What happens after death?

After death, the Soul leaves one body, and on the other hand, it directly enters the womb where the sperm of the father and the ovum of the mother happen to meet. So, a question arises in our mind that where will the new birth take place - on what basis is that decided?

According to Darwin's 'Theory of Evolution', i.e. evolutionism, a living being is constantly 'developing' from a one-sensed organism into the animal life-form, and then comes into the human life-form. But after coming into human form, in which life-form does one go next, that secret is not revealed by physical science; that explanation of what happens after death is found in spiritual science.

At the time of death, comes the balance sheet of the entire life

Just like at the end of the year wherein the trial balance of a business’s income and expenditure comes into the balance sheet, a trial balance of the merits and demerits of the deeds done by a human being in his whole life, comes at the time of death, and the life-form of the next birth gets determined. This forms the basis of where do we go after death.

Only after taking birth in the human body does the intellect and ego develop, based on which a person binds good or bad karma. Just like when we deposit money in a bank account it is called credit, similarly if we do deeds of merit, good deeds get deposited. Just like withdrawing money from a bank account is called a debit, similarly by doing bad deeds, sins are bound. 

If we stop the trade of both credit-debit, then we get free from the wandering in different life-forms.

Four life-forms

The four life-forms include human life-form, celestial life-form, animal life-form and hell life-form. The path to these four life-forms opens only from the human life-form, because karmas can be bound only in the human body. In all other life-forms, new karma cannot be bound but one suffers the old karmas and finishes them.

As more and more merits (good karma) get accumulated, one goes to a higher life-form i.e. in the celestial life-form. As sin (bad karma) accumulates, one goes into lower life-forms i.e. Tiryancha (birds, animals, insects, etc.). Accumulation of too much sin leads to hell. If the binding of good-bad karma ceases, then human beings go to Moksha (attains salvation). 

Human life-form

He who has been gentle throughout his life, has practiced humanity, will get human life-form in the next life. Humanity means giving to others only what one likes (when given to them), and not giving to others what one doesn't like (when they receive the same). While getting angry at someone, if a thought occurs, “I don't like it when someone gets angry at me; so if I get angry at him, how much it would hurt him!” Then, he is said to have come within the boundary of humanity. Before looking at a woman with a bad intention, if such a thought comes that, “I can't bear it when someone looks at my wife or sister, then how can I look at someone's wife or daughter with a bad intention?” When that awareness prevails, it’s called the religion of being human (manavta). Before swindling someone else's money, if such a thought comes to mind, “What if that money would have been mine instead of his?”, then one is said to have practiced humanity. If a human being practices humanity throughout his life, then he will come back as a human being.

If you want to be a human being, you should serve your parents and elders wholeheartedly, if you have a Guru, you should serve your Guru and show benevolence towards people. Dealings should be kept clean, that is, interactions should be maintained in a manner that there is no debt receivable or payable to anyone in the account of karma. Before dealing with someone, that thought should come that, "What if I were in his place?" When someone gets hurt even a little, if one immediately repents over it, even then he will return to human life-form. If all activities in life are done with such awareness, then the human form will come again. Otherwise, it is difficult to get human form.

Animal life-form

One, who for his own benefit, grabs or enjoys that which is not of one’s right, in his next birth, gets an animal life-form. Unrighteous means swindling others’ money or getting into an illicit relationship with another woman or a man (who by right is not one’s legal spouse). Moreover, adulteration of food items, lying and cheating people for one’s own selfish gains, cleverly deceiving others wilfully, the result of all of that is the animal life-form (Tiryancha Gati). The very thought of usurping that which belongs to others’ is said to be beastly. One who constantly thinks of enjoying that which is not of one’s own right, can never be called a human.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says, Use your mind, speech, body, and [relative] self for others. If you use them for yourself, then you will receive a life-form as a tree. Then you will keep suffering for five hundred years. People will enjoy your fruits and burn your wood. Then you will be used by others in your imprisoned form. That is why the Lord says, “Use your mind, speech,and body and the applied awareness as the [relative] self for the sake of others. Then, should any kind of misery
come to you, let Me know.”

Celestial life-form

A human being who gives his rightful happiness to others will go to the celestial world in the next birth. One who throughout his life spends off all the energies of his mind, speech and body for others, goes to the celestial world! One who does good even to those who do evil to them, such superhuman natured humans go to Devgati (the celestial world). In Devgati, one gets to enjoy material pleasures as a result of his previous meritorious deeds.

Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan says, "The happiness that he was meant to indulge in, that was designed for him; he has a need for it yet he gives it to other people, then such a person is a super-human, so he goes to the celestial life-form." This is the most rewarding life-form where one can go after death.

Hell life-form

A person who harms others unnecessarily, in which there is no benefit to himself but which causes great harm to others, goes to hell. Harming unnecessarily means without any reason burning people's houses, etc., creating havoc, uselessly killing living beings, pouring poison in a well or a pond, those doing all such karma get authorized to go to Hell (Narkagati)! Vile acts like killing humans and eating human flesh, its result is hell.

One who commits atrocities and abuses others, who feels happy by causing pain or getting angry at the other person, has to go to lower life-forms.

These four life-forms are one kind of imprisonment, in which one has to suffer the fruits of one's deeds. Humans are in simple captivity. Heavenly abode is a house arrest, where material pleasures abound but there is no way to be free. The animals are in hard labour jail, where there is suffering from constant hunger and fear. Whereas the creatures in hell are in life imprisonment, where they have to suffer extreme pain. This is the most awful life-form where one can go after death.

The photo of the life-form during the last moments

In the last hour of death, when it’s the last 48 minutes, a picture of the trial balance of the entire life gets clicked. Param Pujya Dadashri says that, "What you have done all your life, its trial balance comes at the time of the death hour, and according to the balance, it moves into the next life-form."

On the deathbed, "I will die, I still have a daughter to marry, what will happen to her?" if such worries and apprehensions continue to happen, then know that one will go into a lower life-form. If the body dies while in constant meditation of God, then know that one shall go into a higher life-form. The kind of last-minute meditation that remains is based on what kind of deeds one may have done throughout the life only, and accordingly, moving to the next life-form is determined. This answers where do the soul go after death.

Also, after completion of two-thirds of the life span, a person’s next life-form’s photo gets clicked. Suppose a human’s life span is seventy-five years, then when one-third of the life remains, i.e. at fifty years, the first photo gets clicked. If the lifespan is sixty years, then at forty years and if one has eighty-one years of life, then the first picture gets clicked at fifty-four years. Depending on whatever good-bad deeds done in the entire life, this life-form’s photo gets clicked.