Note to our readers: To understand this article you will need to read – What are human beings comprised of?
In this article we explain what happens to our subtle body as we grow spiritually and move on to progressively higher subtle regions of the Universe. As we do spiritual practice we go from gross to subtle. That is we keep on reducing our identification with various bodies. As we go to more evolved states of existence in the higher positive regions of the Universe the body that we identify most with becomes more and more subtle.
The following table shows the various bodies with respect to the various regions of the Universe. It shows how the dissolution of grosser bodies occurs as we go to higher and higher positive regions of the Universe.
Footnotes:
1. The number 5 relates to the 5 aspects of the Vital Energy Body.
2. The 5 subtle sense organs and the 5 subtle motor organs are associated with the subtle body. At a lower spiritual level we need the subtle sense organs to perceive the spiritual dimension. Later however one perceives the spiritual dimension through the subtle Mind and subtle Intellect.
3. The Chitta is made up of the sub-conscious mind and unconscious mind.
4. This column shows which is the predominant body in the various subtle regions of the universe. The higher the positive region the more subtle or intangible is the predominant body.
5. Sometimes we also refer to an aspect of the Mental Body as the Desire Body or Vaasanaa-deha. This is the aspect of the mind that contains all the impressions of desires. In the Earth region if we have desires we can at least fulfil them in the physical plane. However when we die at a lower spiritual level our Desire Body is still active but we have no physical body to fulfil them. This is why almost all our ancestors get trapped in the Earth plane in one way or the other. In some cases they get trapped in the Region of the Dead (Martyaloka) and are unable to move on to the subtle regions where they are meant to go to after death. From the Region of the Dead or even the Nether Region, subtle bodies that have died possess their descendents or other people with similar desires to experience their desires through them. Descendents are easier to possess due to the give-and-take account they have with their departed ancestors. Please refer to our ancestor section as a spiritual root cause of problems in life. It is only through spiritual practice that conforms to the six basic principles that we are able to overcome our desires.
6. Here by Mental Body we mean that aspect of the Mind that is related to one’s thoughts.
7. This is the last vestige of one’s own identity until as one finally merges into the Supreme God Principle and loses all identity with their lower self i.e. the 5 senses, Mind and Intellect.
8. Once there is dissolution of one’s Mental Body, we are able to access the Universal Mind. So also when there is dissolution of one’s Intellect Body, we gain access to and operate from the Universal Intellect.
This article impresses upon us the need to do spiritual practice and attain higher positive regions of the Universe after physical death.
