“…the doctors observe all the outer signs, then they declare you dead, but you’re still in your body! …it’s probably during this period that people are ‘resuscitated,’ as they say, for they have not left their bodies, they are not really dead, though the heart may give every appearance of having stopped.
People in India are in too much of a hurry to burn the dead, sometimes they burn them alive! … They should wait, for there’s a consciousness of the form, a life of the form assumed by the cells, which takes seven days to come out. And that is why sometimes the body makes abrupt movements when burned—people say it’s mechanical. It’s not mechanical, I know it’s not.
So I don’t like this habit of burning people very much… I think they do it here (apart from entirely sanitary considerations in the case of people who have died from nasty diseases), here in India, mainly because they are very afraid of all these little entities that come from desires, impulses—things which are dispersed in the air and which make ‘ghosts’ and all kinds of things. All desires, all attachments, all those things are like pieces that break off (each one goes its own way, you see), then these pieces gain strength in the surrounding atmosphere, and when they can fasten on to someone, they vampirize him. Then they keep on trying to satisfy their desires. [9]”
-The Mother
Whether cremation or burial, the Mother is advising us not to hurry through the process for a number of reasons. While the life forces ceases to operate through the lungs and heart and hence circulate through the body, whatever is already there in the cells continues for time, even upto 6 to 8 hours after the signs of death have appeared. So long this life force has not completely withdrawn from the cells, something of the person remains tied around the body. But even apart from this, there are nerves in the subtle body corresponding to the physical body that need to be loosened. Until they are completely loosened some sensations can still be perceived though no more through the brain. Hence burning or shutting in a box hurriedly may be perceived by the deceased and depending upon how it is done, it may give an unpleasant sensation. Finally the soul itself needs time to gather and assimilate all the experiences it has had in and through the body. It is somewhat like putting a house on fire or razing it to the ground suddenly just because the owner decided to quit it. His baggage may still be there that he needs to carry along. Hence the Mother’s advice to allow sometime, at least 24hours between the departure and cremation or burial.
Having said that our human journey is for a long time under the spell of ignorance. So guilt etc are never the right response towards the departed. What is needed is to learn and grow, to treat people with love and care and respect while they are alive and, when they leave, do not be in a hurry to ‘dispose’ off the body thinking that the person is gone. Allow time to gather what the soul yet must gather, surround the person with a beautiful atmosphere of love and kindness and peace and, give a nice final send off.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
