BIRTH & DEATH – A TRANSITION

(By Achala Bhakthan)

INTRODUCTION:

The world is a vision that we get on birth, which ends at our death.  In deep sleep we do not have the vision of the world.  Where has it gone? Is it that world does not exist when we sleep?  No.  It is always there but we are not conscious of it, since during deep sleep, our viewer the “I” is absent.  It goes out of our vision temporarily.  The cycle of births and deaths is a continuous one going on endlessly.  The Birth is the beginning and Death is the end. Even in our death, the world does not end.  Only there is no “I” and hence it is not visible to us.

We are all subjected to the phenomenon of death because we take birth. This shows that anything born has to die & thus, life is impermanent.  Scientifically analysising, we know that when the male sperm interacts with the egg of the female in the Uterus, it builds up a body comprising of flesh, borne, nerve and blood.  This body gets life to grow in the second month itself, and in the fourth month of pregnancy it grows inside the mother’s womb with the help of the food intake by mother.   After 10 months, it comes out as a child with a specific body, is nourished and grown up.  It passes through infanthood, childhood, youth stage, middle age, old age and finally dies out or disappears from this world.  This cycle is called Birth, Growth and Death. This is called Creation, Sustenance and Annihilation. 

 Scientifically we are able to talk about what is seen or understood by us by research but spiritually, the phenomenon of Birth, Gowth and Death is different.   Therefore, we are talking about the world, body, birth, growth, death etc. from material point of view.  This is called extravertedness.  We always depend on things directly experienced by us through our sense organs, Mind and Intellect. Beyond that Science cannot explain.  To know deep into this theory, we should take the help of Spiritual explanation, i.e. going beyond the seen and heard and search inwardly to get the knowledge.  This cannot be analysed by human intellect but only seers and yogis, in their contemplation, tapas, meditation, got revelation of the inner truth.

HUMAN STRUCTURE:

We know that the body consists of the five elements (sheaths) called earth, water, heat, air and space.  In fact, the entire world is consisting of these parts.  This is called the macrocosm (Sthoola Sarira).This matter is inert and has no life, since the above are only incredients and not the end. If so, who makes these inert matter take motion, act?  What is that which enables the world to function, the body to act and react?  The body, apart from the macrosm, consists of a microcosam (Sukshma Sarira) called the Mind and Intellect, which are abstract and cannot be seen by our mudane eyes.   The stimuli from the world outside enter into our Mind (which is nothing but the continuous flow of thoughts) through the five Gnanendriyas (Organs of Perception), i.e. skin, nose, tongue, ears and eyes. This is analysed by the Intellect (the discriminating faculty in us), distinguishes them and separates them into their real forms and instructs the mind about the actions required.  The Mind orders the Karmendriyas (organs of Action), i.e. hands, legs,  speech, organ of excreta, procreative organ, to act in a given way to respond to the stilumi.  But the Mind and Intellect are inert and they cannot function themselves.  Some body has to activate them.  There is one more sheath in us called Causal body (Karana Sarira), which comprises of the Vaasanaas (unfulfilled desires in rudimentary form) and the Ego (the feeling of  “I” ness) arising from them.  Even this sheath is inactive till it gets the power or sakthi from the Body of Gnana (Gnana Sarira).  This Gnaana sarira (the subtlest body) is the Cosmic Energy or Universal Consciousness functioning through this limited body gets limited to be known as the SOUL (Aatma).  This is just as the Sun and illuminates all organs of perception and action and all  the above sheaths.

THE SOUL:

The Universal Consciousness is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.  It has no form, it is ever present every where and ever powerful like the Sun.  The sun shines because of which all the living and non-living beings flourish.  Without sunrays, nothing will live. Similarly, the Consciousness is the same in all objects of the world including human beings.  This Consciousness, functioning through the human body, illumines or gives power for these organs and bodies to function. This Consciousness is not separate from the Universal Consciousness but the impermanent layers in the Body limit its power and is called the Jeeva or the SOUL (Atma).  This can be well understood by a simili.  The space is illimitable.  But when the earthern pot is built in the space, the shape of the pot limits the space inside the pot in respect of the size of the pot.  Though the space inside the pot and outside, appears seemingly separate,  it is one and the same except that the space inside the pot is limited by the walls of the pot.  When the pot is broken, the space never travels and merges with the open space, but only the limitations are gone.  Similarly, the SOUL, though seemingly separated from Universal Consciousness, is the same, having same power.  This Soul is present in all the three states, i.e. waking, dream and deep sleep.  In waking state it projects the objects which look like actually appearing.  In Dream state, the Mind creates images and takes new bodies and goes through some experience.  This is because the Consciousness is present through the “I” thought or EGO.  In Deep sleep, this EGO is dormant and hence we experience a darkness or nothingness.

Thus, in all the three states the SOUL is present, since if it were not present, after waking  we would not feel having dreamt in the dream state nor would we feel having slept during deep sleep  state.  The presence of this individualized Consciousness (SOUL) alone makes us know what happened in the dream and deep sleep state.  Hence, the SOUL is permanent and ever powerful. What happens when the body dies or disappears?  The “I” thought rests in the Karana Sarira (Causual Body) with the Vaasanaa (rudimentary unfulfilled desires) which is active and finds a suitable body to express itself and fulfil the unfulfilled desires.  In this dormant state also it gets the illumination from Consciousness, which is present everywhere, but, having no medium to express, is dormant. Therefore, even in death, there is an entity called Karana Sarira existing to reappear in another suitable physical body.  Thus, Birth and Death are nothing but transition points because there is a continuity.

THE LIFE:

Thus, LIFE is nothing but the disatance (span) between the birth and death.  The feeling of “I” is the first thought.  All other thoughts have their base in this first thought.  Withtout this first thought no one can think or speak, since this I thought gets identified with the Sthoola and Sukshma Sariras and has a possessive attitude.  We cannot interact without expressing through this I-ness, i.e. My mind, My leg, My thought etc.  Thus the arising of this first thought “I” is the BIRTH of Life, since with the rise of this “I”, the mind arises and all the stimuli from world outside enters the mind.  The interaction with the world outside gives us various experiences and brings into Desires, which in turn, results in pleasure (if desired object is achieved) or pain (if it is not achieved), cold and heat (climatic conditions), which are called the pairs of opposites (Dwandhwa Bhaava).  These experiences generate Kama (desire), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Miserliness), Moha (Delusion), Madha (Ahamkar), Matsarya (Dwesha) feelings.  These are negative tendencies which drive us mad and dull.  The Ego (I-ness) identifies with these negative tendencies and builds up the individual character over a period of time.  Thus comes the personality of human beings, which differs according to their mental structure and assimilation. This is called the GROWTH.  These six negative tendencies are multiplied as the human expeience moves forward during the Lifetime. With the passage of time, the body grows and becomes weak and unable to move and finally decays and meets with the end, when the “I” thought comes to an end as there is no mind. This is called DEATH.  The Karana Sarira (Vaasaanaas in rudimentary form) exists in Consciousness without any expression, as it has no instrument as a medium of expression.

SOUL:

If so, the entity who takes birth and dies should be a permanent one since life is said to be a vicious circule. The question here is who is taking birth and who is dieing.  The world and body, being inert, cannot function by themselves and they, being impermanent, cannot experience these changes in life without the illumination by Consciousness, which is not bound nor subjected to change.  Then who is the one who takes birth and dies?  Let us consider an example to understand this phenomenon. 

We have many electrical equipments like fan, frig, tube light, air conditioner, electric oven etc.  Each one of them is functioning differently and is used for different purposes. We get air from fan, cold storage from Frig, light from Tubelight, Cool air from Air Conditioner, Hoat from Electric Oven etc.   Now do we say the characteristics of electricity are heat, cold, air, which are contradictory to each other?  The electricity is the same in all and it gives power to these instruments to function.  Electricity as such is a power motivating these instruments and is the same in all.  The properties of the instruments are different because of the function and mechanical set up.  They are inert and they function through the sakthi called Electricity (current).  Current, when passes through these instruments, through a switch, make them function and give different effects depending on the mechanical properties in them.  Even if the electrical wire is connected to these instruments, unless the switch is put on they will not work.  If the switch is put off, they stop working.  This is called temporary disconnection (equal to our sleep stage). These instruments are prone to damage, non-functioning, due to mechanical defects or decay (Death).  If another new instrument is fitted, then that will work (Birth). The death of these instruments are the effect of  the over working of the instruments called wear and tear.  Thus, the instruments can go defective but the electricity remains the same. 

KARMA:

The human beings consist of a Body (mobilization), Mind (Thinking) and Intellect (Discriminating).  Human  birth and death takes place due to Karma Bhala,i.e. the result of our actions now and this phenomenon is a vicious circle having no beginning and end. We act with some objective to get something out of it.  Every action has a correspondingly opposite reaction.  Just as we throw a rubber ball on to the wall, it rebounds in the opposite direction with the same force and angle.  If it is thrown angularly, it bounds back angularl;y and not to the thrower. Once it goes out of our hands, we have no control in its direction in return trip.  We have, thus, control over our actions but not on the reaction.  If your actions are noble, you get positive results and if  they are sinful, you get negative results. 

Thus, we shape up our own destiny because all the actions decide about the results automatically. But, the above sheaths being inert, who is giving them the energy to function?  What directs or guides their actions and reactions? The Ego is the controller of all actions. But this Ego gets its strength from the SOUL.  Though the Soul supplies the power, it does not participate in the actions.  It is solely the dictates of the Ego.  This Ego is shaped by the tendencies of the Vaasanaas.  Thus, the culprit is the Ego and the Vaasaanaas.  Ego is arrogance; it wants to achieve something, no matter whether the path is Satwik, Rajasic or Tamasim, which are the three ways we act.  Thus, the Soul illumines Ego and Ego functions through the instruments of Body, Mind and Intellect.  This Ego projects through the “I” athought, which is said to be the first thought arising in the Mind. 

THE RE-BIRTH:

Depending on the Karma Bhala, we enjoy or suffer in our lifespan.  After the lifespan, this body becomes extinct and merges with earth, if buried or becomes ashes, if burnt. We have seen the Vaasaanaa (Karana Sarira) does not die.  It has a continuous existence, since there are many unfulfilled vaasaanaas in it.  Every Action gives a result and these have to be lived through by us since no one else can borrow it.  It is personal.  Hence, another birth is absolutely essential and the Karana Sarira looks for a suitable atmosphere to fulfill its desires and takes birth in another body.  Now it is clear that there is no death to the SOUL (Aatma), which is only the illuminator and the Karana Sarira (Vaasaanaas) also continue but the Sthoola and Sukshma bodies only die and in the next birth a fresh Stoola (Macrocosm) and Sukshma (Microcosm) bodies arise to enable the Karana Sarira (Athi Sukshma) to function.  The new body does not remember the past janma since the mechanisms in the Sukshma Sarira are different now and they gain fresh experiences in the new birth and do not have any memories of the past. How do we know that this is a rebirth of a previous Karana Sarira?  We have seen that some one is acting as though they were different peronslaities and show signs of the person who lived earlier in a particular place.  A person in Delhi goes to Hyderbad to a house and identifies all the persons there and the things that are kept there.  Some times he also remembers the earlier action and reactions and the interactions with many people, whose names he repeats.  Such happenings are common.  Unless there is some continuity of existence, no one can remember the past life happenings.  And this is the Vaasaanaas, which stores the experiences in the past life and some persons who have spiritually evolved to a height in the previous janma can remember things of the past janama in the present janama.

TRANSITION:

Thus, it is proved that the LIFE circle is continuous and does not end, but it only gets suspended for some time.  This is just like the electric bulb holder has electricity in it but cannot illumine till it gets a bulb.  The moment bulb is fitted and the switch is on, the bulb illumines.  Similarly, the Birth is not a beginning, for it only brings the past ended life into being.  Thus, BIRTH and DEATH are nothing but a transition.  To prove this statement, let us study the 22^nd sloka in Second Chapter of Gita where Sri Krishna says to Arjuna:

VAASAAMSI JEERNAANI YADHA VIHAYA

NAVAANI GRUNHATHI NAROPARAANI

THATHAA SAREERAANI VIHAYA JIRNAANI

ANYAANI SAMYAATHI NAVAANI DHEHI

As a man discards his worn out clothes and wears new ones, so also the embodied SELF (SOUL or AATMAN) casts away its worn out bodies and enters in other new ones. 

CONCLUSION:

This shows that the Consciousness enlightens (enters) endlessly many forms and functions through them, since it is always active, powerful and every where present at all times and it becomes the SOUL or JEEVA or AATMA, as we call. This is to be understood as  the various bodies of human beings described above go through the birth and death phenomenon and envelopes the Consicousness which is permanent. The birth and death stages are nothing but the transition points for the Life cycle.

LOKA: SAMASTHA: SUKHINO BHAVANTHU