premjan

Is there a body still undecomposed in existence for Yogananda? How long did this effect last?

Philippe*

I know it was seen during twenty days, there was a medical control, there was no decomposition, actually it could been seen until we have locked up the bronze coffin. There have been many examples like that, for instance Itiguelov a buryiat buddhist monk has still his corpse undecomposed decades after death, since 1927, and it can been seen in public.

Philippe

harishsubramanian

with their yogic powers perhaps,they ensured that they were not brain dead even though most organs might have stopped functioning,but when does a body start decomposing,i dont know?????????
in India it is considered a sacrilege if an ordinary man,is buried,and not cremated.
But if a yogi,dies he is not creamated,he is buried.People object if he is cremated.This is an ancient practice as reference is made even in mahabharata.
here is some information on death ceremony in India:
ANTYESTI (the Last Rite):

Sabhaar: Professor G. C. Asnani

1. By and large, Hindus adopt "Cremation", i.e. burning at some specified place. Christians bury the body under belief that on the "Day of Judgement", the dead body will be brought to life and given judgement whether the person will go to eternal Heaven or to eternal Hell.

2. Hindus believe that the dead body is like a piece of cloth or dress which has been given up; that dead body is not going to be revived. There is no particular Day of Judgement: there is no eternal Heaven and no eternal Hell: Left to itself, the dead body will decompose and pollute the environment. It has to be disposed of in a manner which has following ingredients:
(a) Respect.
(b) Hygienic principles of life.
(c) Socially acceptable and beneficial system.

3. Keeping these principles in view, Hindus give ceremonial bath (cleaning) to the dead body, wrap the body in clean cloth or dress, put garlands and sprinkle scents and respectfully take the body to the cremation ground in the company of relatives and friends. Very close and sensitive relatives who cannot stand the sight of confining the body to flames do not accompany the body to the cremation ground. On the way, the accompanying persons chant the slogan: "God is the companion of the departed one. He will take care of the person".

4. At the cremation ground, some ceremonies are performed with the help of professional family priests and the body is respectfully placed on the fire place. Fire is ignited among holy chantings and prayers, bowing down before fire. Fire is worshipped as a manifestation of God to whom the body is given as the last offering of the human birth.

5. Those who have been to the cremation ground are advised to take bath and change their clothes before getting back to normal work. This is a part of hygiene. In the process of touching the dead body or being close to it, the person might be tainted by harmful bacteria, etc. Also, in the cremation ground, we have dead bodies who are afflicted by various types of diseases or the bodies which have undergone decomposition due to delay in cremation. Fire and Water are the cleaning and purifying Agents of Nature.

6. Ashes (bones) are respectfully collected from the cremation place after 3 days and immersed in holy places at suitable times, with appropriate respect.

7. There are ceremonies for 12 to 13 days, Garud Puran Path, Sapindi, Pind Dan, Kriya Shiv Puja, Narayan Bali for the peaceful journey of the departed soul and with chanting of God's Names and singing of holy songs to create an atmosphere of soft and soothing adjustment of family members and friends to the new situation with loss of their close relative/friend.

8. There are monthly and annual ceremonies with memories of respect, affection and prayers for the welfare of the departed person.

9. Hindus believe that broadly an individual is composed of:

(a) Soul never gets destroyed: It is immortal. It witnesses birth and death in various bodies.

(b) Subtle Body accompanies the Soul, birth after birth, till subtle body gets completely purified and soul merges into the total Universal Consciousness. This subtle body goes out of the gross body, in company of the soul at the time of "death". This (soul + subtle body) takes rebirth of a type depending on the actions of the individual. A person with good record of actions in the past takes birth in a beautiful, healthy human body, in the family of pious and prosperous persons. A person with record of evil and cruel actions in the past takes birth in one of 84,00,000 types of bodies, including animals, insects, etc. In each body, the person learns to do good in its own capacity and progresses upward to take birth again in human body, learns lessons of Nature and lives a life of nobleness, to be one with God, the Universal Consciousness.

10. Hindus avoid converting the whole or major part of our land surface on the earth into a wide graveyard and to dump one dead body over the other at one place. Cremation as the best method of disposal of a dead body, with due respect, honour and affection

Main Methods of Disposal of Dead Body:

1. Bhoo Samadhi (burial underground)
2. Jala Samadhi (water burial)
3. Agni Dah (cremation)

Apart from the above three exposures of body for being comsumed by vultures and other birds or beasts, being preserved in caves, and mummifying are the three methods which have been used since the ancient times.

To bury a holy body (according to Shastras) one should go to the east or north of the village, dig a pit about eight feet deep, then water thereon thrice, spread the Darbha grass on the bottom of the pit, Deck the dead body with garlands, sandalwood paste and salt, deposit the body in the it with prayer, and put a water pot next to the body while reciting the mantras.

What the state of things was before the composition of the Rigved cannot be said with certainity. There is no general agreement as to the age of Rigved and of the ruins found at Mohenjodaro and Harappa. Some scholars refer to complete burials. The excavation at Lauriya Nandgarh has brought to light supposed Vedic burial pounds in which, has been found a small golden plaque bearing the figure of a nude female, the Earth Goddess, Mahakali.

ANTYESTI CREMATION:

The main steps to be followed are as,

1. Bhumi Shuddhi: Purifying place with sesame seeds, Shaligram, Tulasi, Gangajal and Kusha.
2. Kshor Karma: Eldest son with shaved hair. Place on the Yagyopaveet (Janeu).
3. Earthee (casket): Under the open sky.
4. Deep Daan: Lighting a lamp near the head of the decesed.
5. Bhuumi Shuddhi: Keeping the floor clean.
6. Shav Sthapan: Deceased's head should be facing to the North.
7. Snan: Sprinkling the holy water.
8. Alankar: Offering kumkum, sandle wood paste, basil leaves, gold, Ganga water, flowers.
9. Pind Daan: Offering anna balls with sesame seed and Gangajal.

FIRST PIND: The first Pind is given in the hand of the deceased at the place of death by the name of Pret, to please the Devas of that place.

SECOND PIND: At the door of the place of death, the second pInd should be offered by the name Paanth to avoid the disturbance caused by the Bhoots and Prets.

The wife then takes four rounds with a coconut in her hand, followed by the four hush carriers. The son first to follow her.

THIRD PIND: Half way to crematorium the third Pind should be offered to avoid the disturbances coming from Pishach, Yakshas, Khechars and Devils. At the crematorium the dead body should have his head facing north. After doing a small havan in crematorium, O fire God, you are in the five elements and preserver of the world, may you take this soul to heaven.

FOURTH PIND AND FIFTH: After keeping the dead body on the cremation pyre two Pinds should be offered by the name of the deceased, one in the pyre by the name of Bhoot, Rudra daivato and another by the name of Sadhak in the hand.

PANCHAK: If a body is being cremated in the Pnachak (last five Nakshatras in the almanac) another four pieces of grass must be kept beside the dead body. Holding a fire lamp in his hand, the son should walk around the fire and light the pyre.

FOOD: Food is not cooked at home between death and cremation, that can be brought from outside. However, that depends upon individuals situation. After cremation all the faily members should take bath and home cooked food must be offered to a cow. This system is repeated for ten days.

SUTAK NIVRITTI: Condolence should be observed for nine nights, hence tenth day is Sutak Nirvitti day. On that day Shiva Puja, Pipal Puja, is considered.

SAPINDI: (on the twelfth day) Pagadi is another important ceremony. By that the rights are transefered to the son and he then onwards performs the ceremony till the 12th day, with 52 Pinds.

CHAUTHA: (collection of ashes): aslo known as Marka, Parchawani, and Rasma Pagari. Usually performed on or after the third day of the death. The eldest son slong with the hush carrier declares they have cremated the body and therfore are responsible for the good deeds on his behalf. Eldest son or the next of the kin is declared for being responsible in all the financial and other business matters of the deceased. Eldest son is declared the successor. There is a Kriya for thirteen days with daily mourning, Pind-dan, ten days Sutak observance, eleventh day Narayan Bali, twelfth day Dwadashah, and the final part on thirteenth day known as Uthawala and Brahman Bhojan. However, in modern days, lack of time, people are completing everthing in one day.

KRIYA: Three Sodashies (52 Pinds)

16 MALIN PINDS:

1st, At the place of death,
2nd, At the door,
3rd, Half the way to the crematorium,
4th & 5th, At the pyre before lighting the pyre,
6th, On the third day at the time of the ashes collection and
10th to 16th, Pinds of ten days given from the first day of funeral rites for each day.

MADHYAM PINDS: (On the eleventh day 11 Pindas and 5 for Sapindi) 1. Vishnu, 2. Shiva, 3. Yama, 4. Chandrama, 5. Agni, 6. Kaavya, 7. Kaal, 8. Rudra, 9. Purush Parameshwar, 10. Preta, 11. Vishnu, 12. Brahma, 13. Vishnu, 14. Shiva, 15. Yama, 16. Deceased.

UTTAM SHODASHI: Twelve Pinds for twelve months, and fifteenth day (Pakshik), one and half month (tripaakshik), five and a half months (nyun shanmaashik), and eleven and half month's (nyunabdhik). These sexteen Pinds are offered to the deceased. Also 4 Pinds for Sapindi, 3 for Pret and one for 1 Adhik mas if that come within one year after death.

CCHILD DEATH: Under the age of 27 months a child must be buried under the ground. Milk is donated in the name of the cild. However, if a child is deaad in the womb, no rituals are performed.

The more Vasana one has while living mind about the material things, more they need for proper way of Antyesti.

SANYASI: A Sanyasi (one who has renounced) needs no Pinds Dan Kriyas. This rite is already performed for him at the time of renouncement ceremony

harishsubramanian

This is an excerpt from a book of an ancient rishi,who was known to be the most knowledgable of all sages.This is what he happens to say about life after death---------------quite interesting please read on-----------
Experience Of Pretas
Sage Vasishtha says in the Yoga-Vasishtha:

“The Pretas are of six kinds, namely, the slightly sinful, the ordinarily sinful, the greatly sinful, the slightly virtuous, the ordinarily virtuous, and the greatly virtuous. Some of the most sinful Pretas continue to be experiencing the insensibility of death like a stone for a period of a year. Regaining awareness they experience that they are doomed to suffer from the endless torments of hell which their Vasanas have brought them, for a long time. They then undergo the experience of hundreds of incarnations until they finally get rid of the experience of world-illusion, by finding peace within. There are others in this class, who, after their torpor of death is over, begin to experience the unutterable pain of insensibility in the form of immovable trees, etc. Then they undergo the torments of hell, after which they are again born on earth in accordance with their earthly desires. Those of ordinary sin experience the inertness of stone for some time after death. Being awakened to consciousness, they, then or after some time, undergo the experience of the lives of birds, reptiles or beasts, before they turn to their usual lives in the world. The slightly sinful souls, often immediately after the insensibility of death, come to assume some human form to continue their earthly existence in accordance with their previous desires. They come to the worldly consciousness soon after their death and their previous desires and imagination evolve new worlds in their experience in a dream-like manner. The greatly virtuous souls, soon after the insensibility of death is over, get an experience in the worlds of gods. Having enjoyed the fruits of their virtues in godly personality and in heavenly worlds, they are again born in this world in noble and rich families. The souls of ordinary virtuous experience, after the insensibility of death is over, that they are being carried away by winds and later on are turned into the lives of plants and herbs. Having undergone this experience for some time they feel that they are entering human bodies as food, and there they are turned into spermatozoa and thence enter the wombs of (expectant) mothers
Those interested can read the full version of the book-life after death written by swami sivannada who was very well respected and believed to be a person who knew what he was talking.The fact that he was a doctor in his early life gives him perhaps some additional insights.
here is the url:
http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/download/afterdeath.htm

harishsubramanian

Here is an excerpt from the book I have quoted above:

Letters


Where Is My Husband’s Soul?
Sri Swami Sivananda,
Ananda Kutir, Rishikesh.
Most Revered Swamiji!
Many thanks for your kind letter which was a great consolation to me in my sorrow.

I would like to know very much where my husband’s soul is at present and what happens to the soul from the time it leaves the body till it is reborn again. I tried to follow the article in the Divine Life Magazine, on the “Soul’s Journey After Death�?, but could not understand some parts, especially from the 2nd paragraph on page 261.

I feel, I will be able to understand your explanation more clearly than others. So, I shall be obliged if you could explain to me what happens to the soul after death and what merits we could do for the peace of the departed soul, and whether he could see or hear us, mortals. Is there any truth in what the spiritualists say that we could commune with the dead through a thing called “medium�? and is it really the dead person who answers?

Your humble disciple,

Ananda Kutir,

12th Feb, ‘45.

Blessed Divinity!

Salutations and Adorations.

Thy kind line. Do not allow yourself to be fascinated by spiritualism, mediumship, crystal gazing, etc. They will lead you astray. Communication with the dead and talking with the dead are all fads which have no connection with real spirituality. Purpose of life is different. The goal is to realise the essential imperishability of your Self. This alone will confer perfect bliss and peace.

The spirit is neither born nor does it die. Like a person passing from one room to another the soul passes from one plane of existence to another. In the period between death and rebirth the individual works out certain of his Karmas in subtler spheres. The description of the journey and return of the soul in the article mentioned by your goodself is meant to explain the idea how the spirit passes gradually from grosser to subtler states. The mention of ether, air, smoke, mist, cloud, rain is all made to convey the sense of successive degrees of subtlety. At the appointed time it takes up a new body again.

The best means of ensuring peace for the departed is to do Kirtan, increase your Japa, relieve other people’s distress by selfless service and charity and earnest prayer.

Do not try to commune with the departed soul of your husband. Communion with the departed soul will stand in the way of its onward march to higher, blissful regions and make it earth-bound. Do not try to drag him down. It will disturb his peace. The spirit-guide which controls the medium is ignorant and deceitful. It utters falsehood.

Thy own Self,

Sivananda

premjan

I think this is true of any symbolic thinking creature: it is capable of a conception of the universe that can remain stable past the death of the hardware. By drawing long cause-effect chains, it may be capable of conceiving that the universe had a beginning. This sort of symbolic thought evidently is not perishable since it can be recreated by another thinking creature.