Life after Death!

Many a times this query comes to our mind – is there a life after death?

Let me narrate a few experiences of  mine .  The first one goes back to Dec 1987 – Jan 1988 when my Mother was undergoing treatment in Isabella hospital following a surgery to remove gall bladder stones.    She was operated on 17^th December 1987.

When I reached Chennai on 25^th December and reached Satchi Chithi’s place in Alwarpet, I was told that I should rush to Isabella hospital, as my mother health had deteriorated .  It transpired that she had accumulated chest congestion during the post operative week and on 24^th December Morning – her heavy coughing made the surgery stichings to give way and her entire small intestine had come out.  Ironically, Dr. MGR had passed away that morning in Chennai and the entire city was in a chaotic state.  Isabella hospital had a scant strength of Doctors and nurses due to Christmas.  Sreedher had managed to bring Dr. Rajendran in a Police van and an emergency second surgery was done to push the intestine in and restitch the opening.  During this operation, her heart stopped beating – it was revived at the operation table and when she was brought to the room – once again her heart stopped and doctors made all efforts to revive the heart.  Heart started beating but my mother was unconscious.  I decided to stay by her side at the hospital , while Sreedher reluctantly left to go back to Delhi. For the next 7 days she remained unconscious.  On 1^st Jan 1988, she opened her eyes and started taking liquids orally.  I wished her happy new year.  She later on recovered well  and got discharged after a month.  

When she was recovering at in Anu’s house in Alwarpet  – I was by her side and narrated the post surgery  complications to her.  Then  I asked her  - what was her experience when she suffered massive heart attack. What I write below is what she told me at that time.  She experienced the following:  She felt herself (a figure identical to herself)separating from her body, watching her body lying on the hospital bed from the ceiling of the room for a while. Thereafter, she saw herself travelling at a speed faster than even light into an endless tunnel.  On both sides of the tunnel, she saw images of all events that she had passed through till that date in reverse order as a continuous film of her own life running backwards.  Suddenly this supersonic flight stopped.  At double the speed, she saw herself returning back into the body at the hospital bed – this time the tunnel screens replaying the life events in the right order.I was dumbstruck – but she narrated this non-challantly.  Is this an indication of ‘soul’s travel into universe and a proof of soul being different from Body, Mind and intellect?

My second experience was in Srirangam, in my younger brother house – where we had gathered to perform the 13day ceremonies following my Father’s demise.  It was 9^th day after my father’s death.  The entire family was sleeping in the first floor hall – next to each other.  I suddenly had a dream early morning say 3 AM or so.   A figure resembling my father  was sitting on the parapet wall in the open terrace adjoining the room where we were sleeping.  I asked him as to what he wanted.  He ( the figure) stated that he wanted to see the entire family together and hence he came.  I woke up . Interestingly, when I returned to Mumbai after these ceremonies and resumed office duties, my boss at that time, Mr. Viswanathan , offered condolences.  The next question from him surprised me – He said – Chandrasekar, do you believe in life after death?  

My third experience was a very recent one. After a very hectic day full of meetings, I was sleeping in my house in Mumbai.  I had a dream in which I saw my Chittappa  Venkatachalam looking at me and commending the way the meetings were conducted.  I replied that I had learnt this from him – when I had seen him conduct meetings in Gopalapuram House Mortgage Bank in the late 1960s.  He smiled and then again vanished.

There could be many medical explanations to what was experienced by my mother, the other two could be discarded as dreams of a disturbed or overworked brain.     In Advaita philosophy, we talk of immortal Soul (atman) , which is beyond and separate from Body, Mind, and  Intellect. If we believe in immortal Soul, then there must be a life for the Soul.

Har Har Mahadev!

sekar