The Way of Yama

Dear readers, this note is the continuation of my previous note “13 days after Death”. This will explain the significance of 1 year after death. The dreadful journey the soul has to cover to Yama’s kingdom. The torments, screams and agony of the souls might be felt while reading this note.

On the 13^th day of death, the soul walks his way back to Yama’s kingdom along with his messengers for one year. Dragged and beaten up, he is no less than a slave who has committed the crime of assassin of his master. He cries out aloud, with deep repentance he mourns at his deeds when told about godliness, while he was alive. For now there’s no other way out, just suffer the untold pain. He remembers the way he made fun of sages and saints who were preaching about god and his ways. Had he been a listener to those and profound believer in god, all these sufferings would not have been on his part and he would have achieved God’s kingdom right after his death.

There is no shade of trees there, in which a man may take rest, and on this road there is none of the foods by which he may support life. No water is to be seen anywhere that he, extremely thirsty, may drink. Twelve suns blaze, O Bird, as though at the end of a pralaya. There the sinful soul goes along pierced by cold winds, in one place torn by thorns, in another stung by very venomous serpents. The sinful in one place is bitten by ferocious lions, tigers, and dogs; in another stung by scorpions; in another burnt by fire. On 28th day of his death the jiva partakes the pindam offered by his son after a

shradha.

Here he eats the monthly rice-balls given by his sons and grandsons through either love or compassion, and thence goes on into Sauripura. There is there a king named Jangama, who has the appearance of Death. Having seen him he is overcome with fear and decides to give up efforts. In that city he eats a mixture of water and food, given at the end of three fortnights, and then passes on from that city. Thence the departed speedily goes to Nagendrabhavana; and having seen the fearful forests there he cries in misery. Being dragged unmercifully he weeps again and again. At the end of two months the afflicted leaves that city, having enjoyed there the rice-balls, water and cloths given by his relatives; being again dragged with the nooses he is led onwards by the servants. Upon the coming of the third month, having arrived at the city of the Gandharvas, and there having eaten the rice-balls offered in the third month he moves on. And in the fourth month reaches Śailâgama city, There stones rain down copiously upon the departed. Having eaten the rice-balls of the fourth month he becomes somewhat happy. In the fifth month the departed goes thence to the city of Krauncha.

Remaining in the city of Krauncha, the departed eats the rice balls given by hand in the fifth month, and then, having eaten it, goes to Krûrapura. At the end of five and a half months the ceremony before the six-monthly is performed. He remains, satisfied with the rice-balls and jars then given. Having stayed, trembling and very miserable, for a time and having left that city, threatened by the servants of Yama, he goes to Chitrabhavana, over which kingdom rules a king named Vichitra, who is the younger brother of Yama. When he sees his huge form he runs away in fear.

Then having come before him some fishermen say: 'We have arrived, bringing a boat for you--who desire to cross the great Vaitaraṇî River--if your merits are sufficient’. The river is made up of blood and pus, had bones and rotten human flesh floating all over the river. It is about a yojana long. 'It is said by the sages, who see the truth, that Vitarana is a gift, and this is called Vaitaraṇî because it is crossed over by that. 'If you have made the gift of a cow, then the boat will come to you, otherwise not.' Having heard their words, 'Oh heavens,' he exclaims. Seeing him it seethes, seeing which he cries loudly. The sinful soul who has made no gifts verily sinks in that. Having fixed a skewer through his lips, the messengers, floating in the air, carry him across like a fish upon a hook.

Having then eaten the rice-balls of the sixth month, he passes on. He goes on the way lamenting, very greatly afflicted with the desire to eat. At the approach of the seventh month he goes to the city of Bahwâpada. There he enjoys what is given by his sons in the seventh month. Having passed beyond that city, he arrives at the city of Duhkhada. Travelling in the air he suffers great misery. Having eaten the rice-balls which are given in the eighth month he moves on. At the end of the ninth month he goes to the city of Nânâkranda. Having seen many people crying in agony in various ways, and being himself faint of heart, he cries in great misery. Having left that city, the departed, threatened by the servants of Yama, goes, with difficulty, in the tenth month, to Sutaptabhavana.

Though he there obtains the rice-ball gifts and water, he is not happy At the completion of the eleventh month he goes to the city of Raudra. There he enjoys what is offered in the eleventh month by his sons and others, and half after the eleventh month he reaches Payovarṣaṇa. There clouds team, giving misery to the departed, and them, he, in misery, obtains the Śrâddha before the annual one. At the end of the year he goes to the city of Śîtâḍhya, where cold a hundred times greater than that of the Himâlaya afflicts him. Hungry and pierced with cold, he looks about in the ten directions. 'Does there remain any relative who will remove my misery?' There the servants ask: 'What sort of merit have you?' Having eaten the annual rice-balls he plucks up courage again. At the end of the year, coming nearer to the abode of Yama, having reached the city of Bahubhîti, he casts off the body the measure of a hand. The spirit the size of a thumb, to work out its karma, getting a body of torment, sets out through the air with the servants of Yama. Those who do not offer gifts for the dweller in the upper body, thus go, painfully bound in tight bonds. Thus he enters the kingdom of Yama. In the Yama’s kingdom, the soul’s credits are recited and he receives punishments accordingly. The happenings in Yama’s kingdom will be posted in the next blog.

Believing or not is your choice. My job restricts me to read the texts and present it in an abridged format to you. Although scary and creepy, these happenings can be found in various ancient texts. All of them can’t be taken as the works of fiction.

See you in my next blog. Till then, take care and mind your actions.

13 Days after Death

13, cursed as an unlucky number and the storehouse of all the evil spirits in various religions across the world, marks its trademark from the ancient literary texts of supreme knowledge. The content in this has been inspired from the text of utmost reverence, the garuda purana. This text explains about the happenings after death. Most of us aren’t believers in anything of this sort, are we? True indeed, it sounds creepy and scary, no wonder one forbids to think about all this. Standing unbiased, and bound by my culture, i have gone through these texts and shockingly there are numerous living examples who have witnessed after death experience. To a Hindu there is needed no greater testimony than that of Yogi Yâjñavalkya who, in the Prâyaśchitta Adhyâya of his law book, mentions 21 hells.

Powerful death, unexpectedly, like a serpent, approaches an individual stricken with bodily and mental pain, yet anxiously hoping to live. Not yet tired of life, being cared for by his dependents, with his body deformed through old age, nearing death, in the house, he remains, like a house-dog, eating what is ungraciously placed before him, diseased, with failing digestion, eating little, moving little, with eyes turned up through loss of vitality, with tubes obstructed by phlegm, exhausted by coughing and difficult breathing, with the death rattle in his throat, lying encircled by his sorrowing relatives; though being spoken to he does not answer, being caught in the noose of death. In this condition, with mind busy with the support of his family, with senses unconquered, swooning with intense pain he dies amidst his weeping relatives. In this last moment, all the worlds appear as one, and he does not attempt to say anything. Then, at the destruction of the decayed senses and the numbing of the intelligence, the messengers of Yama come and life departs. When the soul leaves his material body, the moment seems to be an age, and pain like the biting of thousands of scorpions is experienced.

Two terrifying messengers of Yama come, fierce of aspect with nooses and rods, naked black like a buffalo, and with grinding teeth. As black as crows, with hair erect, with ugly faces, with nails like weapons; seeing whom his heart palpitates and he releases excrements. They drag him all the way to Yama’s kingdom where the soul cries and laments for all the misdeeds it has done while he was alive. Hungry and thirsty, roasting in the sun, forest-fires and hot winds, struck upon the back with whips, painfully he walks, almost powerless, along a road of burning sand, shelter-less and waterless. Having seen the fearful Yama, the man, after a time, by command of Yama, swiftly comes back through the air, with the messengers.

This is why, the body of the dead isn’t burnt right after his soul leaves his body. We wait for the soul to return from the kingdom of Yama back to his house where he spent his lifetime. In deep grief, he observes his funeral rites, and watches the piece of meat which he held for decades wrapped up in flames. Having returned, bound by his past tendencies, desiring the body but held back with a noose by the followers of Yama, tortured by hunger and thirst, he weeps. He obtains the rice-balls given by his offspring, and the gifts made during the time of his illness. Nevertheless, the sinful Denier does not obtain gratification. The Śrâddha, the gifts, and the handful of water, for the sinful, do not uplift. Although they eat the rice-ball offering, still they are tortured with hunger. Those who are in the departed condition, deprived of the rice-ball offering, wander about in great misery, in an uninhabited forest, until the end of the age.

For ten days the son should offer rice-balls. Every day these are divided into four portions. Two portions give nourishment to the five elements of the body; the third goes to the messengers of Yama; he lives upon the fourth. For nine days and nights the departed obtains rice-balls, and on the tenth day the being, with fully formed body, acquires strength. The old body being cremated, a new one is formed by these offerings, the man, the size of a hand (cubit), by this experiences good and evil on the way. By the rice-ball of the first day the head is-formed; the neck and shoulders by the second; by the third the heart forms. By the fourth the back forms; and by the fifth the navel; by the sixth the hips and secret parts; by the seventh the thigh forms, likewise the knees on eighth day and feet by ninth day. On the tenth day hunger and thirst are imbibed on to the doll manifesting the departed. On the thirteenth day the departed, bound by the servants of Yama, walks alone along the road like a captured monkey. It is on this day, when the son of the departed carries the soul of the departed from the house by making lot of noise by beating utensils and leaves it far off from the house.  This marks as the beginning of a year of continuous pain and sufferings till he reaches kingdom of Yama. It takes 86,000 yojanas to Yama’s kingdom. The details of this one year of suffering will be mentioned in my upcoming blog.

*Serious Note:  All the details mentioned in the above written blog are a piece of serious work attained after going through ancient texts and listening learned saints from across India.