[Advaita-l] Shraadha & Reincarnation

[Mahesh Ursekar]

Pranams:
 The above explanation was indeed quite agreeable to explain the ptr's
ceremony. However, it does bring is some complicated depenedencies, if you
think of it some more. A person's mother dies, is born in another birth, has
children and dies again before the said person dies so now we have this
person offerings along with the next birth's children's offering carrying on
the mother's third birth. And since the ceremony is performed by succeeding
generations also, we have a compicated web of offerings going to people in
various births! Something that only Brahman could manage! ;-) Of course,
this seems like the only logical explanation if reincarnation is to be
accepted.
 That said, let me bring in my bhabi (sis-in-law) experiences which seem
relevant to this topic. She is a qualified pscyhologist and has a gift for
being able to see and communicate with astral bodies. While I thought that
such things were only part of some esoteric arts, my discussions with her
did bring forth a lot of substance in her explanations and ideas. One of the
things she has claimed is that she is still in touch with her grandmother
via the latters astral body. To a rational person, this claim could be
thrown away as an over heated imagination. However, when she confronted her
father with stories that were know only to him and his mother (i.e. my
bhabi's grandmother), I had to only stop and think once more. But reflecting
some more, I think I should never have doubted her since our shastras claim
that the subtle body survives the death of the physical one. The unfortunate
thing is that since my bhabi has no interest in philosophy or advaita, I am
not able to ask her questions as to whether her grandmother was reborn again
or why she is yet roaming about as an astral. But the point is that is there
is a possibility that the pitr's ceremony also provides benefits for the
anscestors in the subtle body also?
 Humble pranams, Mahesh

 On 10/6/05, V. Krishnamurthy <profvk at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Namaste
>
> One more point hzas to be added to Shri Jaldhar's
> exlanations in answer to Krunal's question. This is in
> respect of "When the soul has reincarnated into another
> body, what is the purpose of offering something in the agni
> to pitr's?". This also is implied in Krunal's questions.
>
> It has to noted that when one offers something into the
> agni, it does not go as it is to the pitr's. It goes in
> that way which is most acceptable to them, if the mantras
> are right. In other words, though the person has now been
> born in a different birth in different circumstances and
> environment, he gets on that day what is to his liking. So
> a pinDa offered here goes as the food that is tasty to him
> in that birth; if he is an animal now, it goes as the food
> that that animal likes. Every one has the experience of a
> surprise pleasure in the form of an unexpected tasty food,
> lunch or dinner -- perhaps this is the explanation for it!
>
> PraNAms to all seekers of Truth
>
> Prof. V. Krishnamurthy
>
> Latest on my website: A conversation on the Concept of God in Hinduism.
> http://www.geocities.com/profvk/VK2/ConceptofGOD.html
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