Are We Immortal?

By Dr. Dharmdeo N. Singh

The answer is yes.

Am I body or soul? When we say, it is my body, it is my hand, it is my car or it is my house, etc., it means that I own these things (including my body). So I cannot be these things. So I am soulwhen the soul gets out of the body at the time of death, although all its parts are present but nonfunctional. Whole body is either cremated or buried, which eventually disintegrates. Some of us believe in reincarnation or rebirth. Dr. Ian Stevenson of the Department of Psychology and Neurology, University of Virginia, has studied three thousand cases as of 1987 from all parts of the world. Each one of them said, I remember my previous life, and verified by Dr. Stevenson and published. (Refer it in my chapter Rebirth, Chapter Characteristics of soul.) It is self-exemplified and other quotations from Hindu scriptures.

The soul, to begin with, was pure as 24-carat gold. But after when it gets in the body of living beings and especially human body, it becomes impure due to good and bad actions (karma). Then it needs to be pure again in order to be immortal. For this it needs Gods grace, prayer, meditation, and other means to mingle with God as water of Rivers merge with water of sea and become salty water as of the sea.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503515994

Dr. Dharmdeo N. Singh

Dr. Dharmdeo N. Singh has earned doctorate degree from the University of London in cytogenetic. After teaching at Patna University, Bihar, India, for a few years, he was invited by Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, on Sessile Fellowship for Research. After thirty-three years of teaching and research in the USA, he retired from Meharry Medical College, Nashville, as professor and director of Medical Genetic, Department of Pediatrics, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Science in 1996. He then returned to Patna, India, to promote human genetics. He joined the Indra Gandhi Institute of Medical Science as a professor and head of the department of Medical Genetics. Dr. Singh has published more than two hundred research papers on cytogenetic and molecular genetics of humans, animals, and plants. He has also published four books of genetics and has contributed chapters of about a dozen books. For his scholarly pursuit, Dr. Singh has received numerous recognitions from national and international bodies. He has also served on the editorial board of many national and International Journals. After retirement, Dr. Singh published three books on Hinduism: (1) Basic Concepts of Hinduism, (2) A Study of Hinduism, and (3) Bhagavad Gita: An Art of Living.

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Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Dharmdeo N. Singh.

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Rev. date: 11/11/2014

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Contents

1. Introduction

2. Immortal Soul

Charactistics Of Soul:

Soul Examplified:

3. Rebirth

Reincarnation In Western Religions

The One-Birth Theory

Proof Of Reincarnation

4. Ego

Mind, Intellect, & Saṃskȃrs:

Prarabhdha – Karma

Sancita - Karma

Agami – Karma

5. Self – Realisation

Technique Of Self – Analysis

Shȃma

Dama

Titiksha

Uparati

Shraddhȃ

Samȃdhȃna

6. Meditation

Science Of Meditation

Kundalini System

Mediation Excersize

Awakening Kundalini

Science Of Pranȃyȃma:

7. Journey to Immortality

Path Of Knowledge

Karma Yoga Or Path Of Action

Path Of Devotion Or Bhakti Yoga

8. Assurances of God

9. OM

10. God

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

F UNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS THAT arise in virtually every individual’s mind such as: Who are we? Are our souls shaped and fates written in full by God before we take our first breath? Do we make ourselves, by the choice we ourselves make? Or are we play merely, that molded and pushed into the shape that our better propose for us? What happens after death? Am I going to be born again? What is the relationship between God and Ȃtmȃ (soul)?" Answer of these questions we will get from our Hindu scriptures and discuss them in the following chapters of this book.

So who are we? Many people answer: I am a human being, male or female, or his cast or position in the society etc., when we say that this is my body, my hand, my house, or my car etc. It means that we are body, car, or house etc. These things we own but we are not these things. Real answer is we are soul (Ȃtmȃ). Our soul resides in our body; we live in this house; or this car belongs to us, etc.

The true image of Sun or moon cannot be perceived on the surface of moving water. So the true reflection of the blissful nature of the soul or God cannot be understood owing to the waves of destitute with the changing state of body and mind. As the disturbed water distort the true image of sun or moon as such the disturbed state of mind distort the true nature of the inner soul.

Among 8.4 million species of living beings from single cell amoeba to multicellular plants, animals of which human beings alone at the pick of evolution, are eight billions in numbers that is endowed with an intellect, comprehends his present state limitations, bondages imperfection and incompleteness. He is naturally inclined to free himself from them and arraign completeness and perfection, and so strives hard to change the present, and to try to transcend the cycle of death and birth and to attain immortality. And he wants that knowledge, to free from the worldly bondage. And also wants the Eternal Happiness (Bliss) which never vanishes and rather increases every moment. The worldly happiness is for a short while and disappears as soon as he gets it. The desire to liberate him from sorrows is inherent in human beings. The desire being natural, he cannot give it up, and at the same time; actions (Karma) are unable to fulfil it. Since man cannot live even for a second without actions (Karmas). He can neither give up actions nor does he find everlasting happiness (Bliss) from the result of actions. The action seems to get him into more and more bondages. This being the case, what should we do?

If the jiva (being) is independent in creating results, then none would get the desired results. We would always get what we want since always do actions with an aim of getting desired results. But such is not the case. It is thus proved that there is a factor other than the individual which is responsible for the results. This factor is called (Isvara) or God. By the grace of God (Pramȃtmȃ) results of actions obtained.

Living beings have the following characteristics: Breathing, circulation of blood throughout the body, actions of sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin or tochȃ), organs of actions such as hands, feet, genital, anus, and mouth to talk and eat, consciousness, intelligence (but absence in animals and plants), animals works with it instincts, digestion of food, and metabolism, and latent impression (Sȃṁsakȃr) of our actions (Karma). All the above systems of the body work while a being is alive; but when they die all the functions cease to work for ever. In other words the soul provides energy for all the above organs to function. When soul goes out of the body, all the functions stop.

So the soul cannot be seen but realized by human as follows: when we sleep, we dream things, talk, hear voices, afraid of certain things or animals or person and feel happiness or sorrow or run. All the above acts of seeing without eyes; hear without ears; and run without legs etc.; all these accomplished by none other than my soul. Since we cannot see the soul, we have evidence of the existence of soul in our body as follows: (1) the physical body performs it’s all vital functions as long as the soul resides in the body, otherwise the body is useless and eventually perishes without the soul presence in it. (2) Another example is as follows: when man dies and all vital organs (eyes, ear, breathing, metabolism, and all karma Indriyas such as legs, hands etc. cease to function in the absence of soul. Soul acts like a atomic power, which produce light and also destroy things.

There are three fundamental urges of soul or Ȃtman: (a) True existence or survival; (b) Knowledge or consciousness or perception; (c) Happiness. So the very attributes of soul is Sat, chit, and Ȃnanda, this is also the Hindu concept of God: Sat stands for real existence or survival; Chit means consciousness, perception or knowledge; Ȃnanda or Bliss means happiness or everlasting happiness. God is also known as Sachitȃnand.

The true image of Sun or moon cannot be perceived on the surface of moving water. So the true reflection of the blissful nature of the soul l or God cannot be understood owing to the waves of destitute with the changing state of body and mind. As the disturbed water distort the true image of sun or moon as such the disturbed state of mind distort the true nature of the inner self.

Soul uses the sense organs to play its roles in this world. A soul needs ears, a mouth, eyes, and other organs to play its role. The soul speaks and chews food through the mouth. It is the body that has eyes, but it is the soul that sees. When a soul leaves the body all sense organs and organs of action no longer function. As body is made of the five elements (Earth, water, fire, wind and ether) and finally disintegrates into its components after death, and whereas the soul is a part of God does not disintegrates, it leaves one body and goes to another body. Lord Krishna says in Gitȃ;: As a man casting off worn-out garments puts on new ones, so the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies and enter into others that are new. (Gitȃ II: 22) Further He says: Weapons do not cleave the Ȃtamȃ, fire burns It not, water wets It not, wind dries It not. (Gitȃ II:23) The Self is unlivable, incombustible and neither wetted nor died. It is eternal, all-pervading, immovable and everlasting. (Gitȃ II: 24) This Ȃtman is said to be un-manifested, unthinkable and immutable. Therefore, knowing It as such, you should not grieve. (Gitȃ II: 25)

In a soul consciousness-stage, every sense organ is full of fragrance. When the soul leaves body starts emitting bad odors. The mind, intellect and latent impression (Sanskȃrs) are in the soul. The mind creates thoughts. The intellect understands and decides on the course of action. And Sanskȃrs keep the record of all good and bad actions performed in life. Mind creates thoughts as seeds for action. The soul requires a very good intellect to understand, discern and decide to act. The intellect is the eyes through which they recognize the physical and subtle abilities of the soul. The intellect has the ability to discern truth from falsehood and to understand spiritual knowledge from material knowledge. That’s why the intellect is called the voice of conscience. In between the thought and performing an action the voice of conscience intervenes. It all depends upon the intellect or consciousness, whether the intellect is enlightened the action will be good, and when intellect does not have the power of discern, the action will be of lower qualities. Good intellect has knowledge, purity and virtue would do higher qualities of action.

The soul carries good and bad saṁskȃr within. The body-consciousness state, the saṁskȃr accumulate the bad and are changed by influence of the five vices: lust, anger, attachment, ego and greed. Because of these vices starts doing bad action which gives bad results and one has to reap the consequences of these in this life or next life till it gets over. In the soul-consciousness the soul liberates from the above five vices which reforms your spoiled character.

Any offence against moral or social laws constitutes sin. For example, when you kill a man for personal profit or enmity or fanaticism, your sense of guild prevails. Hence you suffer as you have sinned. But you kill number of men in that battlefield, you feel a sense of achievement, and your actions are extolled. There is a noble motive which impelled you to the killing. Thus you have not sinned, but earned merit and glory. God does not punish you for your sins. Your action brings you sin. It is the law that is every action must produce equal and opposite reaction that constitutes sin. When you perform a deed which does not have the sanction, the approval of your conscience, you suffer from a sense of guilt, which causes agitations and remorse in your mind that is sin. Any offences against moral or social laws establish sin and get natural punishment. You shall be redeemed.

When man accepts his affinity for the perishable actions, objects and body; he does not realize his eternal affinity for God. Therefore, a karma yogi in order to renounce his assumed affinity for the world, utilize his body, senses, mind and intellect etc. for rendering service to the world, by regarding them as a part of the world. By accepting this belief the Kȃrmic actions will be performed for the world, but ‘yoga’ or eternal union will be for him (Soul) consciousness, he will realize his eternal union with God (the Supreme consciousness) Hindu scriptures state that reward or punishment of their actions (karma) determined by their own good and/or evil deeds done in the present life. God does not decide for them. As you sow, so you reap. It helps to turn people towards a more moral, ethical and charitable way of life. This way soul takes rebirth or Reincarnation occurs to pay back dues. When people realize that he has been following the wrong path in life acquiring, hoarding that influenced by five vices (lust, anger, attachment, ago and greed) and committing sins. One has been doing these inherent tendencies are strong in him. Suddenly depression and repressions would land him in a lunatic asylum as a mental wreck. These tendencies are powerful. Therefore one should continue the normal way of life, and at the same time make efforts to acquire good and noble values of life, which will form new tendencies and ultimately turn all actions right direction. Avoid hypocrisy. The first step is to purify your motives and act sinless action. Take all dualities, such as pain and pleasure, gain and; loss, victory and defeat, viewing gold and a stone like, same to agreeable and disagreeable, firm, the same in censure and praise. The same in honor and dishonor, the same to friend and foe, and abandoning, all under takings and engage in mundane duty which will eventually make you incur no sin and is said to have risen above the Gunas" (Gitȃ XIV: 24-25) Above three pairs of opposite (pain/pleasure, gain/loss, victory/defeat) are related to our three planes of activities in every life, viz., the physical, emotional, and intellectual, which will eventually integrate the person with equanimity, faces the ups and downs of life, suffers no sense of guilt or agitations and is hence said to be ‘sinless’. Equanimity can be acquired by the study of the scriptures and Join Company of the good people (Satsang) to learn the ideals of life. Through the company of the good, people there arises non attachment; through non-attachment, freedom from delusion (false values), through freedom delusion, one reaches steadfastness; through steadfastness one experiences liberation in life (jeevanmukti). It gives us immortality and experience the supreme, and become on with God. Soul become free from ego, saṁskȃrs and become free from all impurities, thus we become immortal. The Rigveda says: "Tamevem vidvȃn Amrita iha bhaval; Nȃnyah pantȃ ayanȃya vidyate." This manta means ‘He is the One, by realizing whom, the realized master become immortal, even this life. ‘As long as you think, you are the body which eventually die and perishes; and only the eternal soul never perishes; and the soul becomes immortal. Lord Krishna says: "He who has no ill will to any being who is friendly and compassionate to