What dies when we die and what continues living?

What would you think if you knew the time for your death? Would that information change the way you live and value your life? Would you like to know it?

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali there is a sutra (3:22) saying that we can know the time of death. Advanced yogis have full control of their mind and practice samyana (an internal process where dhyana, dharana, samadhi are practiced simultaneously). This is an out-of-body experience where the material body dissolves. By reaching the full state of concentration, contemplation and the divine union, the practitioner gains enormous knowledge and wisdom. As a result, these practitioners are able to know the exact time of their death.

The interpretation of this sutra says the moment of death can also be predicted from certain omens. There are different kind of signs from which even ordinary people can know their time of death six months in advance. For example, not hearing anything from inside the body when closing the ears, neither seeing sparkles of light when closing the eyes. There are symptoms like not seeing the shadow at all, not being able to look at the nose and so on. However, some symptoms are related to other beings; seeing gods, dead relatives or enlightened beings. They say that omens like seeing the earth transforming into a paradise tell of a rapidly approaching death.

Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.

Mahatma Gandhi

Constitution of the bodies

To understand the process of dying from the Hindu perspective, we need to understand the constitution that we are made of. According to Hinduism, there are three bodies in us. When these bodies work together and when they are all balanced, our bodily and mental functions are working the best.

Soul (Atman) is different from the three bodies. It is the experiencer, observer and therefore it is eternal (like purusha). Atman resides in the body, but is not the body. It lives beyond the body as part of Brahama (universal soul).

The three bodies together create a vehicle for our soul, Atman:

Gross body – Sthula sharira - the physical body, what we can touch and see, created from the elements
Subtle (Astral) body - Sukshma sharira - the mind, intellect, ego, senses, life energy
Causal body – Karana sharira - the highest or innermost body, connected to the true soul (Atman); therefore, this connects the individual consciousness to the universal consciousness
Gross body – Sthula sharira - the physical body, what we can touch and see, created from the elements
Subtle (Astral) body - Sukshma sharira - the mind, intellect, ego, senses, life energy
Causal body – Karana sharira - the highest or innermost body, connected to the true soul (Atman); therefore, this connects the individual consciousness to the universal consciousness

Each of the three bodies plays a role in transporting the self along the path to liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. Through yoga, you can control the energies of these bodies, beginning with the physical and subtle before connecting with the higher Self through the causal body. Each body is associated koshas, or layers of awareness that hide the true Self. As the yogi discovers each layer and removes it, he/she moves closer to oneness with the universe and his/her true Self.

Koshas: The layers of awareness

According to the Upanishads (Taittiriya Upanishad, an ancient Tantricyoga text), there are five different koshas, sheaths (like layers around an onion) that are connected to the three bodies described earlier.

Annamaya kosha (the “food-body”, physical body): connected to the Gross body

Pranamaya kosha (body made of vital breath or prana): connected to the Subtle body

Manomaya kosha (body made of mind): connected to the Subtle body

Vijñanamaya kosha (body made of wisdom, consciousness): connected to the Subtle body

Anandamaya kosha (bliss body): connected to the Causal body, associated to samadhi

What is the subtle body made of?

According to yoga and Hindu philosophy, at the moment of death the subtle body separates from the physical body, consequently moving to a new body. As a result, the physical body is kind of a material vessel that we have borrowed from the earth. When it dies, we return the material body back to earth as it was only a vehicle of Atman (‘soul’, ‘life’) and the mental body.

Visualizing the subtle body can be a challenge, especially for those who identify their existence only through the physical body. Here is a simple example to understand the unit of physical body and subtle body; we are like ice-cubes in which the ice represents the physical body and H2O represents the subtle body.

The Koshas (sheaths) for the subtle body are the mental body (Manomaya kosha) - the body made of vital breath (Pranamaya kosha) and the body made of consciousness (Vijnanamaya kosha).In the Bhagavad Gita it is said that the subtle body is described as a combination of the mind (chitta), the intellect (buddhi) and the ego (ahamkara).

Feeling the presence of the subtle (also known as astral) body is possible in certain situations. The subtle body separates from the physical body through some experiences like dreams, out-of-body-experiences, visions and other astral experiences. Awareness of the subtle body is possible to reach through meditation, shamanistic rituals, lucid dreams and some drugs.

“Death is the fall of the physical body.”

The Moment of Death

Indian spiritual teachers say that the last thoughts before dying are the most important in channeling the consciousness into a new birth. Due to this, it is important that one has thought about their next life: where and what it would be like, and additionally, who you want to be born as. That will help the consciousness and Atman to understand the death of the physical body and move on.

According to Hinduism death happens in stages. An Indian sage and philosopher, Sadhguru tells about the stages of the Pranamaya-kosha, vital breaths leaving the body. These five vital energies control all functions in our physical body.

First, Prana-vayu (life force) leaves the body; it's literally the last breath our body exhales. Secondly, Samana-vayu (the heating system of the body) leaves and the body starts getting cold. Afterwards the body lets go of Apana-vayu - the center of sensations; physical actions may still occur in a dead body before this is released. As Sadhguru says, "life inside us is not fully convinced it is over." The loss of Udhana-vayu occurs 6-12 hours following this; this is when muscles lose their ability to support and make the body feel lighter. Through the practice of yoga, advanced practitioners can make their body feel really light - almost floating in asanas. The loss of Udhana-vayu brings weight to the body; carrying a dead person is different to carrying a living person.

In normal death these breaths leave the body over different times, for some hours, for some days. It is said to take 14 days for vyana-vayu to finally leave the body. Vyana-vayu connects to the nerves and energy channels; therefore it is linked to all functions in the body. This includes the Atman (our soul).

Separation of the Koshas

At the moment of death, the subtle body (astral body) leaves the physical body. The Atman survives along with subtle and causal body. The subtle body that is made of mental and pranic bodies and consciousness, is said to leave the physical body through a tunnel. It exits through one of the seven chakras (energy centers of the body). If a person has developed a deep and final understanding of consciousness and connection to the universe, the energy exits through the crown chakra, sahasrara. In this extremely rare case, one may see some drops of blood in the center of the forehead.

Is death painful?

Normal death itself is not painful. A mind prepared to face death - a mind which understands the impermanence of everything - may experience death as a very blissful moment. People who don’t have the understanding that they are separate from their body, emotions and mind, might have fear and pain in the moment of death, as they have to let go of memories and material attachments. They have identified themselves through their body and mind, and therefore death awakens fear and pain in them.

Death that happens in a sudden accident or by suicide causes confusion for the subtle body. It doesn’t understand the body has died. As a result, these souls might have difficulties to find the way into new life, and they might stay as ghosts who still believe they exist.

It is thought that a person who doesn't believe in the afterlife is also said to have difficulties understanding being dead. Their mental body stays close to the physical body because there has been attachment throughout their whole life. On the contrary, the subtle body can move through the power of thought, wherever it wants, without limitations set by time and space.

Soul never dies

According to Hinduism we are not the physical body, emotions or mind. We are the soul that is eternal and called Atman. Atman is true Self. It is connected to Brahman (universal absolute; supreme soul) , the creator of the Universe. Many Hindu and yoga practitioners say that the word soul shouldn’t be used. Some view the term as contaminated since it has strong connotations to bible and other religions. Sadhguru uses the word life.

Hindus believe the Atman incarnates into a new body. Atman knows the cycle of life and death and lives through all the karmic patterns. The ‘soul’ must evolve and live through several different lifetimes before it is ready for enlightenment. Hindus believe Atman evolves over each lifetime. Young souls, mature souls and old souls simultaneously exist in our universe.

I am sure that almost all of us have met people who seem to be older and wiser than their physical age would suggest. They show wisdom and compassion beyond the level of many with more life experience. I believe these are mature or old souls that have gained life experience from several other lifetimes before this one.

Yoga Philosophy series by Anni Rainio

Is there afterlife?
What makes life suffering
Reincarnation vs. Rebirth
Do our present actions affect our future life?
Transcending the fear of death
How to find life purpose
Acting from compassion
Process of dying according to Tibetan Buddhism
Process of dying - Perspectives from Hindu philosophies
Breaking the cycle of samsara
Enlightenment
Is there afterlife?
What makes life suffering
Reincarnation vs. Rebirth
Do our present actions affect our future life?
Transcending the fear of death
How to find life purpose
Acting from compassion
Process of dying according to Tibetan Buddhism
Process of dying - Perspectives from Hindu philosophies
Breaking the cycle of samsara
Enlightenment

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About the Author

This blog post is written by Anni Rainio, Doron Yoga Teacher -alumni, who is doing her 300h yoga teacher studies at Doron Yoga& Zen Center. She wrote a thesis about process of dying and rebirth from the yogic and Buddhist perspectives. This series of Yoga Philosophy blog texts are giving tastes of her theoretical studies. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts either here or to annirainio@gmail.com.

Yoga Philosophy Part IX: Process of dying - Perspectives from Hindu philosophies