The heaven and hell of the Scriptures are spaces in the vital worlds through which the souls transit after death. It is portrayed as places of reward and punishment that helps the soul to learn and grow through the consequences. In the Semitic religions which do not believe in Rebirth, these are seen as final destinations where we are sent on the great judgment day based on your belief in the God of the particular Religion rather than on merit of your deeds.
In the Hindu tradition, heaven and hell of these vital worlds are not the final destination but domains through which the soul transits after death based on your actions, karma, and npt your religous beliefs. Then it either returns in the cycle of Rebirth to complete its full evolutionary journey through a number of lives. Or else if it is a developed soul it enters into higher domains where they may stay awhile in meditative trance or, go further and merge in the Divine essence of things, never to return. Some may choose to come back from these higher planes to help humanity and earth.
Sri Aurobindo and the Mother’s views are based on their experiences of these domains and basically agree with the Sanatana Dharma. However there are several new elements that he adds to our understanding. He describes how some of these spaces with elaborate description of them are often creations of the human mind and the formative capacity of the human imagination. Secondly the duration of stay during transition is generally brief unless one has died in a terrible inner condition such as suicide. Thirdly these are not domains to render justice but to purify, to release certain tendencies that stick badly to our nature, to cleanse us so that we are prepared for the adventure of next life.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
