thing to share is knowledge. If you want departed souls to get trupti (satisfaction) they you can feed the poor. The blessings of the people fed will help the departed soul. They say for 10 days after the death you cry as much as you want, ask whatever you want. Then apply ghee on your eyes and then do Anand Havan. That is communicating and understanding that the soul which was love while living is now satisfied. There is happiness in the house and after the havan, the fire from the havan to light the diya or candle in the house. It is important to understand why to do things and how to do things. The important thing is to remain in knowledge and be satisfied. Knowledge is the only thing that can free you. Actions never have and never will liberate anybody.


While you are alive, if you get knowledge then you will be free then you don't have to wait for your daughter or son to give knowledge to the dead body.


Q: What will happen to a soul whose body does not receive a proper funeral?

Sri Sri: Don't get stuck in rituals. Earlier they would say that if you die in Kashi then you will get mukti (be free) and shraadh should be in Gaya. In Gaya, they would say until you go to Rameshwaram with water from Ganga then the process is not complete. This was done in olden days to unite India, so everyone would visit these places. You can see how intelligent our ancestors were. Be in the present moment and leave the past behind. This same knowledge is given in the Shraadh. However your past was, leave all that it is just like til (Sesame seed).Be in the present moment.This is so beautiful. Vasanas are of the past, if you learn to be in the present moment always, how there can be sorrow?


Q: It is said that you meet your Guru first after death and one who does not have a Guru will not get mukti.

Sri Sri: Yes. This is a belief. Guru is one who has his reach in both worlds. In this world and the other world. One will be called as Guru only when he has his reach in the world here and world after. So those who have a Guru are like special guests. Like When a special guest comes for a function, gets special treatment, when those who have a Guru leaves this world, are taken care in the other worlds as well. In these worlds, there are devathas who take care of the souls that arrive. Since these devathas are worshipper of Guru Principles, they value the person who has a Guru and escort them there. These devathas have their own Gathi, thats why they say that people without Guru doesn't get Gathi.


The way a child before it is born lives in its mother's womb for 9 months, similarly after death the soul remain in pret yoni for 9 days and after that they become pitru. This rule doesn't apply to saints. This is ancient science. Our ancestors were so intelligent that they designed the rituals based on all these facts and knowledge.

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