What happens after death? This is how Hinduism answers this universal question.
Hindu philosophy does not accept the scientific concept that
death is the cessation of the individual. It proclaims that the soul with its
innate spark of divinity continues or may continue its onward journey even
after the demise of one’s physical body. The soul is thought to be wrapped in
layers of karma or samskara (impressions of past actions) which continue to
accumulate or diminish as we pass from one birth to another.
The soul in itself is pure, sublime, and without any
attribute. It wears these diverse garbs (of samskara) which makes each one of
us look different, act in a different manner and experience different
destinies. The cycles of births compel the individual soul to travel through
different paths in each birth. Thus, with each rebirth, it accumulates or works
on varied experiences, both good and bad.
The eternal urge of the soul is to attain the supreme
liberation and it tries to evolve from the lower to the higher states of consciousness,
just as a student is promoted from the kindergarten to the university levels.
The course of this journey of the soul also involves the play of the free will
(purushakara), predestination (prarabdha) and divine grace. These ongoing
cycles of reincarnation continue until the soul is completely stripped of all
the adhering layers of karma. It finally merges with Brahman or Paramatman to
become one with the unlimited powerhouse of bliss, and achieves the eternal
oneness and immortality.
Source – Vedanta Kesari March 2016 Editorial
The next birth of a living being usually depends on the unfulfilled desires and unfulfilled wishes the being carries with it. These attachments and vasanas decides what birth the living being takes next.
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